The Chestnuts Long Barrow is a chambered tomb located near the village
of Addington in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Constructed
during Britain's Early Neolithic period, it belongs to a regional style
of barrows produced in the vicinity of the River Medway. The long
barrows built in this area are now known as the Medway Megaliths.
Chestnuts Long Barrow lies near both Addington Long Barrow and Coldrum
Long Barrow on the western side of the river, and was built on land
previously inhabited in the Mesolithic period. It consisted of an
earthen mound, estimated to have been 15 metres (50 feet) in length,
with a chamber built from sarsen megaliths on its eastern end. Human
remains placed within this chamber during the Neolithic period were
found alongside pottery sherds, stone arrow heads, and a clay pendant.
The mound gradually eroded away and was gone by the twentieth century,
leaving only the ruined stone chamber.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnuts_Long_Barrow>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1610:
The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of
Whitehall to celebrate the investiture of Henry Frederick as Prince of
Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethys%27_Festival>
1899:
Filipino general Antonio Luna was assassinated in the midst of
the Philippine–American War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna>
1963:
British politician John Profumo admitted that he had lied to
the House of Commons about his involvement in a sex scandal with
Christine Keeler and resigned from government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Keeler>
2001:
Tropical Storm Allison made landfall in Texas, causing
approximately $8.5 billion in damage, making it the costliest Atlantic
tropical cyclone that was never a major hurricane.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Allison>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rubbish:
1. (chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) Garbage, junk, refuse,
trash, waste.
2. (by extension, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) An item, or
items, of low quality.
3. (by extension, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) Nonsense.
4. (archaic) Debris or ruins of buildings. […]
5. (transitive, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain, colloquial) To
criticize, to denigrate, to denounce, to disparage.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rubbish>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH I have watched this week's unfolding
events, angry and appalled. The words "Equal Justice Under Law" are
carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is
precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and
unifying demand — one that all of us should be able to get behind. We
must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests
are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are
insisting that we live up to our values — our values as people and our
values as a nation.
--James Mattis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Mattis>
Lythronax is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in North
America around 80.6–79.9 million years ago. Size estimates for
Lythronax have ranged between 5 and 8 m (16 and 26 ft) in length, and
between 0.5 and 2.5 t (1,100 and 5,500 lb) in weight. It was a heavily
built tyrannosaurid; as a member of that group, it would have had small,
two-fingered forelimbs, strong hindlimbs, and a very robust skull. The
rear part of the skull of Lythronax appears to have been very broad,
with eye sockets that faced forwards like those of Tyrannosaurus.
Lythronax is the oldest known member of the family Tyrannosauridae, and
it is thought to have been more basal than Tyrannosaurus. Due to its
age, Lythronax is important for understanding the evolutionary origins
of tyrannosaurids, including the development of their anatomical
specializations. The forward-facing eyes of Lythronax gave it depth
perception, which may have been useful during pursuit predation or
ambush predation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lythronax>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1561:
The spire of Old St Paul's Cathedral in London was destroyed by
fire, probably caused by lightning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Paul%27s_Cathedral>
1920:
The Kingdom of Hungary lost 72% of its territory and 64% of its
population with the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon>
1940:
Second World War: The remaining Allied forces protecting the
Dunkirk evacuation surrendered, ending the Battle of Dunkirk; in
response, British prime minister Winston Churchill gave a speech in
which he declared "We shall fight on the beaches".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_shall_fight_on_the_beaches>
1974:
Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians hosted Ten Cent Beer
Night, but had to forfeit the game to the Texas Rangers due to rioting
by drunken fans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
ghrelin:
(biochemistry) A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty,
that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the
pituitary gland.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ghrelin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they
are always watching you.
--Robert Fulghum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum>
1
0
June 3: Sega
by English Wikipedia Article of the Day
03 Jun '20
03 Jun '20
Sega is a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in
Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart
on June 3, 1960; shortly after, the company acquired the assets of its
predecessor, Service Games of Japan. Sega developed its first coin-
operated game, Periscope, in the late 1960s. Following a downturn in the
arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega developed video game consoles,
starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against
competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega released its
next console, the Sega Genesis, in 1988; it found success outside Japan
starting with Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. In 2001, Sega stopped making
consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was
acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega produces multi-million-
selling game franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, and
Yakuza, and is the world's most prolific arcade game producer.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
Liverpool F.C. (stadium pictured), one of England's most
successful football clubs, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C.>
1940:
Nazi official Franz Rademacher proposed that the island of
Madagascar be made available as a destination for the resettlement of
the Jewish population of Europe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan>
1950:
Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of the French
Annapurna expedition, became the first climbers to reach the summit of a
peak higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_French_Annapurna_expedition>
1973:
At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-air,
killing the six members of the crew and eight bystanders on the ground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Paris_Air_Show_Tu-144_crash>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
disport:
(transitive, intransitive, reflexive, dated) To amuse oneself
divertingly or playfully; in particular, to cavort or gambol.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disport>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to
pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But
when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
--Gospel of Matthew
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew>
Adore is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band
The Smashing Pumpkins (vocalist Billy Corgan pictured), released on
June 2, 1998, by Virgin Records. After the multi-platinum success of
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and subsequent tour, the
Pumpkins' follow-up album was highly anticipated, but drummer Jimmy
Chamberlin had left the band, and the recording of Adore was
challenging. The album featured a more subdued and electronica-tinged
sound than the band's previous work; Greg Kot of Rolling Stone magazine
called it "a complete break with the past". Sales for the album were far
less than for the band's previous two albums, but it became the third
straight Pumpkins album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best
Alternative Music Performance. It was well received by critics, and has
gained a cult following. A remastered and expanded version of the album
was released on CD, vinyl and other formats in September 2014.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adore_%28The_Smashing_Pumpkins_album%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom (wedding depicted),
becoming the only U.S. president to wed in the White House.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland>
1967:
German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a
protest in West Berlin against the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant 2 June Movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_June_Movement>
1995:
Bosnian War: U.S. Air Force captain Scott O'Grady was shot down
while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia, but ejected safely
and was rescued six days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_O%27Grady>
2010:
A gunman carried out a shooting spree in Cumbria, England,
killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rubicon:
1. A limit that when exceeded, or an action that when taken, cannot be
reversed.
2. (card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: a score which, if not
achieved by a losing player, increases the player's penalty.
3. (transitive, card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: to defeat
a player who has not achieved the rubicon.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rubicon>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
To be an intellectual really means to speak a truth that allows
suffering to speak. That is, it creates a vision of the world that puts
into the limelight the social misery that is usually hidden or concealed
by the dominant viewpoints of a society. "Intellectual" in that sense
simply means those who are willing to reflect critically upon themselves
as well as upon the larger society and to ascertain whether there is
some possibility of amelioration and betterment.
--Cornel West
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cornel_West>
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a German pre-dreadnought battleship
of the Kaiser Friedrich III class, built as part of a program of naval
expansion under Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was laid down in January 1898,
launched in June 1899, and completed in May 1901, and was armed with a
main battery of four 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun
turrets. The vessel served in the Home Fleet and later the High Seas
Fleet for the first seven years of her career, participating in training
cruises and maneuvers. Placed in reserve in 1910, the battleship was
returned to active service in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I,
tasked with coastal defense in the North Sea. The ship was deployed
briefly to the Baltic but saw no action. In 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm der
Grosse was again withdrawn from service and relegated to secondary
duties as a depot ship in Kiel and then a torpedo target ship. The
vessel was sold for scrapping and broken up in 1920. (This article is
part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Battleships_of_Germ…>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross (portrait
shown) successfully led the first expedition to reach the North Magnetic
Pole.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clark_Ross>
1868:
The Navajo and the U.S. government signed an agreement,
allowing those interned at Fort Sumner to return to their ancestral
lands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Bosque_Redondo>
1988:
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty came into effect,
banning all American and Soviet land-based missiles with a range of 500
to 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 mi).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate-Range_Nuclear_Forces_Treaty>
2015:
China's worst peacetime maritime disaster occurred when the
cruise ship Dongfang zhi Xing capsized in the Yangtze, resulting in 442
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Dongfang_zhi_Xing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
oxishly:
(rare) In a manner like that of an ox.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oxishly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of
firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of
civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse
to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war.
--Carl von Clausewitz
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz>