Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) is an animated short film by American
cartoonist Winsor McCay (c. 1867–1934). He first used the film
before live audiences as an interactive part of his vaudeville act: the
frisky, childlike Gertie did tricks at the command of her master. His
employer, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, later curtailed
McCay's vaudeville activities, so McCay added a live-action introductory
sequence to the film for its theatrical release. Gertie was the first
film to use animation techniques such as keyframes, registration marks,
tracing paper, the Mutoscope action viewer, and animation loops.
Although Gertie is popularly thought to be the earliest animated film,
it was McCay's third, and his earlier films were preceded by animation
made at least as far back as J. Stuart Blackton's 1900 film The
Enchanted Drawing. Gertie influenced the next generation of animators,
including the Fleischer brothers, Otto Messmer, Paul Terry, and Walt
Disney. McCay abandoned a sequel, Gertie on Tour (c. 1921), after
producing about a minute of footage. Gertie is the best preserved of his
films—others are lost or in fragments—and has been preserved in the
US National Film Registry.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertie_the_Dinosaur>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1575:
Leiden University, the oldest and highest-ranked university in
the Netherlands, was founded by William, Prince of Orange.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiden_University>
1879:
At a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute, engineer and
inventor Sandford Fleming first proposed the adoption of worldwide
standard time zones based on a single universal world time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_time>
1910:
Newspaper and magazine publisher William D. Boyce established
the Boy Scouts of America, expanding the Scout Movement into the United
States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Scouts_of_America>
1960:
The first eight brass star plaques were installed in the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame>
1979:
Denis Sassou Nguesso was chosen as the new President of the
Republic of the Congo after Joachim Yhombi-Opango was forced from power.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Sassou_Nguesso>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nunatak:
A mountain top or rocky element of a ridge that is surrounded by glacial
ice but is not covered by ice; a peak protruding from the surface ice
sheet.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nunatak>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ignorance, which is contented and clumsy, will produce what is
imperfect, but not offensive. But ignorance discontented and dexterous,
learning what it cannot understand, and imitating what it cannot enjoy,
produces the most loathsome forms of manufacture that can disgrace or
mislead humanity
--John Ruskin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Ruskin>
Hattie Jacques (1922–1980) was an English comedy actress of stage,
radio and screen, known to a world-wide audience through her portrayals
of strict, no-nonsense characters in 14 of the Carry On films. She
started her career on stage at the Players' Theatre, London, before
progressing onto radio, where she appeared in three popular BBC series,
It's That Man Again, Educating Archie and Hancock's Half Hour. Her
cinematic debut—in Green for Danger—was brief and uncredited, but
she grew to have a prolific screen career. Jacques developed a long
professional stage and television partnership with Eric Sykes, with whom
she co-starred in the long-running series Sykes and Sykes and a.... The
role endeared her to the public and the two became staples of British
television. Her private life was turbulent: she was married to the actor
John Le Mesurier from 1949 until their divorce in 1965, a separation
caused by her five-year affair with another man. Jacques, who had been
overweight since her teenage years, suffered ill-health soon after the
separation from Le Mesurier. She died in 1980 of a heart attack.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_Jacques>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
457:
Leo I (pictured on solidus) was crowned Byzantine emperor, and
went on to rule for nearly 20 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_I_the_Thracian>
1907:
More than 3,000 women in London participated in the Mud March,
the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women's
Suffrage Societies, seeking women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_March_(Suffragists)>
1940:
Walt Disney's Pinocchio, the first animated motion picture to
win a competitive Academy Award, was released to theaters by RKO
Pictures.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio_(1940_film)>
1986:
President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country after
a popular uprising, ending 28 years of one-family rule in the nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Duvalier>
2012:
Several months of political crisis in the Maldives culminated
in the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Nasheed>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conlanger:
Someone who creates constructed languages (conlangs).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conlanger>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Prince himself has no distinction, either of garments, or of
a crown; but is only distinguished by a sheaf of corn carried before
him; as the high priest is also known by his being preceded by a person
carrying a wax light. They have but few laws, and such is their
constitution that they need not many. They very much condemn other
nations whose laws, together with the commentaries on them, swell up to
so many volumes; for they think it an unreasonable thing to oblige men
to obey a body of laws that are both of such a bulk, and so dark as not
to be read and understood by every one of the subjects.
--Thomas More
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_More>
The 1952 Winter Olympics took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to
25 February. All of the venues for the games were located in Oslo's
metropolitan area with the exception of the alpine skiing events, which
were held at Norefjell, 113 km (70 mi) away. A new hotel was built for
the press and dignitaries, along with three dormitories to house
athletes and coaches, creating the first modern Olympic Village. The
games attracted 694 athletes representing 30 countries, who
participated in 6 sports and 22 events. There was one demonstration
sport, bandy, in which three Scandinavian countries competed. Women were
allowed to compete in cross-country skiing for the first time. Portugal
and New Zealand competed at their first Winter Olympics, and Japan and
Germany competed for the first time since World War II. Norway won the
overall medal count with sixteen medals, seven of which were gold.
Hjalmar Andersen from Norway was the most decorated athlete with three
gold medals for speed skating. The games closed with the presentation of
a flag (pictured) by the city of Oslo to the International Olympic
Committee. The "Oslo Flag" has been displayed in the host city during
each subsequent winter games.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_Winter_Olympics>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1806:
Napoleonic Wars: When squadrons of British and French ships of
the line engaged in the Battle of San Domingo in the Caribbean Sea, the
French ships Impérial and Diomède ran aground to avoid capture, but
were caught and destroyed anyway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Domingo>
1833:
Otto became the first modern King of Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto,_King_of_Greece>
1919:
Over 65,000 workers in Seattle, Washington, US, began a five-
day general strike to gain higher wages after two years of World War I
wage controls.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_General_Strike>
1976:
In testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, Lockheed
president Carl Kotchian admitted that the company had paid out
approximately US$3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime
Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_bribery_scandals>
1987:
Mary Gaudron was appointed as the first female Justice of the
High Court of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Gaudron>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
galactagogue:
A substance that induces lactation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/galactagogue>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.
--Babe Ruth
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth>
Hillsboro is an American city of 95,000 people in the Portland
metropolitan area of Oregon. It is the fifth-largest city in the state
and serves as the county seat of Washington County. Located in the
Tualatin Valley on the west side of Portland, Hillsboro is home to many
high-technology companies, such as Intel (one campus pictured) and
TriQuint, which compose what has become known as the Silicon Forest.
Other important sectors to the economy are health care, retail, and
agriculture (including grapes and local wineries). The area was
inhabited by the Atfalati tribe of the Kalapuya people prior to the
arrival of European-American settlers. Hillsboro was settled in 1842 and
is named after David Hill, an Oregon politician and one of the first
settlers. A railroad reached the area in the early 1870s and the city
incorporated on October 19, 1876. Hillsboro has a council–manager
government consisting of a city manager and a seven-person city council
headed by a mayor. The city operates more than twenty parks along with
Hillsboro Stadium and Hillsboro Ballpark, home to Minor League
Baseball's Hillsboro Hops. Nine sites in the city are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsboro,_Oregon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
62:
Pompeii was severely damaged by a strong earthquake, which may
have been a precursor to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed
the town 17 years later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/62_Pompeii_earthquake>
1923:
Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford made 429 runs to break the
world record for the highest first-class score.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ponsford>
1941:
Second World War: British and Free French forces began the
Battle of Keren to capture the strategic town of Keren in Italian
Eritrea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Keren>
2004:
The Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front captured
Gonaïves, Haiti, starting a coup d'état against the government of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Haitian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
2008:
Eighty-seven tornadoes occurred over the course of the Super
Tuesday tornado outbreak across multiple U.S. states, causing 56 deaths
and over $1 billion in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Super_Tuesday_tornado_outbreak>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
comestible:
Suitable to be eaten; edible.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/comestible>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We live in an era of revolution — the revolution of rising
expectations.
--Adlai Stevenson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson>
Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet
Jackson (pictured in 2008). Released on February 4, 1986, it became one
of the defining albums of the decade. Her collaborations with
songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in
an unconventional sound that established Jackson, Jam and Lewis as the
leading innovators of contemporary R&B;. The album's lyrics reflect a
series of changes in her life, including the annulment of her marriage
to R&B; singer James DeBarge and severing her business affairs from her
father and manager Joseph and the rest of the Jackson family. The album
has been praised by critics as both an artistic feat and as a personal
testament of self-actualization. Control is widely regarded as the
breakthrough album of Jackson's career. It became her first album to top
the Billboard 200 and five of its commercial singles, including "What
Have You Done for Me Lately", peaked within the top five of the
Billboard Hot 100. The album received several accolades, including a
nomination for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and has sold over
fourteen million copies worldwide.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_(Janet_Jackson_album)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
211:
Roman emperor Septimius Severus (bust pictured) died of illness
while on a military campaign in Eboracum (modern York, England).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus>
1859:
German scholar Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the
Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century uncial manuscript of the Greek Bible, in
Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus>
1974:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed a motor coach
carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel and their family
members, killing twelve and wounding fifty more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M62_coach_bombing>
1992:
Venezuelan Army Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chávez failed in his
attempt to overthrow the government of Carlos Andrés Pérez.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Venezuelan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempts>
2004:
Four Harvard University students launched the popular social
networking website Facebook from their dorm room.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blemish:
1. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
2. A moral defect; a character flaw.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blemish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why should we look for his errors when a brave man dies? Unless
we can learn from his experience, there is no need to look for weakness.
Rather, we should admire the courage and spirit in his life. What kind
of man would live where there is no daring? And is life so dear that we
should blame men for dying in adventure? Is there a better way to die?
--Charles Lindbergh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh>
"A Song for Simeon" is a 37-line poem written in 1928 by American-
British poet T. S. Eliot (1888–1965). It is one of five poems that he
contributed to the Ariel poems series of 38 illustrated pamphlets with
holiday themes by several authors published by Faber and Gwyer and sent
to the firm's clients and business acquaintances as Christmas greetings.
Eliot had converted to Anglo-Catholicism in 1927 and his poetry,
starting with the Ariel Poems (1927–31) and Ash Wednesday (1930), took
on a decidedly religious character. The poem retells the story of Simeon
from the Gospel of Luke. Simeon was a devout Jew told by the Holy Ghost
that he would not die until he saw the Saviour of Israel. When he
encounters Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus entering the Temple of
Jerusalem, he sees in the infant the Messiah promised by the Lord and
asks God to permit him to "depart in peace." Eliot's poem employs
references to the Nunc dimittis, a Christian liturgical prayer for
Compline, and literary allusions to earlier writers Lancelot Andrewes,
Dante Alighieri and St. John of the Cross. Several critics have debated
whether Eliot's depiction of Simeon is evidence of Eliot's anti-
Semitism.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_for_Simeon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1852:
The Argentine Confederation were defeated in the Platine War by
an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay and the
Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platine_War>
1870:
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was
ratified, granting voting rights to citizens regardless of "race, color,
or previous condition of servitude".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Cons…>
1959:
American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens,
and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed when their plane
crashed shortly after taking off from Mason City Municipal Airport in
Iowa (wreckage pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died>
1967:
Ronald Ryan became the last person to be legally executed in
Australia, sparking public protests across the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Ryan>
2010:
A cast of L'Homme qui marche I by Swiss sculptor Alberto
Giacometti sold for £65 million (US$103.7 million), setting the record
for most expensive sculpture sold at a public auction.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Homme_qui_marche_I>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
proppant:
Sand or similar particulate material suspended in water or other fluid
and used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to keep fissures open.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/proppant>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If a captive mind is unaware of being in prison, it is living in
error. If it has recognized the fact, even for the tenth of a second,
and then quickly forgotten it in order to avoid suffering, it is living
in falsehood. Men of the most brilliant intelligence can be born, live
and die in error and falsehood. In them, intelligence is neither a good,
nor even an asset. The difference between more or less intelligent men
is like the difference between criminals condemned to life imprisonment
in smaller or larger cells. The intelligent man who is proud of his
intelligence is like a condemned man who is proud of his large cell.
--Simone Weil
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Simone_Weil>
Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) was a British comic actor, filmmaker, and
composer who rose to fame in the silent era. Chaplin became a worldwide
icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" and is considered one of the
most important figures of the film industry. His first screen appearance
came in February 1914, after which he produced the popular features The
Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). Chaplin refused
to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights
(1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. He became increasingly
political and his next film, The Great Dictator (1940), satirised Adolf
Hitler. The 1940s was a decade marked with controversy for Chaplin, and
his popularity declined rapidly. Accused of communist sympathies, he was
forced to leave the United States. The Tramp was abandoned in his later
films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), and A
King in New York (1957). Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited,
starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. His work is
characterised by slapstick combined with pathos, and continues to be
held in high regard.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1536:
An expedition to the New World led by Spanish conquistador
Pedro de Mendoza founded what is now Buenos Aires, Argentina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires>
1922:
The novel Ulysses was first published in its entirety after
this material by author James Joyce first appeared in serialized parts
in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December
1920, becoming one of the most important works of Modernist literature.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)>
1934:
The Export-Import Bank, the United States' official export
credit agency, was established.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export-Import_Bank_of_the_United_States>
1971:
The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and
sustainable utilization of wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran,
Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsar_Convention>
2004:
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the No. 1 ranked men's
singles player, a position he held for a record 237 weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Federer>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
amerce:
(transitive) To impose a fine on; to fine.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amerce>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters.
And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and
respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when
we wish, or walk alone when we so desire.
--Ayn Rand
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand>
On 1 February 1800, a battle took place between the American frigate
USS Constellation and the French frigate La Vengeance, ending in the
American ship forcing her French opponent to flee. The Quasi-War (an
undeclared war) had begun between the two countries in 1798 due to
French seizures of American merchantmen. As part of an effort to deter
French attacks, an American naval squadron was dispatched to the Lesser
Antilles under Commodore Thomas Truxtun (pictured). Learning that
regular French naval forces were in the region, Truxton set out in his
flagship Constellation and sailed to Guadeloupe to engage them. On 1
February 1800, while nearing the French colony, Constellation met
François Marie Pitot's frigate La Vengeance. Although Pitot attempted
to flee, his frigate was drawn into a heavy engagement. The French
frigate struck her colors (surrendered) twice but Constellation was
unable to take her as a prize. Eventually La Vengeance escaped to
Curaçao, though only after sustaining severe casualties and damage.
Truxton's ship also suffered heavy damage and was forced to sail to
Jamaica for repairs before returning home to a hero's welcome.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_vs_La_Vengeance>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1709:
Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued by English
captain Woodes Rogers and the crew of the Duke after spending four years
as a castaway on an uninhabited island in the Juan Fernández
archipelago, providing the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson
Crusoe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodes_Rogers>
1814:
The most destructive eruption of the Mayon Volcano occurred,
killing over 2,000 people on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayon_Volcano>
1957:
Invented by German mechanical engineer Felix Wankel, the first
working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at
the research and development department of German manufacturer NSU
Motorenwerke AG.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine>
1978:
After having served 42 days in prison for the sexual assault of
a 13-year-old girl, Polish film director Roman Polanski skipped bail and
fled the United States to France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski>
2004:
During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Janet
Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake in what was later
referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction", resulting in an immediate
crackdown and widespread debate on perceived indecency in U.S.
broadcasting.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXVIII_halftime_show_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cascabel:
1. A small, round, hot variety of chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, which
rattles when dry.
2. A knob at the end of a cannon, cast onto the gunbarrel, to which ropes
are attached in order to control recoil.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cascabel>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Dissidents should be paid 13 months' salary for a year, otherwise
our mindless unanimity will bring us to an even more hopeless state of
stagnation. It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking
when the situation is critical: At such moments every new word and fresh
thought is more precious than gold. Indeed, people must not be deprived
of the right to think their own thoughts.
--Boris Yeltsin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Yeltsin>