The Natchez revolt was an attack by the Natchez people on French
colonists near present-day Natchez, Mississippi, on November 29, 1729.
The Natchez and French had lived alongside each other in Louisiana for
more than a decade. After a period of deteriorating relations, the
Natchez were provoked to revolt when the French colonial commandant,
Sieur de Chépart, demanded land from a tribal village near Fort Rosalie
(pictured). They plotted an attack over several days and concealed their
plans from most of the French. In an armed massacre on the fort and
homesteads by the Mississippi River, they killed 230 of the 250 French
colonists and burned the fort and homes to the ground. Upon hearing news
of the revolt, French leaders in New Orleans feared a broader Native
American uprising and ordered an attack on the Chaouacha people, who
were not involved in the revolt. Over the next few weeks, French leaders
sent two expeditions to besiege the Natchez and recover hostages. Most
of the Natchez attackers escaped and sought refuge with other tribes,
but their revolt had been a significant setback to the Louisiana colony,
and the French retaliation led to the end of the Natchez as an
independent people.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_revolt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
American Civil War: The Confederate States Army suffered its
worst disaster of the war as the Army of Tennessee conducted numerous
unsuccessful frontal assaults against fortified positions at Franklin,
Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Franklin_(1864)>
1872:
The first international football match took place at Hamilton
Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_Scotland_vs_England_football_match>
1934:
The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman became the first to
officially exceed 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman>
1939:
The Winter War broke out as the Soviet Red Army invaded Finland
(Finnish troops pictured) and quickly advanced to the Mannerheim Line,
an action judged as illegal by the League of Nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War>
1962:
Burmese diplomat U Thant became United Nations Secretary-
General, following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in September 1961.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
exterminate:
1. To kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied
to pests.
2. (figuratively) To bring a definite end to; to finish completely.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exterminate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of a
style.
--Jonathan Swift
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift>
George Robey (1869–1954) was an English comedian, singer and actor in
musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robey mixed everyday situations
and observations with comic absurdity, and was a popular Christmas
pantomime performer. His notable successes during the First World War
included the hit revue The Bing Boys Are Here, in which he sang "If You
Were the Only Girl (In the World)". Born in London to a middle-class
family, he made his debut on stage at age 21 as the straight man to a
comic hypnotist. He soon developed his own music hall act. In 1892, he
appeared in his first pantomime, Whittington Up-to-date. He starred in
the Royal Command Performance in 1912 and regularly entertained before
aristocracy. In 1913 he debuted in film, but with only modest success.
>From 1918, he created sketches based on his character, the Prime
Minister of Mirth. He played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 in 1935, and
again in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film. During the Second World War,
Robey raised money for charities and promoted recruitment into the
forces. He was knighted a few months before his death.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Robey>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
The crew of the overcrowded British slave ship Zong killed 133
African slaves by dumping them into the sea to claim insurance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_massacre>
1864:
American Indian Wars: A 700-man Colorado Territory militia
attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, killing 133 Cheyenne and
Arapaho men, women, and children.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre>
1890:
The Diet of Japan (pictured in session), a bicameral
legislature modelled after both the German Reichstag and the British
Westminster system, first met after the Meiji Constitution went into
effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet>
1947:
The United Nations General Assembly voted to approve the
Partition Plan for Palestine, a plan to resolve the Arab–Israeli
conflict in the British Mandate of Palestine by separating the territory
into Jewish and Arab states.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine>
1972:
Atari released Pong, one of the first video games to achieve
widespread popularity in both the arcade and home console markets.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
capacious:
Having a lot of space inside; roomy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/capacious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Write on my gravestone: "Infidel, Traitor" — infidel to every
church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that
oppresses the people.
--Wendell Phillips
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wendell_Phillips>
Roy King (1894–1941) was a fighter ace in the Australian Flying Corps
(AFC) during World War I. He was credited with twenty-six victories in
aerial combat, making him the second most successful ace in the AFC
after Harry Cobby, and the fourth highest-scoring Australian ace of the
war. A civil pilot and engineer between the wars, he served in the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1939 until his death. King initially
saw active service as a lighthorseman in Egypt in 1916. He transferred
to the AFC as a mechanic in January 1917, and was commissioned that year
as a pilot. Posted to No. 4 Squadron, he flew Sopwith Camels and Snipes
on the Western Front. He scored seven of his victories in the Snipe,
more than any other pilot. His exploits earned him the Distinguished
Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, and a mention in
despatches. Returning to Australia in 1919, King spent some years in
civil aviation before co-founding a successful engineering business. He
joined the RAAF following the outbreak of World War II and held several
training commands, rising to the rank of group captain shortly before
his sudden death in November 1941 aged forty-seven.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elwyn_Roy_King>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1443:
Having deserted the army of the Ottoman Empire, Skanderbeg went
to Krujë in Middle Albania and using a forged letter from Sultan
Murad II to the Governor of Krujë, became lord of the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg>
1660:
At London's Gresham College, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins,
Christopher Wren and other leading scientists founded a learned society
now known as the Royal Society.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society>
1919:
Nancy Astor, the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament
in the British House of Commons, was elected in a by-election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Astor,_Viscountess_Astor>
1943:
World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin (all
three pictured) met at the Tehran Conference to discuss war strategy
against the Axis powers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Conference>
1987:
South African Airways Flight 295 suffered a catastrophic in-
flight fire and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, killing
all 159 on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways_Flight_295>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tractator:
1. (historical) In medieval commerce, the person who handles or transports
merchandise on behalf of an investor.
2. A person who writes tracts.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tractator>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let it go, let it go! I am one with the wind and sky! Let it
go, let it go! You'll never see me cry… Let it go, let it go! And I'll
rise like the break of dawn Let it go, let it go! That perfect girl is
gone Here I stand In the light of day! Let the storm rage on! The cold
never bothered me anyway!
--Frozen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frozen_(2013_film)>
Freedom from Want is the third of the Four Freedoms series of four oil
paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell (1894–1978, pictured in
his twenties). The works were inspired by U.S. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms.
Until then, freedom from want was not a commonly understood or accepted
universal freedom. The painting was published in the March 6, 1943,
issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It depicts a group of people
gathered around a dinner table for a holiday meal, all of whom were
friends and family of Rockwell; they were photographed individually and
painted into the scene. The painting has become an iconic representation
of the Thanksgiving holiday and family holiday gatherings in general and
has had a wide array of adaptations, parodies, and other uses. Popular
then and now in the U.S., it caused resentment in Europe where the
masses were enduring wartime hardship. Artistically, the work is highly
regarded as an example of mastery of the challenges of white-on-white
painting and as one of Rockwell's most famous works.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_from_Want_(painting)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1703:
The Great Storm of 1703, one of the severest storms to strike
southern Great Britain, destroyed the first Eddystone Lighthouse off
Plymouth, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddystone_Lighthouse>
1895:
Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel signed his last
will and testament, setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish
the Nobel Prize after his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel>
1926:
Restoration of Colonial Williamsburg (pictured), a recreation
of a Colonial American city in the Historic Triangle on the Virginia
Peninsula, US, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Williamsburg>
1978:
San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor
Harvey Milk were assassinated by supervisor Dan White.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscone%E2%80%93Milk_assassinations>
1999:
The Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the
New Zealand general election, making Labour's Helen Clark the first
woman to win the office of Prime Minister at an election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ace:
(UK, slang) Excellent.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ace>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor
and faith we inherit from our forefathers — for the decency of
purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage
and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day
to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them. Let us
therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings
— let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals — and let us
resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human
beings throughout the world.
--John F. Kennedy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy>
"The World Is Not Enough" is the theme song of the 1999 James Bond film
of the same name, performed by alternative rock group Garbage (pictured
in 2012). The song was written by composer David Arnold, who also scored
the film, and lyricist Don Black, previously responsible for four other
Bond songs. "The World Is Not Enough" was composed in the traditional
style of the series' title themes contrasting with the post-modern
production technique and genre-hopping sound that Garbage had
established on their first two albums. Garbage recorded the majority of
"The World Is Not Enough" while touring Europe, telephoning Arnold as he
recorded the orchestral backing in London before travelling to England
themselves. Afterwards the band finished production of the song in
Canada. The lyrics reflect the point of view of the film's antagonist
Elektra King, with themes of world domination and seduction. The song
and accompanying soundtrack were released by Radioactive Records as the
film premiered around the world at the end of November 1999. Upon
release, "The World Is Not Enough" was widely acclaimed by reviewers,
and reached the top forty of ten singles charts.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Is_Not_Enough_(song)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
43 BC:
Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and
Mark Antony formed the Second Triumvirate alliance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Triumvirate>
1842:
The University of Notre Dame (main administration building
pictured) in South Bend, Indiana, US, was founded as an all-male
institution by members of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Holy Cross.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame>
1939:
The Soviet Red Army shelled Mainila and then claimed that the
fire originated from Finland, giving them a casus belli to launch the
Winter War a few days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelling_of_Mainila>
1977:
A speaker claiming to represent the "Intergalactic Association"
interrupted the Southern Television broadcast in South East England,
warning viewers that "All your weapons of evil must be destroyed."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Television_broadcast_interruption>
2008:
A coordinated group of shooting and bombing attacks across
Mumbai began, ultimately killing a total of 173 people and wounding more
than 300 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unearthly:
1. Not of the earth; non-terrestrial.
2. Preternatural or supernatural.
3. Strange, enigmatic, or mysterious.
4. Ideal beyond the mundane.
5. Ridiculous, ludicrous, or outrageous.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unearthly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I thought that it was strange to assume that it was abnormal
for anyone to be forever asking questions about the nature of the
universe, about what the human condition really was, my condition, what
I was doing here, if there was really something to do. It seemed to me
on the contrary that it was abnormal for people not to think about it,
for them to allow themselves to live, as it were, unconsciously. Perhaps
it's because everyone, all the others, are convinced in some
unformulated, irrational way that one day everything will be made clear.
Perhaps there will be a morning of grace for humanity. Perhaps there
will be a morning of grace for me.
--Eugène Ionesco
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Ionesco>
Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park in southern Florida,
south of Miami, that preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier
reefs (pictured). Ninety-five percent of the park is water, accessible
only by boat. It covers 172,971 acres (69,999 ha) and includes Elliott
Key, the first of the true Florida Keys. The park protects four
ecosystems (mangrove swamp, shallow waters, coral limestone keys and the
Florida Reef), providing a nursery for larval and juvenile fish,
molluscs and crustaceans, and nesting grounds for endangered sea
turtles. Sixteen endangered species including Schaus' swallowtail
butterflies, smalltooth sawfish, manatees, and green and hawksbill sea
turtles may be observed in the park. The people of the Glades culture
inhabited the region about 10,000 years ago before rising sea levels
filled the bay. The Tequesta people occupied the area from about
4,000 BC to the 16th century, when the Spanish took possession of
Florida. Following the Cuban Revolution, Elliott Key was used as a
training ground for infiltrators into Castro's Cuba by the CIA and Cuban
exile groups.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscayne_National_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1034:
After Malcolm II of Scotland died at Glamis, Duncan, the son of
his second daughter, instead of Macbeth, the son of his eldest daughter,
inherited the throne to become the King of Scots.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth,_King_of_Scotland>
1795:
Stanisław August Poniatowski (pictured), the last King of
Poland, was forced to abdicate after the Third Partition of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_August_Poniatowski>
1863:
American Civil War: Confederate forces were defeated at the
Battle of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, opening the door
to the Union's invasion of the Deep South.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Missionary_Ridge>
1952:
Agatha Christie's mystery play The Mousetrap, the play with the
longest initial run in history, opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in
London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousetrap>
1960:
The Mirabal sisters, who opposed the dictatorship of military
strongman Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, were beaten and
strangled to death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabal_sisters>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rani:
1. The wife of a rajah.
2. A Hindu princess or female ruler in India.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rani>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Believing in the one thing That has gotten us this far —
That's what love is for To help us through it That's what love is for
Nothing else can do it Melt our defenses Bring us back to our senses
Give us strength to try once more Baby, that's what love is for.
--Amy Grant
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Amy_Grant>
The Haflinger is a horse breed developed in Austria and northern Italy
during the late 19th century. Relatively small and chestnut in color,
they were developed for use in mountainous terrain and are known for
their hardiness. The breed traces its ancestry to the Middle Ages, and
their current conformation and appearance come from infusions of
bloodlines from Arabian and various European breeds into the original
native Tyrolean ponies. All Haflingers can trace their lineage to a
foundation sire born in 1874. The two World Wars and the Great
Depression had a detrimental effect on the breed. In the postwar era the
Haflinger was indiscriminately crossed with other breeds, but from 1946
breeders focused on producing purebred Haflingers. Interest in the breed
increased in other countries, and numbers grew. In 2003 a Haflinger
became the first horse to be cloned, resulting in a filly named
Prometea. Haflingers have many uses, including light draft, harness
work, and various under-saddle disciplines. They are also used by the
Austrian and German armies in rough terrain. The World Haflinger
Federation, a confederation of 22 national registries, controls breed
standards.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haflinger>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1642:
A Dutch expedition led by Abel Tasman reached present-day
Tasmania, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Tasman>
1859:
On the Origin of Species by British naturalist Charles Darwin
was first published, and sold out its initial print run on the first
day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species>
1906:
A local newspaper accused members of two teams of conspiring to
deliberately lose games, the first major scandal in American football.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_Bulldogs%E2%80%93Massillon_Tigers_bett…>
1962:
The influential television programme That Was the Week That
Was, a significant element of the British satire boom, was first
broadcast.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Week_That_Was>
1974:
A group of paleoanthropologists discovered a 3.2-million-year-
old skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis in the Afar Depression in
Ethiopia, nicknaming it "Lucy" (reconstruction pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Australopithecus)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
scriptorium:
A room set aside for the copying, writing, or illuminating of
manuscripts and records, especially such a room in a monastery.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scriptorium>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The safest way for a state is to lay down the rule that religion
is comprised solely in the exercise of charity and justice, and that the
rights of rulers in sacred, no less than in secular matters, should
merely have to do with actions, but that every man should think what he
likes and say what he thinks.
--Baruch Spinoza
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza>
Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) was the 14th President of the United
States (1853–57), whose inability to calm tensions over slavery kept
the country on the path to the Civil War. A northern Democrat from New
Hampshire, Pierce served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the
Senate and took part in the Mexican–American War as a brigadier
general before becoming the Democrats' compromise candidate in the 1852
presidential election. He saw the abolitionist movement as a fundamental
threat to the unity of the nation. He was a Young America expansionist
who signed the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico and led a failed
attempt to acquire Cuba from Spain. His polarizing actions in signing
the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act failed to
stem intersectional conflict. Although Pierce expected to be renominated
by the Democrats, he was abandoned by his party and failed in his bid to
be re-elected. His wife Jane suffered from illness and depression for
much of her life, and all of their children died young. Pierce, a heavy
drinker for much of his life, died of cirrhosis of the liver. Today he
is widely regarded as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Pierce>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1499:
Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne during the
reign of King Henry VII, was hanged after reportedly attempting to
escape from the Tower of London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck>
1876:
William "Boss" Tweed, a New York City politician who had been
arrested for embezzlement, was handed to US authorities after having
escaped from prison to Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed>
1924:
Edwin Hubble published evidence in a newspaper that the
Andromeda Nebula, previously believed to be part of the Milky Way, is
actually another galaxy, one of many in the universe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hubble>
1934:
An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden
encountered a garrison of Somalis in Italian service at Walwal, which
led to the Abyssinia Crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia_Crisis>
2009:
A crowd of people on their way to register the candidacy of
Esmael Mangudadatu in the upcoming election for Governor of Maguindanao,
Philippines, were attacked by supporters of his rival, resulting in at
least 57 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
donna:
A lady, especially a noblewoman; the title given to a lady in Italy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/donna>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not … a "good man"! … And I'm not a bad man. … I am
not a "hero" — and I'm definitely not a President — and no — I'm
not an officer! … You know what I am? … I AM … an IDIOT! … with
a box — and a screwdriver — passing through, helping out, learning.
I don't need an army, I never have. …because love, it's not an emotion
— Love is a promise!
--Doctor Who
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doctor_Who>
The early history of the National Hockey League (NHL) began in 1917 when
it was founded by a majority of the franchises in the National Hockey
Association (the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators
and Quebec Bulldogs). The NHL's first quarter-century saw the league
compete against two rival major leagues, the Pacific Coast Hockey
Association and Western Canada Hockey League, for players and the
Stanley Cup. The NHL first expanded into the United States in 1924 with
the founding of the Boston Bruins, and by 1926 consisted of ten teams in
Ontario, Quebec, the Great Lakes region, and the Northeastern United
States. At the same time, the NHL emerged as the only major league and
the sole competitor for the Stanley Cup. Numerous innovations to the
rules and equipment were put forward as the NHL sought to improve the
flow of the game and make the sport more fan-friendly. Foster Hewitt's
radio broadcasts were heard coast-to-coast across Canada starting in
1933. The Great Depression and World War II reduced the league to six
teams by 1942, known as the "Original Six".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1917%E…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1718:
The pirate Blackbeard was killed in battle by a boarding party
of British sailors off the coast of North Carolina, ending his reign of
terror in the Caribbean.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard>
1812:
War of 1812: During a punitive expedition against Native
American villages, a contingent of Indiana Rangers were ambushed by
Kickapoo, Winnebago, and Shawnee warriors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wild_Cat_Creek>
1910:
The crews of the Brazilian warships Minas Geraes, São Paulo,
Bahia—all of which had been commissioned only months before—and
several smaller warships mutinied in what became known as the Revolt of
the Lash.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Lash>
1967:
The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted
Resolution 242 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War between Israel and
Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_242>
2004:
Massive protests started across Ukraine due to allegations that
the presidential election between sitting Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko was rigged.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
zygon:
1. (anatomy) In the cerebrum, the short crossbar or stem that connects the
two pairs of branches of an H-shaped fissure.
2. (music) An affinity or connection in a piece of music between tones,
chords, or phrases, such that one part appears to repeat, to imitate, or
to derive from the other, especially when perceived as an organising
force in the music.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zygon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
High achievements demand some other unusual qualification
besides an unusual desire for high prizes.
--George Eliot
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Eliot>
The Sega 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. It
was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a
transitional console into the 32-bit era until the release of the Sega
Saturn. Unveiled at June 1994's Consumer Electronics Show, Sega
presented the 32X as a low-cost option for playing 32-bit games.
Developed in response to the Atari Jaguar and concerns that the Saturn
would not be ready by the end of 1994, the product was originally
conceived as an entirely new console, but was converted into an add-on
to the existing Genesis and made more powerful. To meet the release date
of November 1994, development of the new system and its games were
rushed. Ultimately, the console failed to attract third-party video game
developers and sufficient consumers due to the announcement of the Sega
Saturn's simultaneous release in Japan. By the end of 1994, the 32X had
sold 665,000 units; it was discontinued in 1996. Initial reception was
positive, highlighting the low price and power expansion to the Genesis,
but later reviews were mostly negative because of its shallow game
library, poor market timing and the resulting market fragmentation for
the Genesis.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_32X>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1386:
Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur captured and sacked the Georgian
capital of Tbilisi, forcing King Bagrat V to convert to Islam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur%27s_invasions_of_Georgia>
1918:
Polish troops and civilians began a three-day pogrom against
Jews and Ukrainian Christians in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lw%C3%B3w_pogrom_(1918)>
1894:
First Sino-Japanese War: After capturing the city of
Lüshunkou, the Japanese Second Army killed more than 1,000 Chinese
servicemen and civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(China)>
1964:
The Verrazano–Narrows Bridge (pictured), connecting Staten
Island and Brooklyn in New York City, opened to traffic as the longest
suspension bridge in the world at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano%E2%80%93Narrows_Bridge>
1974:
Explosives placed in two central pubs in Birmingham, England,
killed 21 people and injured 182 others, and eventually led to the
arrest and imprisonment of six people who were later exonerated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_pub_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
yana:
(Buddhism) Any of the three modes or methods of Buddhist spiritual
practice; Mahayana, Hinayana and Vajrayana.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yana>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Virtue supposes liberty, as the carrying of a burden supposes
active force. Under coercion there is no virtue, and without virtue
there is no religion. Make a slave of me, and I shall be no better for
it. Even the sovereign has no right to use coercion to lead men to
religion, which by its nature supposes choice and liberty. My thought is
no more subject to authority than is sickness or health.
--Voltaire
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire>