Schmerber v. California (1966) was a landmark US Supreme Court case that
clarified whether a search warrant is required before taking blood
samples from a suspect, and whether those samples may be introduced into
evidence in a criminal prosecution. In a 5–4 opinion, the court held
that forced extraction of a blood sample is not compelled testimony and
does not violate the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-
incrimination. The court also held that search warrants are ordinarily
required by the Fourth Amendment for intrusions into the human body,
except under exigent circumstances. In 2013, the Supreme Court specified
in Missouri v. McNeely that a warrant may be required for a blood sample
from someone suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, even
though their blood alcohol level is likely to drop before a warrant can
be obtained. Because the court's ruling in Schmerber prohibited the use
of warrantless blood tests in most circumstances, some commentators
argue that the decision was responsible for the proliferation of
breathalyzers to test for alcohol and urine analyses to test for
controlled substances in criminal investigations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmerber_v._California>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1756:
A garrison of the British army in India was imprisoned in the
Black Hole of Calcutta in conditions so cramped that at least 43 died.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta>
1782:
The Congress of the Confederation adopted the Great Seal of the
United States, used to authenticate certain documents issued by the
federal government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States>
1837:
Victoria succeeded to the British throne, starting a reign that
lasted for more than 63 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria>
1900:
Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army began a 55-day siege
of the Legation Quarter in Beijing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_the_International_Legations>
2009:
During the Iranian election protests, the death of Neda Agha-
Soltan was captured on video and widely distributed on the Internet,
making it "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
economical with the truth:
(idiomatic, euphemistic) Not telling the whole truth, especially in
order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often
used with sarcasm or satire.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/economical_with_the_truth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals
— to make music that makes people happier, stronger and kinder. Don't
forget: music is God's voice.
--Brian Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson>
Quatermass and the Pit is a British television science-fiction serial
that was transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January
1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's Quatermass serials, all
written by Nigel Kneale. In Knightsbridge, London, a strange skull and
an alien spacecraft are discovered; Professor Bernard Quatermass and his
newly appointed military superior at the British Experimental Rocket
Group, Colonel Breen, join the investigation. The ship and its contents
have a powerful and malign influence over many of those who come in
contact with it, including Quatermass. He discovers that aliens,
probably from Mars, had long ago engineered a human genetic legacy
responsible for much of the war and strife in the world. The serial has
been cited as an influence on Stephen King and the film director John
Carpenter. It featured in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
compiled by the British Film Institute in 2000, which described it as
"completely gripping". The character reappeared in a 1979 ITV production
called Quatermass.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass_and_the_Pit>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1816:
The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, rival fur-
trading companies, engaged in a violent confrontation in present-day
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Seven_Oaks>
1850:
Louise of the Netherlands married Crown Prince Karl of Sweden-
Norway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_of_the_Netherlands>
1939:
Former American baseball player Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, now commonly known in the United States
as "Lou Gehrig's Disease".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gehrig>
1970:
The Patent Cooperation Treaty, an international law treaty, was
signed, providing a unified procedure for filing patent applications to
protect inventions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_Cooperation_Treaty>
2006:
The ceremonial "first stone" of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault,
a facility established to preserve a wide variety of plant seeds from
locations worldwide in an underground cavern in Spitsbergen, Norway, was
laid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dad dancing:
The making of embarrassing flamboyant dance moves to pop music by
middle-aged men.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dad_dancing>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The unhappy legacies of authoritarianism can be removed only if
the concept of absolute power as the basis of government is replaced by
the concept of confidence as the mainspring of political authority: the
confidence of the people in their right and ability to decide the
destiny of their nation, mutual confidence between the people and their
leaders and, most important of all, confidence in the principles of
justice, liberty and human rights.
--Aung San Suu Kyi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi>
The Chickasaw Turnpike is a short two-lane toll road in the rural south
central region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It stretches for 13.3
miles (21.4 km) from north of Sulphur to just south of Ada, running
southwest-to-northeast through Murray and Pontotoc counties. The first
section opened in 1991. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority owns, maintains,
and collects tolls on most of it; a four-mile (6.4 km) segment was
transferred to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 2011.
Originally it was part of a plan to link Ada to the Interstate system
and connect southern and eastern Oklahoma with a longer turnpike. It was
proposed at the same time as three other turnpikes, which would become
the Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City, the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa,
and the Cherokee Turnpike in eastern Oklahoma. Rural legislators
objected to the Kilpatrick and Creek Turnpikes, and moved to block them
unless the Chickasaw Turnpike was built. Lightly traveled, the road is
used by about 2,000 vehicles per day. It is the only two-lane turnpike
in Oklahoma.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickasaw_Turnpike>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
860:
A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sailed into the Bosporus and
started pillaging the suburbs of Constantinople.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(860)>
1815:
War of the Seventh Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte fought and
lost his final battle, the Battle of Waterloo in present-day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo>
1953:
A Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft crashed just after
takeoff from Tachikawa, Japan, killing all 129 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachikawa_air_disaster>
1983:
Iranian teenager Mona Mahmudnizhad and nine other women were
hanged because of their membership in the Bahá'í Faith.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Mahmudnizhad>
2009:
NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, its first
mission to the moon in over ten years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Reconnaissance_Orbiter>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mandilion:
A loose outer garment resembling a cassock or coat, often sleeveless,
worn by soldiers over armour or by menservants as a type of overcoat.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mandilion>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Quantum theory is now discussing instantaneous connections between
two entangled quantum objects such as electrons. This phenomenon has
been observed in laboratory experiments and scientists believe they have
proven it takes place. They’re not talking about faster than the speed
of light. Speed has nothing to do with it. The entangled objects somehow
communicate instantaneously at a distance. If that is true, distance has
no meaning. Light-years have no meaning. Space has no meaning. In a
sense, the entangled objects are not even communicating. They are the
same thing. At the “quantum level” (and I don’t know what that
means), everything may be actually or theoretically linked. All is one.
Sun, moon, stars, rain, you, me, everything. All one.
--Roger Ebert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert>
Silent Hill 4: The Room is a survival horror video game, the fourth
installment in the Silent Hill series developed by Konami Computer
Entertainment Tokyo. It was published by Konami and translated by Jeremy
Blaustein. The game and its soundtrack were released in Japan in June
2004, and in North America and Europe the following September, for the
PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. In 2012, it was released on
the Japanese PlayStation Network. Unlike the previous installments,
which were set primarily in the town of Silent Hill, this game is set in
the fictional town of South Ashfield, and follows Henry Townshend as he
attempts to escape from his locked-down apartment. During the course of
the game, Henry explores a series of supernatural worlds and finds
himself in conflict with an undead serial killer. The fourth installment
in the series features an altered gameplay style with third-person
navigation and plot elements taken from previous installments. Upon its
release, the game received generally positive critical reaction, with
mixed reaction to its deviations from the rest of the series.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_4>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1631:
Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in
childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her
mausoleum, the Taj Mahal (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_and_architecture_of_the_Taj_Mahal>
1843:
New Zealand Wars: An armed posse of Europeans set out from
Nelson to arrest Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha and clashed with Māori,
resulting in 26 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wairau_Affray>
1922:
Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral
completed the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_crossing_of_the_South_Atlantic>
1940:
Second World War: Britain's worst maritime disaster occurred
when at least 3,000 people were killed as a result of the troopship
RMS Lancastria's sinking by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria>
1991:
The Parliament of South Africa repealed the Population
Registration Act, which required that each inhabitant of South Africa be
classified and registered by race as part of the system of apartheid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_Registration_Act,_1950>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chyron:
(television) A set of graphics or words at the bottom of a television
screen, sometimes unrelated to the current viewing content.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chyron>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We live in a beautiful and orderly world, not in a chaos without
norms, as we sometimes seem to.
--M. C. Escher
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/M._C._Escher>
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ
behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass.
There are usually no symptoms in the cancer's early stages; by the time
of diagnosis, it has often spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms
of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer,
may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight
loss, light-colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite. It rarely
occurs before the age of 40, and more than half of cases occur in those
over 70. The risk is lower among non-smokers and people who maintain a
healthy weight and limit their consumption of red or processed meat. It
can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative
care, or a combination of these, depending in part on the cancer stage.
It is never cured by nonsurgical treatments, though any of these will
sometimes improve quality of life, particularly palliative care. It
typically has a very poor prognosis: 25% of people live for one year
after diagnosis, and 5% for five years.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1407:
During the Ming–Hồ War, the Chinese Ming armies captured
Hồ Quý Ly and his sons, thus ending the Vietnamese Hồ dynasty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming%E2%80%93H%E1%BB%93_War>
1795:
French Revolutionary Wars: Off the coast of Brittany, a British
Royal Navy battle squadron commanded by William Cornwallis fended off a
numerically superior French Navy fleet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwallis%27s_Retreat>
1883:
More than 180 out of 1,100 children died in the Victoria Hall
stampede in Sunderland, England, when they stampeded down the stairs to
collect gifts from the entertainers after the end of a variety show.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Hall_stampede>
1963:
Aboard Vostok 6, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became
the first woman in space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Tereshkova>
2010:
Bhutan became the first country to institute a total ban on
tobacco.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Control_Act_of_Bhutan_2010>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
zany:
1. Unusual and bizarre in a funny, comical way; outlandish; clownish.
2. Ludicrously or incongruously comical.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zany>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Secrets, silent, stony sit in the dark palaces of both our hearts:
secrets weary of their tyranny: tyrants, willing to be dethroned.
--Ulysses
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ulysses>
Amanita bisporigera is a fungus that produces a deadly poisonous
mushroom commonly known as the destroying angel, a name it shares with
three other lethal white Amanita species. It is found on the ground in
mixed coniferous and deciduous forests of Eastern North America, and
rarely in western North America and Colombia. It has a smooth white cap
that can reach up to 10 cm (3.9 in) across with crowded white gills,
and a stalk up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long with a delicate white skirt-like
ring near the top. The bulbous base is covered with a membranous sac-
like volva. First described in 1906, A. bisporigera typically bears two
spores on the basidia, as the species name suggests. The mushroom
produces amatoxins, which inhibit a vital enzyme when eaten, RNA
polymerase II. The first symptoms of poisoning appear 6 to 24 hours
after consumption, followed by a period of apparent improvement, then by
progressive liver and kidney failure, and death after four days or more.
The DNA of A. bisporigera has been partially sequenced, and the genes
responsible for the production of amatoxins have been determined.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_bisporigera>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1215:
King John of England put his seal to Magna Carta.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta>
1878:
Eadweard Muybridge took a series of photographs to prove that
all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it gallops (animation
pictured); the study became the basis of motion pictures.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallie_Gardner_at_a_Gallop>
1919:
After nearly 16 hours, the Vickers Vimy flown by John Alcock
and Arthur Whitten Brown crash-landed in County Galway, Ireland, to
complete the first non-stop transatlantic flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight_of_Alcock_and_Brown>
1954:
The Union of European Football Associations, the administrative
and controlling body for European football, was founded in Basel,
Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA>
1996:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a
truck bomb in the commercial centre of Manchester, England, injuring
more than 200 people and causing widespread damage to buildings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Manchester_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dung beetle:
A type of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae noted for rolling dung into
balls for use as food or as brooding chambers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dung_beetle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must get the American public to look past the glitter, beyond
the showmanship, to the reality, the hard substance of things. And we'll
do it not so much with speeches that sound good as with speeches that
are good and sound; not so much with speeches that will bring people to
their feet as with speeches that will bring people to their senses.
--Mario Cuomo
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mario_Cuomo>
The 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone produced the worst flooding in that country
in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone
season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal on May 10 and reached peak
maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on May 13, making it a
very severe cyclonic storm according to the India Meteorological
Department. In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half
of May, the stationary cyclone in the central Bay of Bengal produced
torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka, especially in the
mountains. A station at Ratnapura recorded 366.1 millimetres (14.41 in)
of rainfall in 18 hours on May 17, including 99.8 mm (3.93 in) in
one hour. Flooding and landslides destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged
32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people. Damage totaled about
US$135 million, and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced
some rainfall in the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands and along
India's eastern coast. The storm funneled moisture away from the
mainland, possibly contributing to a heat wave that killed
1,900 people.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Sri_Lanka_cyclone>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1645:
English Civil War: In the Battle of Naseby, the main army of
King Charles I was defeated by the Parliamentarian New Model Army under
Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Naseby>
1800:
War of the Second Coalition: In the Battle of Marengo,
Napoleonic forces secured victory over the Habsburgs when defeat had
appeared inevitable until the arrival of French troops led by Louis
Desaix.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marengo>
1846:
Anglo-American settlers in the Town of Sonoma began a rebellion
against Mexico, proclaiming the California Republic and eventually
raising a homemade flag with a bear and star.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Republic>
1966:
The Vatican formally abolished its 427-year-old list of
prohibited books.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum>
1999:
Thabo Mbeki took office as the second President of South
Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thabo_Mbeki>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dark horse:
1. (idiomatic) Someone who possesses talents or favorable characteristics
that are not known or expected by others.
2. (idiomatic, politics) A candidate for an election who is nominated
unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as
a likely choice.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dark_horse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by
what you finally accomplish.
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
The two battleships of the North Carolina class were built shortly
before the US entered World War II. North Carolina (launched 13 June
1940) and Washington had 16-inch guns, heavy firepower for their size,
but their design sacrificed some speed and armor. North Carolina took
part in every major US naval offensive of the Pacific War and was the
most highly decorated American battleship of World War II. Washington
initially went undetected by the Japanese in the second naval battle of
Guadalcanal, a chaotic night engagement, until its main guns hit the
battleship Kirishima at close range, sinking the ship the next day. In
February 1944, Washington's bow was crushed in a collision with the
battleship Indiana, but the damage was repaired in time to join the
Battle of the Philippine Sea in June. After the war, both ships helped
withdraw American military personnel from overseas deployments. The
vessels were laid up in the reserve fleet until the early 1960s, when
Washington was scrapped and North Carolina became a permanent museum
ship in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina-class_battleship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1525:
Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, defying the celibacy
discipline decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for priests.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora>
1886:
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in Lake Starnberg near
Munich under mysterious circumstances.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria>
1935:
In one of the biggest upsets in championship boxing, underdog
James J. Braddock defeated Max Baer to become the heavyweight champion
of the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Braddock>
1966:
The Miranda v. Arizona landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court
established the Miranda warning, requiring law enforcement officials to
advise a suspect in custody of his rights to remain silent and to obtain
an attorney.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_v._Arizona>
2007:
Former Iraqi government official Haitham al-Badri orchestrated
a second bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, one of the holiest sites in
Shia Islam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_al-Askari_Mosque_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tribulation:
Any adversity; a trying period or event.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribulation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God wills, man dreams, the work is born.
--Fernando Pessoa
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fernando_Pessoa>
James B. Weaver (1833–1912) was a two-time candidate for US president
and a congressman from Iowa. After serving in the Union Army in the
Civil War, Weaver worked for the election of Republican candidates, as
an advocate for farmers and laborers. He switched to the Greenback
Party, and with Democratic support, won election to the House in 1878.
The Greenbackers nominated Weaver for president in 1880, but he received
only 3.3 percent of the popular vote. He was again elected to the House
in 1884 and 1886, where he worked for expansion of the money supply and
for the opening of Indian Territory to white settlement. As the
Greenback Party fell apart, he helped organize a new left-wing party,
the Populists, and was their nominee for president in 1892. This time he
gained 8.5 percent of the popular vote and won five states. The
Populists merged with the Democrats by the end of the 19th century, and
Weaver went with them, promoting the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan
for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Several of Weaver's political
goals became law after his death, including the direct election of
senators and a graduated income tax.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Weaver>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1240:
The Disputation of Paris began in the court of King Louis IX,
in which four rabbis defended the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's
accusations of blasphemy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Paris>
1776:
The Fifth Virginia Convention adopted a declaration of rights,
a hugely influential document that proclaimed the inherent rights of
men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Declaration_of_Rights>
1889:
Runaway passenger carriages collided with a following train
near Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland, killing 80 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagh_rail_disaster>
1942:
On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary
during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl>
1999:
In the aftermath of the bombing of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo
War, the NATO-led Kosovo Force entered Kosovo with a mandate of
establishing a secure environment in the territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_Force>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
drama llama:
(slang) A histrionic person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/drama_llama>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have often been downcast, but never in despair; I regard our
hiding as a dangerous adventure, romantic and interesting at the same
time. In my diary I treat all the privations as amusing. I have made up
my mind now to lead a different life from other girls and, later on,
different from ordinary housewives. My start has been so very full of
interest, and that is the sole reason why I have to laugh at the
humorous side of the most dangerous moments.
--Anne Frank
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Frank>
Portrait of Monsieur Bertin is an 1832 oil-on-canvas painting by Jean-
Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It depicts Louis-François Bertin
(1766–1841), a writer, art collector and director of the pro-royalist
Journal des débats. Having achieved acclaim as a history painter,
Ingres accepted portrait commissions with reluctance, regarding them as
a distraction. The painting had a prolonged genesis; he agonised over
the pose and made several preparatory sketches. The final work presents
Bertin as a personification of the commercially minded leaders of the
liberal reign of Louis Philippe I, emanating a restless energy. He is
physically imposing and self-assured but his real-life personality
shines through – warm, wry and engaging to those who had earned his
trust. The portrait is an unflinchingly realistic depiction of aging;
Ingres emphasises the furrowed skin and thinning hair of an overweight
man who maintains his resolve and determination. Although Bertin's
family worried that the painting might been seen as a caricature, it is
widely regarded as Ingres' finest male portrait and has been at the
Musée du Louvre since 1897.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Monsieur_Bertin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1345:
Inspecting a new prison without being escorted by his
bodyguard, Alexios Apokaukos, megas doux of the Byzantine Navy, was
lynched and killed by the prisoners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_Apokaukos>
1847:
Afonso died at age two, leaving his father Pedro II, the last
emperor of Brazil, without a male heir.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso,_Prince_Imperial_of_Brazil>
1956:
The six-day Gal Oya riots, the first ethnic riots targeting the
minority Sri Lankan Tamils in post-independent Sri Lanka, began,
eventually resulting in the deaths of at least 150 people and 100
injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Ceylonese_riots>
1963:
The University of Alabama was desegregated as Governor of
Alabama George Wallace stepped aside after defiantly blocking the
entrance to an auditorium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_in_the_Schoolhouse_Door>
2012:
Two earthquakes struck northern Afghanistan, triggering a
massive landslide that buried a village and killed 75 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Afghanistan_earthquakes>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
grit:
Strength of mind; great courage or fearlessness; fortitude. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship.
The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince
as soon as his groom.
--Ben Jonson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson>