Peter Badcoe (11 January 1934 – 7 April 1967) was an Australian
recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in
battle that could be awarded at that time to a member of the Australian
armed forces. Badcoe joined the Australian Army in 1950 and graduated
from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1952. Posted to South Vietnam
in 1966, Badcoe displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership on three
occasions between February and April 1967. In the final battle, he was
killed by a burst of machine-gun fire. He was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross for his actions, as well as the United States Silver Star
and several South Vietnamese medals. Badcoe's medal set is now displayed
in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Buildings in South Vietnam and Australia have been named after him, as
has a perpetual medal at an Australian Football League match held on
Anzac Day.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Badcoe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1787:
German-born British astronomer William Herschel discovered two
Uranian moons, later named Oberon and Titania by his son.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_%28moon%29>
1946:
The People's Republic of Albania was proclaimed, with Enver
Hoxha as the country's de facto head of state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enver_Hoxha>
1986:
The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, opened as the
largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blotto:
(informal) (Very) drunk or intoxicated.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blotto>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders
since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our
institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement. The violent
assault on the Capitol — and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated
meeting of Congress — was undertaken by people whose passions have
been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.
--George W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush>
Siamosaurus is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur from what is now Thailand
in the Early Cretaceous period. The first reported spinosaurid from
Asia, it is confidently known only from tooth fossils (example
pictured). The type species, Siamosaurus suteethorni (named for Thai
palaeontologist Varavudh Suteethorn), was formally described in 1986. In
2009, four teeth from China previously attributed to a pliosaur were
provisionally identified as possibly those of Siamosaurus. Siamosaurus's
body length is uncertain, but has been estimated at 5.1 to 9.1 metres
(17 to 30 feet). The teeth, typically 62.5 millimetres (2.46 inches)
long, were conical and had longitudinal grooves and wrinkled enamel. It
would have had a long, low snout and robust forelimbs, and possibly a
sail down its back. Its teeth are similar to those of other
spinosaurids, and it may not be a dinosaur at all. Its teeth were
suitable for impaling rather than tearing, and it may have eaten fish,
pterosaurs and small dinosaurs. It lived in a semi-arid habitat of
floodplains and rivers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamosaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
Common Sense, a pamphlet by Thomas Paine denouncing British
rule in the Thirteen Colonies, was published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense>
1901:
The first great gusher of the Texas oil boom was discovered in
the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindletop>
1946:
The first session of the United Nations General Assembly
convened at the Methodist Central Hall in London with representatives
from 51 member states.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly>
1966:
India and Pakistan signed the Tashkent Declaration to end the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent_Declaration>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blooper:
1. (informal) A blunder, an error.
2. (baseball, slang) A fly ball that is weakly hit just over the
infielders.
3. (film, informal) A filmed or videotaped outtake that has recorded an
amusing accident and/or mistake.
4. (nautical) A gaff-rigged fore-and-aft sail set from and aft of the
aftmost mast of a square-rigged ship; a spanker.
5. (US, dated) A radio which interferes with other radios, causing them
to bloop (squeal loudly).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blooper>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate
American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of
the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our
respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders
whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice. Our
Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People
will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more
perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a
country.
--Jim Mattis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jim_Mattis>
Ficus macrophylla, the Moreton Bay fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree
of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia. A strangler fig, it
usually germinates in the canopy of a host tree and lives as an epiphyte
until its roots establish contact with the ground; it then enlarges,
reaching up to 60 m (200 ft) in height. The large leathery, dark green
leaves are 15–30 cm (6–12 in) long. The fruit is small, round and
greenish, ripening and turning purple at any time of year. Inverted
inflorescences, with flowers lining an internal cavity, are pollinated
only by fig wasps. Many bird species, including pigeons, parrots and
various passerines, eat the fruit. Old specimens of F. macrophylla can
reach tremendous size with imposing buttress roots, and the species is
widely used as a feature tree in public parks and gardens in warmer
climates. Its aggressive root system renders it unsuitable for all but
the largest private gardens.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_macrophylla>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1917:
First World War: Troops of the British Empire defeated Ottoman
forces at the Battle of Rafa on the Sinai–Palestine border in present-
day Rafah.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rafa>
1996:
First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched raids in the
city of Kizlyar, Dagestan, which turned into a massive hostage crisis
involving thousands of civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizlyar%E2%80%93Pervomayskoye_hostage_crisis>
2011:
In poor weather conditions, Iran Air Flight 277 crashed near
Urmia Airport, Iran, killing at 78 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_277>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cryptodepression:
(geography, limnology) The portion of a lake which lies below sea level.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cryptodepression>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We gather due to a selfish man's injured pride, and the outrage
of supporters who he has deliberately misinformed for the past two
months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today
was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States. Those
who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to
the results of a legitimate democratic election will forever be seen as
being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. …
For any who remain insistent on an audit in order to satisfy the many
people who believe that the election was stolen, I'd offer this
perspective — no Congressional audit is ever going to convince these
voters, particularly when the President will continue to say that the
election was stolen. The best way we could show respect for the voters
who were upset is by telling them the truth. That's the burden, that's
the duty of leadership. The truth is that President-elect Biden won the
election, President Trump lost.
--Mitt Romney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney>
Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its
name is Latin for 'arrow', and it should not be confused with the larger
constellation Sagittarius, the archer. It was included among the 48
constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it
remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International
Astronomical Union. Although it dates from antiquity, Sagitta has no
star brighter than 3rd magnitude and has the third-smallest area of any
constellation. Gamma Sagittae is the constellation's brightest star,
with an apparent magnitude of 3.47. Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Theta
Sagittae are each multiple stars whose components can be seen in small
telescopes. Two star systems in Sagitta have Jupiter-like planets, while
a third—15 Sagittae—has a brown dwarf companion. V Sagittae is a
cataclysmic variable—a binary star system that is expected to go nova
and briefly become one of the brightest stars in our sky around the year
2083.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagitta>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1735:
George Frideric Handel's opera Ariodante premiered at the
Covent Garden Theatre in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariodante>
1981:
In Trans-en-Provence, France, a local farmer reported a UFO
sighting claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully
documented sighting of all time".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-en-Provence_case>
2011:
Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S.
representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and
injuring twelve others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mind-boggling:
That causes the mind to boggle; that is beyond one's ability to
understand or figure out.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mind-boggling>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend
the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to
determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.
--Mike Pence
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mike_Pence>
Horseshoe bats are a family of more than 100 bat species. They are found
throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. While many are brown, some
species have black, reddish, or orange fur. They are small, weighing
less than 30 g (1.1 oz), and are named after the horseshoe-shaped flap
of skin on their noses, which helps them echolocate. They use
echolocation to navigate and to forage for their prey of insects and
spiders, maneuvering more slowly in flight than most bats. In colder
regions, they hibernate during the winter months. Mating may occur in
the spring or fall depending on the species, with gestation lasting
about seven weeks before a single offspring is born. Typical lifespans
are around six or seven years, though they can be as long as thirty
years for some individuals. Dozens of SARS-related coronaviruses have
been documented in horseshoe bats, which are hunted for food in parts of
sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_bat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1904:
The Marconi International Marine Communication Company
specified CQD as the distress signal to be used by its operators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CQD>
1939:
The French physicist Marguerite Perey identified francium, the
last element first discovered in nature, rather than by synthesis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francium>
1978:
An article entitled "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" was
published in the newspaper Ettela'at attacking Ruhollah Khomeini, then
in exile in Iraq.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_Red_and_Black_Colonization>
1993:
The Fourth Republic of Ghana was inaugurated with Jerry
Rawlings, the country's former military ruler, as president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rawlings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
to say nothing of:
(idiomatic) An apophasis used to mention another important, usually
related, point: not taking into account, not to mention, without
considering.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/to_say_nothing_of>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We're debating a step that has never been taken in American
history. Whether Congress should overrule the voters and overturn a
Presidential election. … President Trump claims the election was
stolen. The assertions range from specific local allegations to
Constitutional arguments to sweeping conspiracy theories. I supported
the President's right to use the legal system, dozens of lawsuits
received hearings in courtrooms all across our country, but over and
over, the courts rejected these claims, including all-star judges whom
the President himself has nominated. … The voters, the courts, and the
states have all spoken. They've all spoken. If we overrule them, it
would damage our republic forever. … If this election were overturned
by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a
death spiral. Self-government, my colleagues, requires a shared
commitment to the truth and a shared respect for the ground rules of our
system. We cannot keep drifting apart into two separate tribes with a
separate set of facts and separate realities, with nothing in common
except our hostility towards each other and mistrust for the few
national institutions that we all still share. Congress will either
override the voters, overrule them, the voters, the states, and the
courts for the first time ever, or honor the people's decision. I will
not pretend such a vote would be a harmless protest gesture while
relying on others to do the right thing. I will vote to respect the
people’s decision and defend our system of government as we know it.
--Mitch McConnell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell>
The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, a US police drama TV
series, originally aired in the US in January 1994. Low ratings during
the first season meant NBC ordered only four episodes before deciding
whether to renew the show. The original cast returned for this season,
the last to include Jon Polito. Jean de Segonzac was director of
photography and Chris Tergesen was the music coordinator. "Bop Gun", was
the last episode filmed, but became the season premiere due to a guest
appearance by Robin Williams (pictured). The episodes "See No Evil" and
"Black and Blue" featured a police shooting based on a real-life
incident. Guest stars in this season also included Julianna Margulies,
Wilford Brimley, Isaiah Washington, Adrienne Shelly and a young Jake
Gyllenhaal. Homicide received generally positive reviews, and the show
received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor for Williams.
NBC demanded further changes to the show before committing to a third
season.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide:_Life_on_the_Street_%28season_2%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1540:
King Henry VIII of England married his fourth wife, Anne of
Cleves; the marriage was annulled six months later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Cleves>
1907:
Italian educator Maria Montessori opened her first school and
day-care centre for working-class children in Rome, employing the
philosophy of education that now bears her name.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori>
1941:
During his State of the Union address, U.S. president Franklin
D. Roosevelt presented his Four Freedoms as fundamental freedoms that
all people ought to enjoy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freedoms>
1953:
The first Asian Socialist Conference, an organisation of
socialist political parties in Asia, opened in Rangoon, Burma, with 177
delegates, observers and fraternal guests.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Socialist_Conference>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Twelfth Day:
(Christianity) Synonym of Epiphany (“an annual Christian feast on the
twelfth day after Christmas Day (6 January) celebrating the appearance
of Jesus Christ to the Magi”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Twelfth_Day>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe that life has meaning. We are not on earth by chance;
we do not come from nowhere to go to nowhere. This is a statement; it
cannot be proved. Meaning implies both orientation and significance. Not
every event or act or word has meaning, but everything is set in that
orientation and signification.
--Jacques Ellul
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul>
Skegness is an English seaside town on the North Sea coast of
Lincolnshire with 19,579 residents. The original Skegness was situated
farther east but much of it was lost to the sea in the 1520s after the
natural sea defences which protected its medieval harbour eroded.
Rebuilt along the new shoreline, early modern Skegness was a fishing and
farming village. From the late 18th century members of the local gentry
visited for holidays. After the railways arrived in 1873, the major
landowner turned the town into a seaside resort. It became a popular
destination for holiday-makers from East Midlands factory towns such as
Nottingham and Leicester. Despite the advent of the package holiday
abroad in the 1970s, Skegness has a loyal visitor base; it has attracted
new tourists and its affordability has fuelled a rise in visitor numbers
since the 2010s recession. With a reputation as a traditional English
seaside resort, the town received over 1.4 million visitors in 2015.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skegness>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1853:
Solomon Northup regained his freedom after having been sold
into slavery in the American South; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave
later became a national bestseller.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Northup>
1912:
The Boy Scouts Association was incorporated throughout the
British Empire by royal charter.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scout_Association>
1951:
Korean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul from
United Nations forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Seoul>
2018:
A passenger train collided with a truck and derailed in the
Free State, South Africa, killing 21 people and injuring 254 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennenman%E2%80%93Kroonstad_train_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shorthand:
1. A rough and rapid method of writing by substituting symbols for
letters, words, etc.
2. (by extension) Any brief or shortened way of saying or doing
something.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shorthand>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All you hear is time stand still in travel And feel such peace
and absolute The stillness still that doesn't end But slowly drifts
into sleep The stars are the greatest thing you've ever seen And
they're there for you For you alone you are the everything.
--R.E.M.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/R.E.M.>
Revival is an American horror comics series created by writer Tim Seeley
and artist Mike Norton (pictured). The pair worked with colorist Mark
Englert and cover artist Jenny Frison to produce the series, which was
published by Image Comics as 47 monthly issues released between
July 2012 and February 2017. It has since been reprinted in both
paperback and hardcover editions. Set in central Wisconsin, Revival
follows the aftermath of the dead coming back to life. The story is
centered on detective Dana Cypress and her sister Em, who was revived
one day after she was murdered. As they investigate, they find that the
motive behind Em's murder is linked to her revival. The series was
nominated for three Harvey Awards in 2013, and Frison was nominated in
the Best Cover Artist category in 2013 and 2015 in part because of her
work on the series. Diamond Select Toys has released a Minimate toy of
Em Cypress.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revival_%28comics%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: American forces under General
George Washington defeated British troops at the Battle of Princeton
(depicted).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton>
1911:
A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and
sparked a political row over the involvement of Winston Churchill, then
Home Secretary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sidney_Street>
1961:
All twenty-five people on board Aero Flight 311 died in
Finland's worst civilian air accident when the plane crashed near
Kvevlax.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Flight_311>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
castle in the air:
(idiomatic) A desire, idea, or plan that is unlikely to ever be
realized; a visionary project or scheme; a daydream, an idle fancy, a
near impossibility.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/castle_in_the_air>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Salvation changes not, nor yet destroys, garden nor gardener,
children nor their toys. Evil will not see, for evil lies not in God's
picture but in crooked eyes, not in the source but in malicious choice,
and not in sound but in the tuneless voice. In Paradise they no more
look awry; and though they make anew, they make no lie. Be sure they
still will make, not being dead, and poets shall have flames upon their
head, and harps whereon their faultless fingers fall: there each shall
choose for ever from the All.
--J. R. R. Tolkien
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien>
The Perijá tapaculo (Scytalopus perijanus) is a species of passerine
bird in the tapaculo family. Endemic to the Serranía del Perijá
mountain range on the Colombia–Venezuela border, it is found at
altitudes of 1,600–3,225 metres (5,200–10,600 feet). It measures 10
to 12 centimetres (3.9 to 4.7 inches), and its tail is 40 mm (1.6 in)
long. Specimens occurred in museums, but this species was only described
in 2015 based on sixteen birds found between 2008 and 2009. It is
considered vulnerable. Adults have grey heads, brown necks, brown-sepia-
striped backs, and grey-white bellies, breasts, and throats. Males have
some buff markings on their breasts, and less defined brown nape spots
than females. This tapaculo is secretive and therefore difficult to
observe, so its ecology is poorly known. It feeds on insects and
reproduces between April and July. Its range is partially within
Chamicero de Perijá Bird Reserve in Colombia and the Sierra de Perijá
National Park in Venezuela.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perij%C3%A1_tapaculo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
Second World War: Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, was
severely damaged by German bombing during the Cardiff Blitz.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandaff_Cathedral>
1991:
Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as the mayor of Washington,
D.C., becoming the first African-American woman in that role.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Pratt>
2016:
Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, was
executed by the Saudi government along with 46 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Nimr_al-Nimr>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tumultuous:
1. Characterized by loud, confused noise.
2. Causing or characterized by tumult; chaotic, disorderly, turbulent.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tumultuous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In memory yet green, in joy still felt, The scenes of life rise
sharply into view. We triumph; Life’s disasters are undealt, And
while all else is old, the world is new.
--Isaac Asimov
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov>
The Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP) was a United States
military agency responsible for those aspects of nuclear weapons that
remained under military control after the Manhattan Project was
succeeded by the Atomic Energy Commission on 1 January 1947. These
included the maintenance, storage, security and handling of nuclear
weapons, and support for nuclear weapons testing. Early nuclear weapons
were complex and cumbersome, and stored as components rather than
complete devices due to the short shelf life of their lead-acid
batteries and modulated neutron initiators, and the heat generated by
the fissile cores. As nuclear weapons development proceeded, mass-
produced models became available that were easier to store, handle,
maintain and assemble, and the AFSWP became more involved in stockpile
management, and providing administrative, technical and logistical
support. In 1959, the AFSWP became the Defense Atomic Support Agency
(DASA), a field agency of the Department of Defense.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Special_Weapons_Project>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1818:
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a novel by the British
author Mary Shelley, was first published anonymously in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein>
1892:
The immigration station on Ellis Island in New York Harbor
opened, processing almost 12 million immigrants to the United States
over the course of its existence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island>
1957:
The revised Thai criminal code came into force, strengthening
the law on lèse-majesté in Thailand to include insult, and treating it
as a crime against national security.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9_in_Thailand>
2011:
A suicide bombing took place outside a Coptic Orthodox church
in Alexandria, Egypt, following a New Year service, killing 23 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Alexandria_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
calends:
1. Often with initial capital: the first day of a month, particularly
(Ancient Rome, historical) the first day of a month of the Roman
calendar.
2. (by extension) A day for settling debts and other accounts.
3. (by extension, biblical, Judaism, obsolete) Synonym of Rosh Hodesh
(“the Jewish festival of the new moon, which begins the months of the
Hebrew calendar”)
4. (rare) Synonym of calendar; (figurative) an account, a record.
5. (figurative, obsolete) The first day of something; a beginning.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calends>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I pray you to forgive Both bad and good. Last season's fruit is
eaten And the fullfed beast shall kick the empty pail. For last year's
words belong to last year's language And next year's words await
another voice.
--T. S. Eliot
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot>