Nigel (c. 1100 – 1169) was Treasurer of England under King Henry I,
before being appointed to the see, or bishopric, of Ely in 1133. Nigel
owed his advancement to his uncle, Roger of Salisbury, a bishop and
government minister. Following the accession of Henry I's successor,
King Stephen, Nigel remained as treasurer only briefly. He rebelled and
deserted to Stephen's rival Matilda, and never regained high office
under Stephen. On the king's death, Nigel was returned to the
treasurership by the new king, Henry II. In Nigel's second tenure as
treasurer, he returned the administration to the practices of Henry I.
He withdrew from much of his public work after around 1164, following an
attack of paralysis. He was succeeded as treasurer by his son, Richard
FitzNeal, whom he had trained in the operations of the Exchequer, or
Treasury of England. Most historians have felt that Nigel's
administrative abilities were excellent; he is considered to have been
more talented as an administrator than as a religious figure.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_(bishop_of_Ely)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (The Old Well
pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States
and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century, received its
charter.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Chapel_Hill>
1886:
The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial
Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Arsenal_F.C._(1886%E2%80%931966)>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: Following an Irish Republican Army
ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in Cork, British forces burned and
looted numerous buildings in the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Cork>
1962:
Convicted murderers Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas were the
last two persons to be executed in Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Canada>
1981:
Salvadoran Civil War: About 900 civilians were killed by the
Salvadoran armed forces in an anti-guerrilla campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
scree:
1. (uncountable) Loose stony debris on a slope.
2. (uncountable, by extension) Similar debris made up of broken building
material such as bricks, concrete, etc.
3. (countable) A slope made up of loose stony debris at the base of a
cliff, mountain, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scree>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
He who writes poetry is not a poet. He whose poetry has become his
life, and who has made his life his poetry — it is he who is a poet.
--Subramanya Bharathi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Subramanya_Bharathi>
The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican
Texas, was one in a series of unsuccessful attempts at political
negotiation that eventually led to the Texas Revolution. It followed the
Convention of 1832, whose resolutions had not been addressed by the
Mexican government. Delegates met in San Felipe de Austin to draft a
series of petitions, with the volatile William H. Wharton presiding.
Although the convention's agenda largely mirrored that of the Convention
of 1832, delegates also agreed to pursue independent statehood for the
province, which was at the time part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas.
Under the guidance of Sam Houston, former governor of the US state of
Tennessee, a committee drafted a state constitution to submit to the
Mexican Congress. Stephen F. Austin (pictured) journeyed to Mexico City
to present the petitions to the government. Frustrated with the lack of
progress, in October Austin wrote a letter encouraging Texans to form
their own state government. This letter was forwarded to the Mexican
government, and Austin was imprisoned in early 1834.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_1833>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1508:
The Papal States, France, Aragon and the Holy Roman Empire
formed the League of Cambrai, an alliance against the Republic of
Venice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_League_of_Cambrai>
1861:
Forces led by Nguyễn Trung Trực, an anti-colonial guerrilla
leader in southern Vietnam, sank the French lorcha L'Esperance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Trung_Tr%E1%BB%B1c>
1909:
Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf became the first woman to be
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_Lagerl%C3%B6f>
1979:
The Kuomintang (KMT) dictatorship of Taiwan arrested a large
number of opposition leaders who had organized pro-democracy
demonstrations, an incident credited with ending the KMT's rule in 2000.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaohsiung_Incident>
1989:
At the first open pro-democracy demonstration in Mongolia,
journalist Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announced the formation of the
Mongolian Democratic Union, which would be instrumental in ending
Communist rule four months later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsakhiagiin_Elbegdorj>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
putter:
1. (intransitive) To be active, but not excessively busy, at a task or a
series of tasks. […]
2. (intransitive) To produce intermittent bursts of sound in the course of
operating.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/putter>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One difference between God's work and man's is, that, while God's
work cannot mean more than he meant, man's must mean more than he meant.
For in everything that God has made, there is layer upon layer of
ascending significance; also he expresses the same thought in higher and
higher kinds of that thought: it is God's things, his embodied thoughts,
which alone a man has to use, modified and adapted to his own purposes,
for the expression of his thoughts; therefore he cannot help his words
and figures falling into such combinations in the mind of another as he
had himself not foreseen, so many are the thoughts allied to every other
thought, so many are the relations involved in every figure, so many the
facts hinted in every symbol. A man may well himself discover truth in
what he wrote; for he was dealing all the time with things that came
from thoughts beyond his own.
--George MacDonald
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_MacDonald>
Air Mata Iboe ('"A Mother's Tears") is a 1941 film from the Dutch East
Indies (now Indonesia) directed and written by Njoo Cheong Seng.
Starring Fifi Young, Rd Ismail, Ali Sarosa, and Ali Joego, it follows a
mother who raises her children lovingly but is ultimately betrayed by
her wealthy eldest sons, who refuse to take her in when she falls on
hard times. Unwilling to burden her destitute daughter, she depends on
the kindness of strangers. The black-and-white film, billed as a musical
extravaganza, features a soundtrack by R. Koesbini, and an eponymous
title song written by Njoo. Eleven keroncong songs (a folk style with
Portuguese influences) were written by music director R. Koesbini, who
also appeared in the film. The last production completed by Fred Young's
Majestic Film Company, Air Mata Iboe was released in December 1941,
shortly before the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. This
film, now possibly lost, received positive reviews. Young retook her
role in a remake produced under the same title in 1957.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Mata_Iboe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: After their loss in the Battle of
Great Bridge, British authorities were forced to evacuate from the
Colony of Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Great_Bridge>
1897:
French actress, journalist and leading suffragette Marguerite
Durand founded the feminist newspaper La Fronde.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fronde_(newspaper)>
1917:
First World War: Hussein al-Husayni, the Ottoman mayor of
Jerusalem, surrendered the city to the British.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jerusalem>
1931:
The approval of the Spanish Constitution by the Constituent
Cortes paved the way to the establishment of the Second Spanish
Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1931>
1979:
A World Health Organization commission of scientists certified
the global eradication of smallpox, making it the only human infectious
disease to date to have been completely eradicated from nature.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
genticide:
1. (rare) The killing of a race or nation of people; the slaughter of an
ethnic group; a genocide.
2. (rare) The killing of a kinsman or kinswoman; the murder of a blood
relative.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genticide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of
thee: she is a fen Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, Fireside,
the heroic wealth of hall and bower, Have forfeited their ancient
English dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up,
return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. Thy
soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart: Thou hadst a voice whose sound
was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free, So didst
thou travel on life's common way, In cheerful godliness; and yet thy
heart The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
--William Wordsworth
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth>
Ian Johnson (8 December 1917 – 9 October 1998) was an Australian
cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between
1946 and 1956. He was on Don Bradman's Invincibles team, which went
undefeated on their tour of England in 1948. Johnson captured 109 Test
wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order
batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of 22.92 runs per dismissal. He
captained the Australian team in 17 Tests, winning seven and losing
five, including two consecutive losses in the Ashes series against
England. Urbane, well-spoken and popular with his opponents and the
public, he was seen by his teammates as a disciplinarian, and his
natural optimism was often seen as naive. After retirement, Johnson
worked for a time as a sports commentator, and covered the 1956 Summer
Olympics in Melbourne. In 1957 he was appointed Secretary of the
Melbourne Cricket Club, remaining in the role for 26 years. In 1982 he
was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to
cricket.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Johnson_(cricketer)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1432:
The first battle of the Lithuanian Civil War between the forces
of Švitrigaila and of Sigismund Kęstutaitis was fought near what is
now the town of Ashmyany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Civil_War_(1432%E2%80%931438)>
1813:
Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 (audio featured) premiered in
Vienna, conducted by the composer himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._7_(Beethoven)>
1971:
Indo-Pakistani War: Following their successful attack three
days earlier, a small Indian Navy strike force attacked the Port of
Karachi again and created a de facto blockade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Python>
1987:
A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post
building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_massacre>
2009:
Bombings carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq in Baghdad,
Iraq, killed at least 127 people and injured 448.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2009_Baghdad_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
glaciology:
(geography) The study of ice and its effect on the landscape, especially
the study of glaciers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glaciology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum. Once a word has been
allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled.
--Horace
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace>
"Habits (Stay High)" is a song recorded by Swedish singer Tove Lo, self-
released as a single in March 2013, and re-released on 6 December 2013
by Universal Music. It appeared on her debut extended play, Truth Serum,
and was the lead single from her debut studio album, Queen of the
Clouds. Written by Lo and its producers, Ludvig Söderberg and Jakob
Jerlström, it is an electropop song featuring a minimal and upbeat
electronic instrumentation. The lyrics describe the singer's attempts to
forget her previous boyfriend through substance abuse, drinking and
other hedonistic practices. The song was well received by most critics,
who commended its lyrics and production. It sold over 2.6 million copies
in the United States and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot
100, the highest position on that chart by a Swedish artist since "The
Sign" by Ace of Base (1994). The track topped the charts in Poland and
Romania, and peaked within the top ten in many countries. The single was
named Song of the Year at the 2015 Grammis Awards in Sweden.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habits_(Stay_High)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1904:
Comparative trials began between HMS Spiteful, the first
warship powered solely by fuel oil, and a similar Royal Navy ship
burning coal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Spiteful_(1899)>
1941:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy made a surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, intending to neutralize the United States
Pacific Fleet from influencing the war Japan was planning to wage in
Southeast Asia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor>
1975:
The Indonesian military invaded East Timor under the pretext of
anti-colonialism and began a 25-year occupation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_occupation_of_East_Timor>
1987:
A disgruntled airline ex-employee on Pacific Southwest Airlines
Flight 1771 shot his former boss, two pilots, and himself, causing the
plane to crash near Cayucos, California, leaving no survivors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_Flight_1771>
2007:
A crane barge that had broken free from a tugboat crashed into
an oil tanker near Daesan, South Korea, causing the country's worst-ever
oil spill.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_South_Korea_oil_spill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
afflatus:
A sudden rush of creative impulse or inspiration, often attributed to
divine influence.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/afflatus>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This guarded mode of existence was like living under a tyranny.
People's speech, their voices, their very glances, became furtive and
repressed. Every individual taste, every natural appetite, was bridled
by caution. The people asleep in those houses, I thought, tried to live
like the mice in their own kitchens; to make no noise, to leave no
trace, to slip over the surface of things in the dark.
--Willa Cather
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Willa_Cather>
The Halifax Explosion was a maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada, on the morning of 6 December 1917. SS Mont-Blanc, a French
cargo ship laden with high explosives bound for Bordeaux, France,
collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows, at the north-
west tip of Halifax Harbour. When a fire on board the French ship
ignited her cargo, around 2,000 people were killed by the blast, debris,
fires and collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were
injured. Nearly all structures within an 800-metre (half-mile) radius,
including the entire community of Richmond, were obliterated. A pressure
wave snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded
vessels, and scattered fragments of Mont-Blanc for kilometres. A tsunami
created by the blast wiped out the community of Mi'kmaq First Nations
people who had lived in the Tufts Cove area for generations. The blast
was the largest man-made explosion prior to the development of nuclear
weapons, releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT
(12,000 GJ). There are several memorials to the victims of the
explosion in the North End of Halifax.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_explosion>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1060:
Béla I the Champion was crowned King of Hungary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_I_of_Hungary>
1917:
World War I: USS Jacob Jones became the first American
destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it was torpedoed by German
submarine SM U-53.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jacob_Jones_(DD-61)>
1941:
The British Secret Intelligence Service established a facility
known as "Camp X" in Ontario, Canada, to train covert agents in
clandestine operations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X>
1957:
The first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite failed with an
explosion on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_TV3>
1992:
The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, was destroyed by Hindu Kar
Sevaks, who believed that it was built on the birthplace of Rama.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demolition_of_the_Babri_Masjid>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
demulcent:
(also figuratively) Soothing or softening.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demulcent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The scene shall never fit the deed. Grotesquely wonders come to
pass. The fool shall mount an Arab steed And Jesus ride upon an ass.
--Joyce Kilmer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Kilmer>
The yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) is a Eurasian bird in the bunting
family that has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa,
and the Falkland Islands. The male has a bright yellow head, streaked
brown back, chestnut rump and yellow underparts. Other plumages are
duller versions of the same pattern. The yellowhammer is common in open
areas with some scrub or trees, and forms small flocks in winter. The
song is very similar to that of its closest relative, the pine bunting,
with which it interbreeds. Two or three times a year, the female lays
3–5 eggs patterned with a mesh of fine dark lines in a cup nest. The
bird's diet is mainly seeds, supplemented by invertebrates in the
breeding season. The nest may be raided by rodents or by birds in the
crow family, and the adults are hunted by birds of prey. Changes to
agricultural practices have led to population declines in western
Europe, but the species has a huge range and is not threatened. This
conspicuous yellow bird has inspired poems by Robbie Burns and John
Clare, and its song has influenced works by Beethoven and Messiaen.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowhammer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1757:
Seven Years' War: Prussian forces under Frederick the Great
defeated Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine at
the Battle of Leuthen in Leuthen, present-day Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leuthen>
1876:
Fire engulfed the Brooklyn Theatre (damage pictured) in
Brooklyn, New York, killing at least 278 people, mostly due to smoke
inhalation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Theatre_fire>
1958:
Britain's first motorway, the Preston By-pass, opened to the
public.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_By-pass>
1972:
Gough Whitlam took office as the 21st Prime Minister of
Australia and formed a duumvirate with his deputy Lance Barnard, ending
23 years of Liberal-Country Party government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam>
2007:
A nineteen-year-old gunman went on a shooting spree at a
shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., killing nine people, including
himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westroads_Mall_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
quarry:
1. […] (uncountable) A part of the entrails of a hunted animal, given to
the hounds as a reward.
2. (uncountable) An animal, often a bird or mammal, which is hunted.
3. (countable) An object of search or pursuit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quarry>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Deeds rather than words express my concept of the part religion
should play in everyday life. I have watched constantly that in our
movie work the highest moral and spiritual standards are upheld, whether
it deals with fable or with stories of living action.
--Walt Disney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walt_Disney>
Typhoon Omar of 1992 was the strongest and most destructive typhoon to
strike Guam since Typhoon Pamela in 1976. It formed on August 23 from
the monsoon trough across the western Pacific Ocean, and made landfall
on Guam five days later with winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). The storm
caused damage there costing US$457 million, and one death. Strong gusts
up to 248 km/h (154 mph) left nearly the entire island without power,
disrupting the water system for several days and preventing the island-
based Joint Typhoon Warning Center from issuing advisories for 11 days.
The storm damaged or destroyed 2,158 houses, leaving 3,000 people
homeless. The next day Omar became a super typhoon with sustained winds
of 240 km/h (150 mph). Passing well north of the Philippines, it
killed 11 people. It weakened significantly before striking eastern
Taiwan on September 4; scattered flooding caused three deaths, along
with damage worth $65 million, mostly to agriculture. The storm
proceeded into eastern China the next day and dissipated on
September 9.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Omar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1639:
English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first successful
prediction and observation of a transit of Venus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_1639>
1893:
First Matabele War: A patrol of British South Africa Company
soldiers was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele
warriors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangani_Patrol>
1909:
The first Grey Cup, the championship game of the Canadian
Football League, was held.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Cup>
1971:
The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force, an Ulster loyalist
paramilitary group, exploded a bomb at a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast,
Northern Ireland, killing 15 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGurk%27s_Bar_bombing>
1992:
U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered American troops into
Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and restore order during the
ongoing Somali Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Task_Force>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
froth at the mouth:
1. To spew saliva as froth.
2. (figuratively) To rage, to vent one's anger.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/froth_at_the_mouth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The great characters of fiction live as truly as the memories of
dead men. For the life after death it is not necessary that a man or
woman should have lived.
--Samuel Butler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Butler>
The American Arts Commemorative Series medallions are gold bullion
pieces that were produced by the United States Mint from 1980 to 1984.
They were sold to compete with the South African Krugerrand and other
bullion coins. The series was proposed by North Carolina Senator Jesse
Helms after the US Department of the Treasury began selling portions of
the national stockpile of gold. At the suggestion of Iowa Representative
Jim Leach, the medallions depict Americans notable for their
achievements in the arts. President Jimmy Carter signed the
authorization into law in November 1978, despite objections from
Treasury officials. The medallions were initially sold through mail
order; purchasers were required to obtain the day's price by telephone
before ordering. Later, the Mint sold them through telemarketing.
Mintage ceased after the ten designs approved by Congress were produced.
All were struck at the West Point Bullion Depository. The series sold
poorly; critics blamed the complicated process by which they were first
marketed, and the fact that they were medallions rather than coins.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Arts_Commemorative_Series_medallions>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1800:
War of the Second Coalition: French forces defeated the
Austrians and Bavarians in Hohenlinden, near Munich, forcing the
Austrians to sign an armistice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hohenlinden>
1904:
Himalia, the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter, was
discovered by astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory
in San Jose, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_(moon)>
1927:
Putting Pants on Philip, the first official film featuring the
comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_and_Hardy>
1967:
Cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first
successful human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur
Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard>
1992:
During extreme weather conditions, the oil tanker Aegean Sea
ran aground off the coast of Galicia, Spain, spilling 67,000 tonnes of
light crude oil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegean_Sea_tanker_oil_spill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fomentation:
1. The act of fomenting; the application of warm, soft, medicinal
substances, as for the purpose of easing pain by relaxing the skin, or
of discussing (dispersing) tumours.
2. A lotion or poultice applied to a diseased or injured part of the body.
3. Encouragement; excitation; instigation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fomentation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art
should carry its justification in every line. And art itself may be
defined as a single-minded attempt to render the highest kind of justice
to the visible universe, by bringing to light the truth, manifold and
one, underlying its every aspect. It is an attempt to find in its forms,
in its colours, in its light, in its shadows, in the aspects of matter
and in the facts of life, what of each is fundamental, what is enduring
and essential — their one illuminating and convincing quality — the
very truth of their existence.
--The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Nigger_of_the_%27Narcissus%27>
Chicago Pile-1 was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. Its
construction was part of the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort to
create atomic bombs during World War II. It was built by the project's
Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, under the west
viewing stands of the original Stagg Field. The first human-made self-
sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated there on 2 December
1942, supervised by Enrico Fermi, who described the apparatus as "a
crude pile of black bricks and wooden timbers". It contained 45,000
graphite blocks weighing 400 short tons (360 t) used as neutron
moderators, and was fueled by 6 short tons (5.4 t) of uranium metal and
50 short tons (45 t) of uranium oxide. In the pile, some of the free
neutrons produced by the natural decay of uranium were absorbed by other
uranium atoms, causing nuclear fission of those atoms, and the release
of additional free neutrons. Unlike most subsequent nuclear reactors, it
had no radiation shielding or cooling system as it only operated at very
low power – about one-half watt. The site is now a National Historic
Landmark.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Pile-1>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1804:
The coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the French was held at
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Napoleon_I>
1823:
U.S. President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, a
proclamation of opposition to European colonialism in the New World.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine>
1950:
Korean War: With the conclusion of the Battle of the
Ch'ongch'on River, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army expelled UN
forces out of North Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ch%27ongch%27on_River>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto took office as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,
becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
2015:
In San Bernardino, California, a married couple carried out a
mass shooting at a Christmas party before fleeing and dying in a
shootout with police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bardo:
(Tibetan Buddhism) The state of existence between death and subsequent
reincarnation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bardo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In a sense, human flesh is made of stardust. Every atom in the
human body, excluding only the primordial hydrogen atoms, was fashioned
in stars that formed, grew old and exploded most violently before the
Sun and the Earth came into being. The explosions scattered the heavy
elements as a fine dust through space. By the time it made the Sun, the
primordial gas of the Milky Way was sufficiently enriched with heavier
elements for rocky planets like the Earth to form. And from the rocks
atoms escaped for eventual incorporation in living things: carbon,
nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur for all living tissue; calcium
for bones and teeth; sodium and potassium for the workings of nerves and
brains; the iron colouring blood red… and so on. No other conclusion
of modern research testifies more clearly to mankind’s intimate
connections with the universe at large and with the cosmic forces at
work among the stars.
--Nigel Calder
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nigel_Calder>