Musca (Latin: fly) is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It
was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the
observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, first
appearing on a 35-cm (14 in) diameter celestial globe by Plancius and
Jodocus Hondius published in 1597 or 1598 in Amsterdam. The first
depiction in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of
1603. Musca remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere
observers. Many of the constellation's brighter stars are in the
Scorpius–Centaurus Association, hot blue-white stars that appear to
share a common origin and motion across the Milky Way. These include
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Zeta2 and (likely) Eta Muscae, as well as HD 100546,
a blue-white Herbig Ae/Be star that is surrounded by a complex debris
disk containing a large planet or brown dwarf and possible protoplanet.
Two further star systems have been found to have planets. The
constellation also contains two Cepheid variables visible to the naked
eye. Theta Muscae is a triple star system, the brightest member of which
is a Wolf–Rayet star.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musca>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1124:
Lamberto Scannabecchi was elected Pope and took the name
Honorius II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Honorius_II>
1826:
Settlers in Mexican Texas from the United States made the first
attempt to secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of
Fredonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredonian_Rebellion>
1937:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-
animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle
Theatre in Los Angeles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_(1937_film)>
1988:
The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made
its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya>
2012:
Countries that were part of the Maya civilization celebrated
the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count
calendar.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
on ice:
1. (idiomatic) Not being used; temporarily unavailable or suspended; on
hold.
2. Of an entertainment normally performed on a stage: performed by ice
skaters as an ice show.
3. Of a sporting or other contest: in a state of assured victory for the
leading contestant. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_ice>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only
know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that
differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.
--Rebecca West
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rebecca_West>
The Guilden Morden boar is a sixth- or seventh-century Anglo-Saxon
copper alloy figure of a boar that may have once served as the crest of
a helmet. It was found around 1864 or 1865 in a grave in the village of
Guilden Morden in Cambridgeshire. Herbert George Fordham, whose father
discovered the boar, donated it to the British Museum in 1904, where it
is now displayed. It is simply designed, with a prominent mane; eyes,
eyebrows, nostrils and tusks are only faintly present. A pin and socket
design formed by the front and hind legs suggests that the boar was
mounted on another object, such as a helmet. Boar-crested helmets are a
staple of Anglo-Saxon imagery, evidence of a Germanic tradition in which
the boar invoked the protection of the gods. They may have been common,
and in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, boar-adorned helmets are mentioned
five times. The Guilden Morden boar is one of three known to have
survived to the present, together with the ones on helmets from Benty
Grange and Wollaston.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilden_Morden_boar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
South Carolina became the first of eleven slave states to
secede from the United States, leading to the eventual creation of the
Confederate States of America and later the American Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America>
1951:
Experimental Breeder Reactor I near Arco, Idaho, United States,
became the world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant when
it produced sufficient electricity to illuminate four 200-watt light
bulbs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Breeder_Reactor_I>
1987:
The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history occurred
when the MV Doña Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker on the
Tablas Strait in the Philippines, resulting in an estimated 4,000
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Do%C3%B1a_Paz>
1995:
As per the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War, the
NATO-led IFOR began peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation_Force>
2007:
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the
São Paulo Museum of Art and recovered about three weeks later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Shangri-La:
A place of complete bliss, delight, and peace, especially one seen as an
escape from ordinary life; a paradise.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Shangri-La>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ
מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק
נֵר חֲנֻכָּה. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the
universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded
us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
--Hanukkah
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hanukkah>
Chad Harris-Crane is a fictional character on the American soap opera
Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in
2007–08. Developed by the soap's creator and head writer James E.
Reilly, Chad was portrayed by Donn Swaby (1999 to 2002) and Charles
Divins (2002 to 2007). The son of the evil patriarch Alistair Crane of
the Crane family, Chad becomes involved in a love triangle with the
sisters Whitney and Simone Russell. He is initially believed to be
Whitney's half-brother, but is revealed to be her adoptive cousin. His
later storylines focus on his confusion over his sexual identity; his
relationship with tabloid reporter Vincent Clarkson includes a depiction
of the two men having sex, the first such scene in any daytime soap
opera. Chad attempts to reconcile with Whitney before being killed by
Alistair. Critical response to Chad was mixed; some reviewers praised
the handling of the incest storyline and the representation of LGBT
characters of color on daytime television, while others criticized his
relationship with Vincent as an irresponsible representation of racial
and sexual identity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Harris-Crane>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
Thomas Paine published the first in a series of pamphlets
entitled The American Crisis, opening with the now-famous line, "These
are the times that try men's souls."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Crisis>
1843:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a novella about the miser
Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after being visited by three
Christmas ghosts, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
1964:
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the ruling junta of South
Vietnam led by Nguyễn Khánh, initiated a coup, dissolving and
arresting members of the High National Council, a civilian advisory
body.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1964_South_Vietnamese_coup>
1983:
The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the FIFA World
Cup, was stolen from a display case in the Brazilian Football
Confederation offices.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_Trophy>
1997:
SilkAir Flight 185 crashed into the Musi River in Indonesia,
killing 104 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unguligrade:
(zoology) An animal that walks on hooves.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unguligrade>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about
his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder.
He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to
send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if
there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His
education makes it necessary.
--Carter G. Woodson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carter_G._Woodson>
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction
magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by World Editions
and sold two years later to Robert Guinn, the magazine's printer. Its
first editor, H. L. Gold, rapidly made Galaxy the leading science
fiction magazine of its time, focusing on stories about social issues
rather than technology, including Ray Bradbury's "The Fireman" (later
expanded as Fahrenheit 451), Robert A. Heinlein's The Puppet Masters,
and Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. Frederik Pohl, who had been
doing most of the production work for some time, took over as editor
officially in 1961. Until his departure in 1969, Galaxy had continued
success, regularly publishing fiction by writers such as Cordwainer
Smith, Jack Vance, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Silverberg. At its peak,
Galaxy greatly influenced the science fiction field. Gold brought a
"sophisticated intellectual subtlety" to magazine science fiction,
according to Pohl. Historian David Kyle suggests that Gold's new
direction led to the experimental New Wave, the defining science fiction
literary movement of the 1960s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Science_Fiction>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1499:
Muslims in Alpujarras, Granada, rebelled against their rulers
in response to forced conversions to Catholicism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion_of_the_Alpujarras_(1499%E2%80%93150…>
1898:
Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first official land speed
record, averaging 63.15 km/h (39.24 mph) over 1 km (0.62 mi).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record>
1939:
Second World War: The Luftwaffe victory over the Royal Air
Force in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight greatly influenced both
sides' future air strategy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Heligoland_Bight_(1939)>
1963:
Students from Ghana and other African countries organized a
protest on Moscow's Red Square in response to the alleged murder of
medical student Edmund Assare-Addo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Moscow_protest>
1966:
Epimetheus, one of the moons of Saturn, was discovered, but was
mistaken for Janus; it took twelve years to determine that they are two
distinct objects sharing the same orbit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_(moon)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fit as a fiddle:
(simile, colloquial) Perfectly fit; in excellent condition or health.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fit_as_a_fiddle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The immediate facts are what we must relate to. Darkness and
light, beginning and end.
--Peter Wessel Zapffe
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Wessel_Zapffe>
Persoonia terminalis, the Torrington geebung, is a rare shrub belonging
to the family Proteaceae, and native to northern New South Wales and
southern Queensland in eastern Australia. Reported as a subspecies of
Persoonia nutans in 1981, it was described as a species by Lawrie
Johnson and his colleague Peter Weston in 1991. Two
subspecies—P. t. terminalis and P. t. recurva—are
recognised; both are found on well-drained acidic soils in sclerophyll
forests, and P. t. terminalis is also found on granite outcrops.
Although similar in appearance, they differ in leaf length and
curvature. Both have a restricted range, with P. t. terminalis found
in an area of under 100 square kilometres (39 square miles).
P. terminalis grows to 1.5 metres (5 feet), with an upright or
spreading habit, and narrow, short leaves up to 1 centimetre (0.4
inches) in length. The yellow flowers mainly appear in December and
January (Australia's temperate zone summer), and are followed by purple-
striped green drupes (stone fruit). The fruit of persoonias are edible,
and dispersed by wild vertebrates.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persoonia_terminalis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
497 BC:
The temple to the Roman god Saturn was dedicated in the Roman
Forum; its anniversary was celebrated as Saturnalia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia>
546:
After a nearly year-long siege, Ostrogoths led by Totila sacked
Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(546)>
1837:
A fire in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg broke out,
partially damaging the palace and killing thirty guardsmen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_the_Winter_Palace>
1967:
Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while
swimming near Portsea, Victoria; his body was never recovered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Harold_Holt>
1983:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a car bomb just
outside Harrods Department Store in London, killing six people and
injuring about 90 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cromulent:
(humorous) Fine, acceptable or correct; seamless, relevant, legitimate
or authentic; nonanomalous.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cromulent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Fortunately science, like that nature to which it belongs, is
neither limited by time nor by space. It belongs to the world, and is of
no country and of no age. The more we know, the more we feel our
ignorance; the more we feel how much remains unknown; and in philosophy,
the sentiment of the Macedonian hero can never apply, — there are
always new worlds to conquer.
--Humphry Davy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Humphry_Davy>
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk,
England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town Football Club since
1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international
matches, and one senior England international exhibition game, against
Croatia in 2003. It has staged several other sporting events, including
athletics meetings and international field hockey matches. In addition,
musical concerts and Christian events have been held at the ground. The
stadium underwent significant redevelopments in the early 2000s, which
increased the capacity from 22,600 to a current figure of 30,311, making
it the largest capacity football ground in East Anglia. Each of its four
stands have since been converted to all-seater (eliminating standing-
room only tickets), following the recommendations of the Taylor Report.
Also located at the ground are conference and banqueting facilities, the
Sir Bobby Robson Suite, and Legends Bar.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portman_Road>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
The last recorded eruption of Japan's Mount Fuji released some
800 million m3 of volcanic ash.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Dei_eruption_of_Mount_Fuji>
1773:
To prevent the unloading of tea that was taxed without their
consent under the Tea Act, a group of colonists destroyed it by throwing
it into Boston Harbor (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party>
1850:
The Canterbury Pilgrims aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane
arrived to settle Christchurch, New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Association>
1918:
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet
Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic_(1918%E2…>
1997:
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television
series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denn%C5%8D_Senshi_Porygon>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
adermatoglyphia:
1. The rare congenital absence of epidermal ridges (fingerprints).
2. The autosomally dominant genetic disorder which causes this condition.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adermatoglyphia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Space can be mapped and crossed and occupied without definable
limit; but it can never be conquered. When our race has reached its
ultimate achievements, and the stars themselves are scattered no more
widely than the seed of Adam, even then we shall still be like ants
crawling on the face of the Earth. The ants have covered the world, but
have they conquered it — for what do their countless colonies know of
it, or of each other? So it will be with us as we spread out from Earth,
loosening the bonds of kinship and understanding, hearing faint and
belated rumors at second — or third — or thousandth hand of an ever
dwindling fraction of the entire human race. Though the Earth will try
to keep in touch with her children, in the end all the efforts of her
archivists and historians will be defeated by time and distance, and the
sheer bulk of material. For the numbers of distinct human societies or
nations, when our race is twice its present age, may be far greater than
the total number of all the men who have ever lived up to the present
time. We have left the realm of comprehension in our vain effort to
grasp the scale of the universe; so it must ever be, sooner rather than
later.
--Arthur C. Clarke
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke>
The Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft was in Yugoslav service from 1938
to 1941 and 1944 to 1951. The Royal Yugoslav Air Force obtained 24 of
the British fighters commencing on 15 December 1938 from early
production batches, the first foreign sale of the aircraft. Twenty
additional fighter aircraft were built by Zmaj under licence in
Yugoslavia. When the country was drawn into World War II by the German-
led Axis invasion of April 1941, the aircraft achieved some successes
against the Luftwaffe, but all the Yugoslav Hurricanes were destroyed or
captured during the 11-day invasion. In mid-1944, the Yugoslav Partisans
formed two Royal Air Force squadrons, Nos. 351 and 352, which both
operated Hurricane fighter-bombers. No. 351 Squadron flew Hurricane Mk
IICs during training and was later equipped with Hurricane Mk IVs, and
No. 352 briefly flew Hurricane Mk IICs during training before re-
equipping with Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vs. Both squadrons operated as
part of No. 281 Wing RAF of the Balkan Air Force, conducting ground
attack missions in support of the Partisans. Hurricanes remained in
service with the post-war Yugoslav Air Force until the early 1950s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane_in_Yugoslav_service>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
687:
Sergius was elected pope, ending the last disputed sede vacante
of the Byzantine Papacy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_I>
1467:
Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in present-day Baia, Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baia>
1906:
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (poster
pictured), a 14.17-kilometre (8.80 mi) long deep-level underground tube
railway connecting Hammersmith and Finsbury Park, London, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern,_Piccadilly_and_Brompton_Railw…>
1942:
World War II: The Americans engaged Imperial Japanese forces at
the Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse in
the hills near the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal during the
Guadalcanal Campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mount_Austen,_the_Galloping_Horse,_…>
1961:
Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after
being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
greensand:
(geology) A greenish sandstone containing glauconite.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greensand>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead. I am no
Jedi, but I know the Force. It moves through and surrounds every living
thing. Close your eyes … feel it. The light … it's always been
there, it will guide you.
--Star Wars : The Force Awakens
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Force_Awakens>
Morihei Ueshiba (December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969) was the founder
of the Japanese martial art of aikido. The son of a landowner from
Tanabe, he studied martial arts in his youth, and served in the Japanese
Army during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1907 he moved to Hokkaidō as the
head of a pioneer settlement and studied with Takeda Sōkaku, the
founder of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. In 1919 Ueshiba joined the Ōmoto-
kyō movement, a Shinto sect, in Ayabe, and opened his first dojo. He
accompanied the head of the group, Onisaburo Deguchi, on an expedition
to Mongolia in 1924, where they were captured by Chinese troops and
returned to Japan. Moving to Tokyo in 1926, he set up the Aikikai Hombu
Dojo. He taught at this dojo and others around Japan, including several
military academies. After World War II he retired to Iwama, and
continued training at a dojo he had set up there. He continued to
promote aikido throughout Japan and abroad until the 1960s. Many of his
students became noted martial artists in their own right, and aikido is
now practiced around the world.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
557:
A large earthquake severely damaged the city of Constantinople.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/557_Constantinople_earthquake>
1836:
The Toledo War, the mostly bloodless boundary dispute between
Ohio and the adjoining Territory of Michigan, unofficially ended with a
resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_War>
1913:
Haruna, the fourth and last ship of the Kongō-class, was
launched, eventually becoming one of the Japanese workhorses during both
World Wars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Haruna>
1981:
The Knesset extended Israeli "laws, jurisdiction and
administration" to the Golan Heights, effectively annexing the
territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights>
1992:
War in Abkhazia: During the Siege of Tkvarcheli, a helicopter
carrying evacuees from Tkvarcheli was shot down, resulting in at least
52 deaths, which catalysed more concerted Russian military intervention
on behalf of Abkhazia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tkvarcheli>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
retroussé:
Turned up, as in describing the nose.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/retrouss%C3%A9>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I say, life and figure are distinct attributes of one substance,
and as one and the same body may be transmuted into all kinds of
figures; and as the perfecter figure comprehends that which is more
imperfect; so one and the same body may be transmuted from one degree of
life to another more perfect, which always comprehends in it the
inferior.… the case is the same in diverse degrees of life, which have
indeed a beginning, but no end; so that the creature is always capable
of a farther and perfecter degree of life, ad infinitum, and yet can
never attain to be equal with God; for he is still infinitely more
perfect than a creature, in its highest elevation or perfection, even as
a globe is the most perfect of all other figures, unto which none can
approach.
--Anne Conway
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Conway>
Nights: Journey of Dreams is an action video game developed by Sonic
Team and published by Sega for the Wii. The sequel to the 1996 Sega
Saturn title Nights into Dreams, it was first released in Japan, on 13
December 2007, followed by North America, Australia and Europe. The
story follows two children, Will and Helen, who enter a dream world
called Nightopia. When their nightmares come to life, they enlist the
flying character Nights to help them stop the evil ruler Wizeman from
escaping into the real world. The main objective of the game is to fly
through rings while gathering keys to access new levels. The game's
setting was designed to resemble England, especially parts of London.
Development of Journey of Dreams began shortly after the release of
Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005, and was headed by Sonic Team veteran
Takashi Iizuka. The game received mixed reviews; critics praised its
colourful visuals, boss battles and special effects, but most cited its
poor control schemes, aesthetics and general gameplay as major flaws.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nights:_Journey_of_Dreams>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
First English Civil War: Roundhead forces serving under Sir
William Waller led a successful surprise attack on a winter garrison of
Royalist infantry and cavalry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alton>
1769:
Dartmouth College in what is now Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.,
was established by a royal charter and became the last university
founded in the Thirteen Colonies before the American Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces captured Nanking in
China and then began to commit numerous atrocities over the next several
weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nanking>
1982:
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake in North Yemen killed as many as
2,800 people and was the region's first instrumentally recorded event to
be detected on global seismograph networks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_North_Yemen_earthquake>
2011:
After killing a woman at his home, a man threw grenades and
fired an automatic rifle at crowds in the Place Saint-Lambert, Liège,
Belgium, killing 5 people and injuring 125 others, before committing
suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Li%C3%A8ge_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
angle parking:
A form of roadside car parking where the parking spaces are arranged at
an acute angle to the direction of approach, allowing the driver to
enter a space easily and later reverse back out.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/angle_parking>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The ability to make judgements that are grounded in solid
information, and employ careful analysis, should be one of the most
important goals for any educational endeavor. As students develop this
capability, they can begin to grapple with the most important and
difficult step: to learn to place such judgements in an ethical
framework. For all these reasons, there is no better investment that
individuals, parents and the nation can make than an investment in
education of the highest possible quality. Such investments are
reflected, and endure, in the formation of the kind of social conscience
that our world so desperately needs.
--Aga Khan IV
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV>
William Beach Thomas (1868–1957) was a British author and journalist
who worked as a war correspondent and wrote about nature and country
life. After a short-lived career as a schoolmaster, he began to write
articles for newspapers and periodicals, as well as books. During the
early part of the First World War he defied military authorities by
reporting news stories from the Western Front for his employer, the
Daily Mail. He was briefly imprisoned before being granted official
accreditation as a war correspondent. His book With the British on the
Somme (1917) portrayed the English soldier in a very favourable light.
Both France and Britain rewarded him with knighthoods after the war, but
Beach Thomas regretted some of his wartime output. His primary interest
as an adult was in rural matters. He was an advocate for the creation of
national parks in England and Wales, and mourned the decline of
traditional village society. He wrote extensively, particularly for The
Observer newspaper and The Spectator, a conservative magazine. His book
The English Landscape (1938) includes selections from his contributions
to Country Life magazine.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beach_Thomas>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1866:
England's worst mining disaster occurred when a series of
explosions caused by flammable gases ripped through the Oaks Colliery.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaks_explosion>
1911:
The final Delhi Durbar, a mass assembly at Coronation Park to
mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India, took place.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_Durbar>
1942:
World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an
attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of
Stalingrad.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Winter_Storm>
1964:
Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of
Kenya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomo_Kenyatta>
2000:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the election
recount of the ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election
must stop, effectively making George W. Bush the winner.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Wiktionary:
1. A collaborative project run by the Wikimedia Foundation to produce a
free and complete dictionary in every language.
2. The dictionaries, collectively, produced by that project.
3. A particular version of this dictionary project, written in a certain
language, such as the English-language Wiktionary (often known simply as
the English Wiktionary).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
One becomes a critic when one cannot be an artist, just as a man
becomes a stool pigeon when he cannot be a soldier.
--Gustave Flaubert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gustave_Flaubert>