Mutsu was the second of two Nagato-class dreadnought battleships built
for the Imperial Japanese Navy at the end of World War I. Named after
Mutsu Province, the ship was launched on 31 May 1920. In 1923, a year
after commissioning, she carried supplies for the survivors of the Great
Kantō earthquake. The ship was modernised in the mid 1930s with
improvements to her armour and machinery, and a rebuilt superstructure
in the pagoda mast style. Other than participating in the battles of
Midway and the Eastern Solomons in 1942, where she saw no significant
combat, Mutsu spent most of the first year of the Pacific War in
training. She returned to Japan in early 1943. That June, one of her aft
magazines detonated while she was at anchor, sinking the ship with the
loss of 1,121 crew and visitors. The navy conducted a perfunctory
investigation into the cause of her loss, concluded that it was the work
of a disgruntled crewmember, and dispersed the survivors in an attempt
to conceal the sinking within Japan. Much of the wreck was salvaged
after the war and many of its artefacts and relics are on display in
Japanese museums.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Mutsu>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1223:
Mongol invasions: Mongol forces defeated a combined army of
Kiev, Galich, and the Cumans at the Kalchik River in present-day
Ukraine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River>
1879:
Gilmore's Garden in New York City was renamed Madison Square
Garden, the city's first venue to use that name.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_Garden_(1879)>
1902:
The Second Boer War came to an end with the signing of the
Treaty of Vereeniging.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Vereeniging>
1935:
An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 Mw struck Balochistan in the
British Raj, now part of Pakistan, killing between 30,000 and 60,000
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1935_Quetta_earthquake>
1981:
An organized mob of police and government-sponsored
paramilitias began burning the public library in Jaffna, Sri Lanka,
destroying over 97,000 items in one of the most violent examples of
ethnic biblioclasm of the 20th century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Jaffna_Public_Library>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wont:
One's habitual way of doing things; custom, practice.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wont>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Time, always without break, indicates itself in parts, What always
indicates the poet is the crowd of the pleasant company of singers, and
their words, The words of the singers are the hours or minutes of the
light or dark, but the words of the maker of poems are the general light
and dark, The maker of poems settles justice, reality, immortality, His
insight and power encircle things and the human race, He is the glory
and extract thus far of things and of the human race. The singers do not
beget, only the Poet begets, The singers are welcom'd, understood,
appear often enough, but rare has the day been, likewise the spot, of
the birth of the maker of poems, the Answerer, (Not every century nor
every five centuries has contain'd such a day, for all its names.)
--Song of the Answerer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leaves_of_Grass#Song_of_the_Answerer_.281855.…>
Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book is a 1959 graphic novel by American
cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman. The satirical stories are aimed at an adult
audience, in contrast to Kurtzman's earlier work for adolescents in
periodicals such as Mad. The social satire in the book's four stories
targets Peter Gunn-style private-detective shows, Westerns such as
Gunsmoke, capitalist greed in the publishing industry, Freudian pop
psychology, and lynch-hungry yokels in the Deep South. Kurtzman had
created the satirical Mad in 1952, but left its publisher EC Comics in
1956 after a dispute over financial control. He proposed Jungle Book as
an all-original cartoon book to Ballantine Books to replace their
successful series of Mad collections, which had moved to another
publisher. Ballantine accepted his proposal, albeit with reservations
about its commercial viability. Jungle Book was the first mass-market
paperback of original comics published in the United States. Though it
was not a financial success, it attracted fans and critical acclaim for
its brushwork, satirical adult-oriented humor, experimental dialogue
balloons, and adventurous page and panel designs.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Kurtzman%27s_Jungle_Book>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
The East Indiaman ship Arniston was wrecked during a storm at
Waenhuiskrans, near Cape Agulhas, present-day South Africa, with the
loss of 372 lives.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arniston_(East_Indiaman)>
1899:
Pearl Hart, one of the few female outlaws of the American Old
West, performed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies 30 miles
(48 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Hart>
1963:
Buddhist crisis: A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination
was held outside South Vietnam's National Assembly, the first open
demonstration against President Ngô Đình Diệm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_crisis>
1972:
Members of the Japanese Red Army carried out the Lod Airport
massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel, on behalf of PFLP External Operations,
killing over 20 people and injuring almost 80 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lod_Airport_massacre>
2005:
The disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway while on
a high school graduation trip to Aruba caused a media sensation in the
U.S.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Natalee_Holloway>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nature-deficit disorder:
(psychology) A class of behavioural problems in modern children,
ascribed to the fact that they spend little time outdoors, the existence
of which is regarded by some as controversial.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nature-deficit_disorder>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Unity is the great goal toward which humanity moves irresistibly.
But it becomes fatal, destructive of the intelligence, the dignity, the
well-being of individuals and peoples whenever it is formed without
regard to liberty, either by violent means or under the authority of any
theological, metaphysical, political, or even economic idea. That
patriotism which tends toward unity without regard to liberty is an evil
patriotism, always disastrous to the popular and real interests of the
country it claims to exalt and serve.
--Mikhail Bakunin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin>
Hands Across Hawthorne was a rally held at the Hawthorne Bridge in
Portland, Oregon, on May 29, 2011, in response to an attack on a gay
male couple one week earlier for holding hands while walking across the
bridge. News of the attack spread throughout the Pacific Northwest and
the United States. According to the couple and the Portland Police
Bureau, a group of five men followed Brad Forkner and Christopher
Rosevear along the bridge before they were physically assaulted. The
assault was condemned by Portland's gay mayor, Sam Adams, and its police
chief, Mike Reese. The attack prompted volunteers from the Q Center, an
LGBT community center and non-profit organization, to form street
patrols to monitor Portland's downtown area. Several LGBT and human
rights organizations sponsored Hands Across Hawthorne in response to the
attack, linking hands across the entire span of the Hawthorne Bridge to
show solidarity. More than 4,000 people attended the rally.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_Across_Hawthorne>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1453:
With the conquest of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire fell
to the Ottomans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire>
1852:
Swedish operatic soprano Jenny Lind concluded a successful
concert tour of the U.S. under the management of showman P. T. Barnum.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lind_tour_of_America,_1850%E2%80%9352>
1911:
English dramatist W. S. Gilbert of the songwriting duo Gilbert
and Sullivan died while saving a young woman from drowning in his lake.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._S._Gilbert>
1942:
Bing Crosby recorded his version of the song "White Christmas",
which went on to become the best-selling single of all time, with over
50 million copies sold.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(song)>
1953:
New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Nepali-Indian Sherpa
mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit
of Mount Everest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_British_Mount_Everest_expedition>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
duodenum:
The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the
stomach and extending to the jejunum.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/duodenum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society;
and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret
societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long
ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of
pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify
it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed
society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is
little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do
not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced
need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to
expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and
concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in
my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is
high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here
tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up
our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they
deserve to know.
--John F. Kennedy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy>
The Menacer is a light gun peripheral released by Sega in 1992 for its
Sega Genesis and Sega CD video game consoles, its successor to the
Master System Light Phaser. Communicating with a television via an
infrared sensor, the gun was bundled with a pack-in six-game cartridge
of mostly shooting gallery games. Sega also released a Menacer bundle
with Terminator 2: The Arcade Game. Mac Senour was responsible for the
Menacer project and designed the six-game pack. He originally proposed
non-shooting minigames based on existing Sega licenses, but most of the
prototypes were abandoned due to high cost in favor of more shooting-
type games. Sega did not plan another first-party release for the
Menacer apart from the included multi-game cartridge. Compatible games
were published through 1995. The Menacer is remembered as a critical and
commercial flop. Critics found the six-game pack subpar and repetitive,
and criticized the peripheral's lack of games. The ToeJam & Earl spinoff
game was held in the highest regard, and reviewers also recommended the
Terminator 2 game. A direct-to-TV light gun that includes the six-game
Menacer pack was released in 2005.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menacer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1588:
Anglo-Spanish War: The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and over
30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon for the English Channel in an attempt
to invade England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada>
1830:
US President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into
law, authorizing him to negotiate with Native Americans for their
removal from their ancestral homelands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act>
1936:
English mathematician Alan Turing introduced the Turing
machine, a basic abstract symbol-manipulating hypothetical device that
can simulate the logic of any computer algorithm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing>
1998:
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission carried out five
underground nuclear tests, becoming the seventh country in the world to
successfully develop and publicly test nuclear weapons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagai-I>
2010:
A train derailment and collision in the Paschim Medinipur
district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 141
passengers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnaneswari_Express_train_derailment>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vardapet:
(ecclesiastical) A highly educated archimandrite in the Armenian
Apostolic Church tradition who holds a Doctorate in Theology.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vardapet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look
death in the face.
--Ian Fleming
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming>
Waiting is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Anu Menon,
released in India on 27 May 2016. Produced by Priti Gupta of Ishka Films
and Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films, the film was co-written by Menon
and James Ruzicka. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin
(pictured) in lead roles, supported by Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini
Maniratnam, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Rajeev
Ravindranathan. Waiting focuses on the relationship between two people
from different walks of life who befriend each other in a hospital while
taking care of their respective comatose spouses. Neha Parti served as
the cinematographer, and singer-songwriter Mikey McCleary composed the
score. The film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film
Festival in December 2015, and was also screened at the closing gala of
the London Asian Film Festival, where Menon won the Best Director Award.
Waiting was well-received by critics, with particular praise for the
performances of Koechlin and Shah, and for Menon's direction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_(2015_film)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1799:
War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeated the
French and captured the strategically important town of Winterthur,
Switzerland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Winterthur>
1874:
The first group of the Dorsland Trek, a series of explorations
undertaken by Boers in search of political independence and better
living conditions, departed South Africa for Angola.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsland_Trek>
1915:
HMS Princess Irene was obliterated by an explosion off
Sheerness, United Kingdom, with the loss of 352 lives.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Princess_Irene>
1937:
The Golden Gate Bridge, at the time the world's longest
suspension bridge by span, opened between San Francisco and Marin
County, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge>
1967:
Australians voted overwhelmingly to include Indigenous
Australians in the national census and for the government to make laws
for their benefit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_referendum,_1967_(Aboriginals)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
silly season:
1. (idiomatic, journalism) A period, usually during the summertime, when
news media tend to place increased emphasis on reporting light-hearted,
offbeat, or bizarre stories.
2. (idiomatic) A period of time, as during a holiday season or a political
campaign, in which the behavior of an individual or group tends to
become uncharacteristically frivolous, mirthful, or eccentric.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/silly_season>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Heaven is what you mix all the days of your life, but you call it
dreams. You have one chance to buy your Heaven with all the intents and
ethics of your life. That is why everyone considers Heaven such a lovely
place. Because it is dreams, special dreams, in which you exist. What
you have to do is live up to them.
--Harlan Ellison
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison>
Akodon spegazzinii, Spegazzini's grass mouse, is a rodent in the genus
Akodon. It inhabits grassland and forest in northwestern Argentina at
400 to 3,500 m (1,300 to 11,500 ft) above sea level. Compared with
other members of the Akodon boliviensis species group, it is medium in
size, with a head-and-body length of 93 to 196 mm (3.7 to 7.7 in) and
a mass of 13.0 to 38.0 g (0.46 to 1.34 oz). The coloration of its
upperparts varies considerably, from light to dark and from yellowish to
reddish brown. The underparts are yellow-brown to gray. The eyes are
surrounded by a ring of yellow fur. The skull contains an hourglass-
shaped interorbital region (between the eyes), and various features of
the skull distinguish the species from its close allies. It reproduces
year-round. First named in 1897, the species now includes mice that had
been given other names from variable populations. Because it is common
and widely distributed in its habitat, it is considered a species of
least concern.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akodon_spegazzinii>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both
claimed victory in the Battle of Montijo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Montijo>
1897:
The Church of England returned the original manuscript of Of
Plymouth Plantation, the account of the Pilgrims and the early years of
the colony they founded in North America, to Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation>
1940:
Second World War: A flotilla of "little ships" began a mass
evacuation of British, French and Belgian troops cut off by the German
army during the Battle of Dunkirk.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation>
1991:
Lauda Air Flight 004 experienced an uncommanded thrust reverser
deployment of an engine and broke apart in mid-air, killing all 223
people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauda_Air_Flight_004>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
khachapuri:
A cheese pastry from the Eastern European country Georgia.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/khachapuri>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Wikis work best in environments where you're comfortable
delegating control to the users of the system.
--Ward Cunningham
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham>
The Flying Eagle cent is a one-cent piece that was struck by the Mint of
the United States as a pattern coin in 1856, and released for
circulation on May 25, 1857. The coin was designed by Mint Chief
Engraver James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based on the work
of Longacre's predecessor, Christian Gobrecht. By the early 1850s, the
large cent in circulation (about the size of a half dollar) was becoming
both unpopular in commerce and expensive to coin. After experimenting
with various sizes and compositions, the Mint decided on an alloy of 88%
copper and 12% nickel for a new, smaller cent. After the Mint produced
patterns with an 1856 date and gave them to legislators and officials,
Congress formally authorized the new piece in February 1857. It was
issued in exchange for the worn Spanish colonial silver coin that had
circulated in the U.S. until then, as well as for its larger
predecessor. So many cents were issued that they choked commercial
channels, especially as they were not legal tender and no one had to
take them. The eagle design did not strike well, and was replaced in
1859 by Longacre's Indian Head cent.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Eagle_cent>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1810:
The Primera Junta, the first independent government in
Argentina, was established in an open cabildo in Buenos Aires, marking
the end of the May Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Revolution>
1878:
Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster
featured) opened at the Opera Comique in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.M.S._Pinafore>
1961:
During a speech to a joint session of the United States
Congress, U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced his support for the
Apollo space program, with "the goal, before this decade is out, of
landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program>
1977:
Star Wars, a science fantasy film written and directed by
George Lucas, was released, eventually becoming one of the most
successful films of all time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film)>
2009:
North Korea conducted a nuclear test and several other missile
tests that were widely condemned by the international community and led
to sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_North_Korean_nuclear_test>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sand boil:
1. (geology) An eruption of water through a bed of sand due, for instance,
to seismic activity, or to differences in water pressure on two sides of
a levee which causes water to penetrate beneath the levee.
2. (pathology, rare) A boil which forms when sand particles enter and
irritate the skin.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sand_boil>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This must be Thursday... I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
--The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy>
U.S. Route 113 (US 113) extends 75 miles (121 km) from US 13 in
Pocomoke City, Maryland, north to Delaware Route 1 in Milford. The
highway, which until 2003 reconnected with US 13 in Dover, Delaware,
serves the Maryland towns of Snow Hill and Berlin and the Delaware towns
of Selbyville, Millsboro, and Georgetown. It follows the corridor of a
post road established in the late 18th century. The route was improved
as an all-weather road in the 1910s. The Delaware portion of the route,
including the former designation from Milford to Dover, was built by
Thomas Coleman DuPont's company as the DuPont Highway, the first
sections of which were completed on May 24, 1917. DuPont foresaw that
traffic on highways would approach the speed and volume of railroads, so
he designed the highway with a wide right of way and curves and grades
adequate for high speed traffic. The DuPont Highway was one of the
earliest roads built with bypasses, roads that passed close to towns but
not directly through them. US 113 was widened and reconstructed in the
1930s and 1940s, including a bypass of Dover. The route was expanded to
a divided highway starting in the 1950s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_113>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1883:
New York City's Brooklyn Bridge opened – the longest
suspension bridge in the world at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge>
1930:
English aviatrix Amy Johnson landed in Darwin, Northern
Territory, becoming the first woman to successfully fly from England to
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Johnson>
1962:
Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the
Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Carpenter>
1970:
On the Kola Peninsula in Russia, drilling began on the Kola
Superdeep Borehole, eventually reaching 12,262 metres (40,230 ft),
making it the deepest hole ever drilled and the deepest artificial point
on the earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole>
1982:
The port city of Khorramshahr was liberated by Iranian forces
during the Iran–Iraq War after 575 days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Khorramshahr>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Mancunian:
A person raised or living in the city of Manchester, England, in the
United Kingdom.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mancunian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated,
disciplined. One of the widest gaps in human experience is the gap
between what we say we want to be and our willingness to discipline
ourselves to get there.
--Harry Emerson Fosdick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Emerson_Fosdick>
Zenobia (c. 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Syrian-
based Palmyrene Empire. Her husband Odaenathus became king in 260, and
elevated Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East by defeating the
Sassanians and stabilizing the Roman East. After his assassination, she
became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power
throughout his reign. In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion which brought
most of the Roman East under her sway, culminating with the annexation
of Egypt. In reaction to Roman emperor Aurelian's campaign in 272,
Zenobia declared Palmyra's secession from Rome, naming her son emperor
and assuming the title of empress. The Romans were victorious after
heavy fighting; the queen was besieged in her capital and captured by
Aurelian. He exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her
life. Zenobia fostered a multicultural and intellectual environment in
her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. Many tales have
been recorded about her fate. Her rise and fall have inspired
historians, artists and novelists, and she is a national hero in Syria.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenobia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1430:
Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of
Compiègne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Compi%C3%A8gne>
1844:
Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad Shírází proclaimed that he was "the
Báb", after a Shia religious concept, marking the beginning of the
Bábí movement, the forerunner of the Bahá'í Faith.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bism>
1934:
During a strike against the Electric Auto-Lite company in
Toledo, Ohio, a mob of nearly 10,000 began a riot and a five-day running
battle with the Ohio National Guard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Lite_strike>
1951:
Delegates of the 14th Dalai Lama and the government of the
newly established People's Republic of China signed the Seventeen Point
Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, affirming Chinese
sovereignty over Tibet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Point_Agreement_for_the_Peaceful_Li…>
2008:
To resolve a 29-year-old territorial dispute, the International
Court of Justice awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to
Singapore.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedra_Branca_dispute>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
defenestration:
1. The act of throwing something or someone out of a window.
2. (Britain) The high-profile removal of a person from an organization.
3. (computing, neologism, humorous) The act of removing the Microsoft
Windows operating system from a computer in order to install an
alternative one.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/defenestration>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To one who has enjoyed the full life of any scene, of any hour,
what thoughts can be recorded about it, seem like the commas and
semicolons in the paragraph, mere stops.
--Margaret Fuller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Fuller>
A vampire is a being from folklore who subsists on the blood or life
essence of the living. In European folklore, vampires were shroud-
wearing undead beings who often visited loved ones and caused mischief
in the neighbourhoods they inhabited when they were alive. Before the
early 19th century, they were described as bloated and of ruddy or dark
countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire. The
term vampire was popularised in the West in the early 18th century,
after vampire legends from oral traditions of ethnic groups of the
Balkans and Eastern Europe were recorded and published. The charismatic
and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the
publication of The Vampyre by John Polidori; the story was highly
successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early
19th century. The modern basis of the vampire legend comes from Bram
Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, considered the quintessential vampire
novel. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre,
still popular in the 21st century.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a
hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of
South America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle>
1897:
The first Blackwall Tunnel (construction pictured) under the
River Thames was opened to improve commerce and trade in the East End of
London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel>
1915:
California's Lassen Peak violently erupted, the only volcanic
eruption in the contiguous U.S. in the 20th century until Mount St.
Helens erupted in 1980.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassen_Peak>
1972:
Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, adopted a new
constitution, and officially became a republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka>
1987:
During Hindu–Muslim rioting in Meerut, India, 19 members of
the Provincial Armed Constabulary allegedly massacred 42 Muslims and
dumped their bodies in water canals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimpura_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tram:
1. (Australia, Britain, rail transport) A passenger vehicle for public use
that runs on tracks in the road (called a streetcar in North America).
2. A similar vehicle for carrying materials.
3. (US, rail transport) A people mover.
4. (US) An aerial cable car.
5. (US) A train with wheels that runs on a road; a trackless train. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tram>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When we are mired in the relative world, never lifting our gaze to
the mystery, our life is stunted, incomplete; we are filled with
yearning for that paradise that is lost when, as young children, we
replace it with words and ideas and abstractions — such as merit, such
as past, present, and future — our direct, spontaneous experience of
the thing itself, in the beauty and precision of this present moment. We
identify, label, and interpret our surroundings as abstract concepts,
quite separate from another concept, which is our own separate identity
and ego.
--Peter Matthiessen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Matthiessen>