The history of the taxonomy of lemurs dates back to 1758 when Carl
Linnaeus first classified them. Having undergone independent evolution
on Madagascar, lemurs have occupied niches filled elsewhere by other
mammals, and approximately 70 to 100 species and subspecies are
recognized today. They include the smallest primates in the world, and
once included some of the largest. Currently living lemur species are
divided into five families and 15 genera. Since the arrival of humans
around 2000 years ago, lemurs have become restricted to 10% of the
island, and many face extinction. The recent steep increase in species
numbers is due to improved genetic analysis, a push to encourage the
protection of isolated lemur populations, and the elevation of existing
subspecies to full species status. Concerns over lemur conservation have
also affected their taxonomy, since distinct species receive increased
conservation attention.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_of_lemurs>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1935:
In an effort to stay out of the growing European conflict, the
United States passed the first of its Neutrality Acts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrality_Acts_of_the_1930s>
1959:
A parcel bomb sent by Ngô Đình Nhu, younger brother and
chief adviser of President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam, failed
to kill Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng%C3%B4_%C4%90%C3%ACnh_Nhu>
1969:
Approximately 150,000 people attended the Isle of Wight
Festival, which featured Bob Dylan in his first gig since 1966.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1969>
2016:
President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil was impeached and removed
from office.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilma_Rousseff>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chantwell:
(chiefly Trinidad and Tobago, music) A (generally female) lead singer of
traditional cariso music, or of a calypso band.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chantwell>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated
lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped
from it in the bettering of man's future.
--Maria Montessori
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori>
Tropical Storm Faxai was a short-lived storm that had minor effects on
land. The twentieth named storm of the 2007 Pacific typhoon season,
Faxai originated from a tropical depression over the open waters of the
western Pacific Ocean in late October. It quickly strengthened, becoming
a severe tropical storm on October 26 as it rapidly traveled towards
the northeast. It became extratropical the following day as it brushed
Japan. Although Faxai never made landfall, outer bands associated with
the storm produced torrential rains, amounting to 458 mm (18.0 in) on
Miyake-jima. A Japan Airlines flight to Narita Airport encountered
severe turbulence during the afternoon of October 27; one person
sustained serious injuries, five others received minor injuries, and the
plane was damaged. One person was killed near Tokyo as the storm passed
by, and three others were injured. The storm's remnants dissipated on
October 28.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Faxai_%282007%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1799:
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland: A squadron of the navy of
the Batavian Republic surrendered to the British without a fight, near
Wieringen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlieter_incident>
1959:
The title of National Hero of Indonesia was first awarded, the
recipient being the writer-cum-politician Abdul Muis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hero_of_Indonesia>
1984:
Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on its maiden voyage (launch
pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery>
2014:
Prime Minister of Lesotho Tom Thabane fled to South Africa,
claiming that the army had launched a coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Lesotho_political_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
xerocracy:
(informal) Political influence achieved by copying and distributing
leaflets and similar material.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xerocracy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some material things make my life more enjoyable; many, however,
would not. I like having an expensive private plane, but owning a half-
dozen homes would be a burden. Too often, a vast collection of
possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside
from health, is interesting, diverse, and long-standing friends.
--Warren Buffett
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett>
All Money Is Legal is the debut studio album by American rapper Amil
(pictured). A hip hop album, it was released on August 29, 2000,
through Roc-A-Fella, Columbia, and Sony Music. Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and
Amil served as executive producers. Future spouses Jay-Z and Beyoncé
met for the first time during the album's recording sessions. Although
Jay-Z had written Amil's verses for their past collaborations, she wrote
her own lyrics for all of the album's tracks. The songs focus on wealth
and, to a lesser degree, Amil's personal life. Reviews were mixed;
critics were divided over the album's production and Amil's verses. It
peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Two singles – "I
Got That" with vocals from Beyoncé and "4 da Fam" with verses from
Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, and Jay-Z – were released from the album
and promoted with accompanying music videos. "I Got That" reached number
one on the Bubbling Under R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles Billboard chart, and "4
da Fam" charted on Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs..
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_R%26B/Hip-Hop_Songs>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1885:
Gottlieb Daimler patented the world's first internal combustion
motorcycle, the Reitwagen (replica pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Reitwagen>
1916:
The United States Congress passed the Philippine Autonomy Act,
the first formal and official declaration of the U.S.'s commitment to
grant independence to the Philippines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_Law_%28Philippines%29>
1949:
The Soviet Union successfully conducted its first nuclear
weapons test, detonating the 22-kiloton RDS-1.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RDS-1>
1996:
Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashed on approach to Svalbard
Airport, Norway, killing all 141 aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vnukovo_Airlines_Flight_2801>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ex contractu:
(law, postpositive) Of a legal obligation: arising from a contractual
relationship.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ex_contractu>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
No one of good character leaves behind a wasted life — whether
they die in obscurity or renown. "Character," wrote the 19th Century
evangelist, Dwight Moody, "is what you are in the dark." Your character
is not tested on occasions of public scrutiny or acclaim. It is not
tested in moments when the object of your actions is the regard of
another. Your character is what you are to yourself, not what you
pretend to be to yourself or others. Although human beings often attempt
self-delusion, we cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves from
ourselves. It will make itself known to us by means of our conscience
despite our most strenuous effort to suppress it.
--John McCain
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_McCain>
Vesna Vulović (1950–2016) was a Serbian flight attendant who holds
the Guinness world record for surviving the highest fall without a
parachute: 10,160 metres (33,330 ft). She was the sole survivor after a
briefcase bomb tore through the baggage compartment of JAT Flight 367 on
26 January 1972, causing it to crash over Czechoslovakia. She spent days
in a coma with a fractured skull and many broken bones, and was
temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Vulović eventually relearned
how to walk, but continued to limp for the rest of her life. She was
widely regarded as a national hero in Yugoslavia. Guinness recognized
her world record in 1985. She was fired from JAT in the early 1990s for
taking part in anti-government protests, but continued her work as a
pro-democracy activist for decades. The final years of her life were
spent in seclusion and poverty, and she struggled with survivor's guilt
until her death..
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_guilt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1619:
Ferdinand II, the King of Bohemia and Hungary, was unanimously
elected as Holy Roman Emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1859:
A massive solar storm began, causing a coronal mass ejection to
strike the Earth's magnetosphere that generated aurorae that were
visible in the middle latitudes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859>
1963:
American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered
his "I Have a Dream" speech, envisioning a future in which blacks and
whites would coexist harmoniously as equals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream>
1973:
Swedish police used gas bombs to end a seven-day hostage
situation in Stockholm; during the incident the hostages had bonded with
their captors, leading to the term "Stockholm syndrome".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrmalmstorg_robbery>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Faustian bargain:
1. (idiomatic) An agreement in which a person abandons his or her
spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge,
wealth or other benefits.
2. (idiomatic) A deal in which one focuses on present gain without
considering the long-term consequences.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Faustian_bargain>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What dazzles, for the Moment spends its spirit: What's genuine,
shall Posterity inherit.
--Faust
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Goethe%27s_Faust>
William Hayden English (August 27, 1822 – February 7, 1896) was a US
Representative from Indiana and the Democratic nominee for vice
president in 1880. English entered politics at a young age, becoming
part of the conservative wing of the state Democratic Party. He was
elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1851 and served as
its speaker at the age of 29. Elected to Congress in 1852, he served
four terms, leaving office in 1861. English was a War Democrat,
supporting the Union in the Civil War. He was successful in business,
and became one of the wealthiest people in Indiana. He returned to
political life as Winfield Scott Hancock's running mate in 1880, but
they were narrowly defeated by their Republican opponents, James A.
Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. Afterwards, English continued in
business and wrote two books.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hayden_English>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
The United Kingdom and Zanzibar went to war, with Zanzibar
surrendering less than an hour after the conflict broke out.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Zanzibar_War>
1927:
Five Canadian women filed a petition to ask the Supreme Court
of Canada, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North
America Act, 1867, include female persons", to which the court
eventually replied that it does not.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_%28Canada%29>
1979:
The Troubles: IRA bombs killed 18 British soldiers in an ambush
near Warrenpoint, and British royal family member Louis Mountbatten and
three others on his boat at Mullaghmore.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrenpoint_ambush>
2009:
The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies began three days
of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Kokang_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
as ever trod shoe-leather:
(idiomatic, archaic) As ever existed or lived.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/as_ever_trod_shoe-leather>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At any particular moment in a man's life, he can say that
everything he has done and not done, that has been done and not been
done to him, has brought him to that moment. If he's being installed as
Chieftain or receiving a Nobel Prize, that's a fulfilling notion. But if
he's in a sleeping bag at ten thousand feet in a snowstorm, parked in
the middle of a highway and waiting to freeze to death, the idea can
make him feel calamitously stupid.
--William Least Heat-Moon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Least_Heat-Moon>
The Alabama Centennial half dollar is a commemorative fifty-cent coin
struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1921 as a belated
acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of Alabama's admission to the
Union in 1819. The half dollar was created by Laura Gardin Fraser, who
became the first woman designer of a coin. Alabama Congressman Lilius
Bratton Rainey introduced authorizing at the request of the state's
centennial commission. The bill moved quickly through the legislative
process and became law on May 10, 1920. The sponsors of the issue chose
to depict William Bibb, the State of Alabama's first governor, and
Thomas Kilby, its governor at the time of the centennial, thus making
Governor Kilby the first living person to appear on a U.S. coin. They
were issued in October 1921, and to boost sales, a symbol, 2X2, was
included in the design for a minority of the coins; these are generally
more expensive today.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Centennial_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1748:
The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the
Pennsylvania Ministerium, was founded in Philadelphia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Ministerium>
1914:
World War I: As the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and
French Fifth Army began their retreat from Mons, the BEF delayed the
pursuing Germans at the Battle of Le Cateau long enough for the main
force to escape.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Le_Cateau>
1955:
Pather Panchali, the first film in The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit
Ray, was released and went on to win many Indian and international film
awards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pather_Panchali>
2015:
Two American journalists were murdered on live television while
conducting an interview in Moneta, Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Alison_Parker_and_Adam_Ward>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
doldrums:
1. Usually preceded by the: a state of apathy or lack of interest; a
situation where one feels boredom, ennui, or tedium; a state of
listlessness or malaise.
2. (nautical) Usually preceded by the: the state of a sailing ship when
it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds, and is unable to make
progress.
3. (nautical, oceanography, by extension) Usually preceded by the: a
part of the ocean near the equator where calms, squalls, and light,
baffling winds are common.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doldrums>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I
feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?
--Mother Teresa
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa>
Richie Farmer (born August 25, 1969) is a former collegiate basketball
player and Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky.
He led Clay County High School to the 1987 state high school boys'
basketball championship, scoring a championship game record 51 points
and being named 1988's Kentucky Mr. Basketball. He played collegiately
for the Kentucky Wildcats. In his senior year, the team reached the
Elite Eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, losing to Duke in one of the
most memorable college basketball games ever. He served as Kentucky
Agriculture Commissioner from 2004 to 2012, winning two terms by large
margins. Kentucky Senate President David L. Williams made Farmer his
running mate in the 2011 gubernatorial election, but their ticket was
defeated. After leaving office as commissioner, Farmer was investigated
for corruption and was eventually sentenced to 27 months in federal
prison. He was released from a halfway house in 2016.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Farmer>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1875:
Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English
Channel, completing the journey in approximately 21 hours and 40
minutes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Webb>
1920:
Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski successfully forced the
Russians to withdraw from Warsaw at the Battle of Warsaw, the decisive
battle of the Polish–Soviet War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_%281920%29>
1950:
In tennis, Althea Gibson became the first African-American
woman to compete at the United States National Championships (now known
as the US Open).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson>
1989:
The Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Neptune
and provided definitive proof of the existence of the planet's rings
(pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Neptune>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
or bust:
(chiefly US, informal) Used to indicate one's intention to do everything
possible to achieve a goal, with failure being the only alternative.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/or_bust>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Should there not be manifest progress and development but in a
higher sense than people have imagined it? ... No one is in his age
alone, he builds on the preceding one, this becomes nothing but the
foundation of the future, wants to be nothing but that — this is what
we are told by the analogy in nature, God’s speaking exemplary model
in all works! Manifestly so in the human species!
--Johann Gottfried Herder
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Herder>
The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought on 24 August 1346, during the
early stages of the Hundred Years' War, between an English army under
King Edward III and a French force commanded by Godemar du Fay. The
English army had burnt a path of destruction through some of the richest
lands in France to within 20 miles (32 km) of Paris, then had marched
north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army. The French king,
Philip VI, garrisoned all of the bridges and fords over the River Somme
and followed the English with his own field army. The area had
previously been stripped of food stocks, and the English were
essentially trapped. They launched an attack across a tidal ford at
Blanchetaque, and after a disorderly mêlée the French blocking force
there broke and fled. French casualties were reported as over half of
their force, while English losses were light. Two days later, the main
army under Philip was defeated at the Battle of Crécy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blanchetaque>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
A Dutch expedition arrived at the mouth of the Valdivia River
in what is now Chile, with the aim of establishing a new colony in the
ruins of the abandoned Spanish settlement of Valdivia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_expedition_to_Valdivia>
1857:
The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust
Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe
recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1857>
1914:
World War I: The Battle of Cer ended as the first Allied
victory in the war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer>
2006:
The International Astronomical Union redefined the term
"planet", reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet since it has not cleared
the neighbourhood around its orbit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bandura:
(music) A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body,
like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with
both hands while held upright on the lap.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bandura>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not an absolute pacifist, because I can't rule out the
possibility that under some, carefully defined circumstances, some
degree of violence may be justified, if it is focused directly at a
great evil. … Each situation has to be evaluated separately, for all
are different. In general, I believe in non-violent direct action, which
involve organizing large numbers of people, whereas too often violent
uprisings are the product of a small group. If enough people are
organized, violence can be minimized in bringing about social change.
--Howard Zinn
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn>
Taylor Swift (born 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. She has sold
more than 50 million albums and 150 million single downloads worldwide.
Swift released her self-titled debut album in 2006, which spent more
weeks than any other album on the Billboard 200 in the 2000s. Her second
album, Fearless (2008), became the best-seller of 2009 in the US and won
four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest Album of the Year
winner. With her later albums Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014)
and Reputation (2017), she became the first act to have four albums sell
a million copies within one week in the US. The last three albums
spawned the number-one singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back
Together", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Bad Blood", and "Look What
You Made Me Do". Swift's many accolades include ten Grammy Awards and
appearances in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,
Time 100, and Forbes Celebrity 100..
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_Celebrity_100>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1929:
Palestine riots: Arabs began attacking Jews in Hebron in the
British Mandate of Palestine, killing more than sixty people in two
days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Hebron_massacre>
1939:
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a 10-year, mutual non-aggression treaty,
which also secretly divided Northern and Eastern Europe into German and
Soviet spheres of influence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact>
1989:
Singing Revolution: Approximately two million people joined
hands to form a human chain spanning 675.5 kilometres (419.7 mi) across
the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Soviet republics, to demonstrate
their desire for independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Way>
2006:
Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten in
Vienna, escaped from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil after more than
eight years in captivity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natascha_Kampusch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
limn:
1. (transitive, also figuratively) To draw or paint; to delineate.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate
with gold or some other bright colour.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/limn>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My Son, Freedom is best, I tell thee true, of all things to be
won. Then never live within the Bond of Slavery.
--William Wallace
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Wallace>
Operation Goodwood was a series of air raids launched from aircraft
carriers of the British Home Fleet against the German battleship Tirpitz
in Kaafjord, Norway. It was the Royal Navy's last attack on Tirpitz,
which posed a significant threat to the Allied convoys travelling to the
Soviet Union. The Fleet departed its base on 18 August 1944 and first
launched air raids against Kaafjord on the morning and evening of 22
August. Further attacks were made on 24 and 29 August. All of these
attacks failed, and only two bombs struck Tirpitz. German forces
suffered the loss of 12 aircraft and damage to 7 other ships. The
British lost 17 aircraft and a frigate. HMS Nabob, an escort carrier,
was also badly damaged. Historians attribute Operation Goodwood's
failure to shortcomings of the Fleet Air Arm's aircraft and armament.
The mission to sink Tirpitz was subsequently transferred to the Royal
Air Force..
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1639:
The East India Company bought a small strip of land on what is
today Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from
the King of the Vijayanagara Empire, Peda Venkata Raya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai>
1851:
The yacht America won the Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns race,
later renamed the America's Cup, near the Isle of Wight, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1851_America%27s_Cup>
1944:
World War II: Wehrmacht infantry carried out an assault
operation against the civilian residents of nine villages located in the
Amari Valley on the Greek island of Crete.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust_of_Kedros>
2012:
A series of ethnic clashes between the Orma and Pokomo tribes
of Kenya's Tana River District resulted in the deaths of at least 52
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_Tana_River_District_clashes>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lorry:
1. (road transport, Britain) A motor vehicle for transporting goods, and
in some cases people; a truck.
2. (dated) A barrow or truck for shifting baggage, as at railway
stations.
3. (dated) A small cart or wagon used on the tramways in mines to carry
coal or rubbish.
4. (obsolete) A large, low, horse-drawn, four-wheeled wagon without
sides; also, a similar wagon modified for use on railways.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lorry>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why have you been so blind? Why have you never seen? The slave
and master in one skin Is all your history, no more, no less, Confess!
This is what you've been.
--Ray Bradbury
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury>