Áedán mac Gabráin was a king of Dál Riata from circa 574 until circa
609. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute,
Scotland, and parts of County Antrim, Ireland. Genealogies record that
Áedán was a son of Gabrán mac Domangairt. He was a contemporary of
Saint Columba, and much that is recorded of his life comes from
hagiography such as Adomnán of Iona's Life of Saint Columba. Other
sources include Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and Irish
annals; none of the sources are contemporary. Áedán appears as a
character in Old Irish and Middle Irish language works of prose and
verse, some now lost. Áedán also appears in some Welsh sources, making
him one of the few non-Britons to figure in Welsh tradition. The Irish
annals record his campaigns against his neighbours, in Ireland, and in
northern Britain, including expeditions to the Orkney Islands, the Isle
of Man, and the east coast of Scotland. As recorded by Bede, Áedán was
decisively defeated by Æthelfrith of Bernicia at the Battle of
Degsastan. Áedán may have been deposed, or have abdicated, following
this defeat, and the annals report nothing of him until his death around
six years later.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ed%C3%A1n_mac_Gabr%C3%A1in>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1225:
Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history of
Vietnam, married Trần Thái Tông, making him the first emperor of the
Trần Dynasty at age seven.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BD_Chi%C3%AAu_Ho%C3%A0ng>
1857:
Queen Victoria selected Ottawa (Parliament Hill pictured), then
a small logging town, to be the capital of the British colony of Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa>
1963:
Despite Prime Minister Roy Welensky's efforts, the Central
African Federation officially collapsed, splitting into three separate
nations: Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Welensky>
1983:
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was selected to lead Nigeria
after a successful military coup d'etat that overthrew civilian
President Shehu Shagari.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari>
1993:
Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in
Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime
laws in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
reverie:
A state of dreaming while awake; a loose or irregular train of thought;
musing or meditation; daydream.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reverie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most important thing for the world today in my opinion is a
spiritual regeneration which would reestablish a feeling of good faith
among men generally. Discouraged people are in sore need of the
inspiration of great principles. Such leadership can be the rallying
point against intolerance, against distrust, against that fatal
insecurity that leads to war. It is to be hoped that the democratic
nations can provide the necessary leadership.
--George Marshall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Marshall>
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used in the 1930s and
World War II. It is widely considered one of the most successful tank
designs of the 1930s until its light armor became vulnerable to newer
anti-tank guns. It was produced in greater numbers than any other tank
of the period, with more than 11,000 manufactured, and it was used
extensively in the armies of Spain, China and Turkey. Many variants were
produced, including different combat vehicles based on its chassis such
as flame-throwing tanks, remotely controlled tanks, and armoured
carriers. The T-26 together with the BT was the Red Army's main tank in
the interwar period. Though nearly obsolete by the beginning of World
War II, it was the most important tank of the Spanish Civil War and
played a significant role in the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938 and the
Winter War in 1939–40. The T-26 was the most numerous Soviet tank
during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The T-26
was used in the Battle of Moscow in winter 1941/42, the Battle of
Stalingrad and the Battle of the Caucasus in 1942–43. The tanks last
saw use in August 1945, during the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army
in Manchuria.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-26>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1460:
War of the Roses: Richard, Duke of York, was killed in the
Battle of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, and his army was
destroyed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wakefield>
1853:
The United States purchased approximately 29,600 sq mi
(77,000 km2) of land south of the Gila River and west of the Rio Grande
(map pictured) from Mexico for $10 million.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase>
1903:
In the deadliest single-building fire in United States history,
the Iroquois Theatre fire claimed 602 lives in Chicago.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_Theatre_fire>
2000:
A series of bombings occurred around Metro Manila in the
Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and injuring
100 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Day_bombings>
2006:
Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein was executed after
being found guilty of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special
Tribunal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Saddam_Hussein>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
peckled:
(now UK dialectal) Speckled, spotted.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/peckled>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a system of
preconceived ideas. It possesses absolute liberty and unrivaled courage
among religions with regard to the facts to be observed and the diverse
hypotheses it has laid down for their coordination. Never having been
hampered by a priestly order, each man has been entirely free to search
wherever he pleased for the spiritual explanation of the spectacle of
the universe. 
--Romain Rolland
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Romain_Rolland>
Robert Howe (1732–86) was a Continental Army general from North
Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of only five
general officers, and the only major general, in the Continental Army
from that state. At the outset of the war, he was appointed a brigadier
general in the Continental Army, and eventually became commander of the
Southern Department. His early military career was contentious and
consumed by conflict with political and military leaders in Georgia and
South Carolina. These confrontations, including a 1778 duel with
Christopher Gadsden, and Howe's reputation as a womanizer eventually led
to his removal from command over the Southern Department. Prior to the
formal turnover of his command, Howe commanded the Continental Army and
Patriot militia forces in defeat in the First Battle of Savannah. He
later sat as a senior officer on the court-martial board that sentenced
British officer John André, a co-conspirator of Benedict Arnold, to
death. Howe himself was accused of attempting to defect to the British,
but the accusations were cast aside at the time as a British stratagem.
He died in December 1786 after being elected to the North Carolina House
of Commons.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Howe_(Continental_Army_officer)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
To counter the French Navy's La Gloire, the world's first
ironclad warship, the British Royal Navy launched the world's first
iron-hulled armoured battleship, HMS Warrior.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Warrior_(1860)>
1890:
The United States Army killed over 150 members of the Great
Sioux Nation at the Wounded Knee Massacre.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre>
1911:
Sun Yat-sen was elected in Nanjing as the Provisional President
of the Republic of China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen>
1930:
Muhammad Iqbal introduced the two-nation theory outlining a
vision for the creation of an independent state for Muslim-majority
provinces in northwestern British India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-nation_theory>
1992:
President of Brazil Fernando Collor de Mello resigned in an
attempt to stop his impeachment proceedings from continuing, but the
Senate of Brazil continued anyway, finding him guilty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Collor_de_Mello>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nobble:
1. (UK, Australia, slang) To injure or obstruct intently; batter.
2. (UK, slang) To gain influence by corrupt means or intimidation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nobble>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Saints are not made by accident. Still less is a Christian
martyrdom the effect of a man's will to become a Saint, as a man by
willing and contriving may become a ruler of men. Ambition fortifies the
will of man to become ruler over other men: it operates with deception,
cajolery, and violence, it is the action of impurity upon impurity. Not
so in Heaven. A martyr, a saint, is always made by the design of God,
for His love of men, to warn them and to lead them, to bring them back
to His ways. A martyrdom is never the design of man; for the true martyr
is he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the
will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in
submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself,
not even the glory of martyrdom.
--T. S. Eliot
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot>
Keith Johnson (1894–1972) was an Australian cricket administrator. He
was the manager of the Australian Services cricket team immediately
after World War II, and of the Australian team that toured England in
1948. The Australian Services team played England in a series of
celebratory matches known as the Victory Tests to usher in the post-war
era. The series was highly successful, with unprecedented crowds raising
large amounts for war charities, and Johnson's men toured British India
and Australia before being demobilised. His administration was regarded
as a major factor in the success of the tour. The 1948 Australian team
earned the sobriquet The Invincibles by being the first side to complete
a tour of England without losing a match. Johnson's management was again
lauded. However, in 1951–52, the Australian Board of Control excluded
Sid Barnes from the team for "reasons other than cricket". Barnes took
the matter to court, and at trial, his lawyer embarrassed Johnson, who
contradicted himself several times under cross-examination. Following
the trial, Johnson resigned from the board and took no further part in
cricket administration.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Johnson_(cricket_administrator)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1065:
Westminster Abbey in London, built by Edward the Confessor
between 1045 and 1050, was consecrated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey>
1768:
Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established
Thonburi Kingdom in the new capital at Thonburi, present-day Thailand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taksin>
1943:
Second World War: After eight days of brutal house-to-house
fighting, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division captured the Italian town
of Ortona.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ortona>
1973:
U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act
into law, a wide-ranging environmental law designed to protect
critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of
economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and
conservation."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_Species_Act>
2011:
Acting on an information that PKK militants were crossing the
border in Şırnak Province, two Turkish F-16 jets fired at a group of
villagers, killing 34 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roboski_Massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brawn:
Physical strength; muscularity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brawn>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a
number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before
been spoken. The seed-word is always so ordinary that hardly anyone
perceives it. Classical odes grow from and or because, romantic lyrics
from but or if. Immature verses expand a personal pronoun ad nauseam,
the greatest works bring glory to a common verb.
--Alasdair Gray
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alasdair_Gray>
Homework is the debut studio album by French electronic music duo Daft
Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo pictured in
2010), released in January 1997 on Virgin Records. Homework's success
brought worldwide attention to French house music. According to The
Village Voice, the album revived house music and departed from the
Eurodance formula. The duo produced the tracks without plans to release
an album. After working on projects that were intended to be separate
singles over five months, they considered the material good enough for
an album. Homework charted in 14 different countries, peaking at number
150 on the United States Billboard 200 and at number 8 on the UK Albums
Chart. By February 2001, the album had sold more than two million
copies worldwide and received several gold and platinum certifications.
Overall Homework received positive critical response. The album features
singles that had significant impact in the French house and global dance
music scenes. These include the US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play number-
one singles "Da Funk" and "Around the World", the latter of which
reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homework_(Daft_Punk_album)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1845:
John L. O'Sullivan, in his newspaper the New York Morning News,
argued that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon
Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny>
1904:
The stage play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by
Scottish author and dramatist J. M. Barrie (pictured), about a
mischievous little boy who can fly, premiered in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_Wendy>
1922:
The Imperial Japanese Navy commissioned Hōshō, the world's
first purpose-built aircraft carrier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_H%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D>
1997:
Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright was assassinated
in the Maze prison by members of the Irish National Liberation Army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wright_(loyalist)>
2009:
During protests in Tehran against the recent presidential
election, Iranian security forces opened fire on demonstrators on the
Day of Ashura.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashura_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hooey:
(slang) Silly talk or writing; nonsense.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hooey>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are
so few of us left.
--Oscar Levant
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Oscar_Levant>
The 2003 Insight Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl
game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the California Bears on
December 26, 2003. The game was the final contest of the 2003 season
for both teams, in which Virginia Tech had come third in the Big East
Conference, while California had tied for third place in the Pacific-10
Conference. From the beginning of the game, it was a quick-paced, high-
scoring contest. In the first quarter, Virginia Tech jumped out to a
21–7 lead. In the second quarter, California scored two touchdowns but
Tech took a 28–21 lead into halftime. Bolstered by an improved
defensive effort, California scored 21 unanswered points to take a
42–28 lead into the fourth quarter. Tech evened the score at 49–49
after an 80-yard touchdown drive that took less than two minutes and a
punt return by DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown. The post-score Tech
kickoff went out of bounds, and with time running out, California began
to drive for a game-winning score. The Bears needed just seven plays to
advance 47 yards and set up a field goal attempt. As time expired,
kicker Tyler Fredrickson (pictured) kicked a 35-yard field goal to give
California a 52–49 victory.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Insight_Bowl>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1825:
Imperial Russian Army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in a
protest against Nicholas I's assumption of the throne after his elder
brother Constantine removed himself from the line of succession.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolt>
1871:
Thespis, the first comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, made
its debut at the Gaiety Theatre, London, UK.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thespis_(opera)>
1898:
At the French Academy of Sciences, physicists Pierre and Marie
Curie (both pictured) announced the discovery of a new element, naming
it radium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium>
1996:
Six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found
beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder,
Colorado, a murder that generated extensive coverage from the American
media.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_JonBen%C3%A9t_Ramsey>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rebarbative:
Irritating, repellent.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rebarbative>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 No man is great enough or wise enough for any of us to
surrender our destiny to. The only way in which anyone can lead us is to
restore to us the belief in our own guidance. 
--Henry Miller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Miller>
Jesus (7–2 BC to 30–33 AD) is the central figure of Christianity,
whom the teachings of most Christian denominations hold to be the Son of
God and the awaited Messiah of the Old Testament. Virtually all modern
scholars of antiquity agree that a historical Jesus existed, although
there is little agreement on the reliability of the gospel narratives
and how closely the biblical Jesus reflects the historical Jesus. Most
scholars agree that Jesus was a Jewish preacher from Galilee, was
baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the
orders of the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate. Christians believe that
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, performed
miracles, founded the Church, died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to
achieve atonement, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from
which he will return. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as
the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three Persons of a Divine
Trinity. A few Christian groups reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly,
as non-scriptural. In Islam, Jesus is considered one of God's important
prophets and the Messiah.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1066:
Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror was crowned King of
England at Westminster Abbey, although he still faced rebellions over
the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror>
1809:
American physician Ephraim McDowell performed the world's first
removal of an ovarian tumor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_McDowell>
1927:
The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng, a revolutionary socialist
political party that sought Vietnamese independence from French colonial
rule, was formed in Hanoi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi%E1%BB%87t_Nam_Qu%E1%BB%91c_D%C3%A2n_%C4%90…>
1991:
In a nationally televised speech, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as
President of the Soviet Union.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev>
2009:
The 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral in Longford, considered the
"flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands, was destroyed by fire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mel%27s_cathedral,_Longford>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wassail:
To go from house to house at Christmastime, singing carols.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wassail>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of
the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the
angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall
be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men. 
--Gospel of Luke
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke>
Banksia epica is a shrub that grows on the south coast of Western
Australia. A spreading bush with wedge-shaped serrated leaves and large
creamy-yellow flower spikes, it grows as a spreading bushy shrub with
many branches, from 30 centimetres to 3½ metres (1–11½ ft) tall.
It has grey, fissured bark, and dark green, wedge-shaped leaves, 1½ to
5 centimetres (½–2 in) long. Flowers occur in Banksia's
characteristic "flower spike", an inflorescence made up of hundreds of
pairs of flowers densely packed in a spiral round a woody axis.
B. epica's flower spike is yellow or cream-yellow in colour,
cylindrical, 9 to 17 centimetres (3½–6½ inches) tall and around
6 centimetres (2½ inches) in diameter. It is known only from two
isolated populations in the remote south east of the state, near the
western edge of the Great Australian Bight. Both populations occur
amongst coastal heath on cliff-top dunes of siliceous sand. One of the
most recently described Banksia species, it was probably seen by Edward
John Eyre in 1841, but was not collected until 1973, and was only
recognised as a distinct species in 1988. There has been very little
research on the species since.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_epica>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
759:
Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu departed for Chengdu, staying with his
fellow poet Pei Di, where he composed poems about life in his thatched
cottage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Fu>
1818:
"Silent Night" (audio featured), a Christmas carol by Josef
Mohr and Franz Gruber, was first performed in a church in Austria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Night>
1913:
Seventy-three people were crushed to death in a stampede after
someone falsely yelled "fire" at a crowded Christmas party in Calumet,
Michigan, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Hall_disaster>
1953:
On New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge
was damaged by a lahar and collapsed beneath a passenger train, killing
151 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiwai_disaster>
1973:
The United States Congress granted Washington, D.C. home rule,
allowing the residents to elect their own mayor and city council.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_home_rule>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bullshot:
1. A cocktail made from vodka and beef bouillon.
2. (neologism, video games) A phony screenshot created for promotional
purposes.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bullshot>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 If what distinguishes the greatest poets is their powerful
and profound application of ideas to life, which surely no good critic
will deny, then to prefix to the word ideas here the term moral makes
hardly any difference, because human life itself is in so preponderating
a degree moral. It is important, therefore, to hold fast to this: that
poetry is at bottom a criticism of life; that the greatness of a poet
lies in his powerful and beautiful application of ideas to life — to
the question, How to live. Morals are often treated in a narrow and
false fashion, they are bound up with systems of thought and belief
which have had their day, they are fallen into the hands of pedants and
professional dealers, they grow tiresome to some of us … the best cure
for our delusion is to let our minds rest upon that great and
inexhaustible word life, until we learn to enter into its meaning. A
poetry of revolt against moral ideas is a poetry of revolt against life;
a poetry of indifference towards moral ideas is a poetry of indifference
towards life.
--Matthew Arnold
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Matthew_Arnold>
Mario Power Tennis is a sports game developed by Camelot Software
Planning and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in 2004. The game is
the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game
in the Mario Tennis series. The game was re-released for the Wii in
2009. It incorporates multiple characters, themes, and locations from
the Mario series. The game includes standard tennis matches, but
contains variants that feature different scoring formats and objectives.
The game consists of 18 playable characters, each categorised by their
style of play and each with a pair of unique moves known as "Power
Shots". Power Tennis was developed simultaneously with Mario Golf:
Toadstool Tour, and the pair shared similar technology and concepts with
each other during production. Such similarities include an emphasis on
the Mario theme in characters and settings as well as alternative game
modes such as "Ring Shot". The game was positively received in general,
attaining an aggregate score of 81 percent from GameRankings and
80 percent from Metacritic. Critics praised the game's depth and
variety, but criticised the Power Shot animations, which could not be
skipped.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Power_Tennis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
French Revolution: The Royalist counterrevolutionary army was
decisively defeated in the Battle of Savenay, although fighting
continued in the War in the Vendée for years afterward.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_the_Vend%C3%A9e>
1888:
During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh
stalked his friend French painter Paul Gauguin with a razor, and then
afterwards cut off the lower part of his own left ear and gave it to a
prostitute.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh>
1913:
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act,
establishing a central banking system of the United States, the Federal
Reserve.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Act>
1938:
A South African fisher discovered the first living specimen of
a coelacanth, long believed to be extinct.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelacanth>
1954:
Drs. Joseph Murray and J. Hartwell Harrison performed the first
successful kidney transplant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_transplantation>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
relict:
1. Something which, or someone who, survives or remains after the loss of
others (compare relic).
2. (archaic) The surviving member of a married couple; a widow or widower.
3. (biology, ecology) A species, organism or ecosystem which was once
widespread but which is now found only in a few areas: some think the
Loch Ness monster is a relict from the age of dinosaurs.
4. (geology) A structure or other feature which has survived from a
previous age: dark rims are a relict of a primary interaction between
basalt and seawater.
5. (linguistics) A word or language which survives as an archaicism.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/relict>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through
it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks
from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.
Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am
haunted by waters.
--Norman Maclean
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Maclean>
Bryan Gunn (born 1963) is a Scottish former professional goalkeeper and
football manager. He spent most of his playing career at Norwich City,
and feels that his career peaked with what he calls the save of his life
in a 1993 UEFA Cup match against Bayern Munich; The Independent called
the game the summit of the club's history. He is one of only nine
players to win the club's Player of the Year award twice and was made an
inaugural member of its Hall of Fame. He made six appearances for
Scotland in the early 1990s. After retiring as a player, Gunn worked for
years behind the scenes at Norwich in a variety of roles. He was
appointed temporary manager towards the end of the 2008–09 season and
confirmed as permanent manager during the summer. However, he lost his
job a week into the next season after defeat in the opening game to
local rivals Colchester United. Since the death of his young daughter
from leukaemia in 1992, Gunn has been extensively involved in
fundraising to combat the disease and its effects, raising more than
£1 million. The city of Norwich recognised Gunn's charity work and his
long association with the city's football club by naming him Sheriff for
2002.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Gunn>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Fifth
Symphony, one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of
European classical music, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)>
1921:
The 8th Congress of Soviets approved the GOELRO plan, the first
Soviet plan for national economic recovery and development.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOELRO_plan>
1937:
The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting New York City to Weehawken, New
Jersey, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Tunnel>
1988:
Brazilian unionist and environmental activist Chico Mendes was
murdered at his Xapuri home.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Mendes>
2010:
The United States repealed its controversial "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" policy on gays in the military.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Ask,_Don%27t_Tell_Repeal_Act_of_2010>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rebirth:
1. Reincarnation, new birth subsequent to one's first: rebirth of the soul
in a new body.
2. Revival, reinvigoration: the rebirth of feminism, the rebirth of the
Handelian oratorio.
3. Spiritual renewal: rebirth in Christ, the doctrine of rebirth through
baptism.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rebirth>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
For one heart beat the Heart was free and moved itself. O love,
I who am lost and damned with words, Whose words are a business and an
art, I have no words. These words, this poem, this Is all confusion and
ignorance. But I know that coached by your sweet heart, My heart beat
one free beat and sent Through all my flesh the blood of truth.
--Kenneth Rexroth
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Rexroth>