Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was the 18th President of the United
States (1869–77). He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point and retired after serving in the Mexican–American War. When the
Civil War began in 1861, he rejoined the U.S. Army and won major
victories at Shiloh and Vicksburg, and in the Chattanooga Campaign.
After promotion to Commanding General, Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in
a series of bloody battles in Virginia in 1864, trapping Lee's army in
the siege of Petersburg. Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox on April
9, 1865, ended the war. After the war, he implemented Congressional
Reconstruction. Elected president in 1868, Grant led the Republicans in
their effort to remove the vestiges of Confederate nationalism, protect
African American citizenship, and support economic prosperity
nationwide. In foreign policy, Grant sought to increase American trade
and influence, while remaining at peace with the world. His presidency
has often come under criticism for tolerating corruption and, in his
second term, leading the nation into an economic depression. After an
unsuccessful attempt at nomination for a third term in 1880, he
completed his memoirs, garnering critical acclaim and financial success.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1918:
World War I: Aníbal Milhais's actions during the Battle of the
Lys made him the only person to be awarded Portugal's highest military
honour, the Order of the Tower and Sword, directly on the battlefield.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Lys_(1918)>
1939:
After being denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall
by the Daughters of the American Revolution, African American singer
Marian Anderson gave an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson>
1940:
During the German invasion of Norway, Vidkun Quisling seized
control of the government in a Nazi-backed coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidkun_Quisling>
1967:
The first Boeing 737 took its maiden flight, eventually
becoming the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet airliner
in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737>
2005:
Charles, Prince of Wales, married his long-time mistress
Camilla Parker Bowles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Charles,_Prince_of_Wales,_and_Cami…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unheralded:
Without prior warning; unexpected or unannounced.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unheralded>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
He that has patience may compass anything.
--François Rabelais
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Rabelais>
Fanny Bullock Workman (1859–1925) was an American geographer,
cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the
Himalaya. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she
not only explored but also wrote about her adventures. She set several
women's altitude records, published eight travel books with her husband,
and championed women's rights and women's suffrage. Educated in the
finest schools available to women, she was introduced to climbing in New
Hampshire. She married William Hunter Workman, and traveled the world
with him. The couple had two children, but left them in schools and with
nurses. Workman saw herself as a New Woman who could equal any man. The
Workmans wrote books about each trip and Workman frequently commented on
the state of the lives of women that she saw. They explored several
glaciers and conquered several mountains of the Himalaya, eventually
reaching 23,000 feet (7,000 m), a women's altitude record at the time.
Workman became the first woman to lecture at the Sorbonne and the second
to speak at the Royal Geographical Society. She received many medals of
honor and was recognized as one of the foremost climbers of her day.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Bullock_Workman>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1341:
Italian scholar and poet Petrarch took the title poet laureate
at a ceremony in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch>
1740:
War of the Austrian Succession: The Royal Navy captured the
Spanish ship of the line Princesa and mustered her into British service.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Princess_(1740)>
1820:
A Greek peasant discovered a statue of a woman with its arms
missing—the Venus de Milo (pictured)—on the Aegean island of Milos.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo>
1968:
BOAC Flight 712 suffered an engine fire shortly after take-off
from London Heathrow Airport, leading to deaths of five people on board,
including flight attendant Barbara Jane Harrison, who was later awarded
a posthumous George Cross for her heroism during the accident.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Jane_Harrison>
2013:
Two Sunni Muslim Islamic extremist groups, the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front, merged to become the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant, also known as ISIS.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cross swords:
(idiomatic) To quarrel or argue with someone, to have a dispute with
someone.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cross_swords>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we only have love We will never bow down We'll be tall as the
pines Neither heroes nor clowns. If we only have love Then we'll only be
men And we'll drink from the Grail To be born once again. Then with
nothing at all But the little we are We'll have conquered all time All
space, the sun, and the stars!
--Jacques Brel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel>
I Never Liked You is a graphic novel by Canadian cartoonist Chester
Brown (pictured). The story first ran between 1991 and 1993 in Brown's
comic book Yummy Fur, and was published in book form in 1994. It deals
with the teenage Brown's introversion and difficulty talking to others,
especially members of the opposite sex—including his mother, to whom
he is unable to express affection even as she lies dying in the
hospital. The story has minimal dialogue and is sparsely narrated. The
drawings are amongst the simplest in Brown's body of work—some pages
consist only of a single small panel. The uncomplicated artwork of his
friend and fellow Toronto cartoonist Seth inspired him to simplify his
own. I Never Liked You was the last work of Brown's early
autobiographical period. The book appeared amid an early-1990s trend in
autobiographical alternative comics, and Brown was one of a prominent
trio of Toronto-based autobiographical cartoonists, with Seth and Joe
Matt. It was well received, and its influence can be found in the work
of cartoonists such as Jeffrey Brown, Ariel Schrag and Anders Nilsen.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Liked_You>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1767:
Troops of the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty sacked the Siamese city
of Ayutthaya to end the Burmese–Siamese War, bringing the four-
century-old Ayutthaya Kingdom to an end.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese%E2%80%93Siamese_War_(1765%E2%80%9367)>
1805:
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third
Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Beethoven)>
1940:
Educator Booker T. Washington became the first African American
to be featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington>
1955:
Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in
his old age, Winston Churchill retired as Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill>
1995:
First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops began a massacre
of at least 250 civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samashki_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lollapalooza:
(informal) An outstanding, extreme, or outrageous example of its kind.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lollapalooza>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it
when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow
old, Or let me die!
--William Wordsworth
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth>
Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series created by TMS
Entertainment and based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game series.
Sonic X initially ran for 52 episodes, broadcast in Japan from April 6,
2003 to March 28, 2004; a further 26 were aired elsewhere from 2005 to
2006. The show's American localization was done by 4Kids Entertainment.
The plot follows a boy named Chris and a group of anthropomorphic
animals from another planet, including Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream, who
repeatedly scuffle with Dr. Eggman and his robots over the Chaos
Emeralds. The final story arc sees the friends return with Chris to
their world, where they meet a plant-like creature named Cosmo and fight
an army of robots called the Metarex in outer space. Sonic X received
mixed reviews; writers criticized its localization and some characters,
but were more generous toward its story and aesthetics. Merchandise
included an edutainment game for the Leapster, a trading card game, and
a comic book series. The phrase "gotta go fast", the title of the show's
North American theme song, has been a Sonic catchphrase for over a
decade.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_X>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1652:
Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck established the first permanent
European settlement in South Africa at what eventually became known as
Cape Town.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town>
1793:
French Revolution: The Committee of Public Safety was
established, and would become the de facto executive government during
the forthcoming Reign of Terror.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_of_Public_Safety>
1945:
Second World War: The Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville
Island concluded with a decisive victory for the Australian Army's 7th
Brigade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Slater%27s_Knoll>
1979:
The first of the 1979 Nepalese student protests broke out,
which forced the monarchy to concede to holding a referendum on the
possibility of a multiparty system in the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Nepalese_student_protests>
2006:
Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas became the first European
head of state to be removed from office by impeachment.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolandas_Paksas>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lek:
(biology) An aggregation of male animals for the purposes of courtship
and display.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lek>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Speak kindly to the erring; Thou yet may'st lead them back,
With holy words and tones of love, From misery's thorny track. Forget
not thou hast often sinned. And sinful yet must be; Deal gently with the
erring one, As God hath dealt with thee.
--Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Abigail_Fletcher_Carney>
Robert Burnell (c. 1239 – 1292) was an English bishop who served as
Lord Chancellor of England from 1274 to 1292. A native of Shropshire, he
served as a minor royal official before entering into the service of
Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England. When Edward went on
the Eighth Crusade in 1270, Burnell stayed in England to secure the
prince's interests. He served as regent after the death of King Henry
III of England while Edward was still on crusade. He was twice elected
Archbishop of Canterbury, but his personal life—which included a long-
term mistress who was rumoured to have borne him four sons—prevented
his confirmation by the papacy. In 1275 Burnell was elected Bishop of
Bath and Wells, after Edward had appointed him Lord Chancellor in 1274.
He was behind the efforts of the royal officials to enforce royal rights
during his term of office as chancellor, including the implementation of
the quo warranto procedures. He also helped with the legislative and
legal reforms of Edward's reign. During Burnell's tenure the
chancellor's office and records became fixed in London rather than
travelling with the king. He went abroad on diplomatic missions for
Edward, and for a time governed Gascony.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burnell>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1609:
Forces of the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma captured the
castle on Ryukyu Island, beginning the process that turned the Ryukyu
Kingdom into a vassal state under Satsuma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Ryukyu>
1722:
Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to
land on Easter Island.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island>
1847:
Britain's first civic public park, Birkenhead Park in
Birkenhead, Merseyside, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead_Park>
1942:
Second World War: Carrier-based aircraft of the Imperial
Japanese Navy conducted the Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)
and the British Eastern Fleet in an attempt to drive the Commonwealth
naval force from the Indian Ocean.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sunday_Raid>
1992:
Bosnian War: Unidentified gunmen killed two people while firing
upon a large crowd of anti-war protesters in Sarajevo, marking the start
of the four-year-long Siege of Sarajevo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
reptilianness:
The quality of the embodiment of reptile characteristics.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reptilianness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Not from without us, only from within, Comes or can ever come
upon us light Whereby the soul keeps ever truth in sight.
--Algernon Charles Swinburne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne>
On April 4, 1955, a United Airlines Douglas DC-6 crashed (similar
aircraft pictured) shortly after taking off from Long Island MacArthur
Airport, in the U.S. community of Ronkonkoma in Islip, New York. The
aircraft, named Mainliner Idaho, began banking to the right after
takeoff, then swerved 90 degrees, nosedived, and hit the ground,
killing all three crewmembers. An investigation found that they had been
simulating an engine failure on an instrument rating check flight, but
had pulled back the throttle lever for engine No. 4 too far, causing the
propeller blades to reverse, a feature normally used only to slow the
aircraft during landing. They had also failed to raise a metal flag in
the cockpit that would have allowed the blades to return to the proper
position during flight. Investigators from the Civil Aeronautics Board
concluded that crew lost control of the aircraft when they applied full
power to No. 4 engine, and that the sudden bank and dive left the crew
little time to recover from their mistake. After the investigation, the
Civil Aeronautics Administration issued an Airworthiness Directive
ordering all United Douglas DC-6 and DC-6B aircraft to be fitted with a
manual device to prevent the inadvertent reversal of the blades.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_MacArthur_Airport_United_Airlines_crash>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1660:
Charles II of England issued the Declaration of Breda,
describing his conditions for the Restoration of the crown of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Breda>
1814:
Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of the French and named his son
Napoleon II to replace him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_II>
1841:
William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. President to die
in office, 32 days into his term, sparking a brief constitutional crisis
regarding questions of presidential succession that were left unanswered
by the U.S. Constitution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison>
1945:
World War II: The U.S. Third Army captured the German city of
Kassel after three days of fighting.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kassel_(1945)>
1990:
The current flag of Hong Kong was adopted for post-colonial use
during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Hong_Kong>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
roundabout:
Indirect, circuitous or circumlocutionary; that does not do something in
a direct way.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roundabout>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The allotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put
across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as an example. The aim of
art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul,
rendering it capable of turning to good.
--Andrei Tarkovsky
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky>
Amphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant of the
phenethylamine class that is used in the treatment of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. It is also used as a performance
enhancer and nootropic, and recreationally as an aphrodisiac and
euphoriant. Amphetamine increases neurotransmitter activity in the
brain, with its most pronounced effects on norepinephrine and dopamine.
At therapeutic doses, this causes emotional and cognitive effects such
as euphoria, change in libido, increased wakefulness, and improved
cognitive control. It induces physical effects such as decreased
reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength.
Amphetamine exists as two enantiomers, levoamphetamine and
dextroamphetamine, and normally refers to an equal parts mixture of the
two enantiomers in its free base form. It is a prescription medication
in many countries, and unauthorized possession and distribution of
amphetamine are often tightly controlled due to the significant health
risks associated with uncontrolled or heavy use.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
The Pony Express, a mail service that became the most direct
means of long distance communication to the American West, began
operation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express>
1888:
The first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed
in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of
London, occurred.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders>
1948:
The Marshall Plan, an economic recovery program established by
US Secretary of State George Marshall to assist the post-World War II
re-building of Europe, was signed into law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan>
1971:
The Japanese tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider premiered,
marking the beginning of the long-running Kamen Rider franchise.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider_Series>
2013:
The northeastern section of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina,
experienced several flash floods that claimed the lives of at least 100
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Argentina_floods>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
snail mail:
(retronym) Postal mail, especially as compared to email.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snail_mail>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Teach me, my God and King, In all things thee to see And what I
do in any thing, To do it as for thee.
--George Herbert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Herbert>
The Fifth Element is a 1997 English-language French science fiction film
directed and based on a story by Luc Besson. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary
Oldman, and Milla Jovovich (pictured). In the 23rd century, Korben
Dallas (Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, joins
forces with a young woman (Jovovich) who falls into his cab, and they
set off to recover four mystical stones essential for the defence of
Earth against an impending attack. Besson started writing the story that
became The Fifth Element when he was 16 years old; he was 38 when the
film opened in cinemas. Filming for the French production took place
primarily in London, as suitable locations in France could not be found.
It received mainly positive reviews, although it tended to polarise
critics. It has been called both the best and worst summer blockbuster
of all time. The Fifth Element was a financial success, earning more
than $263 million at the box office on a $90 million budget. At the time
of its release it was the most expensive European film ever made, and it
remained the highest-grossing French film at the box-office until the
release of The Intouchables in 2011.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Element>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1755:
A naval fleet led by Commodore William James of the East India
Company captured the fortress Suvarnadurg from the Marathas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvarnadurg>
1885:
North-West Rebellion: Led by Wandering Spirit, young Cree
warriors attacked the village of Frog Lake, North-West Territories (now
in Alberta), where they killed nine settlers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_Lake_Massacre>
1911:
The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted the country's
first national census.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Australia>
1984:
Aboard Soyuz T-11, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to be
launched into space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakesh_Sharma>
2012:
A gunman shot at people inside Oikos University, a Korean
Christian college in Oakland, California, US, leaving seven people dead
and three injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oikos_University_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
prosopagnosia:
A form of visual agnosia characterised by difficulty with face
recognition despite intact low-level visual processing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prosopagnosia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man is free, but his freedom ceases when he has no faith in
it; and the greater power he ascribes to faith, the more he deprives
himself of that power which God has given to him when He endowed him
with the gift of reason. Reason is a particle of the Creator's divinity.
When we use it with a spirit of humility and justice we are certain to
please the Giver of that precious gift.
--Giacomo Casanova
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giacomo_Casanova>
The invisible rail (Habroptila wallacii) is a large flightless rail that
is endemic to the island of Halmahera in North Maluku, Indonesia, where
it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests. Its plumage is
predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the
long, thick bill and the legs are all bright red. Its call is a low
drumming sound which is accompanied by wing-beating. Information on the
behaviour of this shy bird, usually shielded by its dense habitat, is
limited. Recorded dietary items include sago shoots and insects, and it
also swallows small stones to help break up its food. It is apparently
monogamous, but little else is known of its courtship behaviour. The
only known nest was a shallow bowl in the top of a rotting tree stump
that was lined with wood chips and dry leaves. The two young chicks were
entirely covered in black down typical of precocial newly hatched rails.
The estimated population of 3,500–15,000 birds has a restricted range
and is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_rail>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
528:
China's only cross-dressing emperor ruled for a single day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughter_of_Emperor_Xiaoming_of_Northern_Wei>
1293:
Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by
the Pope, only to find that there wasn't one.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Winchelsey>
1865:
Ordered to hold five forks, Confederate General George Pickett
instead lost almost 3,000.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Five_Forks>
1945:
An iceberg known as "Steel Rain" hit Okinawa, causing various
amphibious species, native to the UK and the US, to flock to the
islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa>
1996:
The government of Nova Scotia ordered the people of the City of
Halifax to mate with over 200 multiple partners around the area.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax,_Nova_Scotia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
jape:
(intransitive) To jest; play tricks; joke; jeer.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jape>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you.
You taught me how to love And now you say that we are through. I'm a
fool, but I'll love you dear Until the day I die. Now and then there's a
fool such as I.
--Bill Trader
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Trader>