The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was a republic within the
Caucasus region of the Soviet Union that existed from 1921 to 1931.
Formed in the aftermath of the Red Army invasion of Georgia in
February 1921, it was independent until December, when a treaty united
it with the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1931 it was replaced
with the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within Georgia.
Abkhazia was a major tobacco producer in this era, growing over half of
the Soviet Union's supply. It also produced tea, wine, and citrus
fruits, and became one of the wealthiest regions in the country. Its
sub-tropical climate made it a prime holiday destination; Joseph Stalin
and other Soviet leaders had dachas in the region and spent considerable
time there. An ethnically diverse region, Abkhazia was nominally led by
the Abkhaz people, who made up less than 30 percent of the population.
Other major groups included Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, and Russians.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Soviet_Republic_of_Abkhazia>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
Citizen Kane (scene pictured), a widely acclaimed film by actor
and director Orson Welles, premiered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane>
1991:
In Major League Baseball, Rickey Henderson broke the record for
stolen bases on the same night that Nolan Ryan broke his own record for
no-hitters.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Ryan>
2016:
The evacuation of nearly 88,000 people began when a wildfire
swept through Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, and burned for another 14
months, becoming the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Fort_McMurray_wildfire>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
working stiff:
(originally US, informal) An ordinary person who works in a non-
management position, especially one who works for wages rather than a
salary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/working_stiff>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as
to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by
what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our ability to
love developing until it embraces the totality of men and the earth.
--Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin>