Hurricane Esther was the first tropical cyclone to be discovered by
satellite imagery. The fifth tropical cyclone, fifth named storm, and
fifth hurricane of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, Esther developed
from an area of disturbed weather hundreds of miles west-southwest of
the southernmost Cape Verde Islands on September 10. The storm moved
and strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane and peaked with sustained
winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) on September 18. Esther began to weaken
while approaching New England and fell to Category 3 intensity on
September 21, later weakening to a tropical storm, and struck Cape Cod
and southeastern Maine on September 26, dissipating early on
September 27. Between North Carolina and New Jersey effects were
primarily limited to strong winds and minor beach erosion and coastal
flooding due to storm surge. In New York, strong winds led to severe
crop losses and over 300,000 power outages. Some areas observed more
than 8 inches (200 mm) of rainfall. Overall, damage was minor, totaling
about $6 million. There were also seven deaths reported when United
States Navy P5M aircraft crashed about 120 miles (190 km) north of
Bermuda.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Esther>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1547:
Anglo-Scottish Wars: English forces defeated the Scots at the
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh near Musselburgh, Lothian, Scotland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pinkie_Cleugh>
1898:
In an act of "propaganda of the deed", Italian anarchist Luigi
Lucheni fatally stabbed Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Geneva,
Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria>
1937:
Led by the United Kingdom and France, nine nations met in the
Nyon Conference to address international piracy in the Mediterranean
Sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyon_Conference>
1961:
At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, German driver Wolfgang von
Trips's vehicle collided with another, causing it to become airborne and
crash into a side barrier, killing him and 15 spectators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_von_Trips>
2008:
CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-
energy particle accelerator, was first powered up beneath the Franco-
Swiss border near Geneva.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
variadic:
(Computing, mathematics, linguistics) Taking a variable number of
arguments; especially, taking arbitrarily many arguments.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/variadic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You can have the other words — chance, luck, coincidence,
serendipity. I'll take grace. I don't know what it is exactly, but I'll
take it.
--Mary Oliver
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Oliver>
The willie wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea,
the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It
is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in
most habitats apart from thick forest. Measuring 19.0–21.5 cm
(7½–8½ in) in length, the willie wagtail is contrastingly coloured
with almost entirely black upperparts and white underparts; the male and
female have similar plumage. Three subspecies are recognised: one from
central and southern Australia, another from northern Australia, and the
third from New Guinea and islands in its vicinity. The willie wagtail is
insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its
name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when
foraging on the ground. Aggressive and territorial, the willie wagtail
will often harass much larger birds such as the laughing kookaburra and
wedge-tailed eagle. It has responded well to human alteration of the
landscape and is a common sight in urban lawns, parks, and gardens. It
was widely featured in aboriginal folklore around the country as either
a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_wagtail>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Ottoman Empire forces defeated the Croatian army at the Battle
of Krbava Field.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Krbava_Field>
1739:
The Stono Rebellion, at the time the largest slave rebellion in
the Thirteen Colonies of British America, erupted near Charleston, South
Carolina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stono_Rebellion>
1969:
Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 collided in mid-air with a Piper
PA-28 Cherokee flown by a student pilot near Fairland, Indiana, US,
destroying both planes and killing all occupants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_Airlines_Flight_853>
1990:
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lankan Army massacred at least
184 Tamil refugees in the Batticaloa District.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Batticaloa_massacre>
2009:
The Dubai Metro (train pictured), the first urban train network
in the Arabian Peninsula and the world's longest fully automated metro
network, was ceremonially inaugurated at 9:09:09 PM.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Metro>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
zealous:
Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting enthusiasm or strong passion.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zealous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The thunderstorm is a constant phenomenon, raging alternately
over some part of the world or the other. Can a single man or creature
escape death if all that charge of lightning strikes the earth?
--Kalki Krishnamurthy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kalki_Krishnamurthy>
Wendell H. Ford (born 1924) is a retired American politician from
Kentucky. He was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky then served for 24 years
in the U.S. Senate. He was the first person to be successively elected
lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator in Kentucky history.
After studying at the University of Kentucky and serving in World War
II, he worked on the successful 1959 gubernatorial campaign of Bert T.
Combs, and became his executive assistant. Ford served one term in the
Kentucky Senate, was elected lieutenant governor in 1967, and in 1971
defeated Combs in the Democratic primary en route to the governorship.
As governor, Ford raised revenue through a severance tax on coal and
reformed the educational system. Due to the rapid rise of Ford and many
of his political allies, he and his lieutenant governor, Julian Carroll,
were investigated on charges of political corruption, but a grand jury
refused to indict them. After his election as senator in 1974, Ford was
a staunch defender of Kentucky's tobacco industry, and was Senate
Democratic whip from 1991 to 1999. At the time of his retirement in
1999, he was the longest-serving senator in Kentucky's history.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_H._Ford>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1504:
David (detail pictured), a marble sculpture by Michelangelo
portraying the biblical King David in the nude, was unveiled in
Florence, Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)>
1831:
William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen were crowned King and
Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide_of_Saxe-Meiningen>
1954:
Eight nations signed an agreement to create the Southeast Asia
Treaty Organization, a Southeast Asian version of NATO.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia_Treaty_Organization>
1974:
Watergate scandal: U.S. President Gerald Ford gave recently
resigned President Richard Nixon a full and unconditional, but
controversial, pardon for any crimes he committed while in office.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford>
1994:
USAir Flight 427 crashed on approach to Pittsburgh
International Airport, resulting 132 deaths and the one of the longest
accident investigations in aviation history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USAir_Flight_427>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unstinted:
Not constrained, not restrained, or not confined.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unstinted>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Like Peter Pan, or Superman, You have come... to save me. Come
on and save me... Why don't you save me? If you could save me, From the
ranks of the freaks, Who suspect they could never love anyone, Except
the freaks… Who could never love anyone.
--Aimee Mann
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aimee_Mann>
Megadeth is a thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. The group
was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David
Ellefson. It is credited as one of thrash metal's "big four" with
Anthrax, Metallica and Slayer, responsible for the genre's development
and popularization. Megadeth's music features fast rhythm sections and
complex arrangements; themes of death, war, politics and religion are
prominent in the lyrics. The success of its debut album on an
independent label led to Megadeth signing with Capitol Records. The
band's first major-label album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986),
greatly influenced the underground metal scene; albums and worldwide
tours in the 1990s brought Megadeth public recognition. The group has
sold 50 million records worldwide, earned U.S. platinum certification
for six of its fourteen studio albums, and received eleven Grammy
nominations. The band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, regularly appears on
album artwork and since 2010 in live shows. The group has experienced
controversy over its musical approach and lyrics: concerts have been
canceled, albums banned, and MTV refused to play two videos that it
considered to condone suicide.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megadeth>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée forced the Russians
to withdraw at the Battle of Borodino.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino>
1893:
British expatriates in Italy founded the Genoa Cricket &
Athletic Club, today one of Italy's oldest association football clubs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_C.F.C.>
1940:
Second World War: The German Luftwaffe changed their strategy
in the Battle of Britain and began bombing London and other British
cities and towns for over 50 consecutive nights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz>
1986:
Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Church
of the Province of Southern Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu>
2004:
Hurricane Ivan made landfall on Grenada and devastated at least
85% of the island.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ivan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
iatrogenesis:
(medicine) Any adverse effect (or complication) resulting from medical
treatment.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/iatrogenesis>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My poems are hymns of praise to the glory of life.
--Edith Sitwell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Sitwell>
U.S. President William McKinley was shot and fatally wounded on
September 6, 1901 while shaking hands with the public in the Temple of
Music at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He died on
September 14 from gangrene caused by the bullet wounds. Re-elected
president in 1900, McKinley enjoyed meeting the public, and was
reluctant to take security precautions. The Secretary to the President,
George B. Cortelyou, feared an assassination attempt at the Temple of
Music, but McKinley kept the visit in the schedule. The assassin was
Leon Czolgosz, who had lost his job during the economic Panic of 1893.
He regarded McKinley as a symbol of oppression, and felt it was his duty
as an anarchist to kill him. Unable to get near McKinley earlier in the
visit, Czolgosz shot McKinley twice as the President reached to shake
his hand in the reception line (1905 illustration shown). McKinley
initially appeared to be recovering, but took a turn for the worse on
September 13 and died early the next morning; Vice President Theodore
Roosevelt succeeded him. Czolgosz was executed for the murder and
Congress passed legislation giving the responsibility of protecting the
president to the Secret Service.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_William_McKinley>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
American Revolutionary War: General Benedict Arnold led British
forces to victory in the Battle of Groton Heights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Groton_Heights>
1930:
Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen was deposed in a
military coup by José Félix Uriburu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip%C3%B3lito_Yrigoyen>
1944:
World War II: Soviet forces captured the city of Tartu on their
way to re-establishing their rule in Estonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartu_Offensive>
1966:
South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the "architect
of apartheid", was stabbed to death by Dimitri Tsafendas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Verwoerd>
1970:
Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
hijacked four jet aircraft en route from Europe to New York City,
landing two of them at Dawson's Field in Zerqa, Jordan, and one plane in
Beirut.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson%27s_Field_hijackings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
munificent:
Very liberal in giving or bestowing; lavish; as a munificent benefactor.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/munificent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The word patriotism has been employed … to express a love of
the public good; a preference for the interests of the many to those of
the few; a desire for the emancipation of the human race from the thrall
of despotism, religious and civil; in short … to express the interest
felt in the human race in general, than that felt for any country, or
inhabitants of a country, in particular. And patriot, in like manner, is
employed to signify a lover of human liberty and human improvement,
rather than a mere lover of the country in which he lives, or the tribe
to which he belongs. … Patriotism, in the exclusive meaning, is surely
not made for America. Mischievous every where, it were here both
mischievous and absurd. … It is for Americans, more especially to
nourish a nobler sentiment; one more consistent with their origin, and
more conducive to their future improvement. It is for them more
especially to know why they love their country, not because it is their
country, but because it is the palladium of human liberty — the
favoured scene of human improvement.
--Frances Wright
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frances_Wright>
The nebular hypothesis is the most widely accepted model in cosmogony
explaining the formation and evolution of the Solar System, which
suggests that it formed from nebulous material in space. The hypothesis
offers explanations for some of the Solar System's properties, including
the nearly circular and coplanar orbits of the planets, and their motion
in the same direction as the Sun's rotation. According to the
hypothesis, Sun-like stars form over about 100 million years, in
massive, gravitationally unstable clouds of molecular hydrogen (giant
molecular clouds). Matter coalesces to smaller, denser clumps within,
which then proceed to both rotate and collapse, forming stars. Star
formation produces a gaseous protoplanetary disk around the young star,
which may give birth to planets (protoplanetary disk pictured in the
Orion Nebula). The formation of planetary systems is thought to be a
natural result of star formation, with dense terrestrial planets forming
closer to the star and colder giant planets forming further away, beyond
the so-called frost line. Originally applied only to our own Solar
System, the nebular hypothesis is now thought to be at work throughout
the universe.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebular_hypothesis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1774:
In response to the British Parliament enacting the Intolerable
Acts, representatives from twelve of Britain's North American colonies
convened the First Continental Congress at Carpenters' Hall in
Philadelphia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress>
1793:
French Revolution: The National Convention began the Reign of
Terror, a ten-month period of systematic repression and mass executions
by guillotine of perceived enemies within the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_of_Terror>
1914:
World War I: The First Battle of the Marne began with French
forces engaging the advancing German army at the Marne River near Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne>
1945:
Cold War: Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko defected to Canada
with over 100 documents on Soviet espionage activities and sleeper
agents.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Gouzenko>
1977:
NASA launched the robotic space probe Voyager 1 (pictured),
currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
canard:
A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canard>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.
In the mystic traditions of the different religions we
have a remarkable unity of spirit. Whatever religion they may profess,
they are spiritual kinsmen. While the different religions in their
historic forms bind us to limited groups and militate against the
development of loyalty to the world community, the mystics have already
stood for the fellowship of humanity in harmony with the spirit of the
mystics of ages gone by.
--Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan>
The Whistleblower is a 2010 thriller film directed by Larysa Kondracki
and starring Rachel Weisz (pictured). It was inspired by the story of
Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who worked as a United
Nations peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina for DynCorp
International in 1999 and discovered a sex trafficking ring serving (and
being facilitated by) DynCorp employees, with the UN turning a blind
eye. The Whistleblower—a co-production between Canada, Germany, and
the United States—was filmed in Romania in 2009. It premiered on
September 13, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Samuel
Goldwyn Films distributed the film in theaters in the United States. The
film was advertised as a fictionalization of events occurring during the
late 1990s. Kondracki said that the facts are broadly accurate but some
details were omitted for the film. Despite garnering mixed reviews, The
Whistleblower received several awards and nominations, including three
nominations at the 2012 Genie Awards. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
hosted a screening of the film and promised action would be taken to
prevent further instances of human trafficking. The Guardian reported
that other UN officials attempted to downplay the events depicted and
that initiatives against trafficking in Bosnia were aborted.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whistleblower>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines: Siena Ghibellines defeated
the Florence Guelphs at the Battle of Montaperti thanks to an act of
treachery, which was immortalised in Dante's Divine Comedy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Montaperti>
1774:
British explorer James Cook became the first European to sight
the island of New Caledonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia>
1888:
American inventor George Eastman registered the trademark
"Kodak" after receiving a patent for his roll film camera.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastman_Kodak>
1964:
The Forth Road Bridge crossing the Firth of Forth in Scotland
opened to traffic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Road_Bridge>
1984:
The Progressive Conservative Party led by Brian Mulroney won
the largest majority government by total number of seats in Canadian
history during the federal election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Mulroney>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
snood:
1. A small hairnet or cap worn by women to keep their hair in place.
2. The flap of red skin on the beak of a male turkey.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snood>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Washington acted as the representative of the needs, the ideas,
the enlightened men, the opinions of his age; he supported, not
thwarted, the stirrings of intellect; he desired only what he had to
desire, the very thing to which he had been called: from which derives
the coherence and longevity of his work. That man who struck few blows
because he kept things in proportion has merged his existence with that
of his country: his glory is the heritage of civilisation; his fame has
risen like one of those public sanctuaries where a fecund and
inexhaustible spring flows.
--François-René de Chateaubriand
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois-Ren%C3%A9_de_Chateaubriand>
The Tanque Argentino Mediano ("Argentine Medium Tank", or "TAM") is the
main battle tank in service with the Argentine Army. Lacking the
experience and resources to design a tank, the Argentine Ministry of
Defense contracted German company Thyssen-Henschel. The vehicle was
based on the chassis of the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle. The
TAM met the Argentine Army's requirement for a modern light-weight and
fast tank with a low silhouette and sufficient firepower to defeat
contemporary armored threats. Development began in 1974, and full-scale
production started in 1979. Economic difficulties halted production in
1983, but manufacturing began anew in 1994 until the army's order of 200
tanks was fulfilled. The TAM series includes seven different variants,
such as a 155 mm (6.1 in) self-propelled howitzer and a self-propelled
mortar vehicle. In total, over 280 such vehicles were built, including
armored personnel carriers, artillery and mortar pieces. The TAM has
never seen combat, although 17 VCTP (Infantry Fighting Vehicles based on
the TAM chassis) were deployed to Croatia for the United Nations
UNPROFOR peacekeeping mission.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAM_(tank)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1189:
Richard the Lionheart was crowned King of England in
Westminster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England>
1777:
American Revolutionary War: The British Army and their Hessian
allies defeated an American militia in the Battle of Cooch's Bridge.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cooch%27s_Bridge>
1838:
Future American abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped from
slavery.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass>
1942:
The Holocaust: In possibly the first Jewish ghetto uprising,
residents of the Łachwa Ghetto in occupied Poland, informed of the
upcoming "liquidation" of the ghetto, unsuccessfully fought against
their Nazi captors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%81achwa_Ghetto>
2001:
The Troubles: Protestant loyalists began picketing a Catholic
primary school for girls in the Protestant portion of Ardoyne, Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Cross_dispute>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chirality:
The phenomenon, in chemistry, physics and mathematics, in which an
object differs from its mirror image.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chirality>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The greatest man of action is he who is the greatest, and a
life-long, dreamer. For in him the dreamer is fortified against
destruction by a far-seeing eye, a virile mind, a strong will, a robust
courage. And so has perished the kindly dreamer — on the cross or in
the garret. A democracy should not let its dreamers perish. They are its
life, its guaranty against decay. Thus would I expand the sympathies of
youth.
--Louis Sullivan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Sullivan>
Lionel Palairet (1870–1933) was an English amateur cricketer who
played for Somerset and Oxford University. A graceful right-handed
batsman, he was selected to play Test cricket for England twice in 1902;
an unwillingness to tour during the English winter limited his Test
appearances. For Somerset, he frequently opened the batting with Herbie
Hewett. In 1892, they shared a partnership of 346 for the first wicket,
an opening stand that set a record for the County Championship and
remains Somerset's highest first-wicket partnership. In that season,
Palairet was named as one of the "Five Batsmen of the Year" by Wisden.
Over the following decade, he was one of the leading amateur batsmen in
England. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on seven
occasions, and struck two double centuries. After 1904, he appeared
infrequently for Somerset, though he played a full season in 1907 when
he was chosen to captain the county. He retired from first-class cricket
in 1909, having scored over 15,000 runs. Contemporaries judged Palairet
to have one of the most attractive batting styles of the period, and his
obituary in The Times described him as "the most beautiful batsman of
all time".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Palairet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
French Revolution: Due to an overwhelming fear that foreign
armies would attack Paris and prisoners would revolt, thousands of
people were summarily executed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Massacres>
1864:
American Civil War: Union forces entered Atlanta, Georgia, a
day after the Confederate defenders fled the city, bringing the Atlanta
Campaign to a close.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Campaign>
1946:
The interim government of India, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru
(pictured), was formed to assist the transition of India from British
rule to independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interim_Government_of_India>
1957:
President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam became the first
foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_presidential_visit_to_Australia>
1990:
Transnistria unilaterally declared its independence from what
was then the Moldavian SSR of the Soviet Union, but it remains only a
partially recognised state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
punctilio:
A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony or procedure. Strictness
in observance of formalities.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/punctilio>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whoever becomes imbued with a noble idea kindles a flame from
which other torches are lit, and influences those with whom he comes in
contact, be they few or many. How far that influence, thus perpetuated,
may extend, it is not given to him here to see.
--Henry George
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_George>
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884–1961) was an Australian artist. After
training under leading Heidelberg School painter, Frederick McCubbin,
she travelled to Europe in 1907 and studied in both London and Paris.
Visiting Tangiers in 1912, she was one of the first Australians to paint
post-impressionist landscapes and was made a member of the Société des
Peintres Orientalistes Français. During World War I, she met and
married Major George Nicholas; she spent only three days with him before
he returned to duty and was killed on the Western Front. Returning to
Australia, she held an exhibition of over a hundred works in Melbourne's
Guild Hall. Many sold, including In Picardy, purchased by the National
Gallery of Victoria. Spending the mid-1920s in Europe, she enjoyed
significant success and was made an Associate of the Société Nationale
des Beaux-Arts. In 1926, Rix Nicholas returned again to Australia. A
staunch critic of modernism, she disdained emerging artists such as
Russell Drysdale and William Dobell. She fell out of step with
Australian art and her last solo show was in 1947. Her works, which
portray an Australian pastoral ideal, are held in most major Australian
collections.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Rix_Nicholas>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1604:
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the religious text of Sikhism, was
installed at Harmandir Sahib.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Granth_Sahib>
1804:
German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding discovered one of the
largest main belt asteroids, naming it Juno after the Roman goddess.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Juno>
1914:
The passenger pigeon, which once had a population of at least
3 billion birds, became extinct, when the last individual died in
captivity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon>
1928:
Ahmet Zogu, President of the Albanian Republic, declared the
country was now a constitutional monarchy and himself king with the
regnal name Zog I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zog_I_of_Albania>
1972:
American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer became the 11th World
Chess Champion when he defeated Russian Boris Spassky in a match that
was widely publicized as a Cold War confrontation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_1972>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
diaperhood:
(informal) The period of time for which one wears a diaper as a child;
babyhood.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/diaperhood>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sometimes I feel like a figment of my own imagination.
--Lily Tomlin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lily_Tomlin>