Lambertia formosa is a shrub found in New South Wales, Australia, from
the family Proteaceae. It is commonly named mountain devil, after the
small devil-figures that were made from its horned woody follicles.
Specimens were collected during Lieutenant James Cook's landing at
Botany Bay in 1770. First described in 1798 by English botanist James
Edward Smith, it is the type species of the small genus Lambertia. It is
generally found in heathland or open forest, growing in sandstone-based
soils. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to around 2 m (7 ft) with a
woody base known as a lignotuber, from which it regrows after bushfire.
It has stiff narrow leaves and pink to red flowerheads made up of seven
individual tubular flowers that generally appear in spring and summer.
The flowers hold profuse amounts of nectar and are pollinated by
honeyeaters. Although L. formosa is uncommon in cultivation, it is
straightforward to grow in soils with good drainage and a partly shaded
to sunny aspect. It is readily propagated by seed. Unlike all other
members of the genus Lambertia, L. formosa is resistant to the soil
pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambertia_formosa>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
314:
Sylvester I, during whose pontificate the great churches of Rome
were built, began his reign as pope.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sylvester_I>
1862:
American astronomer Alvan Graham Clark first observed the faint
white dwarf companion of Sirius (pictured), the brightest star in the
night sky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius>
1900:
Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of a series of major disturbances
in North Borneo, was shot dead in Tambunan, but his followers did not
give up for five more years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mat_Salleh_Rebellion>
1945:
Second World War: The British 3rd Commando Brigade's victory in
the Battle of Hill 170 was crucial in causing the 28th Japanese Army to
withdraw from the Arakan peninsula of Burma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hill_170>
2001:
Scottish judges sitting in court in the Netherlands convicted
Libyan national Abdelbaset al-Megrahi of 270 counts of murder in the
bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdelbaset_al-Megrahi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
smaragdine:
Having the colour of emeralds.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/smaragdine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To bear up under loss — to fight the bitterness of defeat
and the weakness of grief — to be victor over anger — to smile when
tears are close — to resist evil men and base instincts — to hate
hate and to love love — to go on when it would seem good to die — to
seek ever after the glory and the dream — to look up with unquenchable
faith in something evermore about to be — that is what any man can do,
and so be great.
--Zane Grey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zane_Grey>
The Battle of Öland (1676) was fought between an allied Danish-Dutch
fleet and the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, east of Öland, during the
Scanian War (1675–79). Sweden needed reinforcements for its northern
German possessions; Denmark sought to ferry an army to attack Scania in
southern Sweden. Just as the battle began, the Swedish flagship Kronan
sank, taking with it the commander of the Swedish navy, Lorentz Creutz.
The next in command, Claes Uggla, drowned while escaping his burning
ship, Svärdet. The allied force under Dutch admiral Cornelis Tromp
pressed its advantage, and the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in
disorder. The battle resulted in Danish naval supremacy, then and
throughout the war. The Danish King Christian V was able to ship troops
over to the Swedish side of the Sound, and Scania became the main
battleground of the war, culminating with the bloody battles of Lund,
Halmstad and Landskrona. Danish and Dutch naval forces were left free to
raze Öland and the Swedish east coast all the way up to Stockholm. The
Swedish failure at Öland prompted King Charles XI to order a commission
to investigate the fiasco, but in the end no one was found guilty.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C3%96land>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
English Civil War: King Charles I, who was defeated in both
the First and the Second Civil Wars, was beheaded for high treason in
front of the Banqueting House in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England>
1826:
The Menai Suspension Bridge (pictured), connecting the Isle of
Anglesey and the mainland of Wales, one of the world's first modern
suspension bridges, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge>
1889:
Archduke Rudolf, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, was found
dead in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in
Mayerling.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf,_Crown_Prince_of_Austria>
1945:
World War II: In one of the largest losses of life in a single
sinking in maritime history, the Soviet submarine S-13 sank the Wilhelm
Gustloff carrying German soldiers and refugees evacuating from East
Prussia, killing at least 9,400 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff>
1968:
Vietnam War: Forces of the Viet Cong and the Vietnam People's
Army launched the Tet Offensive to strike military and civilian command
and control centers throughout South Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mignon:
Small and cute; pretty in a delicate way; dainty.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mignon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any technology that does not appear magical is insufficiently
advanced.
--Gregory Benford
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gregory_Benford>
Lanny McDonald (born 1953) is a former professional ice hockey player
for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the
National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a
16-year career, scoring exactly 500 goals and over 1,000 points. His
total of 66 goals in 1982–83 remains the Flames' franchise record.
McDonald established himself as an offensive forward with three
consecutive 40-goal seasons in Toronto in the mid-1970s. He played parts
of three seasons in Denver before he was sent to Calgary in 1981 where
he spent the remainder of his career. He co-captained the Flames to a
Stanley Cup championship in his final season of 1988–89. McDonald won
the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for dedication and sportsmanship in
1983 and in 1988 was named the inaugural winner of the King Clancy
Memorial Trophy for his leadership and humanitarian presence, in
particular through his long association with the Special Olympics.
Internationally, he represented Team Canada as a player on two occasions
and in a management role three times. McDonald was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Flames retired his uniform number 9 in 1990.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanny_McDonald>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
757:
An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang dynasty and
emperor of Yan, was murdered by his own son, An Qingxu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Lushan>
904:
Sergius III, whose pontificate was marked with feudal violence
and disorder in central Italy, came out of retirement to take over the
papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_III>
1845:
American poet Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" (illustrated)
appeared in the New York Evening Mirror, its first publication
attributed to Poe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raven>
1944:
World War II: At least 38 people were killed and about a dozen
injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai,
Lithuania) was attacked by Soviet partisan units.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koniuchy_massacre>
1967:
The Mantra-Rock Dance, called the "ultimate high" of the hippie
era, took place in San Francisco, featuring Swami Bhaktivedanta, Janis
Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra-Rock_Dance>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
obviate:
(transitive) To bypass a requirement or make it unnecessary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/obviate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally
faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in
disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not
believe.
--Thomas Paine
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine>
Ralph Richardson (1902–1983) was an English actor who played more than
sixty film roles and, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud and
Laurence Olivier, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century.
In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He
led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught
him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of
leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway. In
the 1940s, Richardson was the co-director of the Old Vic company. He and
Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in 1945 and 1946. In the
1950s, in the West End and occasionally on tour, Richardson played in
modern and classic works including The Heiress, Home at Seven and Three
Sisters. Richardson was cast in leading roles in British and American
films including Things to Come in the 1930s, The Fallen Idol and The
Heiress in the 1940s, and Long Day's Journey into Night and Doctor
Zhivago in the 1960s. He received nominations and awards in the UK,
Europe and the US for his stage and screen work from 1948 until his
sudden death at the age of eighty, and earned a posthumous Academy Award
nomination for his final film, Greystoke.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Richardson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
98:
Trajan (bust pictured) succeeded his adoptive father Nerva as
Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire would reach its maximum
extent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan>
1077:
Pope Gregory VII lifted the excommunication of Henry IV after
the Holy Roman Emperor made his trek from Speyer to Canossa Castle to
beg the pope for forgiveness for his actions in the Investiture
Controversy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_to_Canossa>
1821:
Alexander Island, the largest island of Antarctica, was
discovered by Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Island>
1933:
Choudhry Rahmat Ali published a pamphlet entitled "Now or
Never" in which he called for the creation of a Muslim state in
northwest India that he termed "Pakstan".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Declaration>
1982:
After having been kidnapped by the Italian Red Brigade 42 days
earlier, General James L. Dozier of the United States Army was freed by
the anti-terrorist force NOCS.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Dozier>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
penumbra:
A partially shaded area around the edges of a shadow, especially an
eclipse.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/penumbra>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent
exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and
constant practice of generosity.
--José Martí
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD>
Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by
Rocksteady Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles,
and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and
written by Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, it is the sequel
to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Incarcerated in Arkham
City, a massive new super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of
fictional Gotham City, Batman must uncover the secret behind the
sinister scheme "Protocol 10", orchestrated by the facility's warden,
Hugo Strange. The game's leading characters are predominantly voiced by
actors from the DC Animated Universe, with Kevin Conroy reprising his
role as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. Using third-person
perspective, the game focuses on Batman's combat and stealth abilities,
detective skills, and gadgets for combat and exploration. The game was
praised for its narrative, characters and world designs and for Batman's
combat and navigation abilities. It was tied for the highest-rated video
game of 2011 according to review aggregator Metacritic, and was the
recipient of several awards.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Arkham_City>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
447:
An earthquake destroyed large sections of the Walls of
Constantinople.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walls_of_Constantinople>
1142:
Despite having saved the Southern Song dynasty from attempts by
the northern Jin dynasty to conquer it, Chinese general Yue Fei was
executed by the Song government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei>
1868:
Boshin War: The Battle of Toba–Fushimi, where pro-Imperial
forces defeated those of the Tokugawa shogunate and which was a catalyst
for the Meiji Restoration, began in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Toba%E2%80%93Fushimi>
1945:
The Soviet Red Army liberated over 7,500 prisoners left behind
by Nazi personnel in the Auschwitz concentration camp (entrance
pictured) in Oświęcim, Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp>
1980:
With the assistance of Canadian government officials, six
American diplomats who had avoided capture in the Iran hostage crisis
escaped to Zurich, Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Caper>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cop on:
(Ireland, informal, idiomatic) Common sense.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cop_on>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Quakers have an excellent approach to thinking through
difficult problems, where a number of intelligent and responsible people
must work together. They meet as equals, and anyone who has an idea
speaks up. There are no parliamentary procedures and no coercion from
the Chair. They continue the discussion until unanimity is reached. I
want you guys to do that. Get in a room with no phones and leave orders
that you are not to be disturbed. And sit there until you can deal with
each other as individuals…
--Hyman G. Rickover
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover>
The Peasants' Revolt was an uprising in England in 1381, brought on by
economic and social upheaval that had been growing since the Black Death
thirty years earlier. The rebels, coming from a wide spectrum of rural
society, sought a reduction in the high taxes financing the Hundred
Years' War, an end to the system of unfree labour known as serfdom and
the removal of the King's senior officials and law courts. Inspired by
the radical cleric John Ball and led by Wat Tyler, Kentish rebels
entered London on 13 June. They destroyed the Temple Inns of Court and
set fire to law books. The following day, the fourteen-year-old King
Richard acceded to most of the rebels' demands, including the abolition
of serfdom; meanwhile, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord High Treasurer
were killed in the Tower of London (pictured). On 15 June Richard met
Tyler and the rebels at Smithfield, but violence broke out and Tyler was
killed by the king's party. A London militia then dispersed the rebel
forces and Richard rescinded his previous grants to the rebels. Troubles
extended as far as East Anglia, Yorkshire and Somerset, but most of the
rebel leaders were tracked down and executed, and at least 1,500 rebels
were killed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants%27_Revolt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1500:
Spanish navigator, explorer, and conquistador Vicente Yáñez
Pinzón reached the north coast of what today is Brazil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Y%C3%A1%C3%B1ez_Pinz%C3%B3n>
1788:
Captain Arthur Phillip and the British First Fleet landed at
Sydney Cove on the shore of Port Jackson in present-day Sydney,
establishing the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fleet>
1907:
The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III, the second oldest
military rifle still in official use, was introduced into British
military service.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield>
1945:
Audie Murphy engaged in action that won him a Medal of Honor
and made him one of the most famous and decorated American combat
soldiers of World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy>
2009:
Rioting broke out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a
political crisis that led to deposing of President Marc Ravalomanana.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Malagasy_political_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
monoousian:
(theology) Having one and the same nature or essence, especially with
regard to the persons of the Trinity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/monoousian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of
Europe's languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother,
through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the
Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the
village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in
many ways the mother of us all.
--Will Durant
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Will_Durant>
"Cry Me a River" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin
Timberlake (pictured) for his debut studio album, Justified (2002).
Taking inspiration from his former relationship with singer Britney
Spears, he wrote it with Scott Storch and Timbaland. Jive Records
released the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radio in the US in
2002 as the album's second single. Accompanied by an electric piano,
beatboxing, guitars, and synthesizers, "Cry Me a River" is a funk and
R&B; song about a brokenhearted man moving on from his unfaithful
girlfriend. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who
considered it a stand-out track on Justified and praised Timbaland's
production. It won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at
the 2004 ceremony, and the music video won the awards for Best Male
Video and Best Pop Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. The song
peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Pop Songs charts
and charted in the top ten in other countries. Timberlake performed "Cry
Me a River" on his four major concert tours from 2003 through 2015. The
song has been covered by Leona Lewis and Taylor Swift, among others.
Spears recorded an answer song titled "Everytime" for her 2003 studio
album In the Zone.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry_Me_a_River_(Justin_Timberlake_song)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1533:
Anne Boleyn, already pregnant with future queen Elizabeth,
secretly married Henry VIII of England, the second of his six
marriages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn>
1890:
American journalist Nellie Bly completed a circumnavigation of
the globe, inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, in
a then-record 72 days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly>
1971:
Idi Amin Dada seized power in a military coup d'état from
President Milton Obote, beginning eight years of military rule in
Uganda.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_Amin>
1990:
Avianca Flight 52 ran out of fuel on approach to New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport and crashed into the village of
Cove Neck, resulting in the deaths of 73 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avianca_Flight_52>
2011:
The first wave of the Egyptian revolution began, eventually
leading to the removal of Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Egyptian_Revolution_of_2011>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lose face:
(idiomatic) To lose the respect of others; to be humiliated or
experience public disgrace.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lose_face>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain,
egotistic and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary it makes
them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind. Failure makes people
bitter and cruel.
--W. Somerset Maugham
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/W._Somerset_Maugham>
Thomas Blamey (1884–1951) was an Australian general of the First and
Second World Wars, and the only Australian ever to attain the rank of
field marshal. He joined the Australian Army as a regular soldier in
1906, and served at Gallipoli, where he led a daring raid behind enemy
lines, and on the Western Front as chief of staff of the Australian
Corps under Lieutenant General Sir John Monash. During the Second World
War he commanded the Second Australian Imperial Force and the I Corps in
the Middle East. In 1942, he returned to Australia as Commander in Chief
of the Australian Military Forces and Commander of Allied Land Forces in
the South West Pacific Area under the command of General Douglas
MacArthur. On the orders of MacArthur and Prime Minister John Curtin, he
assumed personal command of New Guinea Force during the Kokoda Track
Campaign. He won a series of victories over the Japanese, including the
Battle of Wau and the landing at Nadzab, and signed on behalf of
Australia at Japan's ceremonial surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September
1945. He was promoted to field marshal in June 1950.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
41:
Cassius Chaerea and the disgruntled Praetorian Guards murdered
Roman emperor Caligula (bust pictured), replacing him with his uncle
Claudius.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula>
1458:
The 14-year-old Matthias Corvinus was unanimously proclaimed
King of Hungary, after the Estates were persuaded to do so by his uncle
Michael Szilágyi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Corvinus>
1848:
James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma,
California, leading to the California Gold Rush.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush>
1989:
American serial killer Ted Bundy was executed via electric
chair in Florida for the homicides of at least 30 women.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy>
2011:
A suicide bomber killed at least 37 people at Domodedovo
International Airport in Moscow.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domodedovo_International_Airport_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
alicorn:
(now historical) The horn of a unicorn considered as a medical or
pharmacological ingredient.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alicorn>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I warrant you, if he danced till doomsday, he thought I was to
pay the piper.
--William Congreve
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Congreve>
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of the salmon
family native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and
North America. Those that spend their lives in streams and rivers
average between 1 and 5 lb (0.5 and 2.3 kg); others, called steelhead
trout, live in the ocean or the Great Lakes for two to three years
before returning to fresh water to spawn, and may reach 20 lb
(9.1 kg). Coloration varies widely, but all adult fish are
distinguished by a broad reddish stripe along the lateral line, from
gills to the tail, which is most vivid in breeding males. Wild-caught
and hatchery-reared forms of this species have been transplanted and
introduced for food or sport in at least 45 countries. Introductions to
locations in the U.S., Southern Europe, Australia and South America
outside the fish's native range have damaged native fish species when
the trout has preyed on them, out-competed them, transmitted contagious
diseases, or hybridized with closely related species. Some local
populations of specific subspecies, or in the case of steelhead,
distinct population segments, are listed as either threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The steelhead is the
official state fish of Washington.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_trout>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1719:
Emperor Charles VI established Liechtenstein, the only
principality in the Holy Roman Empire still in existence today.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein>
1870:
American Indian Wars: The United States Army massacred a
friendly band of Piegan Blackfeet in Montana Territory, resulting in
about 200 deaths, mostly women, children, and elderly men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marias_Massacre>
1899:
Pursuant to the adoption of the Malolos Constitution and the
establishment of the First Philippine Republic, Emilio Aguinaldo was
sworn in as the first President of the Philippines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Aguinaldo>
1915:
The Chilembwe uprising, regarded as a seminal moment in the
history of Malawi, began as rebels, led by a minister, attacked local
plantation owners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilembwe_uprising>
1945:
German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered the beginning of
Operation Hannibal, which became one of the largest emergency
evacuations by sea in history, with over 1 million people transferred
over 15 weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hannibal>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blueberrying:
The act of gathering blueberries.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blueberrying>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Insofar as thought could be governed at all, it could only be
commanded to follow what reason affirmed anyhow; command it otherwise,
and it would not obey.
--Walter M. Miller, Jr.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_M._Miller,_Jr.>
Union Films was a film production company located in Batavia, Dutch East
Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). It was one of four new production
houses that sprang up during a revival of the colony's film industry
after the Great Depression. Established by ethnic Chinese businessmen
Ang Hock Liem and Tjoa Ma Tjoen, Union released its first film, Kedok
Ketawa, in July 1940. This was followed by a series of films penned by
Saeroen, beginning with Harta Berdarah and followed by Bajar dengan
Djiwa and Asmara Moerni, which attempted to distance themselves from the
theatrical conventions of the time, and were increasingly oriented
towards the Indies' growing intelligentsia. After Saeroen left for Star
Film in 1941, Union's final two productions, Soeara Berbisa and Mega
Mendoeng, emphasised realism. Following the Japanese occupation of the
Indies in March 1942, Union was dissolved, though its films continued to
be screened into the mid-1940s. Altogether, the company produced seven
black-and-white films; all may be lost. The company's films were
directed by four men, mostly ethnic Chinese, and launched the careers of
actors such as Rendra Karno and Djoewariah.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Films>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
565:
Justinian the Great deposed Eutychius, Patriarch of
Constantinople, after the latter refused the Byzantine Emperor's order
to adopt the tenets of the Aphthartodocetae, a sect of Monophysites.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutychius_of_Constantinople>
1689:
The Convention Parliament convened to justify the overthrow of
James II, the last Roman Catholic king of England, who had vacated the
throne when he fled to France in 1688.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England>
1906:
The SS Valencia was wrecked off the coast of Vancouver Island,
British Columbia, Canada, in a location so treacherous it was known as
the Graveyard of the Pacific.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Valencia>
1946:
Iran Crisis: The Republic of Mahabad declared its independence,
seeking autonomy for the Kurds within Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Mahabad>
1973:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its landmark decision in Roe
v. Wade, striking down laws restricting abortion during the first six to
seven months of pregnancy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
enthesis:
(anatomy) The point at which a tendon, ligament, or muscle inserts into
a bone.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/enthesis>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I laugh at any mortal thing, 'Tis that I may not weep…
--Don Juan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Don_Juan_(Byron)>