Mumia Abu-Jamal (born 1954) is an American convict, serving a life
sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel
Faulkner. He was sentenced to death at his first trial in July 1982, and
his case became an international cause célèbre. Before his arrest, he
was an activist and radio journalist who became President of the
Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. He was a member of the
Black Panther Party until October 1970. Supporters and opponents
disagreed on the appropriateness of the death penalty, his guilt, and
whether he received a fair trial. He was described as "perhaps the
world's best known death-row inmate". During his imprisonment he has
published several books and other commentaries, notably Live from Death
Row (1995). In 2008, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Third Circuit Court
of Appeals upheld the murder conviction but ordered a new capital
sentencing hearing because the jury was improperly instructed.
Subsequently, the United States Supreme Court also allowed his
conviction to stand but ordered the appeals court to reconsider its
decision as to the sentence. In 2011, the Third Circuit again affirmed
the conviction as well as its decision to vacate the death sentence, and
the District Attorney of Philadelphia announced that prosecutors would
no longer seek the death penalty. He was removed from death row in
January 2012.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumia_Abu-Jamal>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1405:
Chinese explorer Zheng He led a massive fleet of 317 ships from
Suzhou on a trade mission to India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He>
1804:
U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former U.S.
Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a duel (pistols pictured)
in Weehawken, New Jersey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel>
1882:
Anglo-Egyptian War: British naval forces began their
bombardment of Alexandria against Urabi forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Alexandria>
1957:
Prince Karīm al-Hussaynī succeeded Sultan Mahommed Shah as
the Aga Khan, becoming the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV>
1960:
To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, featuring themes
of racial injustice and the destruction of innocence in the American
Deep South, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird>
1986:
The Parliament of New Zealand passed the Homosexual Law Reform
Act, legalising consensual homosexual sex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_Law_Reform_Act_1986>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gaggle:
1. A group of geese when they are on the ground or on the water.
2. Any group or gathering of related things; bunch.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gaggle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea
that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're
licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no
matter what.
--Harper Lee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harper_Lee>
The Halifax Gibbet was an early guillotine, or decapitating machine,
used in the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was probably
installed some time during the 16th century as an alternative to
beheading by axe or sword. Halifax was once part of the Manor of
Wakefield, where ancient custom and law gave the Lord of the Manor the
authority to execute summarily by decapitation any thief caught with
stolen goods to the value of 13½ pence or more, or who confessed to
having stolen goods of at least that value. The device consisted of an
axe head fitted to the base of a heavy wooden block that ran in grooves
between two 15-foot (4.6 m) tall uprights, mounted on a stone base
about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. A rope attached to the block ran over a
pulley, allowing it to be raised, after which the rope was secured by
attaching it to a pin in the base. The block carrying the axe was then
released either by withdrawing the pin or by cutting the rope once the
victim was in place. The date of the gibbet's installation is uncertain,
so it cannot be determined with any accuracy how many were executed
using the Halifax Gibbet. By 1650 public opinion considered beheading to
be an overly severe punishment for petty theft; use of the gibbet was
forbidden by Oliver Cromwell, and the structure was dismantled. The
stone base was rediscovered and preserved in about 1840, and a non-
working replica was erected on the site in 1974.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Gibbet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1645:
English Civil War: The Parliamentarians destroyed the last
Royalist field army at the Battle of Langport, ultimately giving
Parliament control of the West of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Langport>
1921:
One day after a truce between the Irish Republican Army and
British forces, violence between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast
resulted in sixteen dead.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1921)>
1925:
Indian mystic and spiritual master Meher Baba began his silence
until his death in 1969, only communicating by means of an alphabet
board or by unique hand gestures.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba>
1941:
The Holocaust: A group of non-Jewish ethnic Poles from around
the nearby area murdered hundreds of Jewish residents of Jedwabne in
occupied Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedwabne_pogrom>
1962:
Telstar (pictured), the world's first active, direct relay
communications satellite, was launched by NASA aboard a Delta rocket
from Cape Canaveral.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar>
1973:
John Paul Getty III, grandson of American oil magnate J. Paul
Getty, was kidnapped in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Getty_III>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
badinage:
Playful raillery; banter.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/badinage>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full.
--Marcel Proust
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marcel_Proust>
The Cross of Gold speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a
former congressman from Nebraska, at the Democratic National Convention
in Chicago on July 9, 1896. In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism
or "free silver", which he believed would bring the nation prosperity.
He decried the gold standard, concluding the speech, "you shall not
crucify mankind upon a cross of gold". Bryan's address helped catapult
him to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination; it is considered
one of the greatest political speeches in American history. For twenty
years, Americans had been bitterly divided over the nation's monetary
standard. Many Americans believed bimetallism (making both gold and
silver legal tender) was necessary to the nation's economic health.
Bryan's speech, delivered at the close of the debate on the party
platform, electrified the convention and is generally credited with
getting him the nomination for president. However, he lost the general
election to William McKinley and the United States formally adopted the
gold standard in 1900.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Gold_speech>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
455:
Roman military commander Avitus was proclaimed Emperor of the
Western Roman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avitus>
869:
An estimated magnitude 8.6 Ms earthquake and subsequent tsunami
struck the area around Sendai, Japan, leaving sand deposits up to 4 km
(2.5 mi) inland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/869_Jogan_Sanriku_earthquake>
1850:
Following Zachary Taylor's death, Millard Fillmore became
President of the United States, the last member of the Whig Party to
hold that office.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_Fillmore>
1962:
In a seminal moment for pop art, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup
Cans exhibition opened at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_Soup_Cans>
2008:
Under the belief that Israel and the United States were
planning to attack its nuclear programme, Iran conducted the Great
Prophet III missile test and war games exercise.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Prophet_III>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
penitent:
1. Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant;
contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on
amendment of life.
2. Doing penance.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/penitent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never
know what hit you. Everything man has thought, felt and experienced is
gone, and nothing is put in its place.
--U. G. Krishnamurti
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti>
Dendrocollybia is a genus of fungus in the family Tricholomataceae of
the order Agaricales. It consists of the single species Dendrocollybia
racemosa, a somewhat rare fungus found in the Northern Hemisphere,
including the Pacific Northwest region of western North America, and
Europe. It usually grows on the decaying fruit bodies of other
agarics—such as Lactarius and Russula—although the host mushrooms
may be decayed to the point of being difficult to recognize.
Dendrocollybia racemosa fruit bodies have small pale grayish-white or
grayish-brown caps and thin stems. The species is characterized by its
unusual stem, which is covered with short lateral branches. The branches
often produce spherical slimeheads of translucent conidiophores on their
swollen tips. The conidiophores produce conidia (asexual spores) by
mitosis. Because the fungus can rely on either sexual or asexual modes
of reproduction, fruit bodies sometimes have reduced or even missing
caps. The unusual stems originate from black pea-sized structures called
sclerotia. It is able to reproduce at relatively low temperatures, an
adaptation believed to improve its ability to grow quickly and fruit on
decomposing mushrooms.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrocollybia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1579:
Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church,
was discovered underground in Kazan, present-day Tatarstan, Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Kazan>
1758:
French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at
Fort Carillon on the shore of Lake Champlain in the British Colony of
New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carillon>
1808:
Joseph Bonaparte approved the Bayonne Statute, a royal charter
intended as the basis for his rule as king of Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonne_Statute>
1994:
Upon the death of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il became the Supreme
Leader of North Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il>
2004:
After a 19-month trial, U.S. Marine Corps Major Michael Brown
was convicted by a court in Naha, Okinawa, for an attempted indecent
assault on a Filipina bartender.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_Okinawa_assault_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
maw:
1. The upper digestive tract (where food enters the body), especially the
mouth and jaws of a ravenous creature.
2. Any great, insatiable or perilous opening.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maw>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
By the work one knows the workman.
