Kona Lanes was a 40-lane bowling center in Costa Mesa, California, that
closed in 2003 after 45 years in business. Built during the advent of
Googie architecture, its Polynesian Tiki-themed styling extended from
the large roadside neon sign to what the Los Angeles Times called the
building's "flamboyant neon lights and ostentatious rooflines meant to
attract motorists like moths". At its peak, Kona Lanes was open 24 hours
a day, averaging more than 80 ten-frame games of bowling on each of its
40 lanes. The center also hosted music concerts and other events.
Following years of decline, Kona Lanes closed and was torn down in 2003;
a portion of the distinctive sign (pictured) was saved and sent to
Cincinnati, Ohio, for display in the American Sign Museum. Plans for a
department store on the Kona Lanes site were rejected; in 2010, the
still-unused land was rezoned for senior citizens' apartments and
commercial development. Construction on the apartment complex began in
2013 after the lot had sat empty for ten years.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_Lanes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1537:
The main settlement Bacatá was conquered by Gonzalo Jiménez
de Quesada during the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, effectively ending
the Muisca Confederation in the Colombian Eastern Andes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacat%C3%A1>
1809:
War of the Fifth Coalition: Napoleon led a Franco-German force
to victory over a reinforced Austrian corps in the Battle of Abensberg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abensberg>
1939:
Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday was celebrated as a national
holiday in Nazi Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_50th_birthday>
1968:
British Member of Parliament Enoch Powell made his
controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech in opposition to immigration and
anti-discrimination legislation, resulting in his removal from the
Shadow Cabinet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech>
2010:
An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore oil rig in the
Gulf of Mexico, caused the largest accidental marine oil spill in the
history of the petroleum industry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
execration:
1. An act or instance of cursing; a curse dictated by violent feelings of
hatred; an imprecation; an expression of utter detestation.
2. That which is execrated; a detested thing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/execration>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It's a rare man who is taken for what he truly is … There is
much misjudgment in the world. … We are not always what we seem, and
hardly ever what we dream.
--The Last Unicorn
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Last_Unicorn>
Donnchadh (Duncan), Earl of Carrick (died 1250), was a Gall-Gaidhil
prince and one of the longest serving magnates in medieval Scotland. His
father, Gille-Brighde of Galloway, and his uncle, Uhtred of Galloway,
were the two rival sons of Fergus, Lord of Galloway. As a result of
Gille-Brighde's conflict with Uhtred and the Scottish monarch William
the Lion, Donnchadh became a hostage of King Henry II of England. He
probably remained in England for almost a decade before returning north
on the death of his father. Although denied succession over all the
lands of Galloway, he was granted lordship over Carrick in the north.
Allied to John de Courcy, Donnchadh fought battles in Ireland, acquiring
and losing land there. A patron of religious houses, particularly
Melrose Abbey and North Berwick priory nunnery, he attempted to
establish a monastery in his own territory, at Crossraguel. He married
the daughter of Alan fitz Walter, a leading member of the family later
known as the House of Stewart—future monarchs of Scotland and England.
His descendants include the Bruce, the Stewart Kings of Scotland, and
probably the Campbell Dukes of Argyll.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnchadh,_Earl_of_Carrick>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
797:
Byzantine emperor Constantine VI was captured, blinded, and
imprisoned by the supporters of his mother Irene.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_VI>
1809:
War of the Fifth Coalition: The French won a hard-fought
victory over Austria in Lower Bavaria when their opponents withdrew from
the field of battle that evening.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teugen-Hausen>
1927:
American actress Mae West was sentenced to ten days in jail for
"corrupting the morals of youth" for her play Sex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_West>
1984:
Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick's "Advance
Australia Fair", a patriotic song that was first performed in 1878,
officially replaced "God Save the Queen" as Australia's national anthem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_Australia_Fair>
2005:
Joseph Alois Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI on the
second day of the papal conclave.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
syllabub:
1. A drink dating back to the 16th century consisting primarily of milk
curdled with an alcoholic beverage or some acid such as lemon juice,
which is usually then sweetened and spiced.
2. Also everlasting syllabub or solid syllabub: a dessert pudding derived
from the drink.
3. (figuratively) Something lacking substance; something frothy,
insubstantial, or lightweight.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/syllabub>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In studying the literature connected with my work, I became aware
of the great universal significance of visionary experience. It plays a
dominant role, not only in mysticism and the history of religion, but
also in the creative process in art, literature, and science. More
recent investigations have shown that many persons also have visionary
experiences in daily life, though most of us fail to recognize their
meaning and value. Mystical experiences, like those that marked my
childhood, are apparently far from rare.
--Albert Hofmann
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann>
The Roman and Han empires saw an exchange of trade goods, information,
and occasional travelers, as did the later Eastern Roman Empire and
various Chinese dynasties. These empires inched progressively closer in
the course of the Roman expansion into the ancient Near East and
simultaneous Han Chinese military incursions into Central Asia. Mutual
awareness remained low and firm knowledge about each other was limited.
Only a few attempts at direct contact are known from records. Several
alleged Roman emissaries to China were recorded by ancient Chinese
historians. The indirect exchange of goods along the Silk Road and sea
routes included Chinese silk, Roman glassware (example pictured) and
high-quality cloth. Roman coins minted since the 1st century AD have
been found in China. A coin of Maximian and medallions from the reigns
of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius were found in Vietnam. Roman
glasswares and silverwares have been discovered at Chinese
archaeological sites dated to the Han period. Roman coins and glass
beads have also been found in Japan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1025:
Bolesław I the Brave became the first King of Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boles%C5%82aw_I_the_Brave>
1689:
Provincial militia and citizens gathered in Boston, and
arrested officials of the Dominion of New England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1689_Boston_revolt>
1958:
Controversial American poet Ezra Pound was released from St.
Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he had been incarcerated
for twelve years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Pound>
1996:
Israeli forces shelled Qana, Lebanon, during Operation Grapes
of Wrath, killing more than 100 civilians and injuring more than 110
others at a UN compound.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qana_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
paint oneself into a corner:
(idiomatic) To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do
something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paint_oneself_into_a_corner>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or
values or religion (to which few members of other civilizations were
converted) but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence.
Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.
--Samuel P. Huntington
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_P._Huntington>
Villa Park is an association football stadium in Aston, Birmingham,
England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. Formerly a sports ground in
a Victorian amusement park, it has been the home of Aston Villa Football
Club since 17 April 1897. The ground has hosted sixteen England
internationals at senior level, the first in 1899 and the most recent in
2005. It has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other stadium.
The club has initial planning permission to redevelop its North Stand,
which will increase its capacity to around 50,000. Aside from football-
related uses, the stadium has seen concerts and other sporting events,
including boxing matches and international rugby league and rugby union
matches. In 1999, the last ever final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup took
place at Villa Park. It also hosted the 2012 FA Community Shield, as
Wembley Stadium was being used for the final of the Olympic football
tournament.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1362:
Lithuanian Crusade: After a month-long siege, the Teutonic
Order captured and destroyed Kaunas Castle (reconstruction pictured) in
Lithuania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kaunas_(1362)>
1907:
Brazil became the third country in the world to start
construction on a dreadnought battleship, sparking a vastly expensive
South American naval arms race.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_dreadnought_race>
1961:
Armed Cuban exiles backed by the CIA invaded Cuba, landing in
the Bay of Pigs, with the aim of overthrowing the Cuban government under
Fidel Castro.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion>
1975:
The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, ending the
Cambodian Civil War, and established Democratic Kampuchea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Civil_War>
2014:
NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first
exoplanet with a radius similar to Earth's discovered in the habitable
zone of another star.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-186f>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hate-watch:
(informal) To watch a television programme, etc., that one dislikes, for
the pleasure one gets from criticizing or making fun of it.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hate-watch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The population of the world is gradually dividing into two
classes, Anarchists and criminals.
--Benjamin Tucker
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Tucker>
King Kalākaua's world tour in 1881 made him the first monarch to
circumnavigate the globe. His agenda was to negotiate contract labor for
the Kingdom of Hawaii's sugar plantations, with hopes of saving the
dwindling Native Hawaiian population by drawing immigration from Asia-
Pacific nations. Rumors circulated that the King secretly intended to
use the trip to sell the Hawaiian Islands to the highest bidder. He
visited American legislators and had an audience with the Pope in Rome.
He also met with European and Asian heads of state, and was influenced
by their ornate ceremonies and displays of military power. In between
negotiations, Kalākaua and his companions visited tourist sites and
attended local Freemasonry lodge meetings. As a result of his visit with
Thomas Edison on the return trip through New York, Iolani Palace later
became the first building in Hawaii with electric lighting. Kalākaua's
amiable personality generated goodwill around the world, and he
succeeded in increasing Hawaii's labor force. The Japanese workers he
attracted were commemorated a century later with a new statue of
Kalākaua in Waikiki.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kal%C4%81kaua%27s_world_tour>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1520:
Citizens of Toledo, Castile, who were opposed to the rule of
the foreign-born Charles V, rose up in revolt when the royal government
attempted to unseat radical city councilors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Comuneros>
1847:
New Zealand Wars: A minor Māori chief was accidentally shot by
a junior British Army officer in the Petre settlement of New Zealand's
North Island, triggering the Wanganui Campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanganui_Campaign>
1917:
World War I: A massive assault by several French army corps
against the German-occupied Chemin des Dames ridge began south of Laon,
France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Aisne>
1947:
American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch
first described the post–World War II tensions between the Soviet
Union and the United States as a "cold war".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War>
2007:
In one of the deadliest shooting incidents in United States
history, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded over 20 more before
committing suicide at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hierophany:
(religion) A physical manifestation of the holy or sacred, serving as a
spiritual eidolon for emulation or worship.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hierophany>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Your God still walks in Eden, between the ancient trees, Where
Youth and Love go wading through pools of primroses. And this is the
sign we bring you, before the darkness fall, That Spring is risen, is
risen again, That Life is risen, is risen again, That Love is risen, is
risen again, and Love is Lord of all.
--Alfred Noyes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Noyes>
Me and Juliet is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers and
lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The story deals with romance
between the cast and crew backstage at a long-running musical, a show-
within-the-show (also named Me and Juliet). The musical premiered in
1953 and ran for almost a year on Broadway, closing after it exhausted
its advance sales. It received no Tony Award nominations. The play
required complex machinery, designed by Jo Mielziner, so that the
audience could view action not only on the stage but also in the wings
and high above the stage near the spotlights. The show garnered less
than favorable reviews, though Mielziner's staging won praise from
audiences and critics. With the exception of a short run in Chicago,
there was no national tour, and the show is rarely seen—although a
small-scale production was presented by London's Finborough Theatre in
2010. "No Other Love" from the show became a hit record in 1953 for
Perry Como and in 1956 for Ronnie Hilton.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_Juliet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
769:
The Lateran Council concluded proceedings intended to rectify
abuses in the papal electoral process that had led to the elevation of
the antipopes Constantine II and Philip.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Council_(769)>
1802:
English poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy
encountered a "long belt" of daffodils, inspiring him to pen his most
famous work, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wandered_Lonely_as_a_Cloud>
1927:
Torrential rains caused the Mississippi River to break out of
its levee system in at least 145 places, resulting in the worst flooding
in the history of the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927>
1947:
Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break the
baseball color line, played his first game in Major League Baseball.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson>
1989:
A human crush during an FA Cup semi-final match between
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield,
England, caused 96 deaths, making it the worst disaster in British
sporting history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
necrocracy:
A government that still operates under the rules of a former, dead
leader.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/necrocracy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love shows itself more in adversity than in prosperity; as light
does, which shines most where the place is darkest.
--Leonardo da Vinci
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci>
The Crucifix by Cimabue at Santa Croce is a large wooden crucifix
painted c. 1265, one of two attributed to the Florentine painter and
mosaicist Cimabue. Painted in distemper, it was commissioned by the
Franciscan friars of Santa Croce and is built from a complex arrangement
of timber boards. Displaying technical innovations and humanistic
iconography, it is one of the first Italian artworks to break from the
late medieval Byzantine style. The gilding and monumentality of the
cross link it to the Byzantine tradition. Christ's static pose is
reflective of this style, while the work overall incorporates newer,
more naturalistic aspects. It presents a lifelike and physically
imposing depiction of the passion at Calvary. Christ is shown nearly
naked: his eyes are closed, his face lifeless and defeated. His body
slumps in a position contorted by prolonged agony and pain. The painting
is a graphic and unflinching portrayal of human suffering, and has
influenced painters from Michelangelo to Francis Bacon. It has been in
the Basilica di Santa Croce since the late 13th century, and at the
museum at Santa Croce since restoration following flooding of the Arno
in 1966.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifix_(Cimabue,_Santa_Croce)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1471:
Wars of the Roses: The Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the
Lancastrians near the town of Barnet, killing Richard Neville, Earl of
Warwick.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barnet>
1865:
Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally
shot U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington,
D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln>
1944:
The freighter SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton
bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour in Bombay, India,
sinking surrounding ships and killing about 800 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944_Bombay_explosion>
1967:
After leading a military coup three months earlier, Gnassingbé
Eyadéma installed himself as President of Togo, a post which he held
until 2005.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnassingb%C3%A9_Eyad%C3%A9ma>
1999:
A storm dropped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones in
Sydney and along the east coast of New South Wales, causing about A$2.3
billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster in Australian
insurance history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Sydney_hailstorm>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
daily bread:
1. All those things, such as regular food and water, needed to sustain
physical life.
2. (by extension, chiefly Christianity) All those things, such as regular
prayer, worship and meditation, needed to sustain spiritual life.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/daily_bread>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You waste time, my friend, in trying to convince me of all human
life's failure and unimportance, for I am not in sympathy with this
modern morbid pessimistic way of talking. It has a very ill sound, and
nothing whatever is to be gained by it.
--James Branch Cabell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Branch_Cabell>
Fez is an indie puzzle-platform video game developed by Polytron and
published by Trapdoor, first released on April 13, 2012, for Xbox Live
Arcade. The player-character Gomez receives a fez that reveals his two-
dimensional (2D) world to be one of four sides of a three-dimensional
(3D) world. The player rotates between these four 2D views to realign
platforms and solve the game's puzzles. Designer Phil Fish appeared in
the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which detailed Fez's final
stages of development and Polytron's related legal issues. Reviewers
commended the game's emphasis on discovery and freedom, but criticized
its technical issues, in-game navigation, and endgame backtracking. They
likened the game's rotation mechanics to the 2D–3D shifts of
Echochrome, Super Paper Mario, and Crush. Fez won the Seumas McNally
Grand Prize and Eurogamer's 2012 Game of the Year award. It sold one
million copies by the end of 2013, and influenced games such as Monument
Valley, Crossy Road, and Secrets of Rætikon.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fez_(video_game)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1111:
Henry V, the last ruler of the Salian dynasty, was crowned Holy
Roman Emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1742:
Messiah, an oratorio by baroque composer George Frideric
Handel, premiered in Dublin.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel)>
1829:
The Roman Catholic Relief Act was granted Royal Assent,
removing the most substantial restrictions on Catholics in the United
Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Relief_Act_1829>
1984:
Indian forces launched Operation Meghdoot, a preemptive attack
on the disputed Siachen Glacier region of Kashmir, triggering a military
conflict with Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siachen_conflict>
1997:
In golf, twenty-one-year-old Tiger Woods became the youngest
player to win the US Masters, breaking the tournament's record for the
lowest four-round score (270 strokes, 18 under par).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pedilavium:
1. (Christianity) The rite of foot-washing based on the act carried out by
Jesus Christ on his disciples at the Last Supper. Depending on the
church or denomination, it may be carried out at baptism, during Holy
Communion, or as part of a Maundy Thursday service.
2. (chiefly medicine, obsolete) A footbath carried out for therapeutic
purposes; a pediluvium.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pedilavium>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my
family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the
world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which
any human power can give.
--Thomas Jefferson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson>
Everglades National Park is a U.S. National Park in Florida that
protects the southern 20 percent of the original Everglades. It is the
largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the third-largest
national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley and
Yellowstone. The park was established in 1934 when canal-building
projects in South Florida were threatening the quickly vanishing
Everglades, a network of wetlands and forests fed by a river flowing out
of Lake Okeechobee into Florida Bay. It was the first national park
created to protect a fragile ecosystem. The park is the most significant
breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America and contains
the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere. It is home to
36 threatened or protected species including the Florida panther, the
American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee, and supports
350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish,
40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles. Most of South
Florida's fresh water comes from the Biscayne Aquifer, which is
replenished by the Everglades.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades_National_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
The fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress passed the
Halifax Resolves, the first official action in the American colonies
calling for independence from Britain during the American Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Resolves>
1831:
Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, collapsed,
reportedly because of mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in
step over the bridge.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broughton_Suspension_Bridge>
1910:
SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the
Austro-Hungarian Navy, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Zr%C3%ADnyi>
1980:
Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean at
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and began running his "Marathon
of Hope" towards the Pacific Ocean at Vancouver, British Columbia, to
raise funds across Canada for cancer research.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox>
2007:
The canteen of the Council of Representatives of Iraq building
was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing one Member of Parliament and
wounding 23 other people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Iraqi_Parliament_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
grandcat:
(humorous, affectionate) A cat owned by one's child, having a status
comparable to a grandchild.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grandcat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The average guy is smart enough to know the difference between
what works and what doesn't, and if you have bad information, sooner or
later, you figure it out and you get onto something else.
--Tom Clancy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy>
Margaret Lea Houston (April 11, 1819 – December 3, 1867) was First
Lady of the Republic of Texas, First Lady of the state of Texas, and a
founding member of Concord Baptist Church in Grand Cane. She was a poet
and an accomplished musician. Her influence on husband Sam Houston
persuaded him to give up alcohol and profane language. Margaret gave
birth inside the governor's mansion to the youngest of their eight
children, as angry mobs gathered outside in response to her husband's
opposition to Texas signing the Ordinance of Secession of the Civil War.
He was removed from office for refusing to swear loyalty to the
Confederacy. Their eldest son joined the Confederate army and was left
for dead on the battlefield at Shiloh, saved by a Union Army clergyman
who found a Bible from Margaret in his pocket. Sam Houston died of
illness before the end of the war, as Margaret sat by his bed reading to
him from the 23rd Psalm. She became the keeper of his legacy and opened
his records to a trusted biographer. When she died of yellow fever,
Margaret could not be buried with her husband in a public cemetery for
fear of contamination, and was instead interred on private family
property.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Lea_Houston>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1544:
Italian War of 1542–46: French and Spanish forces fought a
massive pitched battle in the Piedmont region of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ceresole>
1814:
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed, ending the War of the
Sixth Coalition, and forcing Napoleon to abdicate as ruler of France and
sending him into exile on Elba.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fontainebleau_(1814)>
1908:
Blücher, the last armored cruiser built by the Imperial German
Navy, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Bl%C3%BCcher>
1921:
Emir Abdullah established the first centralised government in
the recently created British protectorate of Transjordan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Transjordan>
2002:
In a coup attempt, members of the Venezuelan military detained
President Hugo Chávez and demanded his resignation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Venezuelan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
usufruct:
(law) The legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property
that belongs to another person, as long as the property is not damaged.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/usufruct>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Jokes can be noble. Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears.
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to
the futility of thinking and striving anymore. I myself prefer to laugh,
since there is less cleaning up to do afterward — and since I can
start thinking and striving again that much sooner.
--Kurt Vonnegut
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut>