Vijayanagara literature in Kannada is the body of literature composed in
the Kannada language of South India during the Vijayanagar Empire
(14th–16th centuries). The Vijayanagara empire was established in 1336
by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I. The empire is named after
its capital city Vijayanagara, whose ruins surround modern Hampi, now a
World Heritage Site in Karnataka (Virupaksha Temple pictured). Kannada
literature during this period consisted of writings relating to the
socio-religious developments of the Veerashaiva and Vaishnava faiths,
and to a lesser extent to that of Jainism. Authors included poets,
scholars, and members of the royal family, their ministers, army
commanders of rank, and nobility. Writers popularised use of the native
metres: shatpadi (six-line verse), sangatya (compositions meant to be
sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument), and tripadi (three-
line verse). The development of Veerashaiva literature was at its peak
during the reign of King Deva Raya II, the best-known of the Sangama
Dynasty rulers. The rule of King Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty
and his successors was a high point in Vaishnava literature.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_literature_in_Kannada>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
284:
Diocletian (bust pictured) became Roman emperor, eventually
establishing reforms that ended the Crisis of the Third Century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian>
1739:
War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force captured the
settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main (modern Panama).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Bello>
1902:
While discussing how to promote the newspaper L'Auto, sports
journalist Géo Lefèvre came up with the idea of holding a cycling race
that later became known as the Tour de France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France>
1968:
An explosion at a coal mine in West Virginia, US, killed 78
people and served as the catalyst for several new laws that were passed
to protect miners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmington_Mine_disaster>
1994:
In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the Angolan government
signed a ceasefire with UNITA rebels in a failed attempt to end the
Angolan Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka_Protocol>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spoiler:
1. One who spoils; a plunderer, pillager, despoiler.
2. A document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key
surprise or twist in a story.
3. (automotive) A device to reduce lift and increase downforce.
4. (US, chiefly politics, sports) An individual, unable to win themselves,
who spoils the chances of another's victory.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spoiler>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many of the world's great movements, of thought and action,
have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the
Protestant Reformation, a young general extended an empire from
Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the
territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the
New World, and 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men
are created equal. "Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I
will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all.
--Robert F. Kennedy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy>
The Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar was a fifty-cent piece struck
intermittently by the United States Bureau of the Mint between 1926 and
1939. The coin was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser and James Earle
Fraser, and honors those who traveled the Oregon Trail and settled the
Pacific Coast of the United States. Ohio-born Ezra Meeker had traveled
the Trail with his family in 1852 and spent the final two decades of his
long life publicizing the Trail. In 1926, at age 95, he appeared before
a Senate committee, requesting that the government issue a commemorative
coin to raise money for markers to show where the Trail had been. The
many varieties produced after Meeker's death in 1928 came to be
considered ripoffs, and in 1939 Congress ended the series. The Oregon
Trail Memorial Association, distributor of the coin, had difficulty in
selling them, and they remained available from the OTMA's successor
organization as late as 1953. Just over 260,000 of the 6,000,000
authorized coins were struck, of which about 60,000 were melted. The US
commemorative coin struck over the longest period, the Oregon Trail
Memorial half dollar has been widely praised for its design.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail_Memorial_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on
Puerto Rico, naming it San Juan Bautista after John the Baptist.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico>
1816:
The University of Warsaw (main gate pictured), currently the
largest university in Poland, was established as Congress Poland found
itself a territory without a university.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Warsaw>
1941:
World War II: The Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran destroyed each other in the Indian
Ocean.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxilia…>
1969:
Playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazilian footballer Pelé scored his 1000th goal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9>
1994:
The first National Lottery draw in the United Kingdom was held,
with seven winners sharing a prize of £5,874,778.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lottery_(United_Kingdom)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
omega:
1. The final letter of the Greek alphabet.
2. (idiomatic) The end; the final, last or ultimate in a series.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/omega>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
First of all, everyone must acknowledge and feel that child
slavery still exists in the world, in its ugliest face and form. And
this is an evil, which is crime against humanity, which is intolerable,
which is unacceptable and which must go. That sense of recognition must
be developed first of all. And secondly there is a need of higher
amounts of political will. There is a need of higher amount of corporate
engagement, and the engagement of the public towards it. So, everybody
has a responsibility to save and protect the children on this planet.
--Kailash Satyarthi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kailash_Satyarthi>
The Siege of Godesberg, 18 November – 17 December 1583, was the first
major siege of the Cologne War (1583–89). A formidable 13th-century
fortress, the Godesburg (pictured c. 1500), sat on top of the
Godesberg mountain, towering over the Rhine valley. It commanded the
roads leading to Bonn, the Elector of Cologne's capital city, and
Cologne, the region's economic powerhouse. By the mid-16th century, the
Godesburg was considered nearly impregnable and had become a symbol of
the dual power of the Prince-electors and Archbishops of Cologne.
Bavarian and mercenary soldiers surrounded the mountain and the village
then of the same name, now Bad Godesberg, at its foot. The Godesburg
resisted a lengthy cannonade by the attacking army; finally, sappers
tunneled into the the mountain and blew up a significant part of the
fortifications. This killed many of the defenders, but the remainder
offered staunch resistance and the Bavarians had to enter the castle's
inner courtyard through the latrine system to succeed. The Godesburg's
commander negotiated safe passage for himself, his wife and his
lieutenant. The others who were left in the keep—men, women and
children—were killed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Godesberg>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Marshal
Michel Ney's leadership in the Battle of Krasnoi earned him the nickname
"the bravest of the brave" despite the overwhelming French defeat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Krasnoi>
1872:
American suffragette Susan B. Anthony was arrested and fined
$100 for having voted in the U.S. presidential election in Rochester,
New York, two weeks prior.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony>
1928:
Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie, the first completely post-
produced synchronized sound animated cartoon, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie>
1987:
In London, an underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross
St Pancras.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Cross_fire>
1991:
Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav People's Army forces
captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vukovar>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
full circle:
1. Through a rotation or revolution that ends at the starting point.
2. (idiomatic) Through a cycle of transition, returning to where one
started after gaining experience or exploring other things.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/full_circle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles
that they become commonplace and we forget... I forget. We gaze
continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen
from the another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take our
breath away. Come... dry your eyes, for you are life, rarer than a quark
and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg. Come, dry your eyes.
And let's go home.
--Watchmen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Watchmen>
Not My Life is a 2011 American independent documentary film about human
trafficking and contemporary slavery. The film was written, produced,
and directed by Robert Bilheimer (pictured in Senegal during filming),
who had been asked to make the film by Antonio Maria Costa, executive
director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Not My Life
addresses many forms of slavery, including the military use of children
in Uganda, involuntary servitude in the United States, forced begging
and garbage picking in India, sex trafficking in Europe and Southeast
Asia, and other kinds of child abuse. Fifty people are interviewed in
the film, including Don Brewster of Agape International Missions, who
says that all of the girls they have rescued from child sex tourism in
Cambodia identify Americans as the clients who were the most abusive to
them. The film was dedicated to Richard Young, its cinematographer and
co-director, after he died in December 2010. It had its premiere the
following month at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New
York City. Not My Life was named Best World Documentary at the 2012
Harlem International Film Festival.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_My_Life>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1292:
John Balliol was chosen to be King of Scots over Robert de
Brus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Balliol>
1839:
Giuseppe Verdi's first opera Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio,
was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberto_(opera)>
1950:
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (pictured), was enthroned as
Tibet's head of state at the age of fifteen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Dalai_Lama>
1993:
General Sani Abacha ousted Ernest Shonekan to become chairman
of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sani_Abacha>
2009:
Administrators at the Climatic Research Unit at the University
of East Anglia discovered that their servers had been hacked and
thousands of emails and files on climate change had been stolen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climatic_Research_Unit_email_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rory:
1. (obsolete) Covered by dew.
2. (obsolete) Of gaudy, tasteless, or unsubtle colors.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In everything that lives, if one looks searchingly, is limned
the shadow line of an idea — an idea, dead or living, sometimes
stronger when dead, with rigid, unswerving lines that mark the living
embodiment with the stern immobile cast of the non-living. Daily we move
among these unyielding shadows, less pierceable, more enduring than
granite, with the blackness of ages in them, dominating living, changing
bodies, with dead, unchanging souls. And we meet, also, living souls
dominating dying bodies — living ideas regnant over decay and death.
--Voltairine de Cleyre
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltairine_de_Cleyre>
Hurricane Claudette was the third tropical storm and first hurricane of
the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. A fairly long-lived July Atlantic
hurricane, Claudette began as a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean.
It moved quickly westward, brushing past the Yucatán Peninsula before
moving northwestward through the Gulf of Mexico. Claudette remained a
tropical storm until just before making landfall in Port O'Connor,
Texas, when it quickly strengthened to a strong Category 1 hurricane.
Forecasting its path and intensity was uncertain, resulting in
widespread and often unnecessary preparations along its path. Claudette
was the first hurricane to make landfall in July in the United States
since Hurricane Danny in the 1997 season. The hurricane caused one death
and moderate damage in Texas, mostly from strong winds, as well as
extensive beach erosion. Because of the damage, President George W. Bush
declared portions of South Texas as a Federal Disaster Area, allowing
the affected citizens to apply for aid. Claudette also caused
significant rainfall and minor damage in the Mexican state of Quintana
Roo, as well as minor damage on Saint Lucia.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Claudette_(2003)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: British and Hessian units captured
Fort Washington from the Patriots.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Washington>
1885:
After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion,
Louis Riel (pictured), Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father
of Manitoba", was executed by hanging for high treason.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Riel>
1944:
Operation Queen commenced in Düren, Germany, with one of the
heaviest Allied tactical bombing attacks of the Second World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Queen>
1959:
The Sound of Music, a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based
on The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music>
1989:
Eight employees of Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón
Cañas" in San Salvador, including six Catholic priests, were murdered
by a Salvadoran Army "death squad".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_UCA_scholars>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kraal:
1. In Central and Southern Africa, a rural village of huts surrounded by a
stockade.
2. An enclosure for livestock.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kraal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is a spiritual obligation, there is a task to be
done. It is not, however, something as simple as following a set of
somebody else's rules. The noetic enterprise is a primary obligation
toward being. Our salvation is linked to it. Not everyone has to read
alchemical texts or study superconducting biomolecules to make the
transition. Most people make it naively by thinking clearly about the
present at hand, but we intellectuals are trapped in a world of too much
information. Innocence is gone for us. We cannot expect to cross the
rainbow bridge through a good act of contrition; that will not be
sufficient. We have to understand.
--Terence McKenna
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna>
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a first-person, action-adventure video game
developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube
video game console. It is the seventh published game in the Metroid
series, a direct sequel to Metroid Prime, and the first game in the
series with a multiplayer feature. Echoes was released in North America,
Europe, and Australia in 2004, and in Japan the following year. The
story follows bounty hunter Samus Aran as she explores Aether, a planet
that is infested with the Ing, an evil race from an alternate dimension.
Samus must travel to three temples to ensure the destruction of the Ing,
while battling Space Pirates and her mysterious doppelgänger called
Dark Samus. Retro decided to make the game different from its
predecessor by adding more focus on storyline and including new gameplay
elements. The game's single player mode and graphics were praised by
critics, while its steep difficulty level and multiplayer components
were met less positively. Echoes received several video game industry
awards, as well as spots on "top games" lists by Nintendo Power and IGN.
Over 800,000 copies of the game have been sold worldwide.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Prime_2:_Echoes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
655:
Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the
Battle of the Winwaed in modern-day Yorkshire, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penda_of_Mercia>
1864:
American Civil War: Union Army General William T. Sherman began
his "March to the Sea", inflicting significant damage to property and
infrastructure on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman>
1889:
Brazilian Emperor Pedro II was overthrown in a coup led by
Deodoro da Fonseca, and Brazil was proclaimed a republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_and_fall_of_Pedro_II_of_Brazil>
1959:
Two men murdered a family in Holcomb, Kansas, US; the events
became the subject of Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, a
pioneering work of the true crime genre.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Cold_Blood>
2012:
After ten years as General Secretary of the Communist Party of
China Hu Jintao stepped down and was replaced by Xi Jinping.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Easter egg:
1. A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and
usually hidden for children to find.
2. A chocolate confection in the shape of an egg.
3. (computing) An undocumented function hidden in a program or video game,
typically triggered by a particular input sequence or combination of
keystrokes.
4. Any image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc, or
in a movie, trailer, or poster.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Easter_egg>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You are not male or female, but a plan deep-set within the heart
of man.
--Marianne Moore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marianne_Moore>
Harold Larwood (1904–1995) was a professional cricketer for
Nottinghamshire and England between 1924 and 1938. A right-arm fast
bowler, he was considered by many commentators to be the finest bowler
of his generation. He was the main exponent of the bowling style known
as "bodyline", developed under the guidance of England's combative
captain Douglas Jardine as a response to the domination of Australia's
leading batsman, Don Bradman. The tactic was used with considerable
success in the 1932–33 Test series, but the Australians' description
of the method as "unsportsmanlike" soured cricketing relations between
the two countries. Larwood refused to apologise for his bowling, as he
was carrying out his captain's instructions, and never played for
England again. In retirement after the Second World War, he and his
family emigrated to Australia, where he was warmly welcomed, in contrast
to his cricketing days. He paid several subsequent visits to England,
and was honoured at his old county ground, Trent Bridge, where a stand
was named after him. In 1993 he was appointed a Member of the Order of
the British Empire (MBE), in delayed recognition of his services to
cricket.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Larwood>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a
ship (pictured), flying from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in
Hampton Roads, Virginia, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely>
1941:
Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous
day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (91) sank as she was
being towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(91)>
1970:
Southern Airways Flight 932, chartered by the Marshall
University football team, crashed into a hill near Ceredo, West
Virginia, US, killing all 75 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Airways_Flight_932>
1984:
Cesar Climaco, mayor of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, was
assassinated by an unknown gunman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Climaco>
2010:
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers'
Championship after winning the final race of the season to become the
youngest Formula One champion ever.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Vettel>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
minyan:
The minimum number of ten adult Jews required for a communal religious
service.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/minyan>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him,
so Voltaire said … Perhaps that is true, and indeed the mind of man
has always been fashioning some such mental image or conception which
grew with the mind's growth. But there is something also in the reverse
proposition: even if God exist, it may be desirable not to look up to
Him or to rely upon Him. Too much dependence on supernatural forces may
lead, and has often led, to loss of self-reliance in man, and to a
blunting of his capacity and creative ability. And yet some faith seems
necessary in things of the spirit which are beyond the scope of our
physical world, some reliance on moral, spiritual, and idealistic
conceptions, or else we have no anchorage, no objectives or purpose in
life. Whether we believe in God or not, it is impossible not to believe
in something, whether we call it a creative life-giving force, or vital
energy inherent in matter which gives it its capacity for self-movement
and change and growth, or by some other name, something that is as real,
though elusive, as life is real when contrasted with death.
--Jawaharlal Nehru
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru>
Sadie Harris is a recurring fictional character from the American
television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, played by actress Melissa
George (pictured). Introduced in November 2008 as a surgical intern who
has an old companionship with the series' protagonist Meredith Grey
(Ellen Pompeo), Harris eventually forms a friendship with Lexie Grey
(Chyler Leigh), and departs after it is revealed she cheated her way
into the surgical program. George's original contract included
appearances in eight to eleven episodes of season five, with the
possibility of becoming a series regular. Harris was originally planned
to be a romantic foil for Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) and Callie Torres
(Sara Ramirez), but the role was retooled after the former left. After
some speculation about the character's future, it was confirmed that she
would not be joining the series; the final episode to include Harris was
broadcast in February 2009. In response to assertions that Harris left
to "de-gay" Grey's Anatomy, George explained that it was her own
decision to leave. The character received mixed feedback from critics,
and has been characterized as "naughty", "mischievous", and "nutty".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadie_Harris>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1002:
King Æthelred II ordered the massacre of all Danes in
England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brice%27s_Day_massacre>
1642:
First English Civil War: The Royalist army engaged the much
larger Parliamentarian army at the Battle of Turnham Green near Turnham
Green, Middlesex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Turnham_Green>
1914:
Zaian War: Zaian Berber tribesmen routed French forces in
Morocco at the Battle of El Herri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_El_Herri>
1954:
Great Britain defeated France at the Parc des Princes in Paris
to win the first Rugby League World Cup.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_League_World_Cup>
1989:
Hans-Adam II (pictured), reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, took
the throne upon the death of his father.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Adam_II,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
adipose:
1. Containing, composed of, or consisting of fat.
2. Slightly overweight, somewhat fat and hence soft.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adipose>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Inasmuch as love grows in you, in so much beauty grows; for love
is itself the beauty of the soul.
--Augustine of Hippo
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo>
Jo Stafford (1917–2008) was an American traditional pop music singer
and occasional actress whose career spanned five decades. Admired for
the purity of her voice, she achieved by 1955 more worldwide record
sales than any other woman artist. Born in Coalinga, California,
Stafford made her first musical appearance at age twelve. She was
trained as an opera singer before turning to popular music. With her two
older sisters, she appeared in Alexander's Ragtime Band in 1938, where
she met musicians with whom she formed the The Pied Pipers and became
the group's lead singer. Her work with the USO, giving concerts for
soldiers, earned her the nickname "G.I. Jo". From 1945, Stafford was a
regular host of the NBC series The Chesterfield Supper Club and later
appeared on television including two series called The Jo Stafford Show.
In 1961, the album Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris won Stafford
her only Grammy Award. In the 1970s, she recorded a cover of the Bee
Gees hit "Stayin' Alive". Her work is recognized by three stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her 1952 song "You Belong to Me" made her the
first woman to reach number one on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Stafford>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1330:
Led by voivode Basarab I, Wallachian forces defeated the
Hungarian army in an ambush at the Battle of Posada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Posada>
1892:
William Heffelfinger was paid $525 by the Allegheny Athletic
Association, becoming the first professional American football player on
record.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Heffelfinger>
1944:
Second World War: The Royal Air Force sank the German
battleship Tirpitz on the ninth attempt, resulting in about 1,000 deaths
of the sailors on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz>
1996:
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines
cargo plane collided in mid-air near New Delhi, killing 349 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charkhi_Dadri_mid-air_collision>
2006:
Although the Georgian government declared it illegal, South
Ossetia held a referendum on independence, with about 99 percent of
voters supporting, to preserve the region's status as a de facto
independent state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetian_independence_referendum,_2006>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
peri:
A sprite or supernatural being in Persian mythology.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/peri>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The
first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance,
and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to
ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means
by which they can be established.
--Bahá'u'lláh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27u%27ll%C3%A1h>
"Goodbyeee" is the sixth and final episode of the British historical
sitcom Blackadder 's fourth series, entitled Blackadder Goes Forth.
First broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 1989, shortly before Armistice
Day, the episode depicts its main characters' final hours before a
British offensive on the Western Front of the First World War, and the
failed attempts of Captain Blackadder, played by Rowan Atkinson
(pictured), to escape his fate by feigning madness. After he cannot
convince General Melchett, and Field Marshal Haig's advice is useless,
he is resigned to take part in the push. It has a darker tone than other
episodes in the series, culminating with the main characters charging
into no-man's land under machine-gun fire. The episode's theme of death
ties in with the series' use of gallows humour and its criticism and
satire of war. Richard Curtis and Ben Elton wrote the episode, and
additional material was provided by its cast members. Its slow-motion
final sequence showing the main characters going "over the top" has
often been voted one of the greatest moments in television.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbyeee>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
War of the Third Coalition: French, Austrian and Russian units
all suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dürenstein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_D%C3%BCrenstein>
1839:
The Virginia Military Institute, currently the oldest state
military college in the United States, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Military_Institute>
1889:
Washington, named in honor of the first U.S. president, was
admitted to the United States as the 42nd state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)>
1934:
The Shrine of Remembrance (pictured), a memorial to all
Australians who have served in war, opened in Melbourne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Remembrance>
1999:
The House of Lords Act was given royal assent, removing most
hereditary peers from the British House of Lords.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords_Act_1999>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rumpty:
(New Zealand) Having a quality below standard; in a state of disrepair.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rumpty>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
About belief or lack of belief in an afterlife: Some of
you may know that I am neither Christian nor Jewish nor Buddhist, nor a
conventionally religious person of any sort. I am a humanist, which
means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any
expectation of rewards or punishments after I'm dead. My German-American
ancestors, the earliest of whom settled in our Middle West about the
time of our Civil War, called themselves "Freethinkers," which is the
same sort of thing. My great grandfather Clemens Vonnegut wrote, for
example, "If what Jesus said was good, what can it matter whether he was
God or not?" I myself have written, "If it weren't for the message of
mercy and pity in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, I wouldn't want to be a
human being. I would just as soon be a rattlesnake."
--Kurt Vonnegut
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut>