Bart Simpson is a character voiced by Nancy Cartwright (pictured) on the
animated TV series The Simpsons, the longest-running American sitcom.
Created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening, the mischievous and
rebellious Bart (an anagram of brat) is the ten-year-old son of Homer
and Marge and the older brother of Lisa and Maggie. The character has
also appeared in video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride,
commercials, comic books, merchandising, and (for three years before The
Simpsons) on The Tracey Ullman Show. Hallmarks of the character include
his chalkboard gags in the opening sequence, his prank calls to Moe, and
the catchphrases "Eat my shorts", "¡Ay, caramba!", and "Don't have a
cow, man!" During the first two seasons of The Simpsons, Bart was the
show's breakout character, though educators derided Bart's pride in
being an underachiever. Time named Bart one of the 100 most important
people of the 20th century. Nancy Cartwright has won several awards for
voicing Bart, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 and an Annie
Award in 1995. In 2000, Bart and the rest of his family were awarded a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Simpson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1713:
With no living male heirs, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
issued the Pragmatic Sanction to ensure one of his daughters would
inherit the Habsburg lands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VI,_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1809:
War of the Fifth Coalition: The French won a hard-fought
victory over Austria in Lower Bavaria when their opponents withdrew from
the field of battle that evening.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teugen-Hausen>
1927:
American actress Mae West was sentenced to ten days in jail for
"corrupting the morals of youth" for her play Sex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_West>
1960:
Students in South Korea held a nationwide pro-democracy protest
against President Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Revolution>
1995:
A car bomb destroyed much of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people and injuring
over 800 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
debauch:
1. (transitive) To morally corrupt (someone); to seduce.
2. (transitive) To debase (something); to lower the value of (something).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/debauch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to
April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And
fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence
slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has
swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson>
Hurricane Erika was the strongest and longest-lasting tropical cyclone
in the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. It developed from a tropical wave
on September 3 and moved west-northwestward across the tropical Atlantic
Ocean. Passing just north of the Lesser Antilles, it carried a cloud of
volcanic ash to Antigua from the eruption of the Soufrière Hills
Volcano on Montserrat. Strong waves from the hurricane produced beach
erosion and coastal flooding in northern Puerto Rico, and caused the
death of two surfers. Moderate wind gusts in the northern Leeward
Islands and Puerto Rico left thousands of residents without power, and
did $10 million in damage in the U.S. Caribbean territories. The
hurricane was pushed to the north by an approaching trough, then quickly
strengthened to become the only major hurricane of the season, with
maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). It weakened as it
passed over cooler waters, and finally became an extratropical cyclone
after passing near the Azores archipelago. The months of August and
September produced only this one Atlantic tropical cyclone; that had not
happened since 1929.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Erika_(1997)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1506:
Construction of the current St. Peter's Basilica (interior
pictured) in Vatican City, to replace the old basilica built in the 4th
century, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica>
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Colonists Paul Revere, William
Dawes, and Samuel Prescott began a "midnight ride" from Boston to
Lexington to warn residents about the impending arrival of British
troops.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere>
1847:
Mexican–American War: Winfield Scott's United States troops
out-flanked and drove Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong
defensive position in the Battle of Cerro Gordo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cerro_Gordo>
1938:
Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, made his
debut in Action Comics #1, the first true superhero comic book.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Comics_1>
1996:
Israeli forces shelled Qana, Lebanon, during Operation Grapes
of Wrath, killing more than 100 civilians and injuring more than 110
others at a UN compound.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_shelling_of_Qana>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oubliette:
A dungeon only accessible by a trapdoor at the top.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oubliette>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Among the many strange servilities mistaken for pieties, one
of the least lovely is that which hopes to flatter God by despising the
world, and vilifying human nature.
--George Henry Lewes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Henry_Lewes>
Aldwych tube station is a closed station on the London Underground, in
the City of Westminster in central London. The station building, near
the junction of Strand and Surrey Street, opened in 1907 as the only
other station on the Piccadilly line's short branch from Holborn.
Suffering from low passenger numbers, the station and branch were
considered for closure several times. Service was offered only during
weekday peak hours from 1962 and finally discontinued altogether in
1994, when the cost of replacing the lifts was considered too high
compared to the income generated. Disused parts of the station and the
running tunnels were used to shelter artworks from the National Gallery
during the First World War, and from the British Museum during the
Second World War. The station has long been popular as a filming
location, appearing as itself and as other London Underground stations.
In recognition of its historical significance, it is a Grade II listed
building.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldwych_tube_station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1080:
On the death of his brother Harald III, Canute IV, who later
became the first Dane to be canonized, became King of Denmark.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canute_IV_of_Denmark>
1907:
Brazil became the third country in the world to start
construction on a dreadnought battleship, sparking a vastly expensive
South American naval arms race.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_dreadnought_race>
1951:
The Peak District was designated the first national park in the
United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_District>
1975:
The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, ending the
Cambodian Civil War, and established Democratic Kampuchea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Civil_War>
2013:
An ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at a fertilizer company
facility in West, Texas, US, killing 15 people and injuring 160 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Fertilizer_Company_explosion>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kasha:
A porridge made from boiled buckwheat groats, or sometimes from other
cereal groats.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kasha>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
"Passive resistance," said Ferdinand Lassalle, with an
obtuseness thoroughly German, "is the resistance which does not resist."
Never was there a greater mistake. It is the only resistance which in
these days of military discipline resists with any result. There is not
a tyrant in the civilized world today who would not do anything in his
power to precipitate a bloody revolution rather than see himself
confronted by any large fraction of his subjects determined not to obey.
An insurrection is easily quelled; but no army is willing or able to
train its guns on inoffensive people who do not even gather in the
streets but stay at home and stand back on their rights. Neither the
ballot nor the bayonet is to play any great part in the coming struggle;
passive resistance is the instrument by which the revolutionary force is
destined to secure in the last great conflict the people's rights
forever.
--Benjamin Tucker
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Tucker>
Sir Vernon Sturdee (1890–1966) was an Australian Army officer. During
the First World War he participated in the landing at Gallipoli and the
fighting on the Western Front. Promotion was stagnant between the wars,
and he remained at his wartime rank of lieutenant colonel until 1935. He
had little faith in the strategy of basing a fleet at Singapore, and
warned that the Army would have to face a well-equipped Japan. As Chief
of the General Staff during the Second World War, he conducted a doomed
defence of the islands to the north of Australia against the Japanese.
He later commanded the First Army in New Guinea in 1944–45, directing
the fighting at Aitape and on New Britain and Bougainville. He was
charged with destroying the enemy without committing his troops to
battles that were beyond their strength. When the war ended, he took the
surrender of Japanese forces at Rabaul. He succeeded Sir Thomas Blamey
as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces in December
1945, and was Chief of the General Staff again from 1946 to 1950. During
this time, he had to demobilise the wartime Army while fielding and
supporting part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Sturdee>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1520:
Citizens of Toledo, Castile, who were opposed to the rule of
the foreign-born Charles V, rose up in revolt when the royal government
attempted to unseat radical city councilors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Comuneros>
1847:
New Zealand Wars: A minor Māori chief was accidentally shot by
a junior British Army officer in the Petre settlement of New Zealand's
North Island, triggering the Wanganui Campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanganui_Campaign>
1912:
American Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across
the English Channel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Quimby>
1945:
World War II: Nearly one million Soviet soldiers began the
Battle of the Seelow Heights against the "Gates of Berlin".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Seelow_Heights>
2007:
In one of the deadliest shooting incidents in United States
history, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded over 20 more before
committing suicide at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
heir apparent:
(usually monarchy) Someone who will definitely inherit, assuming he
survives the one from whom he is inheriting.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heir_apparent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The gods conform scrupulously to the sentiments of their
worshippers: they have reasons for so doing. Pay attention to this. …
The Emperor Julian's morals were almost those of St. Gregory Nazianzen.
There is nothing in this but what is natural and usual. The
transformations undergone by morals and ideas are never sudden. The
greatest changes in social life are wrought imperceptibly, and are only
seen from afar. Christianity did not secure a foothold until such time
as the condition of morals accommodated itself to it, and as
Christianity itself had become adjusted to the condition of morals. It
was unable to substitute itself for paganism until such time as paganism
came to resemble it, and itself came to resemble paganism.
--Anatole France
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anatole_France>
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) was the 17th President of the United
States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1843, became Governor of Tennessee in 1853, and was
elected to the Senate in 1857, where he sought passage of the Homestead
Bill. As Southern states, including Tennessee, seceded to form the
Confederacy, Johnson remained firmly with the Union. As a War Democrat
in 1864, he was a logical choice as running mate for President Abraham
Lincoln, who wished to send a message of national unity. Johnson was
sworn in as vice president in March 1865; six weeks later, the
assassination of Lincoln made him president. Johnson directed the
seceded states to hold conventions and elections to re-form their civil
governments. When Congress passed bills for a more severe
Reconstruction, he vetoed them, but Congress overrode him, setting a
pattern for the remainder of his presidency. When he tried to dismiss
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in possible violation of the Tenure of
Office Act, he was impeached by the House of Representatives, and
narrowly avoided removal from office. Although his ranking has
fluctuated over time, he is generally considered among the worst
American presidents.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1071:
Norman forces, under the command of Robert Guiscard, conquered
the city of Bari, the capital of the Catepanate of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bari>
1638:
A rebellion by Catholic Japanese peasants in Shimabara over
increased taxes was put down by the Tokugawa shogunate, resulting in
greater enforcement of the policy of national seclusion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabara_Rebellion>
1912:
The passenger liner RMS Titanic sank about two hours and forty
minutes after colliding with an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic>
1986:
U.S. armed forces began bombing Libya to try to reduce that
country's ability to support international terrorism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_United_States_bombing_of_Libya>
1995:
At a GATT ministerial meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco,
representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities signed an
agreement to establish the World Trade Organization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
eschatology:
1. (countable) System of doctrines concerning final matters, such as death.
2. (uncountable) The study of the end times — the end of the world,
notably in Christian theology the second coming of Christ, the
Apocalypse or the Last Judgment.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eschatology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than with
the imagination being awake?
--Leonardo da Vinci
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci>
Taiko drums, a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments, were
introduced to Japan through Korean and Chinese cultural influence as
early as the 6th century, and a mythological origin is mentioned in the
Nihon Shoki, the second oldest book of Japanese classical history. They
have seen use in Japan for communication, theatre, religious ceremonies,
and festival and concert performances. In feudal warfare, taiko drums
were used to summon troops, call out orders and set a marching pace. In
modern times, they have played a role in social movements for minorities
within and outside Japan. Taiko performances can vary in their rhythms,
forms, stick grips, clothing, and instrumentation. Ensembles typically
use different types of barrel-shaped nagadō-daiko drums, as well as the
smaller shime-daiko. Many groups accompany their drums with vocals,
strings, and woodwind instruments. The popular ensemble style called
kumi-daiko was developed in 1951 through the work of Daihachi Oguchi,
and has continued with groups such as Kodo. Kumi-daiko performance
groups are active in Japan, the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Brazil.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiko>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
193:
Septimius Severus seized the throne of the Roman Empire after
the death of Pertinax during the Year of the Five Emperors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus>
966:
After his marriage to the Christian Dobrawa of Bohemia, the
pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converted to Christianity, an
event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty>
1865:
Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally
shot U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington,
D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln>
1935:
A massive dust storm swept across Oklahoma and northern Texas,
removing an estimated 300,000 short tons (270,000 t) of topsoil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sunday_(storm)>
1999:
A storm dropped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones in
Sydney and along the east coast of New South Wales, causing about A$2.3
billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster in Australian
insurance history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Sydney_hailstorm>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hapax legomenon:
A word occurring only once in a given corpus.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hapax_legomenon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I agree with Freydis that, for various reasons, nobody ever,
quite, knew Manuel well. The hero of "The Silver Stallion" is, thus, no
person, but an idea, — an idea presented at the moment of its
conception... I mean, of course, the idea that Manuel, who was yesterday
the physical Redeemer of Poictesme, will by and by return as his
people's spiritual Redeemer.
--James Branch Cabell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Branch_Cabell>
Casino Royale (1953) is a James Bond novel, the first of twelve
featuring the British secret agent by Ian Fleming. At a casino in
Royale-les-Eaux, Bond beats Le Chiffre, the treasurer of a French trade
union and a member of the Russian secret service, in a high-stakes
baccarat game; Bond wins 80 million francs belonging to SMERSH, the
Soviet counterintelligence agency. He is supported by Vesper Lynd, a
member of his own service, as well as Felix Leiter of the CIA and René
Mathis of the French Deuxième Bureau. Fleming took plot elements from
his wartime experiences in the Naval Intelligence Division and based
some characters on people he met during the war; the character of Bond
also reflected many of Fleming's personal tastes. Looking for
distraction in advance of his forthcoming wedding, Fleming wrote the
draft in early 1952 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. The book was
given broadly positive reviews by critics at the time and sold out in
less than a month after its UK release, although US sales upon release a
year later were much slower. The story has been adapted several times,
including in a daily comic strip and twice on film, a 1967 adaptation
starring David Niven and a 2006 version starring Daniel Craig.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(novel)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1742:
Messiah, an oratorio by baroque composer George Frideric
Handel, premiered in Dublin.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel)>
1829:
The Roman Catholic Relief Act was granted Royal Assent,
removing the most substantial restrictions on Catholics in the United
Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Relief_Act_1829>
1919:
British Indian Army troops massacred hundreds of unarmed men,
women and children who were attending a peaceful gathering at the
Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre>
1945:
World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces captured Vienna in
German-occupied Austria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Offensive>
2009 - Twenty-three people died in a homeless hostel fire in Kamień
Pomorski, Poland, the country's deadliest fire since 1980.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamie%C5%84_Pomorski_homeless_hostel_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pink slime:
1. (paper manufacture) An undesirable pink-colored microbial mass occurring
in the slurry used in making paper.
2. (informal) A meat byproduct produced from otherwise unusable material
such as skin and connective tissue, spinal bones, and digestive tissue
by heating and then mixing with ammonia in a centrifuge to produce a
food additive.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pink_slime>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring
about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another, for freedom of the
press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by
force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of
our citizens against the conduct of their agents.
--Thomas Jefferson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson>
Gemini is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by
Saran. The film features Vikram (pictured) in the title role of a small-
time criminal and aspiring crime boss who, after falling in love, gives
up his life of crime; Kiran Rathod plays his love interest. Murali stars
as Singaperumal, a police officer who inspires and guides Gemini. Based
on gang wars in Chennai, the film delves into the lives of outlaws and
the roles the police and society play in their rehabilitation and
acceptance. Shot mainly at the AVM Studios in Chennai, the film was
released in 2002 to praise from critics for Vikram's performance, but
not for Saran's script. Made at an estimated cost of 40 million
(US$630,000), the film earned 210 million (US$3.3 million) at the box
office and became the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. The
film's success, largely attributed to the popularity of one of its
songs, "O Podu", resurrected the Tamil film industry, which was
experiencing difficulties after a series of box office failures. The
film won three Filmfare Awards, three ITFA Awards and four Cinema
Express Awards. Later that same year, Saran remade the film in Telugu.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(2002_Tamil_film)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
627:
King Edwin of Northumbria (stained glass depiction pictured) was
converted to Christianity by Bishop Paulinus of York, who had previously
saved his life.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_of_Northumbria>
1204:
Alexios V Doukas fled Constantinople as forces under Boniface
the Marquess of Montferrat and Enrico Dandolo the Doge of Venice entered
and sacked the Byzantine capital, effectively ending the Fourth Crusade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(1204)>
1782:
American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy defeated a combined
French–Spanish fleet in the Battle of the Saintes, forcing the latter
to abandon a planned invasion of Jamaica.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Saintes>
1910:
SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the
Austro-Hungarian Navy, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Zr%C3%ADnyi>
1990:
Jim Gary became the only sculptor to present a solo show at the
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in
Washington, D.C., featuring his trademark dinosaur sculptures made of
automobile parts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gary>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ungulate:
Having hooves.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ungulate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Religion is another name for the realization of Truth. It
consists in becoming and being one with the Supreme Being. Doctrines and
dogmas are only details of a secondary nature.
--Swami Narayanananda
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Swami_Narayanananda>
The 158th Boat Race, an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews
from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames,
took place on 7 April 2012. Despite Cambridge having the heavier crew,
Oxford (pictured after the race) were pre-race favourites after a
successful preparation period, including a victory over Leander.
Cambridge won the toss and chose to start on the Surrey side of the
river. Partway through, with the boats level, the race was temporarily
halted to avoid injury to a protester, Trenton Oldfield, who swam in
front of the two crews. After the race was restarted, one of the Oxford
crew suffered irreparable damage to his blade following a clash of oars
with the Cambridge boat, ending Oxford's chances of victory. The race
was eventually won by Cambridge by four-and-a-quarter lengths, in a
consolidated time of 17 minutes 23 seconds. Immediately after completing
the race, a member of the Oxford crew collapsed, but later recovered.
Oldfield was later jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance,
and as a result of the disruption, security for subsequent Boat Races
was increased.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_Race_2012>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1544:
Italian War of 1542–46: French and Spanish forces fought a
massive pitched battle in the Piedmont region of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ceresole>
1888:
The Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam was inaugurated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertgebouw>
1921:
Emir Abdullah established the first centralized government in
the recently created British protectorate of Transjordan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Transjordan>
1945:
World War II: American forces liberated the Buchenwald
concentration camp near Weimar, Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald_concentration_camp>
1963:
Pope John XXIII issued Pacem in terris ("Peace on Earth"), the
first papal encyclical addressed to "all men of good will", rather than
only to Catholics.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacem_in_terris>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
covenstead:
1. (Wicca) A permanent circle or temple used to meet for rituals and to
store religious items, often a mundane location.
2. (Wicca) A Wiccan congregation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/covenstead>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE
ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC.
--Kurt Vonnegut
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut>
Sale (Town Hall pictured) is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester,
England. Historically in Cheshire, it is on the south bank of the River
Mersey, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) southwest of Manchester. In 2001, it had a
population of 55,000. Evidence of Stone Age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon
activity has been discovered locally. By the 17th century, Sale had a
cottage industry manufacturing garthweb, the woven material from which
horses' saddle girths were made. The Bridgewater Canal reached the town
in 1765, stimulating Sale's urbanisation. The arrival of the railway in
1849 triggered Sale's growth as a commuter town for Manchester, leading
to an influx of middle-class residents; by the end of the 19th century
the town's population had more than tripled. Sale's urban growth
resulted in a merger with neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, following the
Local Government Act 1929. The increase in population led to the
granting of a charter in 1935, giving Sale honorific borough status.
Since then, Sale has continued to thrive as a commuter town, supported
by its proximity to the M60 motorway and the Manchester Metrolink
network. Sale Sharks rugby union and Sale Harriers athletics club were
founded in Sale, although both have now relocated elsewhere.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sale,_Greater_Manchester>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent
volcanic eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people,
and affecting worldwide temperatures for the next two years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora>
1858:
Big Ben, the bell in the Palace of Westminster's clock tower in
London, was cast after the original bell had cracked during testing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben>
1941:
World War II: The Independent State of Croatia was established,
with Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić as head of the puppet government of
the Axis powers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante_Paveli%C4%87>
1959:
Crown Prince Akihito, the future Emperor of Japan, wedded
Michiko, the first commoner to marry into the Japanese Imperial Family.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Michiko>
2009:
Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced that he had
suspended the constitution and assumed all governance in the country
after it was ruled that the government of Prime Minister Frank
Bainimarama was illegal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Fijian_constitutional_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
popliteal:
(anatomy) Of the area behind the knee.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/popliteal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A young man who had been troubling society with impalpable
doctrines of a new civilization which he called "the Kingdom of Heaven"
had been put out of the way; and I can imagine that believer in material
power murmuring as he went homeward, "it will all blow over now." Yes.
The wind from the Kingdom of Heaven has blown over the world, and shall
blow for centuries yet.
--Æ
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_William_Russell>