The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an action role-playing video game
developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks
and the Take-Two Interactive division 2K Games. Oblivion was released on
March 20, 2006, for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360, and later for
mobile phones and PlayStation 3. In the main storyline, the player
character thwarts the fanatical Mythic Dawn cult from opening the gates
to a realm called Oblivion. The player can travel anywhere in the game
world at any time, develop the character's skills, and ignore or
postpone the main storyline indefinitely. The graphics were designed
with an improved Havok physics engine, high dynamic range lighting, and
procedural content generation tools to generate terrain. The Radiant
A.I. system manages the complex behaviors of the non-player characters
(NPCs). The game features the music of award-winning composer Jeremy
Soule. Overall, Oblivion has been successful both commercially and
critically, winning industry and publication awards. It was praised for
its graphics, expansive game world, and fully voiced, schedule-driven
NPCs.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_IV:_Oblivion>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
235:
Maximinus Thrax succeeded to the throne of the Roman Empire, a
so-called barracks emperor who gained power by virtue of his command of
the army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximinus_Thrax>
1600:
Five advisers to Polish–Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa were
publicly executed, effectively ending his reign in Sweden.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6ping_Bloodbath>
1815:
After escaping from exile in Elba, Napoleon Bonaparte entered
Paris, beginning the period known as the "Hundred Days".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days>
1944:
World War II: Four thousand U.S. Marines made a landing on
Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago to develop an airbase as part
of Operation Cartwheel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_on_Emirau>
1993:
The Troubles: The second of two bomb attacks by the Provisional
IRA in Warrington, England, killed two children.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrington_bomb_attacks>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mandil:
(chiefly Persia, obsolete) A turban; cloth used to make a turban.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mandil>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
His mother told him "Someday you will be a man, And you will be
the leader of a big old band. Many people coming from miles around To
hear you play your music when the sun go down. Maybe someday your name
will be in lights Saying 'Johnny B. Goode tonight'."
--Chuck Berry
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry>
The Seri Rambai is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort
Cornwallis in George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site city and capital
of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a fertility symbol, the subject
of legends and prophecy, and the largest bronze gun in Malaysia. The
cannon's history in the Malacca Straits began in the early 1600s when
Dutch East India Company officers gave it to the Sultan of Johor in
return for trading concessions. Less than a decade later, after Johor
was destroyed and the sultan captured, the Seri Rambai was taken to
Aceh. Near the end of the eighteenth century the cannon was sent to
Selangor and mounted next to one of the town's hilltop forts. In 1871
pirates seized a Penang junk, murdered its passengers and crew, and took
the stolen vessel to Selangor. The British colonial government responded
by burning the town, destroying its forts and confiscating the Seri
Rambai. Originally displayed on Penang's Esplanade, the gun was moved in
the 1950s to the ramparts at Fort Cornwallis.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seri_Rambai>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
Emperor Bing, the last emperor of the Song dynasty, died during
the Battle of Yamen, bringing the dynasty to an end after three
centuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emperors_of_the_Song_dynasty>
1911:
Socialist German politician Clara Zetkin established the first
International Women's Day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Zetkin>
1915:
Pluto was photographed for the first time, 15 years before it
was officially discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto>
1962:
Highly influential American musician Bob Dylan released his
eponymous debut album.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>
2011:
Libyan Civil War: The French Air Force launched Opération
Harmattan, beginning foreign military intervention in Libya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ration_Harmattan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
in spades:
1. (idiomatic) In large quantities; to a high degree; to excess, without
restraint.
2. (idiomatic) Beyond doubt.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_spades>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many people consider the things government does for them to be
social progress but they regard the things government does for others as
socialism.
--Earl Warren
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Earl_Warren>
The Rosetta Stone is a large black stone stele bearing a translation of
Ancient Egyptian text, the first recovered in modern times. Found in
1799, it is inscribed with three versions of a decree from 196 BC
announcing the rule of King Ptolemy V. The texts are in Ancient
Egyptian using hieroglyphic script and Demotic script and in Ancient
Greek. The stone proved to be the key to deciphering Egyptian
hieroglyphs. It was taken from building material in Fort Julien near the
town of Rashid (Rosetta) in the Nile Delta when it was rediscovered
during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. After British troops defeated
the French in Egypt in 1801, they seized the stone and transported it to
London. It has been on public display at the British Museum since 1802,
and is the museum's most-visited object. Since its rediscovery, the
stone has been the focus of nationalist rivalries, including a long-
running dispute over the relative value of Thomas Young's and Jean-
François Champollion's contributions to the decipherment, and demands
this century for the stone's return to Egypt.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
War of the First Coalition: Habsburg Austrians together with
Dutch Republic troops repulsed a series of French assaults after bitter
fighting in Neerwinden, present-day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Neerwinden_(1793)>
1834:
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced to transportation to
Australia for swearing an illegal oath to join their friendly society in
Dorset, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolpuddle_Martyrs>
1915:
First World War: In one of the largest naval battles in the
Gallipoli Campaign, the Ottoman Empire sank three Allied battleships
(French battleship Bouvet pictured) and severely damaged three others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_Campaign>
1970:
United States postal workers began a two-week strike after
Congress raised its own wages by 41% but raised the wages of postal
workers by only 4%.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._postal_strike_of_1970>
1985:
The first episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours was
broadcast on the Seven Network, eventually becoming the longest-running
drama in Australian television history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
gnarly:
1. Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
2. (slang) Excellent; attractive.
3. (slang, US) Dangerous; difficult.
4. (slang, US) Unpleasant, awful, ugly.
5. (slang, US) Of music or a sound: harsh.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gnarly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We live in a nightmare of falsehoods, and there are few who are
sufficiently awake and aware to see things as they are. Our first duty
is to clear away illusions and recover a sense of reality. If war should
come, it will do so on account of our delusions, for which our hag-
ridden conscience attempts to find moral excuses. To recover a sense of
reality is to recover the truth about ourselves and the world in which
we live, and thereby to gain the power of keeping this world from flying
asunder.
--Nikolai Berdyaev
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikolai_Berdyaev>
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was an Irish playwright and critic who
had a major influence on Western theatre, culture and politics. He was
born in Dublin and moved to London in 1876 as a struggling writer and
novelist. His first stage success was Arms and the Man in 1894; under
the influence of Henrik Ibsen he brought a new realism into English-
language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his often
contentious political, social and religious ideas. He became a member of
the gradualist Fabian Society, was a socialist pamphleteer and
polemicist for over 50 years, and was instrumental in the foundation of
the modern Labour Party. Many of his plays were critical and commercial
successes, including Caesar and Cleopatra (1898), Man and Superman
(1903), Major Barbara (1905), The Doctor's Dilemma (1906), Pygmalion
(1913) and Saint Joan (1923). He was regarded as the leading dramatist
of his generation, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature.
He wrote prolifically until shortly before his death, aged 94.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1001:
The Song Shi recorded a tributary mission from the Rajahnate of
Butuan (Golden Tara pictured), centered on the Philippine island of
Mindanao, to the Song dynasty of China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajahnate_of_Butuan>
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The British Army garrison in
Boston, Massachusetts, withdrew from the city, ending the 11‑month
Siege of Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Boston>
1942:
The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at
Bełżec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Aktion
Reinhard camps to begin operation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be%C5%82%C5%BCec_extermination_camp>
1957:
A plane crash on the slope of Mount Manunggal killed Philippine
President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_Cebu_Douglas_C-47_crash>
2004:
Unrest in Kosovo broke out, resulting in the deaths of 28, the
wounding of more than 600 others, and the destruction of several Serb
Orthodox churches and shrines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_unrest_in_Kosovo>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
shillelagh:
1. (Ireland) A wooden (especially oaken) club ending with a large knob.
2. Any cudgel, whether or not of Irish origin.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shillelagh>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the
Trinity Through belief in the threeness Through confession of the
Oneness Towards the creator.
--Saint Patrick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick>
Powderfinger, an Australian rock band, formed in Brisbane in 1989. From
1992 to 2010 the lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning,
guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins
and drummer Jon Coghill. The group's third studio album,
Internationalist, peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in September
1998. Their next studio album, Odyssey Number Five, reached number one
in September 2000 and was certified eight times platinum, shipping over
560,000 units. Their next three studio albums also reached number one:
Vulture Street (July 2003), Dream Days at the Hotel Existence (June
2007) and Golden Rule (November 2009). Powderfinger earned the third-
highest total of ARIA Awards (18), after Silverchair and John Farnham.
Their last tour, the Sunsets Farewell Tour, concluded on 13 November
2010. In November the following year, the band published a biography
with Dino Scatena, a rock music journalist, called Footprints: the
inside story of Australia's best loved band.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powderfinger>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
597 BC:
Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem and
installed Zedekiah as King of Judah.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zedekiah>
1322:
Despenser War: A royalist army defeated troops loyal to Thomas,
2nd Earl of Lancaster, in the Battle of Boroughbridge, which allowed
King Edward II of England to hold on to power for another five years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Boroughbridge>
1872:
In the first-ever final of the FA Cup (trophy pictured), the
world's oldest association football competition, Wanderers F.C. defeated
Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_FA_Cup_Final>
1962:
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a charter flight carrying U.S.
and South Vietnamese soldiers, disappeared without a trace, prompting
one of the largest searches in the history of the Pacific.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tiger_Line_Flight_739>
2003:
American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by
an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer in Rafah as she was
protesting the demolition of a house.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Corrie>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
axiom:
1. (philosophy) A seemingly self-evident or necessary truth which is based
on assumption; a principle or proposition which cannot actually be
proved or disproved.
2. (logic, mathematics, proof theory) A fundamental assumption that serves
as a basis for deduction of theorems (for example, "Through a pair of
distinct points there passes exactly one straight line", and "All right
angles are congruent"); a postulate.
3. An established principle in some artistic practice or science that is
universally received.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/axiom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You can't have thought without emotion, and one emotion is fear,
and making an important decision on the basis of fear is not a good
idea. So develop your courage.
--Ursula Goodenough
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ursula_Goodenough>
Allah jang Palsoe (Malay for The False God) is a 1919 stage drama from
the Dutch East Indies that was written by the ethnic Chinese author Kwee
Tek Hoay, based on E. Phillips Oppenheim's short story "The False Gods".
Over six acts, the Malay-language play follows two brothers, one a
devout son who holds firmly to his morals and personal honour, the other
a man who worships money and prioritises personal gain. The two learn
over the course of a decade that money (the titular false god) is not
the path to happiness. Kwee Tek Hoay's first stage play, Allah jang
Palsoe was written as a realist response to whimsical contemporary
theatre. Though the published stageplay sold poorly and the play was
deemed difficult to perform, Allah jang Palsoe found success on the
stage. By 1930 it had been performed by various ethnic Chinese troupes
to popular acclaim, and had pioneered a body of work by authors such as
Lauw Giok Lan, Tio Ie Soei, and Tjoa Tjien Mo. In 2006 the script for
the play, which continues to be performed, was republished with updated
spelling by the Lontar Foundation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah_jang_Palsoe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
856:
Byzantine emperor Michael III overthrew the regency of his
mother Theodora to assume power for himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_III>
1311:
The Catalan Company defeated Walter V, Count of Brienne in the
Battle of Halmyros and took control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader
state in Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halmyros>
1921:
Talaat Pasha, considered the main perpetrator of the Armenian
Genocide, was assassinated by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talaat_Pasha>
1927:
In rowing, Oxford defeated Cambridge in the first Women's Boat
Race held on the Isis in Oxford.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Boat_Race>
1972:
The Godfather, a gangster film based on the novel of the same
name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dibble:
A pointed implement used to make holes in the ground in which to set out
plants or to plant seeds.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dibble>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Through thee, the gracious Muses turn, To Furies, O mine Enemy!
And all the things of beauty burn With flames of evil ecstasy. Because
of thee, the land of dreams Becomes a gathering place of fears: Until
tormented slumber seems One vehemence of useless tears.
--Lionel Johnson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lionel_Johnson>
Hugh de Neville (died 1234) was the Chief Forester under the kings
Richard I, John, and Henry III of England, and a sheriff of several
counties over his lifetime. Neville was related to royal officials and a
bishop, and was a member of Prince Richard's household. After Richard
became king in 1189, Neville continued in his service, accompanying him
on the Third Crusade. Neville remained in the royal service following
Richard's death in 1199 and the accession of King John to the throne,
becoming one of the new king's favourites and often gambling with him.
He was named in Magna Carta as one of John's principal advisors,
considered by a medieval chronicler to be one of King John's "evil
councillors". He deserted John after the French invasion of England in
1216, but returned to pledge his loyalty to John's son Henry III after
the latter's accession to the throne that year. Neville's royal service
continued until his death in 1234, though by then he was a less
significant figure than he had been at the height of his powers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_de_Neville>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1757:
British Royal Navy Admiral John Byng was court-martialled and
executed by firing squad when he failed to "do his utmost" during the
Battle of Minorca at the start of the Seven Years' War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byng>
1910:
Oil prospectors in Kern County, California, drilled into a
pressurized oil deposit, resulting in the largest accidental oil spill
in history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Gusher>
1972:
Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, known for his
translation of Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago after it had been
smuggled out of the Soviet Union, was killed in a mysterious explosion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giangiacomo_Feltrinelli>
1984:
Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, was seriously wounded in an
assassination attempt by Ulster Freedom Fighters in central Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Adams>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
timescape:
1. A perspective over a period (particularly a long period) of time.
2. (science fiction) A multi-dimensional view of time, especially one in
which time travel occurs.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/timescape>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we want to improve the world we cannot do it with scientific
knowledge but with ideals. Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi have done
more for humanity than science has done. We must begin with the heart of
man — with his conscience — and the values of conscience can only be
manifested by selfless service to mankind.
--Albert Einstein
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>
God of War II is a third person action-adventure video game first
released on March 13, 2007, and was the last major release for the
PlayStation 2. The player controls Kratos, a Spartan warrior who became
the new God of War after killing the former, Ares. Kratos is betrayed by
Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, who strips him of his godhood and
kills him. On his way to the Underworld, Kratos is saved by Gaia, who
instructs him to find the Sisters of Fate. Acquiring their power, he
travels back in time to avert his betrayal and take revenge on Zeus, who
is revealed to be his father. The gameplay focuses on combo-based combat
and features quick time events that require the player to complete game
controller actions in a timed sequence to defeat stronger enemies and
bosses. The game also features magical attacks, puzzles, and platforming
elements. The fourteenth best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, it
sold more than 4.24 million copies worldwide. Regarded as one of the
best action-adventure games for the platform and noted for its graphics
and gameplay, it received several awards, including PlayStation Game of
the Year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_II>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1697:
Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish
conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_Guatemala>
1845:
German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, one of the
most popular violin concertos of all time, was first played in Leipzig.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_(Mendelssohn)>
1954:
Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp opened fire with a
massive artillery barrage on the French military to begin the Battle of
Dien Bien Phu, the climactic battle in the First Indochina War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu>
1996:
A gunman killed sixteen children and a teacher at a primary
school in Dunblane, Scotland, before committing suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre>
2013:
Francis was elected pope, making him the first Jesuit, the
first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the
first non-European pope in over 1,000 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
thetan:
(Scientology) A soul, spirit or being.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thetan>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Christianity is perhaps as much indebted to its enemies, as to its
friends, for this important service. In their indiscriminate attacks,
whatever has been found to be untenable has been gradually abandoned,
and I hope the attack will be continued till nothing of the wretched
outworks be left; and then, I doubt not, a safe and impregnable
fortress, will be sound in the center, a fortress built upon a rock,
against which the gates of death will not prevail.
--Joseph Priestley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Priestley>
Eta Carinae is a stellar system of at least two stars with a combined
luminosity over five million times that of the Sun, around 7500 light-
years distant in the constellation Carina. First recorded as a 4th-
magnitude star, it brightened considerably beginning in 1837 in an event
known as the Great Eruption, becoming the second-brightest star in the
sky between 11 and 14 March 1843 before fading well below naked eye
visibility. It has been getting brighter again since about 1940, peaking
above magnitude 4.5 in 2014. Eta Carinae is always above the horizon
south of latitude 30°S, and never visible north of about latitude
30°N. The two main stars of the system orbit each other with a period
of 5.54 years. The primary is a peculiar star similar to a luminous blue
variable, initially 150–250 times as massive as the Sun but now at
least 30 solar masses lighter, and is expected to eventually explode as
a supernova. The secondary star is hot and also highly luminous, around
30–80 times as massive as the Sun. The system is heavily obscured by
the Homunculus Nebula, material ejected from the primary during the
Great Eruption.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
538:
Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ended his siege of Rome,
leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general,
Belisarius.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rome_(537%E2%80%9338)>
1881:
Andrew Watson made his debut with the Scotland national
football team and became the world's first black international
footballer.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Watson_(footballer,_born_1856)>
1913:
The future capital of Australia was officially named Canberra
during a ceremony officiated by Gertrude, Lady Denman, the wife of
Governor-General Lord Denman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra>
1947:
Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman
Doctrine to help stem the spread of Communism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman_Doctrine>
1952:
British diplomat Hastings Ismay was appointed as the first
Secretary General of NATO.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay,_1st_Baron_Ismay>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apple of Sodom:
1. (medieval mythology) A gigantic tree supposed to have grown on the site
of the destroyed cities Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 18–19 in the
Bible), the apples of which would turn to ash and smoke once picked.
2. (botany) The names of various plants, often bearing bitter or poisonous
fruit. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apple_of_Sodom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One must let the play happen to one; one must let the mind loose
to respond as it will, to receive impressions, to sense rather than
know, to gather rather than immediately understand.
--Edward Albee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Albee>
Negotiations between German commanders and the Yugoslav Partisans
commenced on 11 March 1943 during an Axis offensive in World War II.
Focused on obtaining a ceasefire and establishing a prisoner exchange,
the talks were also used to delay the Axis forces while the Partisans
crossed the Neretva river and began attacking their Chetnik rivals, led
by Draža Mihailović. The talks were accompanied by an informal
ceasefire that lasted about six weeks before being called off by Adolf
Hitler. The advantage gained by the Partisans was lost when another Axis
offensive was launched in mid-May 1943. Some parts of the negotiations
were published from 1949 onwards, but many details were little known by
historians until the 1970s, including the identity of the chief Partisan
negotiator, Milovan Đilas (pictured). The US diplomat Walter Roberts
published a description of the talks in 1973 in a well-received book
that was protested by the Yugoslav government of Josip Broz Tito for its
depiction of the Partisans. Beginning in the 1980s, accounts of the
negotiations were published by Yugoslav historians and the main Yugoslav
protagonists.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German%E2%80%93Yugoslav_Partisan_negotiations>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
Queen Anne withheld royal assent from the Scottish Militia
Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoed legislation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_assent>
1818:
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a novel by Mary
Shelley, was first published in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein>
1879:
Shō Tai, the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, abdicated when
the kingdom was annexed by Japan and became Okinawa Prefecture.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8D_Tai>
1993:
Janet Reno was confirmed by the Senate as the first female
United States Attorney General.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Reno>
2007:
Georgian authorities accused Russia of orchestrating a
helicopter attack in the Kodori Valley of the breakaway territory of
Abkhazia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Georgia_helicopter_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
garden path sentence:
(linguistics) A sentence that is easily parsed incorrectly when first
read, due to ambiguity of a word or words.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/garden_path_sentence>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of
people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
--The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#The_Re…>