Malkin Tower is the site of perhaps the best-known alleged witches'
coven in English legal history. It was the home of Elizabeth Southerns
and her granddaughter Alizon Device, two of the chief protagonists in
the Lancashire witch trials of 1612. A pedlar collapsed soon after
refusing to sell Alizon some pins. She and her grandmother were summoned
to the home of local magistrate Roger Nowell on suspicion of causing
harm by witchcraft, and were thereafter detained in the gaol at
Lancaster Castle. Friends met at Malkin Tower on 6 April 1612 (Good
Friday), allegedly to plot their escape by blowing up the castle. Nowell
learned of the meeting and concluded that it had been the scene of a
witches' coven. Eight of those attending were subsequently arrested and
tried for causing harm by witchcraft, seven of whom were found guilty
and executed; the house may have been demolished shortly after the
trials. The only firm evidence for its location comes from the official
account by the clerk to the court, who places it somewhere in the Forest
of Pendle (pictured). Archaeological excavations in the area have failed
to discover any confirmed remains of the building.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malkin_Tower>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
475:
Romulus Augustulus took the throne as the last ruling emperor of
the Western Roman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Augustulus>
1822:
Emperor Agustín de Iturbide of the First Mexican Empire
dissolved the Mexican Congress and replaced it with a military junta
answerable only to him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_de_Iturbide>
1913:
Public transportation workers in Indianapolis, Indiana, US,
went on strike, shutting down mass transit in the city and sparking
riots when strikebreakers attempted to restart services.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Streetcar_Strike_of_1913>
1973:
Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from
Mountjoy Prison in Dublin after a hijacked helicopter landed in the
prison's exercise yard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape>
2011:
The United Nations declared that the world's population had
exceeded seven billion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Billion_Actions>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cauldron:
A large bowl-shaped pot used for boiling over an open flame.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cauldron>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The imagination may be compared to Adam's dream — he awoke and
found it truth.
--John Keats
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Keats>
The Rudd Concession, a written concession for exclusive mining rights in
Matabeleland, Mashonaland and other adjoining territories in southern
Africa, was granted by King Lobengula of Matabeleland to Charles Rudd
(pictured), James Rochfort Maguire and Francis Thompson, three agents
acting on behalf of the politician and businessman Cecil Rhodes, on 30
October 1888. The concession conferred on the grantees the sole rights
to mine throughout Lobengula's country, as well as the power to defend
this exclusivity by force, in return for weapons and a regular monetary
stipend. Despite Lobengula's retrospective attempts to disavow it on the
grounds of alleged deceit by the concessionaires regarding the settled
terms, it proved the foundation for the royal charter granted by the
United Kingdom to Rhodes' British South Africa Company in October 1889,
and thereafter for the Pioneer Column's occupation of Mashonaland in
1890, which marked the beginning of white settlement, administration and
development in the country. The Company officially named the territory
Rhodesia, after Rhodes, in 1895, and governed it until 1923.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudd_Concession>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1226:
Tran Thu Do, head of the Tran clan of Vietnam, forced Ly Hue
Tong, the last emperor of the Ly dynasty, to commit suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Thu_Do>
1863:
Seventeen-year-old Danish Prince Vilhelm arrived in Athens to
become George I (pictured), King of Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece>
1973:
Istanbul's 1,510-metre (4,950 ft) long Bosphorus Bridge was
completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the
Bosphorus Strait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosphorus_Bridge>
1983:
As the military dictatorship came to an end, Argentina's first
democratic election in a decade resulted in Raúl Alfonsín being
elected President of Argentina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_general_election,_1983>
1993:
The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association
opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight
civilians and wounding thirteen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greysteel_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
trainiac:
(informal) A railway enthusiast.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trainiac>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The
Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their
religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations... This radical
change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the
people was the real American Revolution.
--John Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams>
Georgette Heyer (1902–74) was a British historical romance and
detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she
turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth
(title page pictured). After These Old Shades became popular despite its
release during the General Strike, Heyer determined that publicity was
not necessary for good sales and refused to give interviews thereafter.
She essentially established the historical romance genre and its
subgenre Regency romance. To ensure accuracy, Heyer kept detailed notes
on all aspects of Regency life. While some critics thought the novels
were too detailed, others considered the detail to be her greatest
asset. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one
thriller each year. Her husband often provided basic plot outlines for
the thrillers, leaving Heyer to develop character relationships and
dialogue. Although many critics describe Heyer's detective novels as
unoriginal, others praise them for their wit and plots. Her success was
sometimes clouded by problems with tax inspectors and alleged
plagiarists. Heyer continued writing until her death; her last book, My
Lord John, was published posthumously.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgette_Heyer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
Lt. William Broughton, a member of Captain George Vancouver's
discovery expedition, observed a peak in what is now Oregon, US, and
named it Mount Hood after British admiral Samuel Hood.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood>
1863:
American Civil War: The Battle of Wauhatchie, one of the few
night battles of the war, concluded with the Union Army opening a supply
line to troops in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wauhatchie>
1923:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first President of Turkey, a
new nation founded from remnants of the Ottoman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey>
1969:
A student at UCLA sent the first message on the ARPANET, the
precursor to the Internet, to a computer at Stanford Research Institute.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET>
1998:
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented its report on
Apartheid in South Africa, condemning both the Apartheid Government and
the African National Congress for committing atrocities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_(South_Af…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
peri-urban:
Immediately adjoining an urban area; between the suburbs and the
countryside.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/peri-urban>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There never comes a point where a theory can be said to be true.
The most that one can claim for any theory is that it has shared the
successes of all its rivals and that it has passed at least one test
which they have failed.
--Alfred Jules Ayer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Jules_Ayer>
George Herriman (1880–1944, seen in a self-portrait) was an American
cartoonist best known for the comic strip Krazy Kat (1913–44). He
started as a newspaper cartoonist in 1897 and introduced Krazy Kat in
the strip The Dingbat Family in 1910. A Krazy Kat strip began in 1913;
in its main motif, Ignatz Mouse pelted Krazy with bricks, which the
naïve Kat interpreted as symbols of love. The strip was noted for its
poetic dialogue, fantastic backgrounds, and experimental page layouts.
Herriman was drawn to the landscapes of Monument Valley and the
Enchanted Mesa, and his artwork used Navajo and Mexican motifs against
shifting desert backgrounds. More influential than popular, Krazy Kat
had an appreciative audience among people in the arts. Gilbert Seldes'
article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of
a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip.
Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst gave Herriman a lifetime
contract with King Features Syndicate, guaranteeing him a comfortable
living. The Comics Journal placed the strip first on its list of the
greatest comics of the 20th century, and his work has been a primary
influence on many cartoonists.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herriman>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
312:
Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the
Milvian Bridge in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge>
1886:
In New York Harbor, U.S. President Grover Cleveland dedicated
the Statue of Liberty (pictured), a gift from France, to commemorate the
centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>
1893:
In Saint Petersburg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky led the first
performance of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique, nine days
before his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._6_(Tchaikovsky)>
1995:
The world's deadliest subway disaster took place in Baku,
Azerbaijan, when an electrical malfunction caused a fire that killed 289
passengers and injured 265 more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Baku_Metro_fire>
2009:
The detonation of a car bomb by an as-yet unidentified party in
Peshawar, Pakistan, killed 137 people and injured more than 200 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_October_2009_Peshawar_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mulct:
(law) A fine or penalty, especially a pecuniary one.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mulct>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I see the triumph of good over evil as a manifestation of the
error-correcting process of evolution.
--Jonas Salk
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk>
George Went Hensley (c. 1880–1955) was an American Pentecostal
minister. He experienced a religious conversion around 1910 and came to
believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle
venomous snakes. Although illiterate, he was a licensed minister of the
Church of God from 1915 to 1922. He was arrested on moonshine-related
charges and sentenced to a term in a workhouse, from which he escaped.
He then held revival services in Ohio, and established churches, known
as the Church of God with Signs Following, in Tennessee and Kentucky.
His services ranged from small meetings in houses to gatherings with
hundreds of attendees and media attention. He was arrested for violating
laws against snake handling at least twice. He claimed to have survived
more than 400 snake bites, but fell ill after being bitten during a
service in 1955. He refused medical attention and died the next day.
Despite his personal failings—he had conflicts with his family because
of his drunkenness, frequent travels, and lack of steady
income—Hensley convinced many residents of rural Appalachia that snake
handling was commanded by God, and his followers continued the practice
after his death.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Went_Hensley>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1682:
William Penn landed at New Castle, Delaware Colony, on his way
to founding the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Philadelphia>
1838:
Governor of Missouri Lilburn Boggs issued Missouri Executive
Order 44, ordering all Mormons to leave the state or be killed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Executive_Order_44>
1907:
Hungarian gendarmes fired into a crowd of people gathering for
the consecration of the local church in Csernova (now Ružomberok,
Slovakia), killing fifteen people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cernov%C3%A1_massacre>
1958:
General Ayub Khan deposed Iskander Mirza in a bloodless coup
d'état to become the second President of Pakistan, less than three
weeks after Mirza had appointed him the enforcer of martial law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayub_Khan_(President_of_Pakistan)>
1981:
Cold War: Soviet Whiskey-class submarine U 137 ran aground near
Sweden's Karlskrona naval base (monument pictured), sparking an
international incident termed "Whiskey on the rocks".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wife-beating question:
A question which presupposes some controversial premise, such that it
cannot be directly answered without incriminating oneself; a loaded
question.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wife-beating_question>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our words must be judged by our deeds; and in striving for a
lofty ideal we must use practical methods; and if we cannot attain all
at one leap, we must advance towards it step by step, reasonably content
so long as we do actually make some progress in the right direction.
--Theodore Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt>
George Jones (1896–1992) was a senior commander in the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff from
1942 to 1952, the longest continuous tenure of any RAAF chief. During
World War I, Jones fought as an infantryman at Gallipoli before
transferring to the Australian Flying Corps. Posted to a fighter
squadron in France, he achieved seven victories to become an ace, and
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After a short spell in
civilian life, he joined the newly formed RAAF in 1921, and rose
steadily through training and personnel commands prior to World War II.
Jones was a surprise appointee as Chief of the Air Staff, and his
achievements were coloured by a divisive relationship with the head of
RAAF operations in the Pacific, Air Vice Marshal William Bostock. This
was partly the result of a divided command structure, which neither man
had any direct role in shaping. After World War II, Jones had overall
responsibility for transforming what was then the world's fourth largest
air force into a peacetime service that was also able to meet overseas
commitments in Malaya and Korea. He was promoted to air marshal in 1948,
and knighted in 1953.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Jones_(RAAF_officer)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1708:
The final stone of St Paul's Cathedral (pictured), rebuilt
after the original burned down in the 1666 Great Fire of London, was
laid by the son of its architect, Christopher Wren.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral>
1881:
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most famous
gunfights in the history of the American Old West, took place in
Tombstone, Arizona, between the faction of Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton's
gang.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral>
1944:
World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern
history, Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle
of Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf>
1979:
President of South Korea Park Chung-hee was assassinated by the
director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and a long-time
friend, Kim Jae-kyu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung-hee>
1985:
The Australian government returned ownership of Uluru, also
known as Ayers Rock, to the local Pitjantjatjara people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
antihero:
(literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as
by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antihero>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The greatest achievements of men, were at first, nothing but
dreams of the minds of men who knew that dreams are the seedlings of all
achievements. A burning desire, to be and to do, is the starting point,
from which the dreamer must take off.
--Napoleon Hill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill>
Georges Bizet (1838–75) was a French composer, mainly of opera, whose
final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently
performed in the opera repertory. As a young composer during the 1860s
he struggled for recognition; he began many theatrical projects, but
found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established
classics to the works of newcomers. Two early operas—Les pêcheurs de
perles and La jolie fille de Perth—failed to achieve initial success
on the stage. The production of Carmen was delayed through fears that
its themes of betrayal and murder would offend audiences; after its
premiere in 1875, Bizet was convinced that the work was a failure. He
died of a heart attack three months later, aged 36, unaware that Carmen
would prove an enduring success. After his death Bizet's other work was
largely forgotten. Manuscripts were given away or lost, and published
versions were often the result of revision by other hands. As his operas
began to be performed more frequently in the 20th century, commentators
increasingly acclaimed Bizet as a brilliant and original composer, whose
premature death was a significant loss to French musical theatre.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Bizet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1760:
George III became King of Great Britain and Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III_of_the_United_Kingdom>
1875:
The first performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1,
one of his most popular compositions, was given in Boston with Hans von
Bülow as soloist.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No._1_(Tchaikovsky)>
1920:
Irish playwright and politician Terence MacSwiney died after 74
days on hunger strike in Brixton Prison, bringing the Irish struggle for
independence to international attention.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_MacSwiney>
1944:
USS Tang, the United States Navy submarine credited with
sinking more ships than any other American submarine, sank when it was
struck by its own torpedo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tang_(SS-306)>
1971:
The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the
Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as China's
representative at the United Nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations>
1983:
The United States and Caribbean allies invaded Grenada, six
days after Bernard Coard seized power in a violent coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Grenada>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
verily:
1. Truly, doubtlessly, in truth.
2. Confidently, certainly.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verily>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those who compare the age in which their lot has fallen with a
golden age which exists only in imagination, may talk of degeneracy and
decay; but no man who is correctly informed as to the past, will be
disposed to take a morose or desponding view of the present.
--Thomas Macaulay
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Macaulay>
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution.
Early on October 9, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican
Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía (pictured), a fort near
the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad. It was halfway between the
Mexican garrison at San Antonio de Béxar and the major port of Copano.
Texians were plotting to kidnap Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos,
who was en route to Goliad, although they knew before their arrival that
he had departed for San Antonio de Béxar. The garrison at La Bahía was
understaffed and could not mount an effective defense of the perimeter.
Using axes borrowed from townspeople, the Texians chopped through a door
and entered the complex before the bulk of the soldiers were aware of
their presence. After a 30-minute battle, the Mexican garrison
surrendered. The majority of the Mexican soldiers were instructed to
leave Texas, and the Texians confiscated $10,000 worth of provisions and
several cannons, later used in the Siege of Béxar. The victory isolated
Cos's men in Béxar from the coast, forcing them to rely on a long
overland march to request or receive reinforcements or supplies.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Goliad>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow
Mamluk leader, Baibars, who then seized power for himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baibars>
1795:
As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent state
as its territory was divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth>
1931:
The George Washington Bridge (pictured), today the world's
busiest motor vehicle bridge, connecting New York City to Fort Lee, New
Jersey, was dedicated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge>
1945:
The UN Charter, the constitution of the United Nations, entered
into force after being ratified by the Republic of China, France, the
Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a majority of
the other signatories.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Charter>
2007:
Chang'e 1, the first satellite in the Chinese Lunar Exploration
Program, was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
miniver:
A light gray or white fur used to trim the robes of judges or state
executives, used since medieval times.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/miniver>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
the poet, his presence ursine and kind, shifting his weight in
a chair too small for him, quietly says, and shyly: "The Poet never must
lose despair." Then our eyes indeed meet and hold. All of us know,
smiling in common knowledge — even the palest spirit among us,
burdened as he is with weight of abstractions — all of us know he
means we mustn't, any of us, lose touch with the source, pretend it's
not there, cover over the mineshaft of passion...
--Denise Levertov
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov>
The American Cream Draft is a rare draft horse breed, the only such
breed developed in the United States that is still in existence. It is
recognized by its cream color, known as "gold champagne", produced by
the action of the champagne gene upon a chestnut base color, and by its
amber eyes, also characteristic of the gene; the only other color found
in the breed is chestnut. Like several other breeds of draft horses, the
American Cream is at risk for the autosomal recessive genetic disease
junctional epidermolysis bullosa. The breed was developed in Iowa during
the early 20th century, beginning with a cream-colored mare named Old
Granny. The Great Depression threatened the breed's existence, but
several breeders worked to improve the color and type of the breed, and
in 1944 a breed registry was formed. The mechanization of farming in the
mid-20th century led to a decrease in the breed's population and the
registry became inactive for several decades. It was reactivated in 1982
and population numbers have slowly grown since then. However, population
numbers are still considered critical by The Livestock Conservancy and
the Equus Survival Trust.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cream_Draft>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
425:
Valentinian III became emperor of the Western Roman Empire at
the age of six.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_III>
1812:
General Claude François de Malet began a conspiracy to
overthrow Napoleon, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he
was now the commandant of Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malet_coup_of_1812>
1956:
The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student
demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central
Budapest to the Parliament building.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956>
1983:
Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in
Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the
international peacekeeping force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing>
1993:
The Troubles: A Provisional Irish Republican Army's attempted
bombing of a meeting of loyalist paramilitary leaders failed, killing
one of the perpetrators, one UDA member and eight civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankill_Road_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
palatal:
1. (anatomy) Pertaining to the palate.
2. (dentistry, not comparable) Of an upper tooth, on the side facing the
palate.
3. (phonetics) Articulated at the hard palate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/palatal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is more curious than the almost savage hostility that
Humour excites in those who lack it.
--George Saintsbury
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Saintsbury>
Quatermass II is a British science-fiction serial, originally broadcast
by BBC Television in 1955. It is the second in the Quatermass series by
writer Nigel Kneale, and the first of those serials to survive in its
entirety in the BBC archives. It is also the earliest surviving complete
British science-fiction television production. The serial sees Professor
Bernard Quatermass of the British Experimental Rocket Group being asked
to examine strange meteorite showers. His investigations lead to his
uncovering a conspiracy involving alien infiltration at the highest
levels of the British Government. As some of Quatermass's closest
colleagues fall victim to the alien influence, he is forced to use his
own unsafe rocket prototype, which recently caused a nuclear disaster at
an Australian testing range, to prevent the aliens from taking over
mankind. Although sometimes compared unfavourably to the first and third
Quatermass serials, Quatermass II was praised for its allegorical
concerns of the damaging effects of industrialisation and the corruption
of governments by big business. It is described on the British Film
Institute's "Screenonline" website as "compulsive viewing."
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass_II>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1740:
A two-week massacre of ethnic Chinese in Batavia, Dutch East
Indies, came to an end with at least 10,000 people killed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1740_Batavia_massacre>
1797:
Dropping from a hydrogen balloon 3,200 feet (980 m) above
Paris, André-Jacques Garnerin carried out the first descent using a
frameless parachute (schematic pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9-Jacques_Garnerin>
1877:
The Blantyre mining disaster, Scotland's worst mining accident,
occurred when an explosion at a colliery in Blantyre killed 207 miners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blantyre_mining_disaster>
1907:
A bank run forced New York's Knickerbocker Trust Company to
suspend operations, which triggered the Panic of 1907.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907>
1962:
Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet
nuclear weapons had been discovered in Cuba and that he had ordered a
naval "quarantine" of the island nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_missile_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
subduct:
1. (transitive) To draw or push under or below.
2. (intransitive) To move downwards underneath something.
3. (rare) To remove; to deduct; to take away; to disregard.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/subduct>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Political correctness is the natural continuum from the party
line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of
vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of
communism, but they don't seem to see this.
--Doris Lessing
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing>