The Battle of Cape Ecnomus was a naval battle fought off the coast of
Sicily in 256 BC between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic
during the First Punic War (264–241 BC). The Carthaginian fleet was
commanded by Hanno the Great and Hamilcar; the Roman fleet was led by
the consuls for the year, Marcus Atilius Regulus and Lucius Manlius
Vulso Longus. The Roman fleet of 330 warships sailed with approximately
140,000 men on board. The Romans' plan was to cross to Africa and invade
the Carthaginian homeland, in what is now Tunisia. The Carthaginians
were apparently aware of the Romans' intentions and mustered 350
warships off the south coast of Sicily to intercept them. With a
combined total of about 680 warships carrying up to 290,000 crew and
marines, the battle was possibly the largest naval battle in history by
the number of combatants involved. After a prolonged and confused day of
fighting the Carthaginians were decisively defeated.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Ecnomus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, the
largest moon of Neptune.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28moon%29>
1911:
The Xinhai Revolution began with the Wuchang Uprising, marking
the beginning of the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the establishment
of the Republic of China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising>
1963:
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all test
detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted underground,
came into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty>
1973:
U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged
with tax evasion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nide:
(archaic) A nest of pheasants.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The need for international solidarity and multilateral
cooperation is more conspicuous than ever. The Norwegian Nobel Committee
has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 to the World Food
Programme for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to
bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting
as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon
of war and conflict.
--Norwegian Nobel Committee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norwegian_Nobel_Committee>
Hassium is a highly radioactive chemical element with symbol Hs and
atomic number 108. The most stable known isotopes have half-lives of
around 10 seconds. Natural occurrences of this superheavy element have
been hypothesised, but none has ever been found. The first attempts to
artificially prepare element 108 by nuclear fusion began in 1978 at the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Soviet Union; though likely
successful by 1984, these experiments did not prove conclusively that
the element had been synthesised. For this reason, the discovery is
principally credited to a team led by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried
Münzenberg at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung who bombarded
lead-208 with iron-58 and produced hassium-265. The name hassium was
selected as a reference to the German state of Hesse, where the research
was conducted. The observed chemical properties of hassium are
consistent with its expected placement as the group 8 element in
period 7 of the periodic table.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassium>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1780:
The deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record began to impact the
Caribbean, killing at least 20,000 people across the Antilles over the
subsequent days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hurricane_of_1780>
1914:
World War I: The civilian authorities of Antwerp surrendered,
allowing the German army to capture the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Antwerp_%281914%29>
2012:
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was severely injured by a
Taliban gunman in a failed assassination attempt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
style:
1. (transitive) To call or give a name or title to.
2. (transitive) To create for, or give to, someone a style, fashion, or
image, particularly one which is regarded as attractive, tasteful, or
trendy.
3. (intransitive, US, informal) To act in a way which seeks to show that
one possesses style.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/style>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Instant Karma's gonna get you Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers Everyone you meet
--John Lennon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Lennon>
The British florin, or two-shilling coin, was issued from 1849 until
1967, with a final issue for collectors dated 1970. Valued at one tenth
of a pound (24 old pence), it was introduced in 1849 as part of an
experiment in decimalisation that went no further at that time. The
original florins attracted controversy for omitting a reference to God
from Queen Victoria's titles; that type is accordingly known as the
"godless florin", and was in 1851 succeeded by the "Gothic florin", for
its design and style of lettering. Throughout most of its existence, the
florin bore some variation of either the shields of the United Kingdom
or the emblems of its constituent nations. In 1968, prior to Decimal
Day, the Royal Mint began issuing the ten-pence piece, identical to the
florin in specifications and value. Both coins remained in circulation
until 1993, when the ten pence piece was made smaller, and the florin
was demonetised.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florin_%28British_coin%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
The Battle of Perryville, one of the bloodiest battles of the
American Civil War, was fought west of Perryville, Kentucky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Perryville>
1956:
Major League Baseball pitcher Don Larsen threw the only perfect
game in World Series history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Larsen>
2019:
Anti-government protests calling for free and fair elections
began in Baku, Azerbaijan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Baku_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dojo:
1. (martial arts) A training facility, usually led by one or more
sensei; a hall or room used for such training.
2. (by extension) A room or other facility used for other activities,
such as meditation or software development.
3. (sumo) Synonym of dohyo (“the ring in which a sumo wrestling match is
held”) [...]
4. The dojo loach, Japanese weather loach, or pond loach (Misgurnus
anguillicaudatus), a freshwater fish native to East Asia.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dojo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The thing we must do intensely is be human together. People are
more important than things. We must get together. The best thing humans
can have going for them is each other. We have each other. We must
reject everything which humiliates us. Humans are not objects of
consumption. We must develop an absolute priority of humans ahead of
profit — any humans ahead of any profit. Then we will survive. …
Together.
--Frank Herbert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert>
"Cape Feare" is the second episode in the fifth season of the American
animated television series The Simpsons. Originally aired on the Fox
network on October 7, 1993, it features the return of guest star Kelsey
Grammer (pictured) as Sideshow Bob, who tries to kill Bart Simpson after
getting out of jail. "Cape Feare" is a spoof of the 1962 film Cape Fear
and its 1991 remake, which in turn are based on John D. MacDonald's 1957
novel The Executioners. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and
directed by Rich Moore. The production crew added several scenes after
finding it difficult to fill the half-hour slot. In one sequence,
Sideshow Bob is hit in the face repeatedly by rakes that he steps on;
this scene has been cited as one of the show's most memorable moments.
Cast member Hank Azaria called this episode his favorite in the series.
The musical score earned composer Alf Clausen an Emmy Award nomination.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Feare>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1800:
French privateer Robert Surcouf led a 150-man crew to capture
the 40-gun, 437-man East Indiaman Kent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Surcouf>
1985:
During severe floods in Puerto Rico, about 130 people died as a
result of the deadliest single landslide on record in North America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Puerto_Rico_floods>
2008:
2008 TC3 exploded above the Nubian Desert in Sudan, in the
first time that an asteroid impact had been predicted prior to
atmospheric entry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_TC3>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
machicolation:
1. (architecture) An opening between corbels that support a projecting
parapet, or in the floor of a gallery or the roof of a portal, of a
fortified building from which missiles can be shot or heated items
dropped upon assailants attacking the base of the walls.
2. (architecture) A projecting parapet with a series of such openings.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/machicolation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons.
--Desmond Tutu
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu>
Banksia petiolaris is a species of flowering plant of the family
Proteaceae native to Western Australia, where it is found in sandy soils
in the south coastal regions from Munglinup east to Israelite Bay. It
was first described by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1864.
B. petiolaris grows as a prostrate shrub, with horizontal stems and
thick, leathery upright leaves. The leaves can be viable for up to
13 years—the longest-lived of any flowering plant recorded. Yellow
cylindrical flower spikes (pictured), up to 16 cm (6 1⁄4 in) high,
appear in spring. As the spikes age, they turn grey and develop up to 20
woody seed pods each, known as follicles. Insects such as bees, wasps
and ants pollinate the flowers. B. petiolaris regenerates by seed after
bushfire. The species adapts readily to cultivation, growing in well-
drained sandy soils in sunny locations. It is suitable for rockeries and
as a groundcover.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_petiolaris>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: British forces under Sir Henry
Clinton captured Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery, and dismantled the
Hudson River Chain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Forts_Clinton_and_Montgomery>
1934:
Catalonia's autonomous government declared a general strike, an
armed insurgency, and the establishment of the Catalan State in reaction
to the inclusion of conservatives in the Spanish republican regime.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_State_%281934%29>
2000:
Denouncing corruption in Argentine president Fernando de la
Rúa's administration and the Senate, Vice President Carlos Álvarez
resigned.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_%C3%81lvarez_%28Argentine_politician%29>
2010:
The first version of the Instagram mobile application was
released for iOS devices.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
evert:
1. (transitive, often biology, physiology) To turn inside out (like a
pocket being emptied) or outwards.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To move (someone or something) out of the way.
3. (transitive, obsolete, also figurative) To turn upside down; to
overturn.
4. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete, also figurative) To disrupt; to
overthrow.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/evert>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it
dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration,
some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years
ago!
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
SMS Dresden was a German light cruiser, armed with ten 10.5 cm
(4.1 in) SK L/40 guns and two torpedo tubes, launched in
October 1907. Dresden visited the United States in 1909 during the
Hudson–Fulton Celebration, before serving in the High Seas Fleet. In
1913, she was assigned to the Mediterranean Division, then sent to the
Caribbean. At the onset of World War I, Dresden operated as a commerce
raider in South American waters in the Atlantic, then moved to the
Pacific Ocean and joined the German East Asia Squadron. Dresden saw
action in the Battle of Coronel in November 1914, and at the Battle of
the Falkland Islands in December, where she was the only German warship
to elude the British. In March 1915, when she was almost out of coal
and her engines were worn out, her captain attempted to have the ship
interned by Chile at Robinson Crusoe Island. British cruisers violated
Chilean neutrality and opened fire on the ship in the Battle of Más a
Tierra and the Germans scuttled Dresden.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Dresden_%281907%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: Upset about the high price and scarcity of
bread, thousands of Parisian women and various allies marched on the
royal palace at Versailles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_March_on_Versailles>
1930:
The British airship R101 crashed in France en route to India on
its maiden overseas flight, killing 48 passengers and crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R101>
1975:
Dirty War: The Argentine guerrilla group Montoneros carried out
Operation Primicia, a terrorist attack in which they hijacked an
Aerolíneas Argentinas flight, captured Formosa International Airport,
and attacked a military regiment.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Primicia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wh-question:
(chiefly linguistics) A question that is introduced by a wh-word (what,
where, why, etc.) and cannot be answered by yes or no.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wh-question>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Without free, self-respecting, and autonomous citizens there can
be no free and independent nations. Without internal peace, that is,
peace among citizens and between the citizens and the state, there can
be no guarantee of external peace.
--Václav Havel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel>
Joseph A. Lopez (October 4, 1779 – October 5, 1841) was a Mexican
Catholic priest who became a prominent ally of Emperor Agustín de
Iturbide. As a priest in Peribán, he tried to arrest the first leader
of the Mexican War of Independence, Miguel Hidalgo. Unsuccessful, he
fled and became acquainted with Ana María Huarte, the wife of the
future emperor of Mexico, Agustín de Iturbide. As a result, he was sent
to Madrid to act as Iturbide's attorney and political informant, before
returning to Mexico as chaplain and educator of the imperial family. He
fled with the exiled family to Europe in 1823, and then returned to
Mexico. Following Iturbide's execution in 1824, Lopez fled with the
family to Washington, D.C., where he became chaplain to the Georgetown
Visitation Monastery, and became a Jesuit. In 1840, Lopez was named the
acting president of Georgetown University, becoming the first Latin
American president of a university in the United States. He soon fell
ill and was sent to St. Inigoes, Maryland, where he died.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_A._Lopez>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1917:
First World War: The Allies devastated the German defence at
the Battle of Broodseinde, prompting a crisis among their commanders and
causing a severe loss of morale in the 4th Army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Broodseinde>
1957:
The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1 (replica pictured), the first
artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1>
2003:
A suicide bomber killed 21 people and injured 60 others inside
a restaurant in Haifa, Israel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_restaurant_suicide_bombing>
2010:
A waste-reservoir dam in western Hungary collapsed, freeing
1 million m3 (35 million cu ft) of red mud, which flooded nearby
communities and killed ten people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajka_alumina_plant_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
orient:
1. (transitive) To build or place (something) so as to face eastward.
2. (transitive, by extension) To align or place (a person or object) so
that his, her, or its east side, north side, etc., is positioned toward
the corresponding points of the compass; (specifically, surveying) to
rotate (a map attached to a plane table) until the line of direction
between any two of its points is parallel to the corresponding direction
in nature.
3. (transitive) To direct towards or point at a particular direction.
4. (transitive, reflexive) To determine which direction one is facing.
5. (transitive, often reflexive, figurative) To familiarize (oneself or
someone) with a circumstance or situation.
6. (transitive, figurative) To set the focus of (something) so as to
appeal or relate to a certain group.
7. (intransitive) To change direction to face a certain way.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orient>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have a talent for silence and brevity. I can keep silent when
it seems best to do so, and when I speak I can, and do usually, quit
when I am done. This talent, or these two talents, I have cultivated.
Silence and concise, brief speaking have got me some laurels, and, I
suspect, lost me some. No odds. Do what is natural to you, and you are
sure to get all the recognition you are entitled to.
--Rutherford B. Hayes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes>
Antiochus XI Epiphanes (died 93 BC) was a Seleucid monarch who reigned
as King of Syria in 94–93 BC, during the Hellenistic period. He ruled
at a time of civil war, waged by several claimants to the throne. At
first a follower of his eldest brother Seleucus VI, Antiochus XI
declared himself king jointly with his twin Philip I after Seleucus VI
was killed in 94 BC by a cousin, Antiochus X. The twins destroyed the
city of Mopsuestia, whose citizens played a part in Seleucus VI's
death, then marched on the Syrian capital Antioch and expelled
Antiochus X in 93 BC. Though unrecorded by ancient historians, the
reign of Antiochus XI as a senior king in Antioch is confirmed through
numismatic evidence (coin pictured). Philip I kept his royal title and
remained in Cilicia. In the autumn of the same year, Antiochus X
regrouped and counterattacked; Antiochus XI drowned in the Orontes
River as he tried to flee.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_XI_Epiphanes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1951:
In Major League Baseball, the New York Giants' Bobby Thomson
hit the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", a game-winning home run, to win
the National League pennant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_Heard_%27Round_the_World_%28baseball%29>
1991:
Nadine Gordimer became the first South African to win the Nobel
Prize in Literature.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer>
2003:
Roy Horn of the American entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy
(both pictured) was mauled by a tiger during a performance at the Mirage
on the Las Vegas Strip.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_%26_Roy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
festschrift:
A collection of articles, essays, etc., published together as a memorial
or tribute to an academic or some other respected person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/festschrift>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My father had a deep and lifelong contempt for politicians in
general ("They tell lies," he used to say with wonder, "even when they
don't have to").
--Gore Vidal
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gore_Vidal>
The vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus obscurus) is a tyrant flycatcher
found in South America and southern North America. The male (pictured)
has a bright red crown and underparts, and brownish wings and tail;
females lack the red coloration. The male's chirpy song is used in
establishing a territory in riparian or semi-open habitat. Its diet of
insects are caught in flight. Although monogamous, females may lay their
eggs in another pair's nest, and extra-pair copulation occurs. Females
build cup nests and are fed by the male while they incubate the two to
three speckled whitish eggs; two broods are laid in a season. Both
parents feed the chicks, which are ready to fledge after fifteen days. A
long molt begins in summer. The species was first described from
specimens caught by Charles Darwin. The taxonomy of the genus was
revised in 2016, creating several new species from this flycatcher's
former subspecies. Populations have declined because of habitat loss,
although numbers remain in the millions.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion_flycatcher>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1879:
Qing China signed the Treaty of Livadia with the Russian
Empire, but the terms were so unfavorable to China that their
negotiator, Chonghou, was later sentenced to death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Livadia>
1925:
Scottish inventor John Logie Baird successfully transmitted the
first television picture with a greyscale image.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Logie_Baird>
2007:
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun walked across the Military
Demarcation Line on his way to the second inter-Korean summit with North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_inter-Korean_summit>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Chanakya:
(India) A shrewd politician or, in general, a cunning person; a
Machiavelli.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chanakya>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sooner or later...one has to take sides — if one is to remain
human.
--Graham Greene
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Graham_Greene>
The Rwandan Civil War was a conflict between the Hutu-led Rwandan Armed
Forces and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), founded by Tutsi
refugees. The war began on 1 October 1990 with an RPF invasion but the
army, assisted by French troops, had largely defeated the RPF by the end
of the month. Paul Kagame (pictured, left) took command of the rebels
and in a few months began a multi-year guerrilla war. In 1992, after a
series of protests, Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana (pictured,
right) began peace negotiations with the RPF and domestic opposition
parties. Despite disruption by the extremist group Hutu Power and a
fresh RPF offensive, the Arusha Accords were signed in August 1993.
United Nations peacekeepers were installed, but Hutu Power was steadily
gaining influence. After the assassination of Habyarimana in
April 1994, between half a million and a million Tutsi and moderate
Hutu were killed in the Rwandan genocide. The RPF quickly resumed the
war, capturing the capital and taking control of the country by July.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Civil_War>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1940:
The first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one of the
United States' first long-distance limited-access highways, opened to
traffic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Turnpike>
1998:
Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, was formed with the
ratification of the Europol Convention by all member states.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europol>
2018:
The International Court of Justice ruled that Chile was under
no obligation to restore Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean, which it
had lost in the 19th century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obligation_to_Negotiate_Access_to_the_Pacific…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
witch doctor:
A person who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical
powers; a shaman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witch_doctor>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I still have complete confidence that the United States, if given
time, will resolve its problems. We have always been able to do that in
the past, whenever we faced difficult questions. The United States still
has that innate strength.
--Jimmy Carter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter>