The Morgan dollar coin was minted from 1878 to 1904, and again in 1921.
It is named for its designer, U.S. Mint Assistant Engraver George T.
Morgan. The obverse depicts a profile portrait representing Liberty,
while the reverse depicts an eagle with wings outstretched. The Coinage
Act of 1873, which stopped the minting of silver dollars, was reversed
by a series of laws supporting production of the Morgan dollar. The
Bland–Allison Act of 1878 required the Treasury to purchase between
two and four million dollars' worth of silver at market value to be
coined into dollars each month. In 1890 that act was repealed by the
Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which required the Treasury to purchase
4,500,000 troy ounces (140,000 kg) of silver each month, but this act
too was repealed, in 1893. An 1898 law required all remaining bullion to
be coined into silver dollars, and when those reserves were depleted in
1904, production of the Morgan dollar ended. The Pittman Act, passed in
1918, authorized the melting and recoining of millions of silver
dollars, and the Morgan dollar resumed mintage for one year in 1921,
before its replacement by the Peace dollar later the same year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
Eta Carinae flared up to become the second brightest star in
the night sky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae>
1851:
Italian Romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto was
first performed at La Fenice in Venice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoletto>
1946:
Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration
camp, was captured by British troops.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_H%C3%B6ss>
1978:
After hijacking a bus north of Tel Aviv, members of Palestine
Liberation Organization faction Fatah engaged in a shootout with the
Israel Police, resulting in the deaths of 38 civilians and most of the
perpetrators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_Road_massacre>
2006:
Michelle Bachelet was inaugurated as the first female President
of Chile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Bachelet>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
propitious:
1. Favorable; benevolent.
2. (archaic) Favorably disposed towards someone.
3. Advantageous.
4. Characteristic of a good omen; auspicious.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/propitious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of
free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner
dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown.
--Vannevar Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vannevar_Bush>
Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 1629 – 1682) was a prolific and versatile
Dutch artist, generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of
the Dutch Golden Age. During this period of great wealth and cultural
achievement when Dutch painting became highly popular, his father and
uncle were also landscape artists. His earliest works, dating from 1646,
show remarkable quality for his age. He moved from his Haarlem
birthplace to Amsterdam around 1657, where he lived until his death.
Ruisdael painted a wide variety of landscape subjects, including Dutch
countryside scenes, city panoramas, seascapes, and Scandinavian
waterfalls. The sky often takes up two thirds of the canvas. His
accurate rendering of trees was unprecedented, and he is particularly
known for his paintings of mills, such as Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede
(pictured). Ruisdael shaped landscape painting traditions worldwide,
influencing the English Romantics, the French Barbizon School, and the
American Hudson River School, as well as generations of Dutch landscape
artists. The National Gallery, the Rijksmuseum, and the Hermitage Museum
hold the largest collections of his paintings.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_van_Ruisdael>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1607:
Susenyos defeated the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros
II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susenyos_I>
1876:
Alexander Graham Bell made his first successful bi-directional
telephone call, saying, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_the_telephone>
1959:
An anti-Chinese uprising erupted in Lhasa, the capital of
Tibet, as about 300,000 Tibetans surrounded the Potala Palace to prevent
the 14th Dalai Lama from leaving or being removed by the Chinese
People's Liberation Army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Tibetan_uprising>
1966:
Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale
civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Ch%C3%A1nh_Thi>
2006:
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (artist's conception
pictured) attained orbit around Mars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
quiescent:
1. Inactive, quiet, at rest.
2. (grammar) Not sounded; silent.
3. (cell biology) Non-proliferating.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quiescent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I had crossed de line of which I had so long been dreaming. I was
free; but dere was no one to welcome me to de land of freedom, I was a
stranger in a strange land, and my home after all was down in de old
cabin quarter, wid de ole folks, and my brudders and sisters. But to dis
solemn resolution I came; I was free, and dey should be free also; I
would make a home for dem in de North, and de Lord helping me, I would
bring dem all dere. Oh, how I prayed den, lying all alone on de cold,
damp ground; "Oh, dear Lord," I said, "I haint got no friend but you.
Come to my help, Lord, for I'm in trouble!"
--Harriet Tubman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman>
Anfield is an association football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool,
England. With a seating capacity of 44,742, it is the seventh largest
football stadium in England. It was the home of Everton F.C. from 1884
until a rent dispute in 1891, and has been the home of Liverpool F.C.
since their formation in 1892. The stadium has four stands: the Spion
Kop, Main Stand, Centenary Stand and Anfield Road. The record attendance
of 61,905 was set at a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton
Wanderers in 1952. The ground was reduced to an all-seater stadium in
1994 on the recommendation of the Taylor Report. It has two gates named
after the former Liverpool managers Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, with a
statue of Shankly at the visitor's center outside. The ground is 2 miles
(3 km) from Liverpool Lime Street railway station. A proposal in 2002
to replace the stadium with a new one in the adjacent Stanley Park was
rejected by Fenway Sports Group, who acquired the club in 2010.
Construction on the Main Stand to increase the stadium size to around
54,000 began on 8 December 2014.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anfield>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1009:
The first known record of the name of Lithuania appeared in an
entry in the annals of the Quedlinburg Abbey in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Lithuania>
1842:
The first documented discovery of gold in California occurred
at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_San_Francisco>
1932:
Éamon de Valera, one of the dominant political figures in
twentieth-century Ireland, became President of the Executive Council of
the Irish Free State.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89amon_de_Valera>
1946:
Thirty-three people were killed in a stampede at Burnden Park,
a football stadium in Bolton, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnden_Park_disaster>
1956:
In Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet military troops suppressed mass
demonstrations against Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's de-
Stalinization policy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Georgian_demonstrations>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
exhort:
To urge; to advise earnestly.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exhort>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am full of doubts ... Each new film is like a trial. Before I
step in front of the camera, I do not know whether I am going to fall or
whether I am going to fly — and that is exactly the way I want it to
stay.
--Juliette Binoche
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Juliette_Binoche>
Ellen Wilkinson (1891–1947) was a British Labour Party politician,
Member of Parliament (MP) for Jarrow from 1935 to 1947 and Minister of
Education from July 1945 until her death. In 1936 she was a leader of
the Jarrow March, an iconic symbol of 1930s unemployment and
impoverishment. On graduating from the University of Manchester in 1913,
Wilkinson worked mainly as a trade union official, and was briefly a
member of the British Communist Party before becoming Labour MP for
Middlesbrough East in 1924. After losing her seat in the 1931 general
election she worked as a writer and journalist before resuming her
parliamentary career in 1935. A strong advocate for the Republican
faction in the Spanish Civil War, she made several visits to the battle
zones. During the Second World War Wilkinson served in Churchill's
wartime coalition as a junior minister. By the time she achieved cabinet
office in Clement Attlee's postwar Labour ministry she was in poor
health due to constant overwork, and was able to promote only modest
educational reforms. She died of an accidental overdose of medication
while under treatment for an acute bronchial disease.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Wilkinson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1658:
After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars, King Frederick
III of Denmark–Norway was forced to give up nearly half his Danish
territory to Sweden to save the rest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Roskilde>
1736:
Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, was crowned Shah
of Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nader_Shah>
1924:
Three violent explosions at a coal mine near Castle Gate, Utah,
US, killed all 171 miners working there.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Gate_Mine_disaster>
1963:
The Ba'ath Party came to power in Syria in a coup d'état by a
clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the
National Council of the Revolutionary Command.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Syrian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1983:
The Cold War: During a speech to the National Association of
Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Ronald Reagan described
the Soviet Union as an "evil empire".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_empire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gogo:
(South Africa) Grandmother; elderly woman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gogo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of
many things that were not so.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Oliver_Wendell_Holmes,_Jr.>
Bristol is a city in South West England. With an estimated population of
442,500 in 2015, it is the second most populous city in Southern England
and the eighth in the UK. Iron Age hill forts and Roman villas were
built near the confluence of the Rivers Frome and Avon, and around the
beginning of the 11th century the settlement was known as Brycgstow (Old
English for "the place at the bridge"). Bristol received a royal charter
in 1155, and became a county in 1373. A major commercial port from the
12th century, it was the starting place for early voyages of exploration
to the New World, including the 1497 expedition in which John Cabot
became the first European since the Vikings to land on mainland North
America. One of the top four English cities in tax receipts from the
13th to the 18th century, Bristol's prominence declined during the
Industrial Revolution. Its modern economy is built on the creative
media, electronics and aerospace industries. The city-centre docks
closed in the 20th century, and have been redeveloped as centres of
heritage and culture. The city is among the most popular tourist
destinations in the UK.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1277:
Étienne Tempier, Bishop of Paris, promulgated a Condemnation
of 219 philosophical and theological propositions that were being
discussed at the University of Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_Tempier>
1850:
In support of the Compromise of 1850, United States Senator
Daniel Webster gave his "Seventh of March" speech, which was so
unpopular among his constituency he was forced to resign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Webster>
1936:
Nazi German forces re-occupied the demilitarized Rhineland,
violating both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties that
were signed after World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remilitarization_of_the_Rhineland>
1985:
The charity single "We Are the World" by the supergroup USA for
Africa was released, and would go on to sell over 20 million copies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World>
2009:
Two off-duty soldiers of the British Army's 38 Engineer
Regiment were shot dead by the Real IRA in Antrim town, Northern
Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Massereene_Barracks_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
denude:
To divest of all covering; to make bare or naked; to strip.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/denude>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life can be great, but not when you can't see it. So, open your
eyes to life: to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us as a
precious gift to His children, to enjoy life to the fullest, and to make
it count. Say yes to your life. And when it comes to drugs and alcohol
just say NO.
--Nancy Reagan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan>
Iven Mackay (1882–1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who saw
action in both World Wars. He served with the 4th Infantry Battalion at
Gallipoli, distinguishing himself in hand-to-hand fighting at the Battle
of Lone Pine. On the Western Front, he assumed command of the 4th
Battalion in 1916 and led the 1st Infantry Brigade in 1918. After the
war he studied physics at the University of Cambridge under Ernest
Rutherford. He remained in the Militia between the wars, and was a major
general by the time the Second World War broke out. He commanded the 6th
Division through the Australian Army's first battles of the war. During
the Battle of Bardia in 1941, the 6th Division captured the fortified
town along with 36,000 Italian prisoners; Mackay was knighted for this
success. In the Battle of Greece, he became the only Australian general
to face the Waffen SS in battle. He was recalled to Australia in 1941,
commanding the Home Forces and New Guinea Force as a lieutenant general.
His active service ended in 1943 with his appointment as High
Commissioner to India.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iven_Mackay>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
961:
The Muslim Emirate of Crete was conquered by the Byzantine
Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Crete>
1447:
Tomaso Parentucelli became Pope Nicholas V.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Nicholas_V>
1869:
Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first periodic table of elements
to the Russian Chemical Society.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Mendeleev>
1930:
Organized by the Communist International, hundreds of thousands
of people in major cities around the world marched to protest mass
unemployment associated with the Great Depression.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Unemployment_Day>
1988:
In Operation Flavius, the British Special Air Service killed
three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers conspiring to bomb a
parade of British military bands in Gibraltar.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Flavius>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
perquisite:
1. (mostly plural) Any monetary or other incidental benefit beyond salary.
2. A gratuity.
3. A privilege or possession held or claimed exclusively by a certain
person, group or class.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perquisite>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Politics: a Trojan horse race.
--Stanisław Jerzy Lec
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Jerzy_Lec>
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend was a newspaper comic strip by American
cartoonist Winsor McCay, begun September 10, 1904, that depicted
fantastic bizarre dreams. It was McCay's second successful strip, after
Little Sammy Sneeze secured him a position on the cartoon staff of the
New York Herald. Rarebit Fiend was printed in the Evening Telegram, a
newspaper published by the Herald. The strip had no continuity or
recurring characters. Instead, it had a recurring theme: a character
would have a nightmare or other bizarre dream, usually after eating a
Welsh rarebit—a cheese-on-toast dish. The dreams often revealed
unflattering sides of the dreamers' psyches—their phobias,
hypocrisies, discomforts, and dark fantasies. The strip is mostly
recognized as an adult-oriented precursor to McCay's signature strip,
Little Nemo. The popularity of Rarebit Fiend and Nemo led to a job with
William Randolph Hearst's chain of newspapers with a star's salary. Many
characters from the strip, such as giant monsters laying waste to
cities, anticipated later fiction and films, including King Kong and
Godzilla.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Rarebit_Fiend>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order suffered a great loss
when 71 knights died in the Battle of Aizkraukle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aizkraukle>
1616:
Nicolaus Copernicus's De revolutionibus orbium coelestium,
describing his heliocentric theory of the Solar System, was prohibited
by the Roman Catholic Church.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium>
1811:
Peninsular War: In the Battle of Barrosa, an Anglo-Spanish-
Portuguese force trying to lift the Siege of Cádiz was able to defeat a
French attack, although they were ultimately unable to break the siege
itself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barrosa>
1936:
The prototype of the Supermarine Spitfire, a British single-
seat fighter that was later used by the Royal Air Force and many other
Allied countries during the Second World War, flew for the first time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire>
1966:
BOAC Flight 911 disintegrated and crashed near Mount Fuji
shortly after departure from Tokyo International Airport, killing all
113 passengers and 11 crew members on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_911>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mesmerism:
The method or power of gaining control over someone's personality or
actions, as in hypnosis or suggestion.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mesmerism>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Two things have always been true about human beings. One, the
world is always getting better. Two, the people living at that time
think it`s getting worse. It's because you get older, your
responsibilities are different. Now I'm taking care of children instead
of being a child. It makes the world look scarier. That happens to
everyone.
--Penn Jillette
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Penn_Jillette>
The Percheron is a draft horse that originated in the Huisne river
valley, part of the former Perche province in France from which the
breed takes its name. Usually gray or black, Percherons are well
muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work.
Ancestors of the breed were present in Huisne by the 17th century, and
were originally bred to be war horses. Over time, they were used for
farm work, pulling stage coaches, and hauling heavy goods. The first
purebred Percheron stud book was created in France in 1883. In the late
19th century, thousands of Percherons were shipped from France to the
US, but after World War I began, some were shipped back to France to
help in the fighting. In 1918 breeding of Percherons began in Great
Britain and the British Percheron Horse Society was formed. The current
US Percheron registry was created in 1934. Their numbers declined
substantially after World War II, but later rebounded. The breed is
still used today for riding, for pulling carriages and for heavier draft
work. They have been crossed with light horse breeds to produce horses
for a wide range of uses.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percheron>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
306:
Roman Herculian guard Adrian of Nicomedia, who had converted to
Christianity after being impressed with the faith of Christians that he
had been torturing, was martyred.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_and_Natalia_of_Nicomedia>
1461:
Wars of the Roses in England: Lancastrian King Henry VI was
deposed by his Yorkist cousin, who then became King Edward IV.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_IV_of_England>
1769:
French astronomer Charles Messier first noted the Orion Nebula,
a bright nebula situated south of Orion's Belt, later cataloguing it as
Messier 42 in his list of Messier objects.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula>
1941:
Second World War: British Commandos successfully executed
Operation Claymore on the Lofoten Islands of Norway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Claymore>
2009:
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for
President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity regarding his actions during the War in Darfur.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
prophylactic:
1. A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
2. (US) Specifically, a prophylactic condom.
3. (figuratively) Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful
consequences.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prophylactic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How far should one accept the rules of the society in which one
lives? To put it another way: at what point does conformity become
corruption? Only by answering such questions does the conscience truly
define itself.
--Kenneth Tynan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Tynan>
Master of Puppets is the third studio album by American heavy metal band
Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. It was the
first Metallica album released on a major label, and the last to feature
bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus crash in Sweden during the
album's promotional tour. It was recorded at the Sweet Silence Studios
with producer Flemming Rasmussen. Master of Puppets received critical
acclaim for its atmospheric and meticulous approach to American thrash
metal, and has been included in several publications' best album lists.
Its driving music and angry, political lyrics drew praise from critics
outside the metal community. The album is considered the band's
strongest effort of the period, and remains one of the most influential
heavy metal albums. It peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and
became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. In 2003
the Recording Industry Association of America certified at least six
million copies shipped, and in 2012 Music Canada certified 600,000
copies.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Puppets>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: Samuel Nicholas and the Continental
Marines successfully landed on New Providence and captured Nassau in the
Bahamas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nassau>
1875:
French composer Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, based on the
novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, premiered at the Opéra-
Comique in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen>
1924:
The Free State of Fiume, a short-lived independent free state
located in the modern city of Rijeka, Croatia, was annexed by the
Kingdom of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_of_Fiume>
1951:
Jackie Brenston, with Ike Turner and his band, recorded "Rocket
88", often cited as "the first rock and roll record", at Sam Phillips'
recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88>
2009:
The building housing the Historical Archive of the City of
Cologne, one of the largest communal archives in Europe, collapsed
(ruins pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Archive_of_the_City_of_Cologne>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
trenchant:
1. (obsolete) Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp.
2. (figuratively) Keen; biting; vigorously effective and articulate;
severe.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trenchant>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One must preach life, not death; spread hope, not fear and
cultivate joy, man's most valuable treasure. That is the secret of the
greatest of the wise, and it wil be the light of tomorrow.
--Émile Chartier
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Chartier>
The Battle of Agua Dulce was a skirmish on March 2, 1836, in Tamaulipas,
Mexico, during the Goliad Campaign of the Texas Revolution. Mexican
troops surprised rebellious colonists from the Mexican province of
Texas, primarily immigrants from the United States, known as Texians. By
the end of 1835, Texians had expelled all Mexican troops from their
province. In February Frank W. Johnson, the commander of the volunteer
army in Texas, along with James Grant, was leading a planned invasion of
the Mexican port town of Matamoros. Unbeknownst to the Texians, Mexican
General José de Urrea was leading troops from Matamoros into Texas to
neutralize the rebels gathered along the coast. His troops easily
defeated Johnson's small force on February 26. Several days later,
informants revealed the location of another small force led by Grant,
and on the morning of March 2, Urrea sent 150 troops who ambushed and
defeated them. Grant fled but was killed, as were 11 men under his
command. Six Texians were taken prisoner, and Urrea jailed them instead
of executing them, contrary to Santa Anna's orders. Another six Texians
escaped, five of whom later died in the Goliad Massacre.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Agua_Dulce>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1444:
Skanderbeg organised the League of Lezhë, an alliance of
Albanian principalities that is regarded as the first unified Albanian
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Lezh%C3%AB>
1825:
Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates,
was defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_the_Anne>
1919:
Communist, revolutionary socialist, and syndicalist delegates
met in Moscow to establish the Communist International.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Congress_of_the_Comintern>
1949:
The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II landed in Fort Worth,
Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane
flight in 94 hours and one minute.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady_II>
1978:
Aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 28, Czech Vladimír Remek
became the first person not from the Soviet Union or the United States
to go into space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_28>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
parterre:
1. (horticulture) A flowerbed, particularly an elevated one.
2. (horticulture) A garden with paths between such flowerbeds.
3. (theater) A part of the section of theater seats located on the ground
floor, on the same level as the orchestra.
4. The part of the ground-floor section nearest the orchestra and the
stage; the stalls.
5. (Britain) The part of the ground-floor section behind the stalls and
underneath the galleries; the pit.
6. (theater, by extension) That part of a theater audience seated in the
parterre, sometimes regarded as belonging to a lower social class.
7. (US, New York) An apartment balcony.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parterre>
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