--Jean de La Fontaine
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_de_La_Fontaine>
Killer7 is an action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper
Manufacture and published by Capcom. Suda51 wrote and directed the game,
his first to be released outside Japan on July 7, 2005. Killer7 features
first-person shooter elements and a unique "on rails" control scheme,
but the core adventure-style gameplay has been compared to Myst and
Snatcher. The game follows an elite group of assassins called the
"killer7". The assassins, physical manifestations of one man Harman
Smith, perform hits on behalf of the United States government. Through
these missions, the killer7 uncover a deeper conspiracy regarding the
role of Japan in US politics and secrets about the nature of their
organization. The game received polarized reviews due to its
unconventional control scheme and complex noir plot. Jack Thompson, an
outspoken video game activist, alleged that the game contains "full-
blown sex sequences", but his claims were ultimately refuted. Despite
these setbacks, Killer7's cult appeal led to remakes of Suda51's older
works and the successful launch of No More Heroes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer7>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: British forces caught up with
American troops withdrawing from Ticonderoga and captured over 200 men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hubbardton>
1897:
The Philippine revolutionary secret society Katipunan (co-
founder Andres Bonifacio pictured) was founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos
in Manila.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunan>
1928:
The Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri, first
produced sliced bread, advertised as "the greatest forward step in the
baking industry since bread was wrapped", which then led to the popular
phrase "the greatest thing since sliced bread".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliced_bread>
1994:
Troops from the former North Yemen captured Aden, ending the
Yemeni civil war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_civil_war_in_Yemen>
2007:
Pope Benedict XVI issued the Apostolic Letter Summorum
Pontificum, removing restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summorum_Pontificum>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sanguinary:
1. Attended with bloodshed.
2. Eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty.
3. Consisting of, covered with or similar in appearance to blood.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sanguinary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sin is cruelty and injustice, all else is peccadillo. Oh, a sense of sin
comes from violating the customs of your tribe. But breaking custom is
not sin even when it feels so; sin is wronging another person. in
--Glory Road
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Glory_Road>
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held
every July in Calgary, Canada. The ten-day event attracts over one
million visitors per year and features a parade, midway, stage shows,
concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations
exhibitions. The first Stampede was held in 1912, organized by American
promoter Guy Weadick and supported by four area ranchers as a
celebration of their lifestyle. A second Stampede was held in 1919 and
it became an annual event in 1923 when it merged with the Calgary
Industrial Exhibition. It is one of Canada's largest festivals and has
become synonymous with Calgary's identity. It is a significant tourist
attraction for the city which takes on a party atmosphere: businesses
decorate their buildings in cowboy and western themes and hundreds of
community events are held throughout the city. The Stampede is one of
the premier events on the professional rodeo and chuckwagon circuits.
Both are televised nationally in Canada and offer one of the largest
prize funds in each sport. Some events, particularly chuckwagon racing,
are controversial and have become the target of international criticism
by animal welfare groups.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1560:
Scotland and England signed the Treaty of Edinburgh to formally
conclude the Siege of Leith and replace the Scottish–French Auld
Alliance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Edinburgh>
1887:
King Kalākaua of Hawai'i was forced to sign the Bayonet
Constitution, stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority
as well as disfranchising all Asians, most native Hawaiians, and the
poor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1887_Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii>
1962:
The United States conducted the Sedan nuclear test as part of
Operation Plowshare, a program to investigate the use of nuclear
explosions for civilian purposes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan_(nuclear_test)>
1989:
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad member carried out a suicide attack
by hijacking a bus and forcing it into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim,
Israel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv_Jerusalem_bus_405_suicide_attack>
1997:
The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of
unrest began in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_nationalist_riots_in_Northern_Ireland>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Higgs boson:
(physics) A hypothetical elementary particle predicted by the Standard
Model; a boson with zero spin, it is thought to give mass to other
particles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Higgs_boson>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in
the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend.
--George W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush>
Hygeberht was the Bishop of Lichfield from 779 and Archbishop of
Lichfield after the elevation of Lichfield to an archdiocese some time
after 787, during the reign of the powerful Mercian king Offa. Little is
known of Hygeberht's background, although he was probably a native of
Mercia. Offa succeeded in having Lichfield elevated to an archbishopric,
but the rise in Lichfield's status was unpopular with Canterbury, the
other southern English archbishopric. Offa was probably motivated by a
desire to increase the status of his kingdom and to free his kingdom's
ecclesiastical affairs from the control of another kingdom's
archbishopric, and possibly the need to secure the coronation of Offa's
successor, which the Archbishop of Canterbury had opposed. After Offa's
death his distant relative Coenwulf became king, and petitioned the pope
to have Lichfield returned to a simple bishopric. The pope agreed to do
so in 803, by which time Hygeberht was no longer even considered a
bishop: he is listed as an abbot at the council that oversaw the
demotion of Lichfield in 803. The date of his death is unknown.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygeberht>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
The Second Continental Congress of Britain's Thirteen Colonies
adopted the Olive Branch Petition in the hopes of avoiding war with
Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Branch_Petition>
1954:
BBC News (logo pictured) aired its first televised news
broadcast from leased studios within Alexandra Palace in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News>
1977:
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq overthrew Pakistani Prime Minister
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a military coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Zia-ul-Haq>
1987:
The Black Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam made
its first suicide bombing against the Sri Lanka Army in Nelliady, Sri
Lanka.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tigers>
1989:
United States National Security Council member Oliver North was
sentenced for his part in the Iran-Contra Affair.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_North>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gruntled:
(humorous) Satisfied.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gruntled>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One is either judge or accused. The judge sits, the accused stands. Live
on your feet.
--Jean Cocteau
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau>
Garret Hobart (1844–1899) was the 24th Vice President of the United
States (1897–1899), serving under President William McKinley. He was
the sixth American vice president to die in office. Hobart served in
local governmental positions, and then successfully ran for office as a
Republican, serving in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New
Jersey Senate. Hobart was a longtime party official, and New Jersey
delegates went to the 1896 Republican National Convention determined to
nominate the popular lawyer for vice president. Hobart's political views
were similar to those of McKinley, who was the presumptive Republican
presidential candidate. With New Jersey a key state in the upcoming
election, McKinley and his close adviser, future senator Mark Hanna,
decided to have the convention select Hobart. The vice-presidential
candidate emulated his running mate with a front porch campaign, though
spending much time at the campaign's New York City office. McKinley and
Hobart were elected. As vice president, Hobart proved a popular figure
in Washington and was a close adviser to McKinley. Hobart's tact and
good humor were valuable to the President. Hobart died in November 1899
of heart disease at age 55; his place on the Republican ticket in 1900
was taken by New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garret_Hobart>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1610:
Polish–Muscovite War: The outnumbered forces of the Polish-
Lithuanian Commonwealth defeated the Russians at the Battle of Klushino.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Klushino>
1862:
In a rowing boat on the River Thames from Oxford to Godstow,
author Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell and her sisters a story that
would eventually form the basis for his book Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland>
1950:
The United States' anti-communist propaganda source Radio Free
Europe made its first broadcast aimed at Czechoslovakia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europe/Radio_Liberty>
1965:
The first Annual Reminder, a series of early pickets organized
by homophile organizations, one of the earliest LGBT demonstrations in
the United States, took place at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annual_Reminder>
1976:
Israel Defense Forces raided Uganda's Entebbe International
Airport to free hostages taken by hijackers on Air France Flight 139.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
auteur:
A creative artist, especially a film director, seen as having a
specific, recognisable artistic vision, and who is seen as the single or
preeminent ‘author’ of their works.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/auteur>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun
to think that very few things indeed were really impossible. in
--Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland>
The Great Auk was a large, flightless alcid that became extinct in the
mid-19th century. It lived in the North Atlantic, and bred on rocky,
isolated islands with easy access to both the ocean and a plentiful food
supply, a rarity in nature that provided only a few breeding sites for
it. The Great Auk was 75 to 85 centimetres (30 to 33 in) tall and
weighed around 5 kilograms (11 lb), making it the largest alcid. It had
a black back and a white belly. The black beak was heavy and hooked with
grooves on its surface. During summer, the Great Auk had a white patch
over each eye. During winter, the auk lost this patch, instead
developing a white band stretching between the eyes. The auk was a
powerful swimmer, a trait that it used in hunting. Humans had hunted the
Great Auk for more than 100,000 years, and by the 19th century, its
growing rarity increased interest from European museums and private
collectors in obtaining skins and eggs of the bird. The last two
confirmed specimens were killed off the coast of Iceland on July 3,
1844. The last credible observation is from 1852.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Auk>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
987:
Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, becoming the first
monarch of the Capetian dynasty, which ruled France continuously until
overthrown during the French Revolution in 1792.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Capet>
1608:
French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_City>
1778:
American Revolutionary War: Loyalists and Iroquois killed over
300 Patriots at the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wyoming>
1940:
Second World War: The British Navy attacked the French fleet
(French destroyer Mogador pictured), fearing that the ships would fall
into German hands after the armistice between those two nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir>
1988:
United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air
Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Panglossian:
1. (pejorative) Naively or unreasonably optimistic.
2. (pejorative) Of or relating to the view that this is the best of all
possible worlds.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Panglossian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An artist is the magician put among men to gratify — capriciously —
their urge for immortality. The temples are built and brought down
around him, continuously and contiguously, from Troy to the fields of
Flanders. If there is any meaning in any of it, it is in what survives
as art, yes even in the celebration of tyrants, yes even in the
celebration of nonentities. What now of the Trojan War if it had been
passed over by the artist's touch? Dust. A forgotten expedition prompted
by Greek merchants looking for new markets. A minor redistribution of
broken pots. But it is we who stand enriched, by a tale of heroes, of a
golden apple, a wooden horse, a face that launched a thousand ships —
and above all, of Ulysses, the wanderer, the most human, the most
complete of all heroes — husband, father, son, lover, farmer, soldier,
pacifist, politician, inventor and adventurer.
--Tom Stoppard
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Stoppard>
The Battle of Schellenberg was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of
the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of
Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a
threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian forces ranged in
southern Germany. Marlborough had commenced his 250 mile (400 km) march
from Bedburg, near Cologne, on 19 May. En route, the Allies needed to
secure a fortified bridgehead and magazine on the Danube through which
their supplies could cross to the south of the river into the heart of
Bavaria. For this purpose, Marlborough selected the town of Donauwörth.
Once the French knew of the Allies' objective, they dispatched Count
d'Arco with an advance force of 12,000 men from their main camp at
Dillingen to strengthen and hold the Schellenberg heights above the
town. Rejecting a protracted siege Marlborough decided in favour of a
quick assault before the position could be made impregnable. After two
failed attempts to storm the barricades the Allied commanders, acting in
unison, finally managed to overwhelm the defenders. The deliberate
devastation of the Elector's lands in Bavaria failed to bring Max
Emanuel. Only when Marshal Tallard arrived with reinforcements, and
Prince Eugene of Savoy arrived from the Rhine to bolster the Allies, was
the stage finally set for the decisive action at the Battle of Blenheim
the following month.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Schellenberg>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
626:
During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Prince Li Shimin led his forces
to assassinate his rival brothers, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince
Li Yuanji, in a bloody palace coup for the Tang Dynasty throne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanwu_Gate_Incident>
1644:
The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters and the English
Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Marston Moor,
one of the decisive encounters of the English Civil War, near York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marston_Moor>
1937:
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan
disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during an attempt to make a
circumnavigational flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart>
1997:
The Thai baht rapidly lost half of its value, marking the
beginning of the Asian financial crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Asian_financial_crisis>
2002:
American aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly
solo nonstop around the world in a balloon, completing an almost 14-day
trip after landing in Queensland, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Fossett>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
geodesy:
Scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation
of earth, its gravitational field and geodynamic phenomena (polar
motion, earth tides, and crustal motion) in three‐dimensional,
time‐varying space.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/geodesy>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the
very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the
world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again. That
is why every man's story is important, eternal, sacred; that is why
every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature, is
wondrous, and worthy of every consideration. In each individual the
spirit has become flesh, in each man the creation suffers, within each
one a redeemer is nailed to the cross.
--Hermann Hesse
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse>