Drowned God is a science fiction adventure game developed by Epic
Multimedia Group, published by Inscape and released on October 31, 1996.
The game advances the conspiracy theory that all of accepted human
history is false and the human race's development and evolution have
been aided by extra-terrestrials. The player attempts to uncover the
truth within the game by traveling to different worlds, interacting with
historical and fictional characters, and solving puzzles. The game is
based on a forged manuscript written by Harry Horse in 1983. After
facing legal trouble and fines when he attempted to sell the text, Horse
shelved it for more than a decade before deciding a first person
adventure game would be the best way to tell its story. Producer Algy
Williams hired a team of multimedia artists and programmers to help
Horse develop the game. Upon its release, it sold well, but faded in
popularity due to software bugs. Its concept and visuals were widely
praised, but its gameplay, audio, and puzzles received a mixed
reception. A planned sequel never came to fruition.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowned_God>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted
his Ninety-five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,
present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses>
1822:
Emperor Agustín de Iturbide of the First Mexican Empire
dissolved the Mexican Congress and replaced it with a military junta
answerable only to him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_de_Iturbide>
1922:
Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy; three years
later he set up a legal dictatorship.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini>
1941:
More than 101 crew members of the USS Reuben James perished
when their vessel became the first United States Navy ship sunk by
hostile action during World War II after it was torpedoed by the German
submarine U-552.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Reuben_James_(DD-245)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
barghest:
1. (mythology, Britain) A legendary monstrous black dog, said to possess
large teeth and claws, and (sometimes) to be capable of changing form.
2. (mythology, Britain) Any ghost, wraith, hobgoblin, elf, or spirit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/barghest>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
OH GREAT PUMPKIN, WHERE ARE YOU?!
--It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/It%27s_the_Great_Pumpkin,_Charlie_Brown>
Jack Parsons (1914–1952) was an American rocket engineer and rocket
propulsion researcher, chemist, and Thelemite occultist. Associated with
the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Parsons was one of the
principal founders of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the
Aerojet Engineering Corporation. He invented the first rocket engine
using a castable composite rocket propellant, and helped develop both
liquid-fuel and solid-fuel rockets. Inspired by science fiction
literature, he developed an interest in rocketry in his childhood and in
1928 began amateur rocket experiments with school friend Ed Forman. In
1934 he united with Forman and graduate student Frank Malina to form the
Caltech-affiliated GALCIT Rocket Research Group, supported by Guggenheim
Aeronautical Laboratory chairman Theodore von Kármán. After working on
Jet-Assisted Take Off for the U.S. military, the GALCIT Group became JPL
in 1943. For his contributions to rocket engineering, his advocacy of
space exploration and human spaceflight, and his role in the founding of
JPL and Aerojet, Parsons is regarded as one of the most important early
figures of the U.S. space program.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Parsons_(rocket_engineer)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1485:
Having seized the throne of England after the War of the Roses,
Henry VII was formally crowned at Westminster Abbey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VII_of_England>
1806:
War of the Fourth Coalition: Believing they were massively
outnumbered, the 5,300-man German garrison at Stettin, Prussia (now
Szczecin, Poland), surrendered to a much smaller French force without a
fight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitulation_of_Stettin>
1905:
Russian Revolution: Tsar Nicholas II reluctantly signed the
"October Manifesto", establishing the State Duma as the elected
legislature in Imperial Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Manifesto>
1960:
Surgeon and scientist Michael Woodruff performed the first
successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at The Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodruff>
1991:
The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international
community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel
and the Arab countries, convened in Madrid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Conference_of_1991>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
parge:
(construction) A coat of cement mortar on the face of rough masonry, the
earth side of foundation and basement walls.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parge>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A work is never completed except by some accident such as
weariness, satisfaction, the need to deliver, or death: for, in relation
to who or what is making it, it can only be one stage in a series of
inner transformations.
--Paul Valéry
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Val%C3%A9ry>
Baron Munchausen is a fictional nobleman created by German writer Rudolf
Erich Raspe in his 1785 book Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his
Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia. The character is loosely
based on a real baron, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von
Münchhausen (1720–1797). Born in Bodenwerder, Electorate of
Brunswick-Lüneburg, the real-life Münchhausen fought for the Russian
Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739. After retiring in 1760,
he became a minor celebrity within German aristocratic circles for
telling outrageous tall tales based on his military career. After
hearing some of Münchhausen's stories, Raspe adapted them anonymously
into literary form, first in German as magazine pieces, and then in
English. The fictional Baron's exploits, narrated in the first person,
focus on his impossible achievements as a sportsman, soldier, and
traveller, for instance riding on a cannonball, fighting a forty-foot
crocodile, and travelling to the Moon. The real-life Münchhausen was
deeply upset at the development of a fictional character bearing his
name, and threatened legal proceedings against the book's publisher.
Several concepts and medical conditions have been named after the
character, including Munchausen syndrome, the Münchhausen trilemma, and
Munchausen numbers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Munchausen>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1618:
English courtier and explorer Walter Raleigh was executed in
London after King James I reinstated a fifteen-year-old death sentence
against him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh>
1792:
Lt. William Broughton, a member of Captain George Vancouver's
discovery expedition, observed a peak in what is now Oregon, US, and
named it Mount Hood after British admiral Samuel Hood.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood>
1948:
Arab–Israeli War: As the Israel Defense Forces captured the
Palestinian Arab village of Safsaf, they massacred at least 52
villagers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safsaf_massacre>
1986:
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opened the last
segment of the M25 motorway, one of Britain's busiest motorways.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_motorway>
1991:
Galileo became the first spacecraft to visit an asteroid when
it made a flyby of 951 Gaspra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/951_Gaspra>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shoe-leather:
Basic, old-fashioned or traditional; specifically (journalism) shoe-
leather journalism or shoe-leather reporting: journalism involving
walking from place to place observing things and speaking to people,
rather than sitting indoors at a desk.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shoe-leather>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One of my principles is, Thou shall not bully. The only answer is
to muscle the bully. I'm very combative that way.
--Bill Mauldin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Mauldin>
St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa
Amusement Producing Company and distributed by William Fox's Box Office
Attractions Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of
Augusta Jane Evans's 1866 eponymous novel. The story follows the life of
the title character (played by William Jossey), who kills his cousin
(Francis McDonald) over the love of Agnes (Madeline Pardee), falls from
grace, and eventually finds redemption and love with Edna (Gypsy
Abbott). It is disputed who directed the film; many sources credit
Bertram Bracken, while others list St. Elmo as J. Gordon Edwards's
directorial debut. Some reviewers praised the scenery and overall
production quality, considering the film an improvement over stage
adaptations of the novel. Others found the scenery irrelevant and the
story confusing. Despite mixed reviews, the film was financially
successful, reportedly setting box office records. The following year, a
film adaptation of an unrelated Evans novel, Beulah, was marketed as a
sequel. As with most Balboa films, St. Elmo is now believed lost.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo_(1914_film)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1664:
The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot, the
forerunner to the Royal Marines, was established at the grounds of the
Honourable Artillery Company in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Marines>
1835:
Māori chiefs signed the Declaration of the Independence of New
Zealand and established the United Tribes of New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Tribes_of_New_Zealand>
1891:
The Nōbi Earthquake, Japan's strongest known inland
earthquake, struck the former provinces of Mino and Owari.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1891_Mino%E2%80%93Owari_earthquake>
1919:
The US Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow
Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act>
1971:
Prospero, the only British satellite to date launched on a
British rocket, lifted off from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, South
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_(satellite)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
greeking:
(typography) Nonsense text that is inserted into a document to create a
dummy layout, or to demonstrate a type font.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greeking>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Apply just the right amount of force — never too much, never too
little. All of us know of people who have failed to accomplish what they
set out to do because of not properly gauging the amount of effort
required. At one extreme, they fall short of the mark; at the other,
they do not know when to stop.
--Jigoro Kano
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano>
The Norse-American medal was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1925,
pursuant to an act of the United States Congress. It was issued for the
100th anniversary of the voyage that brought early Norwegian immigrants
to the United States on the ship Restauration. Minnesota Congressman Ole
Juulson Kvale, a Norse-American, wanted a commemorative for the
centennial celebrations. Rebuffed by the Treasury Department when he
sought the issuance of a special coin, he instead settled for a medal.
Sculpted by Buffalo nickel designer James Earle Fraser, the medals
recognize those immigrants' Viking heritage, depicting a warrior on the
obverse and a vessel on the reverse. They also recall the early Viking
explorations of North America. Once they were authorized by Congress,
they were produced in various metals and sizes, for the most part prior
to the celebrations near Minneapolis in June 1925. Only 53 were issued
in gold, and these are rare and valuable today; those struck in silver
or bronze trade for much less. The medals are sometimes collected as
part of the commemorative coin series.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse-American_medal>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
English Civil War: The combined armies of Parliament inflicted
a tactical defeat on the Royalists, but failed to gain any strategic
advantage in the Second Battle of Newbury.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Newbury>
1810:
The United States annexed West Florida, the western portion of
the Spanish colony of Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Florida>
1904:
The first underground segment of the New York City Subway (City
Hall station pictured), today one of the most extensive public
transportation systems in the world, opened, connecting New York City
Hall with Harlem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway>
1944:
World War II: German forces captured Banská Bystrica, the
center of anti-Nazi opposition in Slovakia, bringing the Slovak National
Uprising to an end.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bansk%C3%A1_Bystrica>
1999:
Armed men led by Nairi Hunanyan attacked the National Assembly
of Armenia, killing Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of
Parliament Karen Demirchyan, and six others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_parliament_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Wonder Woman:
(by extension of the proper noun) A woman of extraordinary powers; a
superwoman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An attitude of moderation is apt to be misunderstood when passions
are greatly excited and when victory is apt to rest with the extremists
on one side or the other; yet I think it is in the long run the only
wise attitude...
--Theodore Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt>
Bud Dunn (1918–2001) was a horse trainer who specialized in training
and showing Tennessee Walking Horses. Born in 1918 on a farm in Scott
County, Kentucky, he later moved to Florence, Alabama, where he owned
and operated Bud Stables, a show horse training stable that produced
twenty World Championships. He additionally trained and rode two horses
who won the World Grand Championship at the Tennessee Walking Horse
National Celebration, a national-level horse show held annually in or
near Shelbyville, Tennessee. Dunn's first World Grand Championship came
in 1992 with the bay stallion Dark Spirit's Rebel, and the second in
1999 with a son of that stallion, RPM. At the time of RPM's win, Dunn
was 81 years old, making him the oldest winning rider on record. For his
contributions, he was twice named Trainer of the Year, and was inducted
into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame and the Lauderdale County
Sports Hall of Fame. Dunn's son Steve also became a successful horse
trainer, winning two World Grand Championships.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Dunn>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1341:
The Byzantine army proclaimed chief minister John VI
Kantakouzenos emperor, triggering a civil war between his supporters and
those of John V Palaiologos, the heir to the throne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_civil_war_of_1341%E2%80%9347>
1597:
Twelve Korean ships commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated a
large Japanese invasion fleet of at least 120 at the Battle of
Myeongnyang in the Myeongnyang Strait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Myeongnyang>
1881:
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most famous
gunfights in the history of the American Old West, took place in
Tombstone, Arizona, between Ike Clanton's gang and lawmen led by Wyatt
Earp (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral>
1944:
World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern
history, Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle
of Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf>
1994:
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty settling relations
between the two countries and pledging that neither would allow its
territory to become a staging ground for military strikes by a third
country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Jordan_peace_treaty>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
superman:
1. (chiefly philosophy) An imagined superior type of human being
representing a new stage of human development; an übermensch, an
overman.
2. A person of extraordinary or seemingly superhuman powers.
3. (plural supermans) A motorcycling stunt in which the rider releases both
hands from the handlebars in mid-air.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/superman>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
O, I believe fate smiled and destiny laughed as she came to my
cradle know this child will be able laughed as she came to my mother
know this child will not suffer laughed as my body she lifted know this
child will be gifted with love, with patience and with faith she'll make
her way
--Natalie Merchant
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Natalie_Merchant>
Operation Barras was a British Army operation in Sierra Leone in 2000
that rescued five soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment and 21 Sierra
Leonean civilians being held by the West Side Boys militia group. The
soldiers were part of a patrol returning from a visit to Jordanian
peacekeepers attached to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
(UNAMSIL) at Masiaka. The ground operation was conducted by D Squadron,
22 Regiment Special Air Service, with a diversionary assault by elements
of 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment. At least 25 West Side Boys and one
soldier in the rescue party were killed, and 18 West Side
Boys—including the gang's leader, Foday Kallay—were taken prisoner
and later transferred to the custody of the Sierra Leone Police. Many
West Side Boys fled the area during the assault, and over 300
surrendered to UNAMSIL forces within a fortnight. After the operation,
the British government increased its support of UNAMSIL and its efforts
to bring the Sierra Leone Civil War to an end, both politically, through
the United Nations Security Council, and through the provision of staff
officers to support UNAMSIL.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barras>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1616:
The Dutch sailing ship Eendracht reached Shark Bay on the
western coastline of Australia, as documented on the Hartog Plate
(replica pictured) etched by explorer Dirk Hartog.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartog_Plate>
1812:
War of 1812: USS United States captured HMS Macedonian, which
later became the first British warship to be brought into an American
harbor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_United_States_vs_HMS_Macedonian>
1861:
The Toronto Stock Exchange, the stock exchange with the most
mining and petrochemical companies listed in the world, was established.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Stock_Exchange>
1971:
The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the
Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as China's
representative at the United Nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations>
2001:
Windows XP, one of the most popular and widely used versions of
the Microsoft Windows operating system, was released for retail sale.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
flash:
1. To briefly illuminate a scene.
2. To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently.
3. To be visible briefly. […]
4. (transitive, intransitive, informal) To briefly, and in most cases
inadvertently, expose one's naked body or underwear, or part of it, in
public. (Contrast streak.)
5. (figuratively) To break forth like a sudden flood of light; to show a
momentary brilliance.
6. To flaunt; to display in a showy manner.
7. To communicate quickly.
8. To move, or cause to move, suddenly.
9. (transitive) To telephone a person, only allowing the phone to ring
once, in order to request a call back. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flash>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The highest proof of virtue is to possess boundless power without
abusing it.
--Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Babington_Macaulay,_1st_Baron_Macaulay>
"Subway" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American
police television drama Homicide: Life on the Street, and the 84th
episode overall. It first aired on NBC in the United States on December
5, 1997. In the episode, John Lange (Vincent D'Onofrio) becomes pinned
between a subway train and the station platform. The Baltimore homicide
department is informed that Lange will be dead within an hour, and
Pembleton tries to determine if the case is a homicide while comforting
Lange in his final minutes. "Subway" received overwhelmingly positive
reviews but ranked number three in its time-slot during its original
broadcast, capturing 10.3 million viewers but falling behind ABC's 20/20
and CBS's Nash Bridges. The episode won a Peabody Award for excellence
in television broadcasting and was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one
for Yoshimura's script and one for D'Onofrio's guest performance. Vince
Gilligan, an X-Files screenwriter, said that "Subway" directly
influenced an episode he wrote that featured Bryan Cranston, and
Cranston's performance led to his casting in Gilligan's series Breaking
Bad.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subway_(Homicide:_Life_on_the_Street)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow
Mamluk leader, Baibars, who then seized power for himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baibars>
1795:
As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent state
as its territory was divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth>
1912:
First Balkan War: Serbian forces defeated the Ottoman army at
the Battle of Kumanovo in Vardar Macedonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kumanovo>
1949:
The cornerstone of the United Nations Headquarters building in
New York City was laid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headquarters_of_the_United_Nations>
2007:
Chang'e 1, the first satellite in the Chinese Lunar Exploration
Program, was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
batman:
(historical) A unit of mass used in the Ottoman Empire and among Turkic
peoples of the Russian Empire, the value of which varied from place to
place throughout history. In the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century it
was equal to six okas (16 pounds 8 ounces avoirdupois; 7.484 kilograms),
and when the Turkish system of weights and measures was metricated in
1931 the oka was fixed at 1 kilogram and the batman at 10 okas (10
kilograms).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/batman>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To serve the people, one must write for the ideal reader. Only for
the ideal reader. And who or what is that ideal reader? God. One must
imagine, One must deeply imagine that great Attention Only so,
In lonely dialog, can one reach the people.
--Denise Levertov
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov>
The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le
Guin, published in 1969. It became immensely popular, winning both the
Hugo and Nebula Awards, and establishing Le Guin as a major author of
science fiction. The novel tells the story of Genly Ai, an Earthman sent
to the planet of Gethen as an envoy of the Ekumen. He is stymied by the
cultural barrier created by the Gethenians' lack of a fixed gender
identity. The novel is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of novels and
short stories by Le Guin set in the fictional Hainish universe, which
she introduced in 1964. The book was among the first published in the
feminist science fiction genre. The effect of sex and gender on culture
and society, a major theme throughout the novel, touched off a feminist
debate when it was first published. Left Hand has been reprinted more
than 30 times, and has received a highly positive response from
reviewers. Widely influential, it has been described as a seminal work
in the genre of science fiction. In 1987 the literary critic Harold
Bloom said, "Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high
literature, for our time".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1641:
Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of
Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions
to Catholics.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1641>
1812:
General Claude François de Malet began a conspiracy to
overthrow Napoleon, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he
was now the commandant of Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malet_coup_of_1812>
1942:
World War II: Japanese forces began their ill-fated attempt to
recapture Henderson Field from the Americans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Henderson_Field>
1983:
Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in
Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the
international peacekeeping force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing>
2002:
Chechen separatists seized a crowded theater in Moscow, taking
approximately 700 patrons and performers hostage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
atom:
1. (now historical) The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen
ninety-fourths of a second. [from 10th c.]
2. (history of science) A hypothetical particle posited by Greek
philosophers as an ultimate and indivisible component of matter. [from
15th c.]
3. (chemistry, physics) The smallest possible amount of matter which still
retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a
nucleus surrounded by electrons. [from 16th c.]
4. (now generally regarded figuratively) The smallest, indivisible
constituent part or unit of something. [from 17th c.]
5. A mote of dust in a sunbeam. [from 16th c.]
6. A very small amount (of something immaterial); a whit. [from 17th c.]
7. (computing, programming, Lisp) An individual number or symbol, as
opposed to a list; a scalar value.
8. (mathematics) A non-zero member of a Boolean algebra that is not a union
of any other elements. [from 20th c.]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we are to be a great democracy, we must all take an active role
in our democracy. We must do democracy. That goes far beyond simply
casting your vote. We must all actively champion the causes that ensure
the common good.
--Martin Luther King III
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_III>
The 2003–04 season was the 109th in the history of Arsenal Football
Club, with competitive matches played between August and May. Managed by
Arsène Wenger (pictured) and nicknamed "The Invincibles", the club
ended the Premier League campaign as champions with a record of 26 wins,
12 draws and no defeats. Arsenal fared less well in the other
competitions, eliminated in the FA Cup by Manchester United and in the
UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in the space of a week. Over five
competitions, 34 players represented the club, including 15 goalscorers.
Arsenal's top goalscorer was Thierry Henry, who scored 39 goals in 51
games. The Frenchman was given the accolades of PFA Players' Player of
the Year by his peers and the FWA Footballer of the Year by football
writers. Awarded a golden replica trophy by the Premier League once the
season concluded, Arsenal later set a new league record of 49 matches
unbeaten. In 2012, the team of 2003–04 won the "Best Team" category in
the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003%E2%80%9304_Arsenal_F.C._season>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1633:
Ming Chinese naval forces defeated a Dutch East India Company
fleet in the Taiwan Strait, the largest naval encounter between Chinese
and European forces before the First Opium War two hundred years later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Liaoluo_Bay>
1727:
George II and Caroline of Ansbach were crowned King and Queen
of Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_of_Ansbach>
1844:
Millerites, including future members of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, were greatly disappointed that Jesus did not return as
predicted by American preacher William Miller.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment>
2008:
India launched Chandrayaan-1, the country's first unmanned
lunar mission.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-1>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
surmise:
To conjecture, to opine or to posit with contestable premises.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/surmise>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly,
throughout his or her school life is something like this: "You are in
the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of
education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it
is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of
current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The
slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You
are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves
to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-
perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual
than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating
yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must
remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and
patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular
society."
--Doris Lessing
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing>