Lazarus Aaronson (18 February 1895 – 9 December 1966) was a British
poet and a lecturer in economics. As a young man, he belonged to a group
of Jewish friends who are today known as the Whitechapel Boys, many of
whom later achieved fame as writers and artists. His diction and verbal
energy have been compared to those of his more renowned and innovative
Whitechapel friend, Isaac Rosenberg. Reviewers have traced influences in
Aaronson's poetry from the English poet John Keats and from Hebrew poets
such as Shaul Tchernichovsky and Zalman Shneur. Aaronson lived most of
his life in London and spent much of his working life as a lecturer in
economics at the City of London College. In his twenties, he converted
to Christianity; a large part of his poetry focused on his conversion
and spiritual identity as a Jew and an Englishman. He published three
collections of poetry: Christ in the Synagogue (1930), Poems (1933), and
The Homeward Journey and Other Poems (1946). Although he did not achieve
widespread recognition, Aaronson gained a cult following of dedicated
readers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_Aaronson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1268:
A coalition of Russian medieval states defeated the Livonian
Brothers of the Sword at the Battle of Wesenberg near present-day
Rakvere, Estonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wesenberg_(1268)>
1873:
Vasil Levski, the national hero of Bulgaria, was executed in
Sofia by Ottoman authorities for his efforts to establish an independent
Bulgarian republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasil_Levski>
1932:
The Empire of Japan established Manchukuo, a puppet state in
northeastern China during the Sino-Japanese War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo>
1943:
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, delivered the
"total war speech" to motivate the German people when the tide of World
War II was turning against Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech>
2013:
Eight gunmen stole approximately US$50,000,000 worth of
diamonds from a Swiss-bound aircraft at Brussels Airport, Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Airport_diamond_heist>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nepoticide:
1. (countable, uncountable) The killing of one's own nephew.
2. (countable) One who kills his or her own nephew.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nepoticide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The essence of our God is obscure. It ripens continuously; perhaps
victory is strenghened with our every valorous deed, but perhaps even
all these agonizing struggles toward deliverance and victory are
inferior to the nature of divinity. Whatever it might be, we fight on
without certainty, and our virtue, uncertain of any rewards, acquires a
profound nobility.
--Nikos Kazantzakis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis>
Isabelle Eberhardt (17 February 1877 – 21 October 1904) was a Swiss
explorer and writer. As a teenager, she published short stories under a
male pseudonym. She became interested in North Africa, and was
considered a proficient writer on the region despite learning about it
only through correspondence. Eberhardt moved to Algeria in 1897, where
she converted to Islam, dressed as an Arabic man and adopted a male
name. Her unorthodox behaviour made her an outcast to European settlers
and the French administration. Her acceptance by the Qadiriyya, an
Islamic order, convinced the French that she was a spy or an agitator.
In 1901 she survived an assassination attempt and was ordered to leave
Algeria, but was allowed to return the following year after marrying her
long-time partner, an Algerian soldier. In 1904, aged 27, she was killed
by a flash flood in Aïn Sefra. Her manuscripts were collected and
published posthumously, receiving critical acclaim. Streets were named
after her in Béchar and Algiers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelle_Eberhardt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1621:
Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the
Plymouth Colony militia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Standish>
1814:
War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon led a French army to a
crushing victory in the Battle of Mormant, nearly destroying a Russian
division.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mormant>
1913:
In the U.S. National Guard's 69th Regiment Armory in New York
City, the Armory Show opened (poster pictured), introducing Americans to
avant-garde and modern art.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armory_Show>
1978:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a
bomb at the La Mon restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing
twelve people and injuring thirty others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mon_restaurant_bombing>
2011:
Arab Spring: Bahrain security forces launched a pre-dawn raid
on protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, killing four of them,
and in Libya, a "Day of Rage" took place with protests across the
country against the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Civil_War_(2011)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
QWERTY:
Denoting a standard layout of keys on a keyboard for typing, in which
the leftmost keys of the top lettered row are Q-W-E-R-T-Y.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/QWERTY>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Diverse living things represent diverse divinities and diverse
powers, which, besides the absolute being they possess, obtain the being
communicated to all things according to their capacity and measure.
Whence all of God is in all things (although not totally, but in some
more abundantly and in others less) … Just as Divinity descends in a
certain manner, to the extent that one communicates with Nature, so one
ascends to Divinity through Nature, just as by means of a life
resplendent in natural things one rises to the life that presides over
them.
--Giordano Bruno
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno>
"Space Seed" is an episode of the American science fiction television
series Star Trek. First broadcast by NBC on February 16, 1967, it was
written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels.
Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain
James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the starship USS
Enterprise. In the episode, they encounter a sleeper ship holding
selectively bred superhumans from Earth's past. Khan Noonien Singh
(Ricardo Montalbán) attempts to take control of Enterprise with the
help of Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue). Montalbán, the casting director's
first choice, described the role as "wonderful". The script changed many
times during preproduction, in part to reduce costs, but the special
sets and shots using starship miniatures took the show over budget.
Although the episode did not win its time slot on its first run, it has
been named one of the best of the series by Cinefantastique, IGN, and
other publications. The 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan serves
as a sequel to "Space Seed", and plot elements from both were used in
the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Seed>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1249:
Louis IX of France dispatched André de Longjumeau as his
ambassador to the Mongol Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_de_Longjumeau>
1804:
United States Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a raid to
destroy the captured USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, denying her use to the
Barbary States in the First Barbary War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Philadelphia_(1799)>
1918:
The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence,
proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania>
1943:
World War II: Norwegian commandos destroyed a factory to
prevent the German nuclear weapon project from acquiring heavy water.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_heavy_water_sabotage>
1996:
Two trains collided in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S., killing
11 people and leading to the creation of comprehensive federal rules for
passenger car design.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Maryland_train_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Shih Tzu:
A small dog breed which originated in China; a dog of that breed.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Shih_Tzu>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight
— it's the size of the fight in the dog.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower>
Fantastic (1952–1980) was an American digest-size fantasy and science
fiction magazine, founded by Ziff Davis as a fantasy companion to
Amazing Stories. Within a few years sales fell, and Howard Browne, the
first editor, was forced to switch the focus to science fiction rather
than fantasy. At the end of the 1950s Cele Goldsmith took over from Paul
W. Fairman as editor of both Fantastic and Amazing, bringing in many new
writers and making the magazines, in the words of one science fiction
historian, the "best-looking and brightest" in the field. She helped to
nurture the early careers of writers such as Roger Zelazny and Ursula K.
Le Guin, but was unable to increase circulation. In 1965 the magazines
were sold to Sol Cohen, who hired Joseph Wrzos as editor and switched to
a reprint-only policy. This was financially successful, but brought
Cohen into conflict with the newly formed Science Fiction Writers of
America. After Ted White became editor in 1968, the reprints were phased
out. White worked hard to make the magazine successful; his budget for
fiction was low, but he was occasionally able to find good stories from
well-known writers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_(magazine)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1823:
James McBrien made the first official discovery of gold in
Australia at Fish River in New South Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes>
1900:
Second Boer War: British cavalry under Major-General John
French defeated Boer forces to end a 124-day siege of Kimberley,
present-day South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kimberley>
1965:
Canada adopted the Maple Leaf flag, replacing the Canadian Red
Ensign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada>
1976:
The current Constitution of Cuba, providing for a system of
government and law based on those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc
countries, was adopted by a national referendum.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Cuba>
2012:
A fire at the National Penitentiary at Comayagua, Honduras,
killed 361 people, making it the deadliest prison fire ever.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comayagua_prison_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Homer nods:
Alternative form of even Homer nods (“not even the most vigilant and
expert are immune to error”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Homer_nods>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One half of the people of this Nation today are utterly powerless
to blot from the statute books an unjust law, or to write there a new
and just one.
--Susan B. Anthony
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony>
Paxillus involutus, the common roll-rim, is a fungus widely distributed
across the Northern Hemisphere; it has also been unintentionally
introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The brownish
fruit body grows up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high. It has a funnel-shaped cap
up to 12 cm (5 in) wide with a distinctive in-rolled rim and decurrent
gills close to the stalk. Genetic testing suggests that the fungus may
be a species complex rather than a single species. A common mushroom of
deciduous and coniferous woods and grassy areas in late summer and
autumn, P. involutus is symbiotic with the roots of many tree species,
reducing the trees' intake of heavy metals and increasing their
resistance to pathogens. Previously considered edible and eaten widely
in Eastern and Central Europe, the mushroom has been found to be
dangerously poisonous; in 1944, it killed the German mycologist Julius
Schäffer. It can trigger the immune system to attack red blood cells
with potentially fatal complications, including acute renal and
respiratory failure.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paxillus_involutus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1779:
American Revolutionary War: A militia force of Patriots
decisively defeated and scattered a Loyalist militia force that was on
its way to British-controlled Augusta, Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kettle_Creek>
1852:
Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital
in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, was
founded in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ormond_Street_Hospital>
1943:
World War II: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's 5th Panzer Army
launched a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sidi_Bou_Zid>
1990:
The Voyager 1 space probe took an iconic photograph of Earth
that later became famous as Pale Blue Dot (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot>
2008:
Steven Kazmierczak opened fire into a crowded lecture hall on
the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, killing
5 and injuring 21.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Illinois_University_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
philematology:
The scientific study of kissing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/philematology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love all, trust a few, Do wrong to none.
--All's Well That Ends Well
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/All%27s_Well_That_Ends_Well>
Stretford (pop. 46,910) is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester,
England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the
Manchester Ship Canal, it is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the southwest of
Manchester city centre. Historically in Lancashire, Stretford was an
agricultural village during much of the 19th century known locally as
Porkhampton, in reference to the large number of pigs produced for the
nearby Manchester market. The arrival of the Manchester Ship Canal in
1894, and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park industrial
estate in the north of the town, accelerated the industrialisation that
had begun in the late 19th century; by 2001 less than one per cent of
Stretford's population was employed in agriculture. Stretford has been
the home of Manchester United Football Club since 1910, and of
Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. Residents have included the
suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, the painter L. S. Lowry, Morrissey, Joy
Division frontman Ian Curtis, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, and Manchester's
first multi-millionaire, the industrialist and philanthropist John
Rylands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretford>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1692:
Nearly forty men from the Clan MacDonald of Glen Coe, Scotland,
were massacred early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance
to the new joint monarchs, William III and Mary II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Glencoe>
1815:
The Cambridge Union (building pictured), one of the oldest
debating societies in the world, was founded at the University of
Cambridge in England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cambridge_Union>
1945:
World War II: The Allies began their strategic bombing of
Dresden, Saxony, Germany, resulting in a lethal firestorm that killed
tens of thousands of civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II>
1960:
African American college students staged the first of the
Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee, part
of a nonviolent direct action campaign to end racial segregation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_sit-ins>
1978:
A bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, the site of
the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, killing three people and
injuring eleven others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Hilton_Hotel_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
jab molassie:
(Trinidad and Tobago) A traditional character in the Trinidad and Tobago
Carnival dressed as a devil, mostly naked and covered in molasses or
grease and a colourful dye.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jab_molassie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we can cultivate in the world the idea that aggressive war-
making is the way to the prisoner's dock rather than the way to honors,
we will have accomplished something toward making the peace more secure.
--Robert H. Jackson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_H._Jackson>
The Indian Head gold pieces were two coin series struck by the United
States Mint: a two-and-a-half dollar piece, or quarter eagle
(1908–1915, 1925–1929), and a five-dollar coin, or half eagle
(1908–1916, 1929). The only US coins with recessed (engraved) designs
ever to enter circulation, they were the last of a long series of coins
in those denominations. President Theodore Roosevelt vigorously
advocated new coin designs, and had the Mint engage his friend, the
sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to design coins that could be changed
without congressional authorization. The sculptor completed an eagle
($10 piece) and double eagle before his death in 1907. Roosevelt
convinced Mint Director Frank Leach to reproduce the eagle's design on
both of the smaller coins, but recessed below the background. The job
fell to Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, and after some difficulty, the
Mint was able to strike the coins, though Pratt was unhappy with
modifications made by the Mint's engravers. The quarter eagle enjoyed
popularity as a Christmas present, but neither coin circulated much.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head_gold_pieces>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1502:
Isabella I issued an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of
Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to
Christianity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_conversions_of_Muslims_in_Spain>
1855:
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, was
founded as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the United
States' first agricultural college.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_State_University>
1946:
The British Royal Navy concluded Operation Deadlight, its
operation to scuttle German U-boats that had been captured during World
War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Deadlight>
1988:
While claiming the right of innocent passage through Soviet
territorial waters in the Black Sea American cruiser USS Yorktown and
destroyer USS Caron were bumped by Soviet warships (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Black_Sea_bumping_incident>
1993:
Two-year-old James Bulger was led away from New Strand Shopping
Centre in Bootle, England, and brutally murdered by two ten-year-old
boys, who became the youngest convicted murderers in modern English
history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Anthropocene:
(geology) The current geological period, in which human activities have
a powerful effect on the global environment.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Anthropocene>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge
of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until
all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and fifty years of
unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said
three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether."
--Abraham Lincoln
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>
A cricket match on 11 and 12 February 1851, played by teams from Van
Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and Port Phillip District (now Victoria),
was the first between two Australian colonies, recognised in later years
as the initial first-class cricket match in Australia. It took place at
the Launceston Racecourse (pictured in 2009). The match was one of the
celebratory events marking the separation of the Port Phillip District
from New South Wales in 1851 as the colony of Victoria. The team
representing Port Phillip was drawn from the Melbourne Cricket Club; the
Van Diemen's Land team consisted of players from Launceston and Hobart.
The visiting Port Phillip team was expected to have an advantage but had
difficulties with the batting conditions and the opposition's unusually
slow bowling. Batting first, Port Phillip scored 82; Van Diemen's Land
replied with 104, assisted by a large number of extras. Batting again,
the Victorian team scored 57; the Tasmanian team needed 36 to win, which
they accomplished on the second day to record a three-wicket victory.
Following this match, intercolonial cricket became increasingly
widespread.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen%27s_Land_v_Port_Phillip,_1851>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
AD 55:
Britannicus, son of Claudius and heir to the Roman
emperorship, died under mysterious circumstances in Rome, apparently
poisoned at a dinner party.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannicus>
1826:
University College London (Main Building pictured) was founded
as the first secular university in England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_College_London>
1938:
The BBC aired an adaptation of Karel Čapek's play R.U.R., the
first science fiction television programme ever broadcast.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.U.R.>
1968:
After two black employees were killed on the job, black
sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., agreed to begin a strike
that lasted over two months.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_sanitation_strike>
2008:
Rebel East Timorese soldiers invaded the homes of President
José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, seriously wounding
the former.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_East_Timorese_assassination_attempts>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
agonic:
1. (geometry) Lacking an angle.
2. (cartography, navigation) Having a magnetic deviation of zero.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/agonic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Suppose Germany had developed two bombs before we had any bombs.
And suppose Germany had dropped one bomb, say, on Rochester and the
other on Buffalo, and then having run out of bombs she would have lost
the war. Can anyone doubt that we would then have defined the dropping
of atomic bombs on cities as a war crime, and that we would have
sentenced the Germans who were guilty of this crime to death at
Nuremberg and hanged them? But, again, don't misunderstand me. The only
conclusion we can draw is that governments acting in a crisis are guided
by questions of expediency, and moral considerations are given very
little weight, and that America is no different from any other nation in
this respect.
--Leó Szilárd
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3_Szil%C3%A1rd>
Tropical Depression Ten was a precursor of Hurricane Katrina during the
record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed on August 13
from a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa, but the depression
faced strong wind shear and remained weak. By August 14, it no longer
met the criteria for a tropical cyclone, and the National Hurricane
Center issued their final advisory on it. Moving westward, the storm
produced occasional bursts of atmospheric convection. By August 18,
only a remnant mid-level circulation persisted. This merged with a
second tropical wave on August 23 to form Tropical Depression Twelve,
which grew into Katrina, the third most intense tropical cyclone ever to
make landfall in the United States. Katrina was the costliest US
disaster until Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and one of the deadliest
Atlantic hurricanes, causing severe destruction along the Gulf Coast
from central Florida to Texas, much of it due to storm surge and levee
failure. At least 1,245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent
floods.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Depression_Ten_(2005)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1355:
A tavern dispute between Oxford University students and
townsfolk turned into a riot that left about 90 people dead.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Scholastica_Day_riot>
1814:
War of the Sixth Coalition: A French army led by Napoleon
effectively destroyed a small Russian corps led by Zakhar Dmitrievich
Olsufiev.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Champaubert>
1930:
The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launched the failed Yên
Bái mutiny in the hope of ending French colonial rule in Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%AAn_B%C3%A1i_mutiny>
1984:
Kenyan security forces massacred approximately 5,000 ethnic
Somalis at the Wagalla Airstrip in Wajir County, Kenya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagalla_massacre>
2008:
The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's
National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Namdaemun_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
echelon:
1. A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.
2. (cycling) A line of riders seeking maximum drafting in a crosswind,
resulting in a diagonal line across the road.
3. (military) A formation of troops, ships, etc., in diagonal parallel
rows.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/echelon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It has always been assumed that the most important things in the
Gospels are the ethical maxims and commandments. But for me the most
important thing is that Christ speaks in parables taken from life, that
He explains the truth in terms of everyday reality. The idea that
underlies this is that communion between mortals is immortal, and that
the whole of life is symbolic because it is meaningful.
--Boris Pasternak
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Pasternak>
Cragside is a Victorian country house near Rothbury in Northumberland,
England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong,
founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm and inventor of the
hydraulic crane and the Armstrong gun. Cragside was the first house in
the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. The entire estate,
designed by Richard Norman Shaw, was technologically advanced, with a
hydraulic lift, a hydroelectric rotisserie, and early versions of a
dishwasher and dumb waiter. Armstrong was raised to the peerage in 1887,
taking the title Baron Armstrong of Cragside. He was the first engineer
ever to join the House of Lords. He filled Cragside with a significant
art collection, and it became an integral part of his commercial
operations, entertaining guests including the Shah of Persia and the
King of Siam. Following Armstrong's death in 1900, his heirs struggled
to maintain the house and estate. The National Trust acquired the estate
in 1977 and opened it to the public in 1979.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cragside>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1799:
Quasi-War: The USS Constellation captured the French
L'Insurgente in a single-ship action in the Caribbean Sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_vs_L%27Insurgente>
1861:
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named as the
provisional president of the Confederate States of America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis>
1920:
The Svalbard Treaty was signed, recognising Norwegian
sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories
were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the
islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard>
1976:
The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of
the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian
Air Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force>
2016:
Two Meridian commuter trains were involved in a head-on
collision at Bad Aibling in southeastern Germany that left 12 dead and
85 others injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Aibling_rail_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
live paycheck to paycheck:
(US, idiomatic) To spend all that one earns without saving anything.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/live_paycheck_to_paycheck>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
My time coming, any day, don't worry about me, no Been so long I
felt this way, I'm in no hurry, no. Rainbows end down that highway where
ocean breezes blow My time coming, voices saying, they tell me where to
go. Don't worry 'bout me, no no, don't worry 'bout me, no And I'm in no
hurry, no no no, I know where to go. California, preaching on the
burning shore California, I'll be knocking on the golden door Like an
angel, standing in a shaft of light Rising up to paradise, I know I'm
going to shine.
--John Perry Barlow
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Perry_Barlow>