Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI is a 1984 Indonesian docudrama written and
directed by Arifin C. Noer, produced by G. Dwipayana, and starring
Amoroso Katamsi, Umar Kayam, and Syubah Asa. Produced over a period of
two years with a budget of Rp. 800 million, the film was sponsored by
the New Order government under Suharto (pictured). Based on Nugroho
Notosusanto's history of the 30 September Movement coup in 1965, It
depicts the kidnapping and killings of six generals by the Communist
Party of Indonesia and Air Force, as well as Suharto's destruction of
the movement. It closes with an urging for the Indonesian populace to
fight against all forms of communism. The film was a commercial and
critical success: nominated for seven awards at the 1984 Indonesian Film
Festival (winning one), it reached record audience numbers – although
many viewings were mandatory. It was used as a propaganda vehicle by the
New Order government until its collapse, televised annually on 30
September. Since the fall of Suharto in 1998, such use of the film has
become less common, and although the film's artistic aspects remain well
received, its misrepresentation of history has been criticised.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengkhianatan_G30S/PKI>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
737:
Muslim conquest of Transoxiana: Turgesh tribes attacked the
exposed Umayyad baggage train, which had been sent ahead of the main
force, and captured it.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Baggage>
1882:
The Vulcan Street Plant, the first hydroelectric central
station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North
America, went on line in Appleton, Wisconsin, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Street_Plant>
1939:
World War II: General Władysław Sikorski became Prime
Minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski>
1979:
Construction of the Kwun Tong Line, the first line of Hong
Kong's MTR rapid transit system, was completed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR>
2004:
Japanese researchers took the first photographs of a live giant
squid in its natural habitat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cutify:
1. (from the Latin word for skin, "cutis") To form skin, as, the wound area
was left to cutify.
2. (from "cute" + "-ify", perhaps modeled on "beautify") To make cute, as,
she cutified her room.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cutify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Christ is the population of the world, and every object as
well. There is no room for hypocrisy. Why use bitter soup for healing
when sweet water is everywhere?
--Rumi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rumi>
On 29 September 1940, a mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, New
South Wales, Australia. Two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying
Training School RAAF were on a cross-country navigational exercise and
made a banking turn at an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 metres). Leading
Aircraftman Leonard Fuller lost sight of the aircraft below him, and the
pair collided, locking together and knocking out the upper Anson's
engines. The lower Anson's turret wedged into the other's port wing
root, its fin and rudder balancing the upper aircraft's port tailplane.
Both navigators and the pilot of the lower Anson bailed out. Fuller
found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft using his
ailerons and flaps, together with the still-functioning engines on the
machine underneath. After flying for five miles (eight kilometres), he
made an emergency landing in a paddock. All four crewmen survived the
incident, and the upper Anson was repaired and returned to flight
service. The freak accident garnered news coverage around the world and,
according to the Greater Hume Shire Council, it remains Brocklesby's
"main claim to fame".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Brocklesby_mid-air_collision>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1774:
The publication of The Sorrows of Young Werther raised the 24
-year-old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to international fame.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrows_of_Young_Werther>
1923:
The British Mandate for Palestine came into effect, officially
creating the protectorates of Palestine (to include a Jewish homeland)
under British administration and Transjordan as a separate emirate under
Abdullah I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Mandate_for_Palestine_(legal_instrume…>
1941:
The Holocaust: German Nazis aided by their collaborators began
the Babi Yar massacre in Kiev, Ukraine, killing over 30,000 Jewish
civilians in two days and thousands more in the months that followed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babi_Yar>
1962:
Alouette 1, Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite
constructed by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United
States, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alouette_1>
2006:
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 collided in mid-air with an
Embraer Legacy business jet near Peixoto de Azevedo, Mato Grosso,
Brazil, killing 154 people, and triggering a Brazilian aviation crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gol_Transportes_A%C3%A9reos_Flight_1907>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abnegate:
1. To deny oneself (something), to renounce or give up (a right, power,
claim, privilege or convenience).
2. To deny, to reject (something, for example a truth or a commonly-held
belief).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abnegate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's not the least thing can be said or done, but people will
talk and find fault.
--Miguel de Cervantes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes>
Derek Jeter (born 1974) is an American baseball shortstop who is playing
in his 20th and final season in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New
York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter is regarded as a
central figure of the Yankees' success of the late 1990s and early 2000s
due to his hitting, baserunning, and fielding abilities, and his
leadership as team captain since 2003. He is the Yankees' all-time
career leader in hits (3,461), games played (2,744), stolen bases (358),
and at bats (11,186). His accolades include fourteen All-Star
selections, five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank
Aaron Awards, and a Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB
leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits.
He holds many postseason records, earning him the nicknames "Captain
Clutch" and "Mr. November". He has been one of the most heavily marketed
athletes of his generation, and his personal life and relationships with
celebrities have drawn media attention throughout his career. Teammates
and opponents alike regard Jeter as a consummate professional and one of
the best players of his generation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jeter>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
48 BC:
Pompey the Great was assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of
Egypt after landing in Egypt following a decisive defeat by Julius
Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompey>
1542:
Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the first
European to travel along the coast of California, landed at what is now
the city of San Diego.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Cabrillo>
1924:
A team of U.S. Army Air Service aviators landed in Seattle,
Washington, to complete the first aerial circumnavigation of the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation>
1978:
Pope John Paul I died only 33 days after his papal election due
to an apparent myocardial infarction, resulting in the most recent Year
of Three Popes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I>
1994:
The ferry MS Estonia sank while commuting between Tallinn,
Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden, claiming 852 lives in one of the worst
maritime accidents in the Baltic Sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Estonia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
meadery:
A place where mead is made.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meadery>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
䷀䷊䷋䷪䷾䷿䷫䷗䷖䷁ The superior man can find
himself in no situation in which he is not himself. In a high situation,
he does not treat with contempt his inferiors. In a low situation, he
does not court the favor of his superiors. He rectifies himself, and
seeks for nothing from others, so that he has no dissatisfactions. He
does not murmur against Heaven, nor grumble against men. Thus it is that
the superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for the appointments of
Heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky
occurrences.
--Confucius
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confucius>
Only 88 people survived the sinking of the SS Arctic on September 27,
1854, out of more than 400 on board. The paddle steamer SS Arctic
(pictured), bound for New York, sank off the coast of Newfoundland. When
Captain Luce ordered the lifeboats launched, a breakdown in discipline
saw the boats swamped by members of the crew and the more able-bodied
male passengers; most of the rest went down with the ship, four hours
after the collision. All the women and children on board perished. Two
of the six lifeboats launched from Arctic reached Newfoundland, and
another was picked up by a passing steamer, which also rescued a few
survivors from improvised rafts. Among these was Luce, who had regained
the surface after initially going down with the ship. The other three
lifeboats disappeared without trace. News of Arctic's loss did not reach
New York until two weeks after the sinking, when public sorrow quickly
turned to anger at the perceived cowardice of the crew. There was no
investigation into the disaster, and no one was held legally
responsible. Luce, who was generally exonerated from blame, retired from
the sea; some of the surviving crew chose not to return to the US.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Arctic_disaster>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1605 Polish–Swedish War: The Battle of Kircholm ended in the decisive
victory of Polish–Lithuanian forces, and is remembered as one of the
greatest triumphs of Commonwealth cavalry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kircholm>
1825:
Locomotion No. 1 hauled the train on the opening day of the
Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first public railway to use steam
locomotives.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockton_and_Darlington_Railway>
1916:
Lij Iyasu, the emperor-designate of Ethiopia, was deposed in
favor of his aunt, Zewditu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyasu_V>
1964:
The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2, an advanced Cold War
strike and reconnaissance aircraft that was later cancelled, made its
first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAC_TSR-2>
2007:
NASA launched the Dawn probe (mission patch pictured), its
first purely exploratory mission to use ion propulsion, from Cape
Canaveral, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(spacecraft)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hallux:
The big toe.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hallux>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and
defended it as they ought.
--Samuel Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams>
School Rumble is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated
by Jin Kobayashi. First serialized in 345 chapters in Weekly Shōnen
Magazine between 2002 and 2008, it is a romance comedy centering on
relationships between three Japanese high school students. The series
often discards realism in favor of comedic effect. Its popularity
resulted in television adaptations, video games, novels and guidebooks.
It has also been translated into English and other languages. The manga
was well received by Japanese-language readers; the North American
English translations were less popular, and ranked 145th for overall
manga series sales in 2008. Some critics of the English-language
translation praised Kobayashi for his art style and overall use of
humor, while others disliked some of the jokes and repetitive plot. The
anime adaptation sold well in Japan and was praised by Kobayashi
and—for the English-language translation—critics. The decision by
Media Factory to aggressively pursue its intellectual property rights
for School Rumble is believed by proponents of fansubs to have had a
negative impact on the franchise's release and sales in the North
American market.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_Rumble>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull Dudum siquidem, the
last of the Bulls of Donation, marking the beginning of the Spanish
colonization of the Americas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudum_siquidem>
1687:
The Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed during an armed
conflict between the Venetians under Francesco Morosini and Ottoman
forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon>
1959:
Japan was struck by Typhoon Vera, the strongest and deadliest
typhoon on record to make landfall on the country with US$600 million in
damages and over 4,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Vera>
1968:
The Beatles completed recording John Lennon's song "Happiness
Is a Warm Gun", regarded by band members as one of few true "Beatles"
songs on the album The Beatles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness_Is_a_Warm_Gun>
1983:
The racing yacht Australia II, captained by John Bertrand, won
the America's Cup, ending the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defense of
the trophy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_II>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
exanimate:
1. Lifeless, not or no longer living.
2. Spiritless, dispirited.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exanimate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Time past and time future Allow but a little consciousness. To
be conscious is not to be in time But only in time can the moment in the
rose-garden, The moment in the arbour where the rain beat, The moment in
the draughty church at smokefall Be remembered; involved with past and
future. Only through time time is conquered.
--The Four Quartets
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Four_Quartets>
The Mozambican War of Independence was an armed conflict between
Portugal and the guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front. It
began on September 25, 1964, and ended with a cease fire on September 8,
1974. The war erupted from unrest and frustration amongst many
indigenous Mozambican populations, who perceived foreign rule to be a
form of exploitation and resented Portugal's policies towards indigenous
people. As successful self-determination movements spread throughout
Africa after World War II, many Mozambicans became progressively
nationalistic in outlook. For the other side, many enculturated
indigenous Africans who were fully integrated into the social
organization of Portuguese Mozambique reacted to the independentist
claims with discomfort and suspicion. The ethnic Portuguese of the
territory, including most of the ruling authorities, responded with
increased military presence and fast-paced development projects. The
Portuguese regular army held the upper hand during the conflict
(propaganda pictured) but Mozambique achieved independence in 1975 after
the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, ending 470 years of Portuguese
colonial rule in the East African region.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambican_War_of_Independence>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
762:
Led by Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, the Hasanid branch of the
Alids began the Alid Revolt against the Abbasid Caliphate.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alid_Revolt_(762%E2%80%9363)>
1868:
The Russian frigate Alexander Nevsky wrecked off northwestern
Jutland, nearly drowning Grand Duke Alexei (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_frigate_Alexander_Nevsky>
1944:
World War II: British troops began their withdrawal from the
Battle of Arnhem in the Netherlands, ending the Allies' Operation Market
Garden in defeat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arnhem>
1974:
The first surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament,
commonly known as the Tommy John surgery after the first patient, was
performed by Dr. Frank Jobe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_John_surgery>
1996:
The last Magdalene asylum, an Irish institution to rehabilitate
so-called "fallen women", was closed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_asylum>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lampoon:
To satirize or poke fun at.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lampoon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What I do is based on powers we all have inside us; the ability
to endure; the ability to love, to carry on, to make the best of what we
have — and you don’t have to be a "Superman" to do it.
--Christopher Reeve
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Christopher_Reeve>
Transandinomys bolivaris, also known as the long-whiskered rice rat, is
a rodent in the genus Transandinomys. It is found in humid forest from
northeastern Honduras to western Ecuador, up to 1800 m (5900 ft) above
sea level. Since it was first described in 1901 from Ecuador, six
scientific names have been introduced for it, but their common identity
was not documented until 1998 and the species had a number of names
until it was moved to the new genus Transandinomys in 2006. It is a
medium-sized rice rat and has very long vibrissae (whiskers)—those
above the eyes are up to 50 mm (2.0 in) long, making it
distinguishable from other similarly sized rice rats. The fur, which is
soft and dense, is usually dark brown above and light gray below; it is
darker in juveniles. The feet are long and the tail is about as long as
the head and body. The skull (pictured from above) is narrow and
relatively long, and has a broad interorbital region (between the eyes).
The species generally lives on the ground, but some young animals have
been taken in vegetation, up to 1.5 m (5 ft) above the ground.
Although it is rare, its conservation status is thought to be secure.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transandinomys_bolivaris>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
The First United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act of
1789, establishing the U.S. federal judiciary and setting the number of
Supreme Court Justices.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_Act_of_1789>
1877:
The Imperial Japanese Army defeated Saigō Takamori and the
Satsuma clan samurai at the Battle of Shiroyama in Kagoshima, the
decisive engagement of the Satsuma Rebellion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiroyama>
1911:
His Majesty's Airship No. 1, Britain's first rigid airship, was
wrecked by strong winds before her maiden flight at Barrow-in-Furness.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMA_No._1>
1946:
Cathay Pacific (aircraft pictured), the de facto international
flag carrier airline of Hong Kong, was founded by Roy Farrell and Sydney
de Kantzow.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay_Pacific>
1964:
The Warren Commission released its report, concluding that Lee
Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of U.S. President John F.
Kennedy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Commission>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
heretofore:
Prior to now, until now, up to the present time.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heretofore>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Great art is the contempt of a great man for small art.
--F. Scott Fitzgerald
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald>
Fluorine is an extremely reactive chemical element with atomic number 9
(pictured in liquid form at cryogenic temperatures). A highly toxic pale
yellow gas at standard conditions, it was first described in 1529 as its
principal source fluorite, a mineral added as a flux for smelting, and
named after the Latin verb fluo meaning "flow". As the lightest halogen
and most electronegative element, it is difficult to separate from its
compounds, and several early experimenters died or were injured. The
process employed for its modern production—low-temperature
electrolysis—remains the same as that used by Henri Moissan in 1886 to
achieve its first isolation. The high costs of refining fluorine gas
lead most commercial uses, such as aluminium refining, insulation and
refrigeration, to use its compounds; uranium enrichment is the free
element's largest application. Fluorine is a part of some
pharmaceuticals and appears as the fluoride ion in toothpaste, but has
no known metabolic role in mammals; a few plants possess fluorine-
containing poisons to deter herbivores. Fluorocarbon gases are usually
potent greenhouse gases and organofluorine compounds persist in the
environment.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1123:
Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agreed to the
Concordat of Worms to put an end to the Investiture Controversy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordat_of_Worms>
1780:
American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was
captured by Patriot forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army
General Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point, New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold>
1803:
Maratha troops were beaten by British forces at the Battle of
Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Assaye>
1868:
Ramón Emeterio Betances led the Grito de Lares, a revolt
against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Emeterio_Betances>
1932:
The Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz merged with Al-Hasa and Qatif to
form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Ibn Saud as the first monarch and
Riyadh as the capital city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Saudi_Arabia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
analemma:
An egg-shaped or figure-eight curve that results when the Sun's position
in the sky is plotted out over the year.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/analemma>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God give me strength to face a fact though it slay me.
--Thomas Henry Huxley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Henry_Huxley>
System Shock is a 1994 first-person action role-playing video game
developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems.
It was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector (pictured) serving as
producer. The game is set aboard a space station in a cyberpunk vision
of the year 2072. Assuming the role of a nameless hacker, the player
attempts to hinder the plans of a malevolent artificial intelligence
called SHODAN. System Shock's 3D engine, physics simulation and complex
gameplay have been cited as both innovative and influential. The
developers sought to build on the emergent gameplay and immersive
environments of their previous games, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian
Abyss and Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds, by streamlining
their mechanics into a more "integrated whole". Critics praised System
Shock and hailed it as a major breakthrough in its genre. It was later
placed on multiple hall of fame lists. The game was a moderate
commercial success, with sales exceeding 170,000 copies; but Looking
Glass ultimately lost money on the project. A sequel, System Shock 2,
was released by Looking Glass Studios and off-shoot developer Irrational
Games in 1999.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Shock>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1586:
Eighty Years' War: Spanish forces were victorious against a
combined Anglo-Dutch army in the Battle of Zutphen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Zutphen>
1792:
French Revolution: One day after the National Convention voted
to abolish the monarchy, the French First Republic came into being.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_First_Republic>
1914:
World War I: German naval forces bombarded Papeete in French
Polynesia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Papeete>
1934:
One of Britain's worst mining accidents took place when an
explosion at Gresford Colliery in Wales, killed 266 men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresford_disaster>
1994:
The Nordhordland Bridge (pictured), which crosses Salhusfjorden
between Klauvaneset and Flatøy in Hordaland, and is the second-longest
bridge in Norway, was officially opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordhordland_Bridge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
voetsek:
Go away! Get lost! Exclamation of dismissal or rejection.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/voetsek>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Electricity is often called wonderful, beautiful; but it is so
only in common with the other forces of nature. The beauty of
electricity or of any other force is not that the power is mysterious,
and unexpected, touching every sense at unawares in turn, but that it is
under law, and that the taught intellect can even now govern it largely.
The human mind is placed above, and not beneath it, and it is in such a
point of view that the mental education afforded by science is rendered
super-eminent in dignity, in practical application and utility; for by
enabling the mind to apply the natural power through law, it conveys the
gifts of God to man.
--Michael Faraday
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday>
Gustav Holst (1874–1934) was an English composer, arranger and
teacher, best known for his orchestral suite The Planets. He had
originally hoped to become a pianist, but was prevented by neuritis in
his right arm. Unable to support himself as a composer, he played the
trombone professionally and later became a teacher. He was musical
director at Morley College from 1907 until 1924, and pioneered music
education for women at St Paul's Girls' School, where he taught from
1905 until his death. He also founded a series of annual Whitsun music
festivals, which ran from 1916 for the remainder of his life. As a
composer, it was not until the international success of The Planets in
the years immediately after the First World War that he became a well-
known figure. In his later years his style of composition struck many as
too austere, and his brief popularity declined. Nevertheless, he was a
significant influence on a number of younger English composers,
including Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten. Apart from The Planets
and a handful of other works, his music was generally neglected until
the 1980s, since when recordings of much of his output have been
available.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Holst>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
Second Opium War: Anglo-French forces earned a decisive victory
against Qing dynasty troops in the Battle of Palikao, allowing them to
capture Beijing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palikao>
1897:
The New York Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper,
published an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church stating, "Yes,
Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", that has become a part of popular
Christmas lore in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus>
1933:
Salvador Lutteroth ran the first Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha
Libre event in Mexico City, the world's oldest continuously operating
professional wrestling promotion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consejo_Mundial_de_Lucha_Libre>
1939:
Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu was assassinated in
Bucharest by pro-Nazi members of the Iron Guard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_C%C4%83linescu>
1999:
A 7.6 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Nantou County, Taiwan, killing
2,416 people, injuring over 11,000 others and causing about
NT$300 billion in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/921_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
infanticide:
The murder of an infant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infanticide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
הַלְּלוּיָהּ I did my best, it wasn't much I
couldn't feel, so I tried to touch I've told the truth, I didn't come to
fool you. And even though it all went wrong I'll stand before the Lord
of Song With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.
--Leonard Cohen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>