Sergo Ordzhonikidze (1886–1937) was a Bolshevik and Soviet politician
from Georgia. Joining the Bolsheviks at a young age, he became an
important figure and was arrested repeatedly. After the Bolsheviks came
to power in 1917, he oversaw the invasions of Azerbaijan, of Armenia,
and of Georgia. He backed their union into the Transcaucasian Socialist
Federative Soviet Republic in 1922, one of the original Soviet
republics, and served as its first secretary until 1926. He then oversaw
Soviet economic production and led a massive overhaul; he implemented
five-year plans, helped create the Stakhanovite movement and was named
to the Politburo. He was reluctant to join the campaign against so-
called wreckers and saboteurs in the early 1930s, causing friction with
Joseph Stalin. Before a meeting where he was expected to denounce
workers, Ordzhonikidze shot himself. He was posthumously honoured, and
several towns and cities in the Soviet Union were named after him.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergo_Ordzhonikidze>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1872:
HMS Challenger departed Portsmouth on a scientific expedition
that laid the foundations of oceanography.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Challenger_%281858%29>
1937:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-
animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle
Theatre in Los Angeles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_%281937_film%…>
1970:
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat (example pictured), the primary fighter
aircraft of the U.S. Navy for nearly 30 years, made its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat>
1995:
In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew
from Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of control to the
Palestinian National Authority.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Sherman necktie:
(US, rail transport, historical, chiefly in the plural) A segment of
rail that has been heated and twisted into a loop, as a means of
destroying a railway.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sherman_necktie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The tide has turned! The light will come again! In a new dawn,
in a new day, The sun is rising! Io! Evohe! Blessed Be!
--Starhawk
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Starhawk>
Oxenfree is a supernatural-mystery graphic adventure game. Developed and
published by Night School Studio, it was released for Windows, OS X,
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Linux in 2016 and iOS, Android, and
Nintendo Switch in 2017. Players assume the role of teenager Alex on a
weekend trip to a local island. Alex and her friends must unravel the
island's secrets after supernatural events occur. The developers
designed Oxenfree as a story-driven game without cutscenes; players
choose dialogue via a "walk and talk" mechanic. Oxenfree's audiovisual
presentation marries dark, organic, and analog elements with bright,
geometric, and digital ones. The release was accompanied by development
documentaries, an alternate reality game, and a collector's edition.
Oxenfree received generally positive reviews; critics praised the
presentation and characters, although some reviewers were left wanting
more. The game was nominated for "Best Narrative" at The Game Awards
2016.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxenfree>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1980:
NBC aired the American football match between the New York Jets
and the Miami Dolphins without announcers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Announcerless_game>
1995:
Mandated by the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War,
the NATO-led Implementation Force (troops pictured) began peacekeeping
operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation_Force>
2007:
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the
São Paulo Museum of Art, before being recovered about three weeks
later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bewilder:
(transitive) To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially
with many different choices.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bewilder>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I am right in saying that thought is the ultimate origin or
source, it follows that if we don't do anything about thought, we won't
get anywhere. We may momentarily relieve the population problem, the
ecological problem, and so on, but they will come back in another way.
--David Bohm
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Bohm>
Achelousaurus was a ceratopsid dinosaur that lived about 74.2 million
years ago, during the Late Cretaceous. The first fossils of the genus
were collected from the Two Medicine Formation in the U.S. state of
Montana in 1987. Mainly known from skull material, Achelousaurus was
about 6 m (20 ft) long, with a weight of about 3 tonnes (3.3 short
tons). It had a large head with a hooked beak, and a bony neck-frill
with a pair of long, curved spikes. In the places where other
centrosaurines often had horns, Achelousaurus had bosses (roundish
protuberances) above the eyes and on the snout that may have been used
in fights and for display. It has been suggested that Achelousaurus was
a transitional form between Einiosaurus (which had spikes but no bosses)
and Pachyrhinosaurus (which had larger bosses), though this is debated.
As a ceratopsian, Achelousaurus would have been a herbivore. It appears
to have had a high metabolic rate, though lower than that of modern
mammals and birds.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achelousaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1956:
British physician and suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams
was arrested in connection with the death of Edith Alice Morrell.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bodkin_Adams>
1983:
The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the FIFA World
Cup, was stolen from the offices of the Brazilian Football
Confederation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_Trophy>
1997:
Titanic, the second-highest-grossing film of all time, with a
worldwide total of more than US$1.8 billion, was released in the United
States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_%281997_film%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
scut:
1. (obsolete) A hare; (hunting, also figurative) a hare as the game in a
hunt.
2. A short, erect tail, as of a hare, rabbit, or deer.
3. (by extension) The buttocks or rump; also, the female pudenda, the
vulva. […]
4. (chiefly Ireland, colloquial) A contemptible person. […]
5. (also attributively) Distasteful work; drudgery; specifically
(medicine, slang) some menial procedure left for a doctor or medical
student to complete, sometimes for training purposes.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scut>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here,
and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is
thy dominion! But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst
not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. It
is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is
not that the heart and pulse are still; but that the hand was open,
generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse a
man’s. Strike, Shadow, strike! And see his good deeds springing from
the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!
--A Christmas Carol
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
Mount Takahe is a 3,460-metre-high (11,350 ft) snow-covered shield
volcano in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, 200 kilometres (120 mi) from
the Amundsen Sea. It is about 30 kilometres (20 mi) wide with parasitic
vents and a caldera up to 8 kilometres (5 mi) wide. Most of the volcano
was formed by trachytic lava flows. It reached its present height about
200,000 years ago. Snow, ice, and glaciers cover most of Mount Takahe.
With a volume of 780 km3 (200 cu mi), it is a massive volcano; the
parts of the edifice that are buried underneath the West Antarctic Ice
Sheet are probably even larger. It is part of the West Antarctic Rift
System along with eighteen other known volcanoes. A major eruption took
place around 17,700 years ago, possibly forming an ozone hole over
Antarctica. The last eruption occurred about 7,600 years ago; there is
no present-day activity. The name of the volcano refers to the takahē,
a flightless bird from New Zealand.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Takahe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1898:
Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first official land speed
record, averaging 63.15 km/h (39.24 mph) over 1 km (0.62 mi) in
Achères, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record>
1932:
Playing indoors at Chicago Stadium on a modified American
football field, the Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in
the first playoff game of the National Football League.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_NFL_Playoff_Game>
2017:
An Amtrak Cascades passenger train derailed near DuPont,
Washington, killing three people and injuring sixty-five others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Washington_train_derailment>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
primum mobile:
1. (astronomy, historical) The outermost celestial sphere of the heavens
in Ptolemaic astronomy, which was believed to cause all the inner
spheres to rotate.
2. (chiefly philosophy, theology) The prime mover or first cause (“an
initial cause from which all other causes and effects follow”).
3. (by extension) The person or thing that is the main impetus for some
action; a driving force.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/primum_mobile>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Was I stupid to love you? Was I reckless to help? Was it
obvious to everybody else That I'd fallen for a lie? You were never on
my side. Fool me once, fool me twice Are you death or paradise? Now
you'll never see me cry There's just no time to die.
--Billie Eilish
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Billie_Eilish>
Interstate 296 (I-296) is a part of the Interstate Highway System in
the US state of Michigan. It is a state trunkline highway that runs for
3.43 miles (5.52 km) parallel to the Grand River on the west bank,
entirely within the Grand Rapids area. Its termini are I-196 near
downtown Grand Rapids and I-96 on the north side of Grand Rapids in
Walker. For most of its length, the Interstate runs concurrently with US
Highway 131, which continues as a freeway built to Interstate Highway
standards north and south of the shorter I-296. The highway was first
proposed in the late 1950s and opened in December 1962. The Michigan
Department of Transportation has since eliminated all signage for I-296
and removed the designation from their official state map, leaving it
unsigned, but I-296 is still listed on the Interstate Highway System
route log maintained by the Federal Highway Administration.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_296>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1790:
The Aztec sun stone, now a modern symbol of Mexican culture,
was excavated in the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_sun_stone>
1970:
Polish soldiers fired at workers (memorial pictured) emerging
from trains in Gdynia, beginning the government's crackdown on mass
anti-communist protests across the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Polish_protests>
2010:
Arab Spring: Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set
himself on fire in protest against police harassment, triggering the
Tunisian Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nithing:
1. (archaic) A coward, a dastard; a wretch.
2. (archaic) A wicked person; also, one who has acted immorally or
unlawfully.
3. (archaic) Cowardly, dastardly.
4. (archaic) Notoriously evil or wicked; infamous.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nithing>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Son of God became incarnate to infuse into the human soul the
feeling of brotherhood. All are brothers and all children of God. Abba,
as he called the Father. I will show you the way, he said. Follow me and
you will find the Father and you will all be his children and he will
take delight in you. Agape, the love of each one of us for the other,
from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has
given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes.
--Pope Francis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pope_Francis>
Banksia serrata, the old man banksia, is a species of woody shrub or
tree in the family Proteaceae. It is found from Queensland to Victoria,
commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m (50 ft) in height,
though it can be much smaller in more exposed areas. It has wrinkled
grey bark and shiny dark green serrated leaves. The large yellow or
greyish-yellow flower spikes turn grey as they age, and pollinated
flowers develop into large, grey, woody seed pods. This Banksia species
is one of four collected by Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four
published in 1782 as part of Carl Linnaeus the Younger's original
description of the genus. Throughout its range, it grows exclusively in
sandy soils, and is usually the dominant plant where it grows in
scrubland or low woodland. B. serrata is pollinated by and provides
food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the
autumn and winter months. It is a common plant of parks and gardens.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_serrata>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1850:
Settlers of the Canterbury Association (poster pictured) aboard
Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at
Christchurch, New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Association>
1914:
First World War: The Imperial German Navy attacked ports in
northern England, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Scarborough,_Hartlepool_and_Whitby>
1930:
German-American gangster Herman Lamm killed himself during a
botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, to avoid being captured by
police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Lamm>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
reconciliation:
1. The re-establishment of friendly relations; conciliation,
rapprochement.
2. (accounting) The process of comparing and resolving apparent
differences between accounting records, or between accounting records
and bank statements, receipts, etc.
3. Religious senses.
4. (Christianity) The end of estrangement between a human and God as a
result of atonement.
5. (Christianity) The reconsecration of a desecrated church or other
holy site.
6. (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) Admission of a person to
membership of the church, or readmission after the person has previously
left the church.
7. (Roman Catholicism) Short for sacrament of reconciliation (“a
sacrament (sacred ritual) formerly called confession, involving
contrition by a person, confessing sins to a priest, penance performed
by the person, and absolution granted by the priest”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reconciliation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Do not merely practice your art, but force your way into its
secrets; it deserves that, for only art and science can exalt man to
divinity.
--Ludwig van Beethoven
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven>
The Emperor's New School is an American animated television series
created by Mark Dindal that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons
between January 2006 and November 2008. Based on the 2000 film The
Emperor's New Groove, the series centers on Kuzco, who must graduate
from Kuzco Academy to become emperor of the Inca Empire, with the help
of the villager Pacha and fellow student Malina. The series combines
physical comedy with a self-aware tone. J. P. Manoux replaced David
Spade as the voice actor for Kuzco. New School used traditional 2D
animation to preserve elements of the film's distinctive art style. The
high-school setting provided storylines based on the everyday challenges
of adolescence. New School received mixed reviews from critics; several
praised the voice acting of Eartha Kitt (pictured) but others found the
characters unlikable. The series was also criticized for its minimal
educational value and frequent displays of socially aggressive behavior.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_New_School>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1890:
Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota leader, was killed on Standing
Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota by U.S. Indian agency police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull>
1943:
World War II: American and Australian forces began the Battle
of Arawe against Japanese forces on New Britain as a diversion before a
larger landing at Cape Gloucester.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arawe>
1970:
The Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 (replica pictured) touched down
on the surface of Venus, making the first successful landing on another
planet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_7>
2005:
The F-22 Raptor, a stealth aircraft claimed by the U.S. Air
Force to be unmatched by any known or projected fighter, entered into
service despite a protracted and costly development period.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Groom of the Stool:
(Britain, monarchy, historical) Originally an official responsible for
helping the English monarch use the toilet; later a senior official who
was allowed access to the monarch's privy chamber and served as a
personal secretary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Groom_of_the_Stool>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Slowly I would get to pen and paper, Make my poems for others
unseen and unborn. In the day I would be reminded of those men and
women, Brave, setting up signals across vast distances, considering a
nameless way of living, of almost unimagined values. We would try to
imagine them, try to find each other, To construct peace, to make love,
to reconcile Waking with sleeping, ourselves with each other,
Ourselves with ourselves. We would try by any means To reach the limits
of ourselves, to reach beyond ourselves, To let go the means, to wake.
--Muriel Rukeyser
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muriel_Rukeyser>
The first election for Virginia's 5th congressional district took place
on February 2, 1789. In a race that turned on the candidates' positions
on the need for a Bill of Rights, James Madison (depicted) defeated
James Monroe for a place in the First Congress. It is the only
congressional election in U.S. history in which two future presidents
opposed each other. The race came about when former governor Patrick
Henry and other Anti-Federalists sought to defeat Madison. They put
forward Monroe, a young but experienced politician, who campaigned
vigorously. Despite bitterly cold weather, the two candidates debated
outdoors; traveling after one such meeting, Madison suffered frostbite
on his face. Madison won the election comfortably, to the applause of
his supporters such as President-elect George Washington. The race did
not affect Madison's friendship with Monroe, who would serve as
Madison's Secretary of State and succeed him as president in 1817..
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1836:
The Toledo War, a mostly bloodless territorial dispute between
Ohio and the Michigan Territory, was unofficially ended with a
resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_War>
1913:
Haruna, the fourth and last Japanese battleship of the Kongō
class, was launched, going on to serve in both world wars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Haruna>
1960:
Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of
the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in
the first tied Test in cricket history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Meckiff>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
by virtue of:
(idiomatic) (originally) by the authority or power of; (now) because of;
on the grounds of; by reason of.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/by_virtue_of>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A good man knows when to sacrifice himself, Brother Michael liked
to say. A bad man survives but loses his soul.
--John le Carré
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9>
The 1982 Formula One World Championship featured sixteen rounds from
January to September, spanning the 36th season of Fédération
Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One motor racing. Keke
Rosberg (pictured) won the Drivers' Championship, becoming the second
driver to achieve the feat after winning only one race in the season.
The year was marked by several incidents and tragedies: a drivers'
strike at the first race in South Africa, a partial race boycott as part
of the ongoing FISA–FOCA war at the San Marino Grand Prix, as well as
the death of two drivers. Gilles Villeneuve died during qualifying for
the Belgian Grand Prix, and Riccardo Paletti at the start of the
Canadian Grand Prix. Didier Pironi, while leading the championship,
crashed during qualifying for the German Grand Prix, forcing him to
retire from the sport. Nevertheless, Scuderia Ferrari won the
Constructors' Championship after replacing Villeneuve with Patrick
Tambay and Pironi with 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Formula_One_World_Championship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1928:
An American in Paris, a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by
George Gershwin, premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_in_Paris>
1960:
With Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, out of the country,
four conspirators staged a coup attempt to install Crown Prince Asfaw
Wossen as the new emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Ethiopian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt>
1982:
An earthquake registering 6.2 Mw struck North Yemen, killing
about 2,800 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_North_Yemen_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bastard strangles:
(veterinary medicine) A form of strangles, a bacterial upper respiratory
tract infection of horses potentially causing airway obstruction, that
has spread to other parts of the body and caused abscesses.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bastard_strangles>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Muslim world, with its history and cultures, and indeed its
different interpretations of Islam, is still little known in the West…
The two worlds, Muslim and non-Muslim, Eastern and Western, must, as a
matter of urgency, make a real effort to get to know one another, for I
fear that what we have is not a clash of civilisations, but a clash of
ignorance on both sides.
--Aga Khan IV
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV>
A complete blood count (CBC) is a set of medical laboratory tests that
provide information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC
indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and
platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit (the
volume percentage of red blood cells). The CBC is often carried out as
part of a medical assessment, and can be used to monitor health or
diagnose diseases. The results are interpreted by comparing them to
reference ranges, which vary with gender and age. A landmark in the
automation of blood cell counts was the Coulter principle (1953), which
uses electrical impedance measurements to count blood cells and measure
their sizes. This technology remains in use in many automated analyzers.
Further research in the 1970s involved the use of optical measurements
to count and identify cells, which enabled the automation of the white
blood cell differential.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_blood_count>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1388:
Unable to defend her possessions, Maria of Enghien sold the
lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordship_of_Argos_and_Nauplia>
1969:
The Greek junta announced its withdrawal from the Council of
Europe after the junta was found guilty of torture and other human-
rights violations by the European Commission of Human Rights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_case>
2000:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount
of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped,
effectively making George W. Bush the winner.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Wiktionary:
1. A collaborative project run by the Wikimedia Foundation to produce a
free and complete dictionary in every language; the dictionaries,
collectively, produced by that project.
2. A particular version of this dictionary project, written in a certain
language, such as the English-language Wiktionary (often known simply as
the English Wiktionary).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An ignorant doctor is the aide-de-camp of death.
--Avicenna
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Avicenna>