The Qayen earthquake struck Northern Iran's Khorasan Province on May 10,
1997. Centered on the village of Ardekul, around 270 kilometers
(170 mi) south of Mashhad, it was the largest in the area since 1990,
measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale. Described as the deadliest
quake of 1997 by the US Geological Survey, it ravaged the
Birjand–Qayen region, killing 1,567 people and injuring more than
2,300. It damaged or destroyed over 15,000 homes, leaving
50,000 homeless, with a total estimated damage of $100 million. People
trapped under the debris were assisted by rescue teams. Around
155 aftershocks caused further destruction, and drove away survivors.
The earthquake was caused by a rupture along a fault that runs
underneath the Iran–Afghanistan border. Partly because of a
deterioration in the quality of buildings in rural areas, earthquake-
related incidents have killed around 1 in 3,000 Iranians since the start
of the 20th century. The devastation near the earthquake's epicenter was
attributed to these poor construction practices, and led to a movement
for changes in building codes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1329:
Byzantine–Ottoman wars: A heavily armed Greek force was
defeated in the Battle of Pelekanon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pelekanon>
1838:
More than 25 Australian Aborigines were massacred near
Inverell, New South Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myall_Creek_massacre>
1935:
American physician Bob Smith had his last alcoholic drink,
marking the traditional founding date of Alcoholics Anonymous.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous>
1957:
Led by John Diefenbaker, the Progressive Conservative Party won
a plurality of the seats in the Canadian House of Commons in the federal
election, bringing an end to 22 years of Liberal Party rule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_1957>
2008:
War in Afghanistan: An airstrike by the United States resulted
in the deaths of eleven paramilitary troops of the Pakistan Army
Frontier Corps and eight Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gora_Prai_airstrike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hung parliament:
(government, politics) A parliament in which no single political party
has an outright majority.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hung_parliament>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the
need for illusion is deep.
--Saul Bellow
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saul_Bellow>
The Greenback Party convened in 1880 at the Interstate Exposition
Building in Chicago from June 9 to 11 to select presidential and vice
presidential nominees and write a party platform for that year's US
presidential election. Delegates chose a ticket of James B. Weaver
(pictured) of Iowa and Barzillai J. Chambers of Texas. The Greenback
Party had drawn support from organized labor and farmers, mostly from
the nation's West and South, in response to the economic depression that
followed the Panic of 1873. Weaver and Chambers triumphed quickly,
winning a majority of the convention delegates' votes on the first
ballot. More tumultuous was the fight over the platform, as delegates
from disparate factions of the left-wing movement clashed over Chinese
immigration, government regulation of working conditions, and especially
women's suffrage. The general election was narrowly won by the
Republican candidate, James A. Garfield, over the Democrat, Winfield
Scott Hancock. The Greenback ticket placed a distant third, netting just
over three percent of the popular vote.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1880_Greenback_National_Convention>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
411 BC:
Wealthy Athenians overthrew the democratic government of
ancient Athens and replaced it with a short-lived oligarchy known as
"The Four Hundred".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_coup_of_411_BC>
1772:
In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American
patriots led by Abraham Whipple attacked and burned the British schooner
Gaspee (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspee_Affair>
1946:
After King Ananda Mahidol was fatally shot, Bhumibol Adulyadej
ascended to the throne of Thailand, becoming the longest-reigning
monarch in Thai history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhumibol_Adulyadej>
1954:
During the hearings investigating conflicting accusations
between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy, Army lawyer
Joseph N. Welch famously asked McCarthy, "At long last, have you left no
sense of decency?"
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army%E2%80%93McCarthy_hearings>
2010:
A boy wearing a bomb committed a suicide attack at a wedding in
Arghandab District, Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing at least 40 people
and injuring 70 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadahan_wedding_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bah humbug:
(humorous) Expressing cynicism, disillusionment or distrustfulness; and
specifically a dislike of Christmas and its celebrations and
festivities.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bah_humbug>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It must be fun to be you And play with love as you do To treat
each new romance As merely one more dance Or just another book to glance
through It must be fun to acquire Whatever heart you desire, And when
you're bored with it To tear it in two, It must be fun to be you.
--Cole Porter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter>
Carnaby's black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) is a large
parrot, 53–58 cm (21–23 in) long, endemic to south western
Australia. It was described in 1948 by naturalist Ivan Carnaby. This
black cockatoo has a short crest, mostly greyish-black plumage,
prominent white cheek patches, and a white tail band. The body feathers
are edged with white, giving a scalloped appearance. The beak is dark
grey for males and bone-coloured for females. The young stay with the
family until at least the next breeding season. The bird eats seeds,
mainly from the Proteaceae and Myrtaceae families. It nests in high
hollows in large trees, generally Eucalyptus, but populations north of
Perth have become dependent on pine plantations. With much of its
habitat lost to land clearing and development, the bird is listed as
endangered. Like most parrots, it is protected by CITES, an
international agreement that makes trade, export, and import of listed
wild-caught species illegal. It is also part of an annual census, the
Great Cocky Count, held since 2009 to track the population change of
threatened black cockatoo species in Western Australia.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnaby%27s_black_cockatoo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
218:
With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeated the
forces of Roman emperor Macrinus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antioch_(218)>
1776:
American Revolutionary War: British forces defeated the
Continental Army at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, the last major battle
fought on Quebec soil that was part of the American colonists' invasion
of Quebec.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trois-Rivi%C3%A8res>
1941:
World War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon Campaign
against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria%E2%80%93Lebanon_Campaign>
1950:
Thomas Blamey became the only Australian to attain the rank of
field marshal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey>
2007:
A major storm in New South Wales, Australia, beached the bulk
carrier ship MV Pasha Bulker.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Drake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fishify:
1. (transitive) To change (flesh) to fish; to transform into a fish.
2. (figuratively) To make as wet as a fish; to drench with water.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fishify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fact that we're all connected, the fact that we've got this
information space — does change the parameters. It changes the way
people live and work. It changes things for good and for bad. But I
think, in general, it's clear that most bad things come from
misunderstanding, and communication is generally the way to resolve
misunderstandings — and the Web's a form of communications — so it
generally should be good. But I think, also, we have to watch whether we
preserve the stability of the world … We need to look at the whole
society and think, "Are we actually thinking about what we're doing as
we go forward, and are we preserving the really important values that we
have in society? Are we keeping it democratic, and open, and so on?"
--Tim Berners-Lee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee>
The Virgin and Child Enthroned is a small oil-on-oak panel painting
dated c. 1433, usually attributed to the Early Netherlandish artist
Rogier van der Weyden, and closely related to his Madonna Standing. The
panel is filled with Christian iconography, including representations of
prophets, the Annunciation, Christ's infancy and resurrection, and
Mary's Coronation. It is generally accepted as the earliest extant work
by van der Weyden, one of three works attributed to him of the Virgin
and Child enclosed in a niche on an exterior wall of a Gothic church.
The panel is housed in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, in Madrid. It seems
to be the left-hand wing of a dismantled diptych, perhaps with the Saint
George and the Dragon panel now in the National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C. As an early van der Weyden, it takes influence from
Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck. Van der Weyden served his apprenticeship
under Campin, and the older master's style is noticeable in the
architecture of the niche and in the Virgin's face, hair and exposed
breast.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_and_Child_Enthroned_(van_der_Weyden)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
421:
Roman emperor Theodosius II married Aelia Eudocia, who later
helped protect Greek pagans and Jews from persecution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aelia_Eudocia>
1628:
The Petition of Right, a major English constitutional document
that set out specific liberties of the subject, was granted royal assent
by Charles I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition_of_Right>
1917:
First World War: The British Army detonated 19 ammonal mines
under the German lines, killing 10,000 in the deadliest non-nuclear man-
made explosion in history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Messines_(1917)>
1938:
Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese Nationalist government
destroyed dikes holding the Yellow River in an attempt to halt the rapid
advance of Japanese forces, causing a flood that killed at least 400,000
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_Yellow_River_flood>
1981:
The Israeli Air Force attacked and disabled the Osirak nuclear
reactor, assuming it was producing plutonium to further an Iraqi nuclear
weapons program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
atrocious:
1. Frightful, evil, cruel, or monstrous.
2. Offensive or heinous.
3. Very bad; abominable, disgusting.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atrocious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
we are each other's harvest: we are each other's business: we are
each other's magnitude and bond
--Gwendolyn Brooks
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gwendolyn_Brooks>
Sandra Anne Morgan (born 6 June 1942) is a former freestyle swimmer for
Australia who won gold in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1956
Summer Olympics in Melbourne. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, she
became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, a record
that still stands. Morgan's selection for the race raised controversy
because of her inexperience in top-level racing and her history of false
starts. In her only individual event, she came sixth in the 400-metre
freestyle. In 1957, she won the 110-, 220-, and 440-yard treble at the
Australian Championships in the absence of her main rivals. She was
selected in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games as a relay
swimmer, winning gold in the event. Since her retirement from
competitive swimming in 1960, she has taught disabled children to swim
and participated in Olympic educational programs and torch relays. She
is also an ambassador for Australia Day and has appeared on television
as part of her work with Christian groups.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Morgan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1749:
A plot by Muslim slaves in Malta to assassinate Manuel Pinto da
Fonseca of the Knights Hospitaller was uncovered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_of_the_Slaves>
1892:
The "L" train of Chicago, the second busiest rapid transit
system in the United States, began operations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%22L%22>
1912:
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century created
Novarupta (lava dome pictured) in the Alaska Peninsula, U.S.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novarupta>
1944:
Second World War: The Invasion of Normandy, the largest
amphibious military operation in history, began with Allied troops
landing on the beaches of Normandy in France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings>
1982:
Falklands War: the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Cardiff
engaged and destroyed a British Army helicopter in a friendly fire
incident.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_British_Army_Gazelle_friendly_fire_incid…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
one-upmanship:
1. (idiomatic) The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.
2. (idiomatic) A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/one-upmanship>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons;
faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness
of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events,
of temporal matters of but fleeting moment — let not these deter us in
our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the
unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and
racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our
sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a
peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that
will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their
honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>
The Jupiter trojans are a large group of asteroids that share the orbit
of the planet Jupiter around the Sun. The first one discovered, 588
Achilles, was spotted in 1906 by German astronomer Max Wolf. By
convention they are named after mythological figures from the Trojan
War. Around 1 million of them are larger than 1 km in diameter. No firm
evidence of any specific compound on their surface has been obtained,
but it is thought that they are coated in tholins, organic polymers
formed by the Sun's radiation. They are clustered in elongated, curved
regions around Jupiter's two stable Lagrangian points: L4, lying 60°
ahead of the planet in its orbit, and L5, 60° behind. Jupiter trojans
are thought to have been drawn into their orbits during or before the
migration of the giant planets. Mars and Neptune also have trojans, and
the first Earth trojan was discovered in 2010.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_trojan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
The June Rebellion, an anti-monarchist uprising of students,
broke out in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Rebellion>
1862:
Vietnamese guerrilla leader Trương Định decided to defy
Emperor Tự Đức and the Treaty of Saigon, choosing to fight on
against the Europeans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C6%B0%C6%A1ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%8Bnh>
1956:
American singer Elvis Presley performed "Hound Dog" on The
Milton Berle Show, an appearance that generated many letters of protest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hound_Dog_(song)>
1963:
The arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for publicly
denouncing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi sparked protests in Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_5,_1963,_demonstrations_in_Iran>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Danicize:
To make more Danish.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Danicize>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Americans are apt to be unduly interested in discovering what
average opinion believes average opinion to be; and this national
weakness finds its nemesis in the stock market.
--The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_General_Theory_of_Employment,_Interest_an…>
The Oceanides (Aallottaret), Op. 73, is a single-movement tone poem for
orchestra by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (pictured). The piece,
which refers to the nymphs in Greek mythology who inhabited the
Mediterranean Sea, premiered on 4 June 1914 at the Norfolk Music
Festival in Connecticut with Sibelius conducting. Praised upon its
premiere as "the finest evocation of the sea ... ever ... produced in
music", the tone poem, in D major, consists of two subjects, said to
represent the playful activity of the nymphs and the majesty of the
ocean. Sibelius gradually develops this material over three informal
stages: a placid ocean, then a gathering storm, and finally a thunderous
wave-crash. As the tempest subsides, a final chord sounds, symbolizing
the mighty power and limitless expanse of the sea. Stylistically, many
commentators have described The Oceanides as impressionistic. It is one
of Sibelius's most revised works. A derived suite and an early version
of the piece were performed for the first time in 2002, by Osmo Vänskä
and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oceanides>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1561 –The spire of Old St Paul's Cathedral in London was destroyed by
fire, probably caused by lightning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Paul%27s_Cathedral>
1792:
Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver claimed Puget Sound in the
Pacific Northwest for Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound>
1942:
The Battle of Midway (Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers
pictured), a major battle in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, began
with a massive Imperial Japanese strike on Midway Atoll.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway>
1977:
The Humboldt Park riot began in Chicago, resulting in three
deaths, three cars in the Humboldt Park lagoon, and increased tension
between the Chicago Police Department and the Puerto Rican community.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Park_riot>
1989:
The People's Liberation Army violently cracked down on the
Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, leaving at least 241 dead and
7,000 wounded, and causing widespread international condemnation of the
Chinese government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nepenthes:
1. A drug mentioned in Homer's Odyssey (c. 8th century B.C.E.) as
bringing relief from anxiety or grief; hence, any drug or substance seen
as bringing welcome forgetfulness or relief.
2. A Southeast Asian carnivorous plant of the genus Nepenthes; a monkey cup
or tropical pitcher plant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nepenthes>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There’s another thing not everyone figures out right away:
It’s almost impossible to go through life all alone. We need to find
our support group — family, friends, companion, therapy gatherings,
team, church or whatever. The kindergarten admonition applies as long as
we live: “When you go out into the world, hold hands and stick
together.” It’s dangerous out there — lonely, too. Everyone needs
someone. Some assembly is always required.
--Robert Fulghum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum>
The Demi-Virgin is a three-act play written by Avery Hopwood (pictured).
Producer Albert H. Woods staged it on Broadway, where it was one of the
most successful plays of the 1921–22 season. The play is a bedroom
farce about former couple Gloria Graham and Wally Deane, both movie
actors, whose marriage was so brief that the press speculated about
whether Gloria was still a virgin. Because it contained suggestive
dialog and the female cast wore revealing clothes, the production was
considered highly risqué at the time. The script alluded to a
contemporary scandal involving actor Fatty Arbuckle, and one scene
featured actresses stripping as part of a card game. Reviewers generally
panned the play as unfunny and vulgar. A magistrate ruled the play was
obscene, and obscenity charges were brought against Woods, but a grand
jury declined to indict him. Woods promoted the controversy to increase
ticket sales. The play had no long-term literary impact and was never
published, but it did stimulate arguments over censorship of theatrical
performances.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demi-Virgin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1658:
Pope Alexander VII appointed François de Laval as vicar
apostolic of New France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Laval>
1892:
Liverpool F.C., one of England's most successful football
clubs, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C.>
1937:
Nearly six months after Edward, Duke of Windsor, abdicated the
British throne, he married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a
private ceremony near Tours, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson>
1942:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launched two aircraft
carrier raids on the United States Army barracks and the U.S. Navy base
at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dutch_Harbor>
1982:
An assassination attempt on Shlomo Argov, the Israeli
ambassador to the United Kingdom, failed; this was later used as
justification for the 1982 Lebanon War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Argov>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bigly:
1. (now rare, modern uses nonstandard) Strongly, with great force.
2. (now rare) In a blustering or boastful manner; haughtily, pompously.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bigly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We, the most powerful democracy in the world, have developed a
strong norm against talking about politics. It's fine to talk about
politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about
politics with people you disagree with. Political discourse becomes
isolated, and isolated discourse becomes more extreme. We say what our
friends want to hear, and hear very little beyond what our friends say.
--Lawrence Lessig
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lessig>
R. V. C. Bodley (1892–1970) was a British Army officer, author and
journalist. After studying at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Bodley
was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He served with them
during the First World War, where he was given the rank of lieutenant
colonel and command of a battalion. After witnessing the 1919 Paris
Peace Conference, he grew disillusioned with the military and went to
live in the Sahara as a nomad for seven years, at the suggestion of T.
E. Lawrence. In 1927 he wrote a successful book on his travels, Algeria
>From Within, the first of his 18 books. After leaving the Sahara he
traveled Asia, and was one of few Westerners allowed access to Japan's
South Pacific Mandates during the 1930s. Bodley moved to the United
States in 1935, where he worked as a screenwriter, and was hired by
Charlie Chaplin in 1936. He re-enlisted in the British Army at the
outbreak of the Second World War and was sent to Paris to work for the
Ministry of Information. He later returned to the United States, where
he was an advisor to the Arabic desk of the United States Office of War
Information.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._V._C._Bodley>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured Diamond
Rock, an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-
de-France, from the British.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Diamond_Rock>
1924:
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship
Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within
the territorial limits of the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act>
1953:
Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom at
Westminster Abbey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Queen_Elizabeth_II>
1967:
German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a
protest in West Berlin against the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant group 2 June Movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_June_Movement>
1994:
The Royal Air Force suffered its worst peacetime disaster when
a Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland, killing
all 29 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Scotland_RAF_Chinook_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Cinquecentist:
Of or pertaining to the art of Italy in the sixteenth century.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cinquecentist>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At last, in a world torn by the hatred and wars of men, appears a
woman to whom the problems and feats of men are mere child's play. A
woman whose identity is known to none, but whose sensational feats are
outstanding in a fast-moving world. With a hundred times the agility and
strength of our best male athletes and strongest wrestlers, she appears
as though from nowhere to avenge an injustice or right a wrong! As
lovely as Aphrodite — as wise as Athena — with the speed of Mercury
and the strength of Hercules — She is known only as Wonder Woman, but
who she is, or whence she came from, nobody knows!
--William Moulton Marston
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Moulton_Marston>
Monnow Bridge (Welsh: Pont Trefynwy) in Monmouth, Wales, is the only
remaining fortified river bridge in Great Britain with its gate tower
standing on the bridge. It crosses the River Monnow 500 metres
(1,600 ft) above its confluence with the River Wye. According to
tradition, construction of Monnow Bridge began in 1272 to replace a
Norman timber bridge. Through the medieval era, the English Civil War,
and the Chartist uprising, the bridge played a significant role in
defending Monmouth. It also served as a toll gate, a gaol, a munitions
store, a lodge, an advertising hoarding, and a focus for celebrations.
Built predominantly of Old Red Sandstone, the bridge was significantly
reconstructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. It then also became a
popular subject for artists such as Turner. In the 20th century, it
suffered damage from accidents and heavy traffic. After a new road
bridge was built downstream in 2004, use of the Monnow Bridge was
restricted to pedestrians. Its historical and architectural importance
are reflected in its status as a Scheduled Monument and a Grade I listed
building.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monnow_Bridge>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1676:
The Swedish warship Kronan, one of the largest ships in the
world of its time, sank at the Battle of Öland with a loss of around
800 men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C3%96land>
1831:
British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross
successfully led the first expedition to reach the North Magnetic Pole.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clark_Ross>
1942:
Second World War: The crews of three Japanese Type A Kō-hy
ōteki-class submarines scuttled their boats and committed suicide after
entering Sydney Harbour and launching a failed attack.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Sydney_Harbour>
1967:
The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, widely
considered the most influential rock and roll album ever recorded, was
released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Pepper%27s_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band>
1980:
CNN was launched as the first television network to provide
24-hour television news coverage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
throw cold water on:
(idiomatic) Of an achievement, emotion, idea, suggestion, etc.: to
belittle or dismiss; to cast doubt upon; to debunk.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/throw_cold_water_on>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's an obvious attraction To the path of least resistance in
your life Well there's an obvious aversion no amount of my insistence
Could make you try tonight 'Cause it's easy not to So much easier not to
And what goes around never comes around to you To you, to you, to you,
to you, to you. [
--Alanis Morissette
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette>