The Divisional Cavalry Regiment, New Zealand's first armoured unit, was
formed in September 1939 after the country entered the Second World War.
After being sent to Egypt with the 2nd New Zealand Division, the
regiment deployed to Greece as part of W Force, the British contingent
sent to defend the country from Nazi Germany in March 1941. The regiment
was scattered during the retreat from Greece; most of it ended up in
Crete, but had to evacuate in May after a German paratroop attack. Its
men fought in Operation Crusader and spent a brief interlude in Syria
before engaging in the First Battle of El Alamein, equipped with four
recaptured Stuart tanks (pictured). They fought again in the Second
Battle of El Alamein, at El Agheila, and at the Mareth Line. After the
German retreat from Tunisia, they were sent to Italy with the division
in September, and fought in the Italian Campaign. In October 1944, the
regiment was reorganized into an infantry battalion, fighting until the
end of the war in Europe in May 1945. In March 1946 they arrived in
Japan as a regiment of J Force, the New Zealand contribution to the
occupation. The regiment was disbanded in September 1947.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divisional_Cavalry_Regiment_(New_Zealand)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1739:
War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force captured the
settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main (modern Panama).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Bello>
1845:
Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: The Argentine
Confederation were defeated in the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, but the
losses ultimately made the United Kingdom and France give up the
blockade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vuelta_de_Obligado>
1917:
First World War: The Battle of Cambrai began with British
forces having initial success over Germany's Hindenburg Line.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1917)>
1947:
Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George VI of the United
Kingdom, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (both pictured), who was
given the title Duke of Edinburgh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh>
1994:
In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the Angolan government
signed a ceasefire with UNITA rebels in a failed attempt to end the
Angolan Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka_Protocol>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
countrify:
(transitive) To make rural or rustic.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/countrify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years
ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this
world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our
country and for our people.
--Robert F. Kennedy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy>
The Columbian half dollar is the first US commemorative coin, struck at
the Mint from November 19, 1892, until early 1893. It was issued both to
raise funds for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and to mark the
quadricentennial of the first voyage to the Americas of Christopher
Columbus, the first historical person to be depicted on an American coin
(pictured). Fair official James Ellsworth wanted the new half dollar to
be based on a 16th-century painting he owned by Lorenzo Lotto, reputedly
of Columbus, and pushed for this throughout the design process. When
initial sketches by Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber proved
unsatisfactory, the fair's organizers turned to a design by artist Olin
Levi Warner that was modified by Barber and his assistant, George T.
Morgan. Some five million half dollars were struck, far beyond the
actual demand, and half of them were returned to the Mint and melted
after the fair closed. Sales of the coins did not cure the fair's
financial woes; fewer than 400,000 were sold at a premium price. Some
two million were released into circulation, where they remained as late
as the 1950s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1816:
The University of Warsaw, the largest university in Poland, was
established as Congress Poland found itself a territory without a
university.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Warsaw>
1863:
American Civil War: US President Abraham Lincoln delivered the
Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address>
1941:
World War II: The Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran destroyed each other in the Indian
Ocean.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxilia…>
1969:
Playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazilian footballer Pelé scored his 1000th goal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turd:
1. (mildly vulgar) A piece of solid animal or human feces.
2. (derogatory) A pejorative term, typically directed at a person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turd>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have always said that my whole public life was an experiment to
determine whether an intelligent people would sustain a man in acting
sensibly on each proposition that arose, and in doing nothing for mere
show or demagogical effect.
--James A. Garfield
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_A._Garfield>
Black American Sign Language (BASL) is a dialect of American Sign
Language (ASL), usually encountered among deaf African Americans. The
divergence from ASL was influenced largely by segregation in the
American South. Like other schools at the time, schools for the deaf
were segregated by race, creating two language communities: White deaf
signers at White schools and Black deaf signers at Black schools. Today,
BASL is still used by signers in the South despite the gradual
desegregation of deaf schools after 1954, the year of the US Supreme
Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring racial
segregation in schools unconstitutional. Linguistically, BASL differs
from other varieties of ASL in its phonology, syntax, and lexicon. In
ASL, signs are generally produced near the body, but BASL tends to have
a larger signing space. Signers of BASL also tend to prefer two-handed
variants of signs while signers of ASL tend to prefer one-handed
variants. Some signs are different in BASL as well, with some borrowings
from African American English.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_American_Sign_Language>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1210:
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated by Pope Innocent
III after he commanded the Pope to annul the Concordat of Worms.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_IV,_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1878:
Soprano Marie Selika Williams became the first African-American
artist to perform at the White House.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Selika_Williams>
1928:
Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie, the first completely post-
produced synchronized sound animated cartoon, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie>
1956:
In the Polish embassy in Moscow Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
said "We will bury you" while addressing Western envoys, prompting them
to leave the room.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_will_bury_you>
1991:
Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army
captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vukovar>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kooky:
1. Eccentric, strange, or foolish; crazy or insane; kookish.
2. (surfing) Behaving like a kook (a person with poor style or skill);
kook-like.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kooky>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fabric of democracy is always fragile everywhere because it
depends on the will of citizens to protect it, and when they become
scared, when it becomes dangerous for them to defend it, it can go very
quickly.
--Margaret Atwood
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood>
The bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus), now extinct, was a South African
antelope. Classified in the same genus as the roan antelope and sable
antelope, it was smaller than either. The largest mounted bluebuck
specimen is 119 centimetres (47 in) tall at the withers, with horns
measuring 56.5 centimetres (22.2 in) along the curve. The bluebuck's
coat was bluish-grey, with a pale whitish belly. It was a grazer, and
may have calved where rainfall would peak. When encountered by
Europeans, it was confined to a 4,300-square-kilometre (1,700 sq mi)
grassland habitat of the southwestern Cape, but fossils and rock
paintings give evidence of a larger distribution. The first published
mention of the bluebuck is from 1681. The few 18th-century illustrations
appear to have been based on stuffed specimens. Hunted by European
settlers, the bluebuck was the first large African mammal that went
extinct in historical times, around 1800. Only four mounted specimens
remain, in museums in Leiden, Stockholm, Vienna, and Paris; other
museums contain skulls and horns.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebuck>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1292:
John Balliol was chosen to be King of Scots over Robert de
Brus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Balliol>
1796:
French Revolutionary Wars: French forces defeated the Austrians
at the Battle of Arcole in a manoeuvre to cut the latter's line of
retreat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arcole>
1839:
Giuseppe Verdi's first opera Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio,
was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberto_(opera)>
1905:
Influenced by the result of the Russo-Japanese War, the Empire
of Japan and the Korean Empire signed the Eulsa Treaty, effectively
depriving Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Treaty_of_1905>
1993:
General Sani Abacha ousted Ernest Shonekan to become chairman
of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sani_Abacha>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
roots-rock:
(music) A genre of popular rock music influenced by Americana and roots
music.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roots-rock>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those who, by the essence of their belief, are committed to Direct
Action only are — just who? Why, the non-resistants; precisely those
who do not believe in violence at all! Now do not make the mistake of
inferring that I say direct action means non-resistance; not by any
means. Direct action may be the extreme of violence, or it may be as
peaceful as the waters of the Brook of Siloa that go softly. What I say
is, that the real non-resistants can believe in direct action only,
never in political action. For the basis of all political action is
coercion; even when the State does good things, it finally rests on a
club, a gun, or a prison, for its power to carry them through.
--Voltairine de Cleyre
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltairine_de_Cleyre>
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is an action role-playing video
game developed by Troika Games (founders pictured) and first released on
November 16, 2004, by Activision for Microsoft Windows. Based on White
Wolf Publishing's role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, it follows
a male or female character who is killed and revived as a fledgling
vampire in 21st-century Los Angeles. Bloodlines is presented from first-
and third-person perspectives. Characters may use violent and nonviolent
methods to achieve their goals while moving freely between the available
hubs: Santa Monica, Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, and Chinatown.
Troika's 32-member team began development in 2001, using Valve
Corporation's brand-new Source game engine, also used for Valve's own
Half-Life 2. Bloodlines was incomplete at its first release, with
disappointing sales of fewer than 80,000 copies initially. It divided
critics at the time, who faulted it for technical flaws. It now has a
cult following as a rarely replicated example of a game that succeeds in
both gameplay and narrative; critical opinion now styles it as a flawed
masterpiece.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade_%E2%80%93_Bloodlines>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1384:
Jadwiga was officially crowned as "King of Poland" instead of
"Queen" to reflect the fact that she was a sovereign in her own right
and not merely a royal consort.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadwiga_of_Poland>
1491:
Several Jews and conversos were executed in Toledo, Spain, for
the alleged ritual murder of an infant, who was later revered as the
Holy Child of La Guardia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Child_of_La_Guardia>
1855:
Explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see
Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world, on what is
now the Zambia–Zimbabwe border.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls>
1938:
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized the psychedelic
drug LSD at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann>
1992:
In Suffolk, England, an amateur metal detectorist found the
largest hoard of Roman gold, silver and bronze coins from the late
fourth and early fifth centuries ever discovered within the former Roman
Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxne_Hoard>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
machine elf:
A kind of otherworldly humanoid figure sometimes seen during
dimethyltryptamine (DMT) hallucinations.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/machine_elf>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Wittgenstein, Elizabeth Taylor, Bertrand Russell, Thomas Merton,
Yogi Berra, Allen Ginsberg, Harry Wolfson, Thoreau, Casey Stengel, The
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Picasso, Moses, Einstein, Hugh Hefner, Socrates,
Henry Ford, Lenny Bruce, Baba Ram Dass, Gandhi, Sir Edmund Hillary,
Raymond Lubitz, Buddha, Frank Sinatra, Columbus, Freud, Norman Mailer,
Ayn Rand, Baron Rothschild, Ted Williams, Thomas Edison, H.L. Mencken,
Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Ellison, Bobby Fischer, Emma Goldman, Peter
Kropotkin, you, and your parents. Is there really one kind of life which
is best for each of these people?
--Robert Nozick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Nozick>
Hurricane Kate formed northeast of Puerto Rico on November 15, 1985, as
the eleventh named storm of the annual hurricane season. Kate made its
first landfall on the northern coast of Cuba at Category 2 intensity,
then emerged as a slightly weaker storm during the evening hours of
November 19. Heavy rainfall in Cuba caused numerous mudslides and
flooding, killing 10 people and leading to severe agricultural damage.
Wind gusts also damaged crops, and resulted in widespread power outages
and significant building damage; the cost in Cuba totaled $400 million,
the most from a hurricane strike on that island in many decades. Once
clear of land, Kate intensified to Category 3, and the following day it
attained its peak winds of around 120 mph (195 km/h). It came ashore
near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a minimal Category 2 hurricane with
winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) on November 21, the latest day ever in an
Atlantic hurricane season that a hurricane-strength storm has struck the
United States. There were 17 deaths attributable to the storm, in
Jamaica and Cuba, and the total damage caused was at least
$700 million.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Kate_(1985)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
565:
On his deathbed, Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I informed his
chamberlain that his nephew Justin II was to be his successor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_II>
1864:
American Civil War: Union Army General William T. Sherman began
his "March to the Sea", inflicting significant damage to property and
infrastructure on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman>
1889:
Brazilian Emperor Pedro II was overthrown in a coup led by
Deodoro da Fonseca, and Brazil was proclaimed a republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_and_fall_of_Pedro_II_of_Brazil>
1943:
The Holocaust: Heinrich Himmler ordered that Romanies were to
be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porajmos>
1988:
The Soviet Buran spacecraft, a reusable vehicle built in
response to NASA's Space Shuttle program, was launched, unmanned, on her
only flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
philanthropy:
1. (chiefly uncountable) Benevolent altruism with the intention of
increasing the well-being of mankind.
2. (uncountable) Charitable giving, charity.
3. (countable) A philanthropic act.
4. (countable) A charitable foundation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/philanthropy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is no greater mindlessness and absurdity than to force
conscience and the spirit with external power, when only their creator
has authority for them.
--Ferenc Dávid
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ferenc_D%C3%A1vid>
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" is the second episode of the
seventh season of the American science fiction television series The
X-Files. Originally airing November 14, 1999, on the Fox network, it
was directed by Michael Watkins and written by series creator Chris
Carter and lead actor David Duchovny, who plays Fox Mulder. Mimi Rogers
(pictured) guest-starred in her last appearance in the series. The
X-Files centers on Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents Mulder
and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who work on cases linked to the
paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Scully returns from Africa
to discover Mulder in a coma induced by exposure to shards from an alien
spaceship wreck. After Mulder awakens from his coma, he realizes his
duty to prevent alien colonization. Carter explored themes of
extraterrestrial involvement in ancient mass extinctions in this
episode, the third in a trilogy focused on Mulder's severe reaction to
an alien artifact. Initial reviews were mixed, but later critics viewed
the episode in a more positive light and several writers named it among
the show's best.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Extinction_II:_Amor_Fati>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a
ship, flying from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in Hampton
Roads, Virginia, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely>
1941:
Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous
day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank as she was being
towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(91)>
1960:
Ruby Bridges became the first black child to attend an all-
white elementary school in Louisiana as part of the New Orleans school
desegregation crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_school_desegregation_crisis>
1984:
Cesar Climaco, mayor of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, was
assassinated by an unknown gunman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Climaco>
2003:
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L.
Rabinowitz discovered the trans-Neptunian object 90377 Sedna (artist's
impression pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
yurt:
A large, round, semi-permanent tent with vertical walls and a conical
roof, usually associated with Central Asia and Mongolia (where it is
known as a ger).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yurt>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Great causes and little men go ill together.
--Jawaharlal Nehru
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru>
Heavy metals are metals with relatively high densities, atomic weights,
or atomic numbers, depending on the context. They are usually the denser
metals in metallurgy, or the metals with higher atomic numbers in
physics, whereas chemists distinguish heavy metals by their chemical
behaviour. Heavy metals tend to be less chemically reactive than light
metals such as sodium, magnesium, and aluminium. The earliest known
metals are heavy metals, including common metals such as iron, copper,
and tin, and precious metals such as silver, gold, and platinum. Less
familiar metals such as gallium, hafnium, and thallium are also heavy
metals, as are the essential nutrients iron, cobalt, and zinc. Some are
toxic in larger amounts or certain forms (silver and indium, for
example); others, like cadmium, mercury, and lead, are highly poisonous.
Sources of heavy metal poisoning may include mining and industrial
waste, agricultural runoff, occupational exposure, paints and treated
timber. Heavy metals are relatively scarce in the Earth's crust, but are
present in many manufactured products.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metals>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1002:
King Æthelred II ordered the massacre of all Danes in England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brice%27s_Day_massacre>
1841:
Scottish surgeon James Braid observed a demonstration of animal
magnetism, which inspired him to study the subject he eventually called
hypnotism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Braid_(surgeon)>
1927:
The Holland Tunnel, connecting New York City's Manhattan with
Jersey City, New Jersey, under the Hudson River, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Tunnel>
1966:
The Israeli military conducted a large cross-border assault on
the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu in response to an al-
Fatah land mine incident two days earlier near the West Bank border.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samu_Incident>
1982:
South Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo suffered fatal brain injuries
during a match with American Ray Mancini near Las Vegas' Caesars Palace,
leading to significant rule changes in the sport.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Duk-koo>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spoils of war:
Any profits extracted as the result of winning a war or other military
activity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spoils_of_war>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that
makes men as angels.
--Augustine of Hippo
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo>
Mughal-e-Azam (The Emperor of the Mughals) is a 1960 Indian epic
historical drama film directed by K. Asif and produced by Shapoorji
Pallonji, re-released in colour on 12 November 2004. Starring Prithviraj
Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love
affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on to become Emperor
Jahangir) and Anarkali, a court dancer. Salim's father, Emperor Akbar,
disapproves, and war ensues. Sixteen years in development, the film cost
more to produce than any previous Indian motion picture, and had the
widest release. The soundtrack, inspired by Indian classical and folk
music, is often cited as one of the finest soundtracks in Bollywood
cinematic history. It became the highest-grossing Bollywood film at the
time, and won one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards.
Mughal-e-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally
coloured and re-released theatrically. Considered a milestone of its
genre, it earned praise from critics for its grandeur and attention to
detail. Film scholars have welcomed its portrayal of enduring themes,
but question its historical accuracy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal-e-Azam>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1028:
Future Byzantine empress Zoë first took the throne as empress
consort to Romanos III Argyros.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zo%C3%AB_Porphyrogenita>
1892:
William Heffelfinger was paid $525 by the Allegheny Athletic
Association, becoming the first professional American football player on
record.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Heffelfinger>
1912:
The bodies of Robert Falcon Scott and his companions were
discovered, roughly eight months after their deaths during the ill-fated
British Antarctic Expedition 1910.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott>
1991:
In Dili, East Timor, Indonesian forces opened fire on student
demonstrators protesting the occupation of East Timor, killing at least
250 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_massacre>
2006:
Although the Georgian government declared it illegal, South
Ossetia held a referendum on independence, with about 99 percent of
voters supporting, to preserve the region's status as a de facto
independent state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetian_independence_referendum,_2006>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
periegesis:
A description of an area or territory.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/periegesis>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name Vilified, crucified, in
the human frame A million candles burning for the help that never came
You want it darker Hineni, hineni I'm ready, my Lord.
--Leonard Cohen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>
George S. Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general
who commanded the U.S. Seventh and Third armies during World War II. He
had been wounded during World War I leading the newly formed Tank Corps
of the American Expeditionary Forces into combat. In 1942 he led U.S.
troops in the invasion of Casablanca, and later commanded the Seventh
Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily. After slapping two soldiers,
he was removed from battlefield command, but returned to lead the Third
Army following the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. After a successful
armored drive across France, his army helped rescue beleaguered American
troops during the Battle of the Bulge. He died from an automobile
accident in Germany. While Allied leaders held sharply differing
opinions on Patton, he was regarded highly by his opponents in the
German High Command. His emphasis on aggressive offensive action proved
effective, but his hard-driving personality and success as a commander
were at times overshadowed by controversial public statements. He joined
his troops on the front lines and inspired them with vulgarity-ridden
speeches, as recounted in a 1970 award-winning biographical film.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
American Revolutionary War: British forces and their Seneca
allies attacked a fort and the village of Cherry Valley, New York,
killing 14 soldiers and 30 civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Valley_massacre>
1805:
War of the Third Coalition: French, Austrian and Russian units
all suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dürenstein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_D%C3%BCrenstein>
1918:
The armistice treaty between the German Empire and the Allies
was signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne of France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_11_November_1918>
1926:
The plan for the United States Numbered Highway System was
approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway_System>
1975:
During a constitutional crisis in Australia, Governor-General
John Kerr dismissed the government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and
dissolved Parliament for a double dissolution election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
saddle shoe:
A shoe, resembling an oxford, which has a saddle of a leather or color
different from the rest of the shoe.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/saddle_shoe>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Tiger got to hunt, Bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder,
"Why, why, why?" Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land; Man got to tell
himself he understand.
--Cat's Cradle
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cat%27s_Cradle>