Sir James McCay (1864–1930) was an Australian general and politician.
As a member of the Victorian Parliament (1895–99), he championed
federation and women's suffrage. He became a member of the first
Australian Federal Parliament in 1901 and was Minister for Defence
(1904–05), where his long-lasting reforms included creating the
Military Board. In World War I, McCay commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade
of the Australian Army in the landing at Anzac Cove, during the
Gallipoli Campaign. He was later wounded in the Second Battle of Krithia
and sent home, but returned to command the 5th Division, which he led in
the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, dubbed "the worst 24 hours in
Australia's entire history". His failures in difficult military
operations made him a controversial figure who earned the disfavour of
his superiors, and his efforts to succeed in the face of insurmountable
obstacles earned him the odium of troops under his command, who blamed
him for high casualties. After the war, McCay resumed his old job as
Deputy Chairman of the State Bank of Victoria; his other public roles
included commanding the Special Constabulary Force during the 1923
Victorian Police strike.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Whiteside_McCay>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
American settlers in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to
secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredonian_Rebellion>
1844:
The Rochdale Pioneers, usually considered the first successful
co-operative enterprise, opened their store in Rochdale, England, and
formed the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_cooperative_movement>
1923:
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed a treaty, the first to
define the international status of Nepal as an independent and a
sovereign nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923>
1965:
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 87 member
nations have since signed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_o…>
1994:
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, dormant for 47 years, began
erupting, and is now the nation's most active volcano.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popocat%C3%A9petl>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
solstitial:
1. Pertaining to a solstice: a solstitial point, the solstitial meridian
plane, avenues with a solstitial orientation.
2. Occurring on a solstice: the solstitial half-moon, a solstitial event.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solstitial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The light Begin to bleed, Begin to breathe, Begin to speak.
D'you know what? I love you better now.
--Kate Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush>
Albatrellus subrubescens is a species of polypore fungus in the family
Albatrellaceae. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) of the fungus have whitish
to pale buff-colored caps that can reach up to 14.5 cm (5.7 in) in
diameter, and stems up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in)
thick. On the underside of the caps are tiny light yellow to pale
greenish-yellow pores, the site of spore production. When the fruit
bodies are fresh, the cap and pores stain yellow where exposed, handled,
or bruised. The species is found in Asia, Europe, and North America,
where it grows on the ground in deciduous or mixed woods, usually in
association with pine trees. It is closely related, and physically
similar, to the more common Albatrellus ovinus, from which it may be
distinguished macroscopically by differences in the color when bruised,
and microscopically by the amyloid (staining bluish-black to black with
Melzer's reagent) walls of the spores. The fruit bodies of
A. subrubescens contain scutigeral, a bioactive chemical that has
antibiotic activity. A. subrubescens mushrooms are mildly poisonous,
and consuming them will result in a short-term gastrointestinal illness.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatrellus_subrubescens>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
South Carolina became the first of eleven slave states to
secede from the United States, leading to the eventual creation of the
Confederate States of America and later the American Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America>
1955:
Cardiff (Cardiff City Hall pictured) was proclaimed as the
capital of Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff>
1987:
The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history occurred
when the MV Doña Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker on the
Tablas Strait in the Philippines, resulting in an estimated 4,000
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Do%C3%B1a_Paz>
1989:
American forces invaded Panama to overthrow the government of
Manuel Noriega.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama>
2007:
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the
São Paulo Museum of Art.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deracinate:
1. To pull up by the roots; to uproot; to extirpate.
2. To force (people) from their homeland to a new or foreign location.
3. To liberate or be liberated from a culture or its norms..
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deracinate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why should the thirst for knowledge be aroused, only to be
disappointed and punished? My volition shrinks from the painful task of
recalling my humiliation; yet, like a second Prometheus, I will endure
this and worse, if by any means I may arouse in the interiors of Plane
and Solid Humanity a spirit of rebellion against the Conceit which would
limit our Dimensions to Two or Three or any number short of Infinity.
--Edwin Abbott Abbott
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edwin_Abbott_Abbott>
In a coup on December 19, 1964, South Vietnam's ruling military junta
led by General Nguyễn Khánh (pictured) dissolved the High National
Council (HNC) and arrested some of its members. Khánh needed to satisfy
the wishes of some younger generals to stay in power, after they had
saved him from an earlier coup attempt. They wanted to sideline older
officers who had previously been in high leadership positions, hiding
their motives with a plan to force all general officers with more than
25 years of service to retire. The HNC, an unelected advisory body
created to give a veneer of civilian rule, recommended against this, and
was then dissolved. This dismayed the United States, South Vietnam's
main sponsor. The US ambassador, Maxwell D. Taylor, harshly berated the
generals and threatened aid cuts. Khánh embarked on a media offensive,
criticizing US policy and what he saw as infringement of Vietnamese
sovereignty. He and the other generals began preparations to expel
Taylor before changing their minds. Khánh's tactics rallied support for
his fragile leadership, at least temporarily. The Americans did not
carry through on Taylor's threats to cut off aid, even though the HNC
was never restored.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1964_South_Vietnamese_coup>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1154:
Henry II was crowned King of England in London's Westminster
Abbey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England>
1843:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (pictured), a novella
about the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after being
visited by three Christmas ghosts, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
1956:
Irish-born British physician John Bodkin Adams was arrested in
connection with the suspicious deaths of more than 160 of his patients,
although he was only convicted on minor charges.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bodkin_Adams>
1981:
Sixteen lives were lost when a Penlee lifeboat went to the aid
of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas off the south-west
coast of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penlee_lifeboat_disaster>
1986:
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev released dissident Andrei
Sakharov after six years of internal exile in Gorky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov>
1998:
The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Bill
Clinton following the Lewinsky scandal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
doomsayer:
One who makes dire predictions about the future; one fond of predicting
disaster.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doomsayer>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let
them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that
nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did
not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as
these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they
should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less
attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for
him.
--A Christmas Carol
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
Leigh Leigh was a 14-year-old girl from Fern Bay on the east coast of
Australia, who was murdered on 3 November 1989. While attending a
teenage birthday party at Stockton Beach (location of party pictured in
2014), Leigh was kicked and spat on by a group of boys after she
publicly asserted she had been raped. Leigh left the party shortly
afterwards. Her naked body was found in nearby sand dunes the following
morning, with severe genital damage and a crushed skull. Matthew Webster
(18 years old) pleaded guilty to her murder and served 14½ years in
prison. A 19-year-old male pleaded guilty to assault; a third male (aged
15) pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor. The murder investigation
proved controversial as several people who admitted to various crimes,
including assaulting Leigh, were never charged, and Webster's confession
did not match the forensic evidence. The extended media coverage of the
murder, which has been cited as an example of victim blaming, tended to
focus on the lack of parental supervision at the party, drug and alcohol
use, and Leigh's sexuality. The murder inspired a theatrical play
entitled Blackrock, as well as a feature film of the same name.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Leigh_Leigh>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
In Angola, New York, US, the last coach of a Lake Shore Railway
train derailed, plunged 40 ft (12 m) down a gully, and caught fire,
resulting in 49 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola_Horror>
1892:
The first performance of the fairy-tale ballet The Nutcracker
was held at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker>
1939:
Second World War: The German Luftwaffe victory over the Royal
Air Force in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight greatly influenced both
sides' future air strategy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Heligoland_Bight_(1939)>
1996:
The school board of Oakland, California, passed a controversial
resolution officially declaring African American Vernacular English as a
separate language or dialect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Ebonics_controversy>
2009:
The Copenhagen Summit on climate change ended with the drafting
of the non-binding Copenhagen Accord.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Accord>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pergola:
A framework in the form of a passageway of columns that supports a
trelliswork roof; used to support and train climbing plants.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pergola>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God buries his workmen, but carries on his work.
--Charles Wesley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley>
The 509th Composite Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit
created during World War II and tasked with the operational deployment
of nuclear weapons. Commanded by Paul W. Tibbets, it conducted the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The group,
which was activated on 17 December 1944, was designated as a "composite"
rather than a "bombardment" formation because it contained flying
squadrons equipped with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and C-47
Skytrain and C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft. It operated Silverplate
B-29s, which were specially configured to enable them to carry nuclear
weapons. In addition to the two nuclear bombing raids, it carried out
15 practice missions against Japanese-held islands and 12 combat
missions against targets in Japan, dropping high-explosive pumpkin
bombs. In the postwar era, the 509th Composite Group was one of the
original ten bombardment groups assigned to Strategic Air Command on 21
March 1946 and the only one equipped with Silverplate B-29 Superfortress
aircraft capable of delivering atomic bombs. It was standardized as a
bombardment group and redesignated the 509th Bombardment Group, Very
Heavy, on 10 July 1946.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/509th_Composite_Group>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
546:
After a nearly year-long siege, Ostrogoths led by Totila sacked
Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(546)>
1819:
The Republic of Gran Colombia in South America was established,
with Simón Bolívar as its first president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Colombia>
1918:
About 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House in
Darwin, Australia, where they burnt an effigy of Administrator John
Gilruth and demanded his resignation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Rebellion>
1970:
Soldiers fired at workers (memorial pictured) emerging from
trains in Gdynia, Poland, beginning the government's brutal crackdown on
mass anti-communist protests across the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_1970_protests>
1989:
The Simpsons, currently the longest running American prime time
entertainment series, made its debut on the Fox television network with
the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neotenous:
1. Exhibiting retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.
2. (informal) Babyfaced.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neotenous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and
improve our knowledge of the world around us. Sometimes after a meeting
I want to arrange another one because new ideas are born and I discover
new needs. This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the
circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer
together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead
towards the Good.
--Pope Francis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>
Central Coast Mariners FC is an Australian professional soccer club
based on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The Mariners, founded in
2004 as one of the original eight A-League teams, were the first
professional sports club from the Gosford region to compete in a
national competition. Despite being considered one of the smallest-
market clubs in the league, the Central Coast Mariners have won the
A-League Premiership twice and claimed one A-League Championship from
four Grand Final appearances. They have also appeared in the AFC
Champions League four times. The club plays matches at Central Coast
Stadium (pictured), a 20,059 seat stadium in Gosford. The English
Championship's Sheffield United has invested in the club, and the
Mariners have affiliation agreements with several international clubs.
Their main supporters' group is known as the Yellow Army, after the
colour of the club's home kit. The club and the Newcastle Jets share a
rivalry known as the F3 Derby, after the previous name of the motorway
that connects the cities of the teams. Matt Simon and Adam Kwasnik are
the Mariners' all-time leading goalscorers, with 42 goals each in all
competitions.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Coast_Mariners_FC>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1598:
Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Korean navy defeated the Japanese fleet at
the Battle of Noryang, the final naval battle of the Imjin War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Noryang>
1689:
The Parliament of England adopted the Bill of Rights, declaring
that Englishmen possessed certain positive civil and political rights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_Rights_1689>
1944:
World War II: The Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany launched its final
offensive in the western front, the Battle of the Bulge (German tank
pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge>
1986:
Dinmukhamed Konayev was dismissed from the post of First
Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, sparking riots
throughout the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeltoqsan>
2012:
A woman in New Delhi was gang-raped on a bus, generating public
protests across the country against the Government of India and the
Government of Delhi for not providing adequate security for women.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neverendum:
A series of "neverending" referendums on the same issue held in an
attempt to achieve an unpopular result.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neverendum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We'll know homo superior when he comes — by
definition. He'll be the one we won't be able to euth.
--Philip K. Dick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick>
Fuck: Word Taboo and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties is a 2009
nonfiction book by law professor Christopher M. Fairman about freedom of
speech, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, censorship, and
use of the word fuck in society. Citing studies in social science,
psychoanalysis, and linguistics, Fairman says that most of its current
usages have connotations distinct from its meaning of sexual
intercourse. The book discusses the efforts of American conservatives to
censor the word from common parlance, and says that legal precedent
regarding its use is unclear because of contradictory court decisions.
The book, which was a follow-up by Fairman to an article in 2007 on the
same topic, received mostly favorable reception from news sources and
library trade publications. Library Journal described the book as a
sincere analysis of the word and efforts to censor it, while Choice:
Current Reviews for Academic Libraries called it stimulating. After the
book's release, Fairman was consulted by media sources including CNN and
The New York Times, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, on
issues surrounding word taboo in society.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck:_Word_Taboo_and_Protecting_Our_First_Ame…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
687:
Sergius was elected pope, ending the last disputed sede vacante
of the Byzantine Papacy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_I>
1161:
Emperor Hailing of the Jin dynasty was assassinated in a
military camp near the Yangtze River front during a campaign against the
Southern Song.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hailing_of_Jin>
1864:
American Civil War: Union troops defeated the Army of
Tennessee, one of the largest Confederate forces, at the Battle of
Nashville.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nashville>
1939:
The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind (poster
pictured), adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning novel of
the same name, made its premiere in Atlanta, Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind_(film)>
1961:
Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after
being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
think of the children:
Suggesting moral panic.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/think_of_the_children>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We stand, in a manner of speaking, midway between the
unpredictability of atoms and the unpredictability of God.
--Freeman Dyson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson>
Quainton Road railway station was opened in 1868 near Quainton,
Buckinghamshire, 44 miles (71 km) from London. It was built by the
Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway after pressure from the 3rd Duke of
Buckingham to route the railway near his home. It connected with the
Brill Tramway, which carried goods from the duke's estates and
passengers from Brill, and was heavily used despite its geographical
isolation. Both lines were absorbed in 1891 by the Metropolitan Railway
(MR), which operated from Aylesbury to London. When the Great Central
Railway from the north of England opened in 1899, Quainton Road became a
significant junction. The MR became part of the London Passenger
Transport Board's London Underground in 1933. The Brill Tramway was
closed in 1935, and Underground trains were withdrawn north of Aylesbury
after 1936. Quainton Road closed to passengers in 1963 and to goods in
1966. In 1969 the Quainton Road Society was formed; it restored and
reopened the station as the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. Freight
trains still use the line, and passenger trains call for special events.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quainton_Road_railway_station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
557:
A large earthquake severely damaged the city of Constantinople.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/557_Constantinople_earthquake>
1836:
The Toledo War, the mostly bloodless boundary dispute between
Ohio and the adjoining Territory of Michigan, unofficially ended with a
resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_War>
1913:
Haruna, the fourth and last ship of the Kongō-class, was
launched, eventually becoming one of the Japanese workhorses during
World War I and World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Haruna>
1994:
Construction on the Three Gorges Dam began on the Yangtze River
in China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam>
2004:
Cuba and Venezuela founded the Alliance for the Americas, an
intergovernmental organization dedicated to the integration of Latin
American and Caribbean nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALBA>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
instar:
1. Any one of the several stages of postembryonic development which an
arthropod undergoes, between molts, before it reaches sexual maturity:
the hopper was placed in a box in its first instar.
2. An arthropod at a specified one of these stages: first and second
instars of this species are more susceptible to H. bacteriophora than
later instars.
3. A stage in development: "photographs of the landlady’s children in all
their instars" (Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/instar>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At sea on a ship in a thunderstorm on the very night the Christ
was born a sailor heard from overhead a mighty voice cry "Pan is Dead!"
So follow Christ as best you can Pan is dead — Long live Pan!
--Mike Scott
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mike_Scott_(musician)>
During World War II, Japanese-occupied Singapore was bombed by Allied
air forces. Most of the 11 raids by U.S. Army Air Forces long-range
bomber units between November 1944 and March 1945 targeted the naval
base and dockyard facilities on the island, though several minelaying
missions were conducted in nearby waters. After the American bombers
were redeployed, the British Royal Air Force assumed responsibility for
minelaying operations near Singapore and these continued until 24 May
1945. While significant damage was inflicted on Singapore's important
naval base and commercial port (damage at docks pictured), some raids on
these targets were not successful and other attacks on oil storage
facilities on nearby islands were ineffective. The minelaying campaign
disrupted Japanese shipping in the area, causing some loss and damage,
but was not decisive. The Allied air attacks raised the morale of
Singapore's civilian population, who believed that the raids marked the
impending liberation of the city. Civilian casualties were limited,
though one attack rendered hundreds homeless and civilian workers were
killed during attacks on military facilities.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Singapore_(1944%E2%80%9345)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
First English Civil War: Parliamentary forces serving under Sir
William Waller led a successful surprise attack on a winter garrison of
Royalist infantry and cavalry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alton>
1758:
While transporting Acadians from Prince Edward Island to
France, the Duke William sank in the North Atlantic with the loss of
over 360 lives, one of the greatest marine disasters in Canadian
history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_William_(ship)>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces captured Nanjing in
China and then began to commit numerous atrocities over the next several
weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre>
1989:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army engaged in
a fierce firefight with the King's Own Scottish Borderers at a vehicle
checkpoint complex in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Derryard_checkpoint>
2001:
The Parliament of India was attacked by five gunmen, resulting
in 12 deaths, including those of the perpetrators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Indian_Parliament_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
calendrical:
Of, pertaining to, or used by a calendar system.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calendrical>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A higher power than man power guided and watched over me and
told me what to do. … There can be no doubt in the world of the fact
of the divine power being in that. No other power under heaven could
bring a man out of a place like that. Men were killed on both sides of
me; and I was the biggest and the most exposed of all. Over thirty
machine guns were maintaining rapid fire at me, point-blank from a range
of about twenty-five yards.
--Alvin C. York
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alvin_C._York>
Geoffrey (c. 1152 – 1212) was an illegitimate son of King Henry II
of England who became Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of York. Geoffrey
held some minor clerical offices before becoming bishop in 1173, and was
ordained a priest in 1189. In 1173–74 he led a campaign in northern
England to help put down a rebellion by his legitimate half-brothers,
capturing William the Lion, the King of the Scots. After Pope Lucius III
ordered him to resign Lincoln or be consecrated, Geoffrey resigned and
became Chancellor. After succeeding to the throne, Richard I of England,
his half-brother, nominated him Archbishop of York, probably to
eliminate a potential rival. He was consecrated in France in 1191, and
was briefly imprisoned in Dover Castle on his return during a dispute
with William Longchamp, Richard's regent in England. Geoffrey spent much
of his time as archbishop in various disputes with Richard and John,
Richard's successor and another half-brother. Geoffrey also quarrelled
with his suffragan bishops, his cathedral chapter, and other clergy in
his diocese. In 1207, he was forced into exile in France by John, and
died there five years later.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_(archbishop_of_York)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
627:
A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor
Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh, near
present-day Mosul, Iraq.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nineveh_(627)>
1531:
According to traditional Catholic accounts, the image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously appeared imprinted on Juan Diego's
tilma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe>
1939:
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess collided with the
battleship HMS Barham she was escorting and sank with heavy loss of
life.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Duchess_(H64)>
1964:
Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of
Kenya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomo_Kenyatta>
2000:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the election
recount of the ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election
must stop, effectively making George W. Bush the winner.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
svelte:
1. Attractively thin; gracefully slender.
2. Refined, delicate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/svelte>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Little boldness is needed to assail the opinions and practices
of notoriously wicked men; but to rebuke great and good men for their
conduct, and to impeach their discernment, is the highest effort of
moral courage. The great mass of mankind shun the labor and
responsibility of forming opinions for themselves.
--William Lloyd Garrison
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Lloyd_Garrison>