Benjamin Tillman (1847–1918) was the Democratic Governor of South
Carolina from 1890 to 1894 and a United States Senator from 1895 until
his death in 1918. A white supremacist who opposed civil rights for
blacks, Tillman led a paramilitary group of Red Shirts during South
Carolina's violent 1876 election. One of his legacies was South
Carolina's 1895 constitution, which disenfranchised most of the black
majority and ensured white rule for more than half a century. On the
floor of the U.S. Senate, he frequently ridiculed blacks, and boasted of
having helped to kill them during the 1876 campaign. He was known as
"Pitchfork Ben" after he threatened to use a pitchfork to prod that "bag
of beef", President Grover Cleveland. He was the primary sponsor of the
Tillman Act (1907), the first federal campaign finance reform law, which
banned corporate contributions in federal political campaigns.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Tillman>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein, Boers defeated
the forces of the British Empire trying to relieve the Siege of
Kimberley.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Magersfontein>
1972:
Apollo 17 (Lunar Roving Vehicle pictured), the last Apollo
mission, landed on the Moon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17>
1981:
Salvadoran Civil War: About 900 civilians were killed by the
Salvadoran armed forces in an anti-guerrilla campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre>
2008:
American stockbroker Bernard Madoff was arrested and charged
with securities fraud in a $64.8 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest in
history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
elevenses:
(Britain, informal) A short mid-morning break taken around eleven
o'clock for a drink or light snack.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/elevenses>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In different places over the years I have had to prove that
socialism, which to many western thinkers is a sort of kingdom of
justice, was in fact full of coercion, of bureaucratic greed and
corruption and avarice, and consistent within itself that socialism
cannot be implemented without the aid of coercion. Communist propaganda
would sometimes include statements such as "we include almost all the
commandments of the Gospel in our ideology". The difference is that the
Gospel asks all this to be achieved through love, through self-
limitation, but socialism only uses coercion. This is one point.
Untouched by the breath of God, unrestricted by human conscience, both
capitalism and socialism are repulsive.
--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn>
Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) was an Italian-American physicist who was
awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics. He created the world's first
nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and is one of 16 scientists who have
elements named after them. One of the few physicists to excel in both
theoretical and experimental work, he made significant contributions to
quantum theory, statistical mechanics, and nuclear and particle physics.
He helped formulate the Fermi–Dirac statistics for particles that obey
Wolfgang Pauli's exclusion principle, called "fermions". His theory of
beta decay correctly predicted that a particle he named the "neutrino"
would be emitted along with an electron, satisfying the law of
conservation of energy. He left Italy in 1938 to escape the Italian
Racial Laws that affected his Jewish wife Laura, and emigrated to the
United States. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II,
but later opposed development of the hydrogen bomb on moral and
technical grounds.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Fermi>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1898:
The Spanish–American War ended with the signing of the Treaty
of Paris, with Spain recognizing the independence of Cuba; and ceding
Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_%281898%29>
1907:
During the Brown Dog affair, about 1,000 protesters marched
through London and then clashed with 400 police officers in Trafalgar
Square over the existence of a memorial for animals that had been
vivisected.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Dog_affair>
1942:
Edward Raczyński of the Polish government-in-exile issued a
note that was the first official report on the Holocaust.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raczy%C5%84ski%27s_Note>
1978:
Starring Christopher Reeve in the title role, Superman, the
first big-budget Superman film, premiered in Washington, D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%281978_film%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deperm:
(transitive, chiefly nautical) To degauss or demagnetize; especially, to
degauss a ship by dragging a large powered electrical cable along its
side.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deperm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal
and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas
disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts
which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world
in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and
freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration
of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be
compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against
tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the
rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of
friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United
Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human
rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal
rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress
and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States
have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United
Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human
rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of
these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full
realization of this pledge, Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common
standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that
every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration
constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote
respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures,
national and international, to secure their universal and effective
recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States
themselves and among the peoples of territories under their
jurisdiction. Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in
dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and
should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this
Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction
shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or
international status of the country or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under
any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3. Everyone has the right
to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. No one shall be
held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be
prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. No one shall be subjected to
torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person
before the law. Article 7. All are equal before the law and are
entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All
are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation
of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
--Universal Declaration of Human Rights
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights>
Brachiosaurus (from Greek for "arm lizard") was a sauropod dinosaur that
lived in what is now North America during the Late Jurassic, about
154–153 million years ago. The genus was first described by American
paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Colorado
River valley in western Colorado. Only a few other specimens of
Brachiosaurus are known to exist, making it one of the rarer sauropods
of the Morrison Formation. It was probably between 18 and 21 meters (59
and 69 ft) long; weight estimates range from 28.3 to 58 metric tons
(31.2 to 63.9 short tons). Like other sauropods, it was a large
dinosaur with a long neck and small skull; atypically, it had longer
forelimbs than hindlimbs, a steeply inclined trunk, and a proportionally
shorter tail. It was a high browser, possibly cropping or nipping
vegetation up to 9 meters (30 ft) off the ground. Brachiosaurus
appeared in the 1993 film Jurassic Park.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachiosaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
The English association football club Newcastle United was
founded by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_United_F.C.>
1948:
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Genocide
Convention, which defines genocide in legal terms and advises its
signatories to prevent and punish such actions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_Convention>
1968:
Douglas Engelbart gave what became known as "The Mother of All
Demos", publicly debuting the computer mouse, hypertext, and the bit-
mapped graphical user interface using the oN-Line System (NLS).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos>
2008:
Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich was arrested for a number
of corruption crimes, including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat
that was being vacated by then-President-elect Barack Obama.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich_corruption_charges>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dame:
1. (Britain) Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for
a female knight.
2. (Britain) A matron at a school, especially Eton College.
3. (Britain, theater) In traditional pantomime: a melodramatic female
often played by a man in drag.
4. (US, dated, informal, slightly derogatory) A woman.
5. (archaic) A lady, a woman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dame>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When knowledge is the slave of social considerations, it defines
a special class; when it serves its own ends only, it no longer does so.
There is of course a profound logic in this paradox: genuine knowledge
is egalitarian in that it allows no privileged source, testers,
messengers of Truth. It tolerates no privileged and circumscribed data.
The autonomy of knowledge is a leveller.
--Ernest Gellner
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Gellner>
Nagato was a super-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy,
completed in 1920 as the lead ship of her class. She carried supplies
for the survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923. The ship
briefly participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and was the
flagship of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during the attack on Pearl Harbor
in 1941, but did not participate in the attack itself. Apart from
picking up survivors after the Battle of Midway, the ship spent most of
the first two years of the Pacific War training in home waters. She was
attacked by American aircraft in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, but
did not fire her main armament against enemy vessels until the Battle of
Leyte Gulf in October 1944. She was lightly damaged during the battle,
but the navy was running out of fuel and did not fully repair her. The
only Japanese battleship to survive World War II, the ship was sunk in
mid-1946 by nuclear weapon tests during Operation Crossroads.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Nagato>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1880:
At an assembly of 10,000 Boers, Paul Kruger announced the
fulfilment of the decision to restore the South African Republic
government and volksraad.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kruger>
1963:
After being hit by a lightning strike while in a holding
pattern, Pan Am Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, U.S., killing
all 81 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_214>
1998:
The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark
Waugh's involvement with bookmakers was revealed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_bookmaker_controversy>
2013:
After a fatal car accident in the Little India region of
Singapore, angry mobs of passers-by attacked the bus involved and
emergency vehicles, the first riot in the country in over 40 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Little_India_riot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
irregardless:
(nonstandard, proscribed, sometimes humorous) Irrespective, regardless.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/irregardless>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin!
--Horace
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace>
Other Worlds, Universe Science Fiction, and Science Stories were three
related American magazines edited by Raymond A. Palmer. As both
publisher and editor of Other Worlds (1949–1953, 1955–1957), he
presented a wide array of science fiction, including "Enchanted Village"
by A. E. van Vogt and "Way in the Middle of the Air", later included in
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Science Stories (1953–1955) was
visually attractive but contained no memorable fiction. Universe Science
Fiction (also 1953–1955) was more drab but included some well-received
stories, such as Theodore Sturgeon's "The World Well Lost", which
examined homosexuality, a controversial topic for the time. The second
incarnation of Other Worlds ran Marion Zimmer Bradley's first novel,
Falcons of Narabedla, but was otherwise less successful. In 1957 Palmer
changed the focus of the magazine to UFOs, retitling it Flying Saucers
from Other Worlds. No more fiction appeared in it after the September
1957 issue.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_Worlds,_Universe_Science_Fiction,_and_S…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1904:
Comparative trials began between HMS Spiteful, the first
warship powered solely by fuel oil, and a similar Royal Navy ship
burning coal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Spiteful_%281899%29>
1936:
Australian cricketer Jack Fingleton became the first player to
score centuries in four consecutive Test innings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Fingleton>
1988:
A 6.9 Mw earthquake struck the Spitak region of Armenia,
killing at least 25,000 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Armenian_earthquake>
1993:
A passenger murdered six people and injured nineteen others on
the Long Island Rail Road in Garden City, New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Long_Island_Rail_Road_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ohana:
(chiefly Hawaii) An extended Hawaiian family unit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ohana>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The world is always full of brilliant youth which fades into grey
and embittered middle age: the first flowering takes everything. The
great men are those who have developed slowly, or who have been able to
survive the glamour of their early florescence and to go on learning
from life.
--Willa Cather
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Willa_Cather>
RSPB Minsmere is a nature reserve owned and managed by the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds at Minsmere, Suffolk, England, since 1947.
The 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) site covers areas of reed bed, lowland
heath, acid grassland, wet grassland, woodland and shingle vegetation.
It is conserved as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area
of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. It supports
bird species such as the bittern, stone-curlew, marsh harrier, nightjar
and nightingale, as well as a wide variety of other animals and plants.
The Minsmere marshes were the site of a medieval abbey and a Tudor
artillery battery. Reclaimed as farmland in the 19th century, they were
re-flooded during World War II to protect against possible invasion.
The reserve has a visitor centre and eight bird hides. Potential threats
to the site include coastal erosion and flooding or salination as
climate change causes rising sea levels.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPB_Minsmere>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox
arrived at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to arrange the transport of 60
tons of artillery that would be used to strengthen the Siege of Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_train_of_artillery>
1916:
Amid the First World War and following his loss of support in
Parliament, British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith resigned.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Asquith>
1958:
Britain's first motorway, the Preston By-pass, opened to the
public.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_By-pass>
1995:
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56 crashed shortly after takeoff
from Nakhchivan Airport, killing 52 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Airlines_Flight_56>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shrinking violet:
(idiomatic) Often in the negative form no shrinking violet: a very shy
person, who avoids contact with others if possible.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shrinking_violet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I do not mistrust the future; I do not fear what is ahead. For
our problems are large, but our heart is larger. Our challenges are
great, but our will is greater. And if our flaws are endless, God's love
is truly boundless. Some see leadership as high drama, and the sound of
trumpets calling, and sometimes it is that. But I see history as a book
with many pages, and each day we fill a page with acts of hopefulness
and meaning. The new breeze blows, a page turns, the story unfolds. And
so today a chapter begins, a small and stately story of unity,
diversity, and generosity — shared, and written, together.
--George H. W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush>
The Kalākaua coinage is a set of silver coins of the Kingdom of Hawaii
dated 1883. They were designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of
the United States Bureau of the Mint, and were struck at the San
Francisco Mint. The issued coins are a dime, quarter dollar, half
dollar, and dollar (pictured). No immediate action had been taken after
the 1880 act authorizing the coins, but King Kalākaua was interested,
and government officials saw a way to get out of a financial bind by
getting coins issued in exchange for government bonds. The coins entered
circulation in early 1884. After legal maneuvering by the business
community in Honolulu, who feared inflation of the currency in a time of
recession, the government agreed to use over half of the coinage as
backing for paper currency. The coins were more eagerly accepted after
the economy picked up in 1885. In 1903, after Hawaii became a territory,
Congress called in the coins, replacing them with US currency.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kal%C4%81kaua_coinage>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1893:
First Matabele War: A patrol of British South Africa Company
soldiers was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele
warriors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangani_Patrol>
1909:
The Montreal Canadiens, the oldest professional ice hockey club
in the world, were founded as a charter member of the National Hockey
Association.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Montreal_Canadiens>
1971:
Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launched a successful
attack against the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, sinking three ships with no
casualties.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trident_%281971%29>
1978:
Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein
became San Francisco's first female mayor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conglomerate:
1. Clustered together into a mass.
2. (geology) Composed of fragments of rock, pebbles, or stones cemented
together.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conglomerate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every new idea has something of the pain and peril of childbirth
about it; ideas are just as mortal and just as immortal as organised
beings are.
--Samuel Butler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Butler>
Wihtred (c. 670 – 725) ruled the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent from
about 690 or 691 until his death. A son of Ecgberht I and a brother of
Eadric, he acceded to the throne after a brief conquest of Kent by
Cædwalla of Wessex and subsequent dynastic conflicts in the 680s. His
immediate predecessor was Oswine of Kent, who was probably descended
from Eadbald of Kent, though not through the same line as Wihtred.
Shortly after the start of his reign, Wihtred issued a code of laws that
has been preserved in the Textus Roffensis manuscript (pictured). The
laws pay a great deal of attention to the rights of the Church,
including punishment for irregular marriages and for pagan worship. He
may have married three times: to Cynegyth, Æthelburh and, late in life,
Wærburh. Wihtred's long reign had few incidents recorded in the annals
of the day. He was succeeded in 725 by his sons, Æthelberht II,
Eadberht I, and Alric.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wihtred_of_Kent>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Freda Du Faur became the first woman to climb Mount Cook, the
highest peak in New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Du_Faur>
1976:
Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley survived an assassination
attempt by unknown assailants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley>
1984:
Methyl isocyanate and other toxic chemicals were accidentally
released from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal,
India, causing the world's worst industrial disaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster>
1994:
Sony released the PlayStation, the first "computer
entertainment platform" to ship 100 million units.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_%28console%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
archetype:
1. An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or
persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned; a
prototype.
2. An ideal example of something; a quintessence.
3. (literature) A character, object, or story that is based on a known
character, object, or story.
4. (psychology) According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung: a universal
pattern of thought, present in an individual's unconscious, inherited
from the past collective experience of humanity.
5. (textual criticism) A protograph (“original manuscript of a text from
which all further copies derive”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/archetype>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To see! to see! — this is the craving of the sailor, as of the
rest of blind humanity. To have his path made clear for him is the
aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous
existence.
--Joseph Conrad
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad>
Marasmius rotula, the pinwheel mushroom, is a fungus in the family
Marasmiaceae. Widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, it was first
described scientifically in 1772 by mycologist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli.
The mushrooms are characterized by thin whitish caps up to 2 cm
(0.8 in) wide that are sunken in the center and pleated with scalloped
margins. The wiry black hollow stalks measure up to 8.0 cm (3.1 in)
long by 1.5 mm (0.06 in) thick. On the underside of the caps are
widely spaced white gills, attached to a collar encircling the stalk.
The mushrooms grow in groups or clusters on decaying wood such as fallen
twigs and sticks, moss-covered logs, and stumps. Spore release is
dependent upon sufficient moisture. Dried mushrooms may revive after
rehydrating and release spores for up to three weeks, much longer than
most gilled mushrooms. Although the mushrooms are not generally
considered edible, they produce a unique peroxidase enzyme that is
attracting research interest for use in bioengineering applications.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marasmius_rotula>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
Philippine–American War: A 60-man Filipino rear guard was
defeated in the Battle of Tirad Pass, but delayed the American advance
long enough to ensure Emilio Aguinaldo's escape.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tirad_Pass>
1927:
The Ford Motor Company introduced the second version of the
Model A, its first new model in 18 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_%281927%E2%80%9331%29>
1943:
World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on
Allied ships in Bari, Italy, sinking twenty-eight ships and releasing
one ship's secret cargo of mustard gas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto took office as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,
becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sowl:
(transitive) To pull (especially an animal) by the ears; to drag about.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sowl>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community
organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing
good. …The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are
timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its
expression in taking part and pitching in.
--George H. W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush>
The Cloisters is a museum in Washington Heights in New York City
featuring four covered walkways pieced together from several abandoned
European monasteries and rebuilt in the United States. Specializing in
European medieval architecture, sculpture and decorative arts, the
museum has about five thousand works, most dating from the 12th to the
15th centuries. The varied objects include stone and wood sculptures,
around three hundred panels of stained glass, and panel paintings,
including the Early Netherlandish Mérode Altarpiece (c. 1422). Designed
by architect Charles Collens, the museum houses medieval gardens,
several indoor chapels and thematic display spaces. Two rooms are
dedicated to the tapestry series Nine Heroes (c. 1385) and The Hunt of
the Unicorn (c. 1495–1505). Illuminated manuscripts displayed in the
Treasury room include the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry
(c. 1399–1416), attributed to the Limbourg brothers.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloisters>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1828:
Juan Lavalle, returning to Buenos Aires with troops that fought
in the Cisplatine War, deposed the provincial governor Manuel Dorrego,
reigniting the Argentine Civil Wars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolution_%28Argentina%29>
1918:
With the signing of the Act of Union, Denmark recognized the
Kingdom of Iceland as a fully sovereign state in personal union with
Denmark through a common monarch.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Iceland>
1948:
In "one of Australia's most profound mysteries", the body of an
unidentified man was found on Somerton beach in Adelaide, a case which
remains unsolved today.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamam_Shud_case>
1988:
Four armed men hijacked a bus carrying thirty schoolchildren
and one teacher in Ordzhonikidze, Soviet Union (now Vladikavkaz in
Russia), and were later given an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and ransom in
exchange for the release of the hostages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Ordzhonikidze_bus_hijacking>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Playboy Bunny:
A waitress at a Playboy Club, characteristically dressed in a strapless
teddy, black pantyhose, cuffs, a collar and bowtie, bunny ears, and a
short, fluffy tail.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Playboy_Bunny>
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