Emma Louisa Turner (9 June 1867 – 13 August 1940) was an English
ornithologist and pioneering bird photographer. Due to family
responsibilities, she did not take up photography until 1900. By 1904
she was giving talks illustrated with her own photographic slides and by
1908 was established as a professional lecturer. Turner spent part of
each year in Norfolk, and her 1911 image of a nestling bittern was the
first evidence of the species's return to the United Kingdom after its
local extinction. She travelled widely in the United Kingdom and abroad
photographing birds. She wrote eight books and many journal and magazine
articles, and her image of a great crested grebe led to her being
awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Gold Medal. She was one of the
first women to be elected to fellowship of the Linnaean Society and the
first female honorary member of the British Ornithologists' Union.
Though not a graduate, she was also an honorary member of the British
Federation of University Women.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Louisa_Turner>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1772:
In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American
colonists led by Abraham Whipple attacked and burned the British
schooner Gaspee (depicted).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspee_Affair>
1815:
The Congress of Vienna ended, redrawing the political map of
Europe after the defeat of Napoleon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna>
1944:
World War II: In reprisal for successful French Resistance
attacks, the SS and SD hanged 99 men in the town of Tulle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulle_massacre>
1999:
The Kumanovo Agreement was signed, bringing an end to the
Kosovo War the next day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumanovo_Agreement>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ennead:
1. (obsolete) The number nine.
2. (rare) Any grouping or system containing nine objects.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ennead>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You are my fav'rite star, My haven in heaven above, You are
ev'rything I love.
--Cole Porter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter>
SS Minnesotan was a cargo ship built in 1912 for the American-Hawaiian
Steamship Company. During World War I, she was known as
USAT Minnesotan in service for the U.S. Army and USS Minnesotan
(ID-4545) in service for the U.S. Navy. She was built as one of eight
sister ships, and employed in inter-coastal service via the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec and the Panama Canal. In World War I, Minnesotan carried
cargo and animals to France from September 1917. After the Armistice,
she returned over 8,000 American troops. In 1919, Minnesotan resumed
inter-coastal cargo service. During World War II, the ship was
requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and initially sailed
between New York and Caribbean ports. In the latter half of 1943,
Minnesotan sailed between Indian Ocean ports, and the following year
between ports in New York and the United Kingdom, before returning to
the Caribbean. In 1949, Minnesotan was sold to Italian owners, who
renamed her Maria Luisa R. She was scrapped in 1952 at Bari.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Minnesotan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1783:
Laki, a volcanic fissure in Iceland, began an eight-month
eruption, triggering a major famine and causing massive fluoride
poisoning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki>
1941:
World War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign
against Vichy French possessions in the Levant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria%E2%80%93Lebanon_campaign>
1953:
An F5 tornado struck Flint and Beecher, Michigan, causing 116
fatalities, 844 injuries and $19 million in damage during a larger
tornado outbreak sequence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint%E2%80%93Worcester_tornado_outbreak_sequ…>
2008:
A Japanese man drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians in
Akihabara, Tokyo, and proceeded to stab at least 12 people before being
apprehended (police activity pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
polynya:
(hydrology, oceanography) A naturally formed area of open water
surrounded by sea ice, especially in the Arctic.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polynya>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The world is big … May it please the One who perchance Is to
expand the human heart to life's full measure.
--Marguerite Yourcenar
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marguerite_Yourcenar>
Interstate 69 in Michigan enters that state south of Coldwater and
passes the cities of Lansing and Flint in the Lower Peninsula. I-69 is a
part of the Interstate Highway System, and will eventually run from the
Mexican border in Texas to the Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan.
A north–south freeway from the Indiana–Michigan border to the
Lansing area, it changes direction to east–west after running
concurrently with I-96. The freeway continues to Port Huron before
terminating in the middle of the twin-span Blue Water Bridge while
running concurrently with I-94 at the border. There are four related
business loops for I-69 in the state, connecting the freeway to adjacent
cities. Predecessors to I-69 include the first M-29, US Highway 27
(US 27), M-78 and M-21. The freeway was not included on the original
Interstate Highway System planning maps in the mid-1950s, but it was
added in 1958 along a shorter route. Michigan built segments of freeway
for the future Interstate in the 1960s, and the state was granted
additional Interstate mileage in 1968 to extend I-69 north and east to
Flint. Later extensions in 1973 and 1987 resulted in the modern highway.
The first freeway segment designated as I-69 in Michigan opened in 1967,
and the last was completed in 1992, finishing Michigan's Interstate
System. US 27 previously ran concurrently with I-69 from the
Indiana–Michigan state line north to the Lansing area, but this
designation was removed in 2002.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_69_in_Michigan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1628:
The Petition of Right, a major English constitutional document
that set out specific liberties of individuals, received royal assent
from King Charles I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition_of_Right>
1965:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that a
Connecticut law prohibiting the use of contraceptives violated the
"right to marital privacy".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griswold_v._Connecticut>
1975:
The inaugural edition of the Cricket World Cup, the premier
international championship of men's One Day International cricket, began
in England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_World_Cup>
1981:
The Israeli Air Force attacked and disabled the Osirak nuclear
reactor under the assumption that it was about to start producing
plutonium to further an Iraqi nuclear-weapons program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
victual:
1. (archaic) Food fit for human (or occasionally animal) consumption.
2. (archaic, chiefly in the plural) Food supplies; provisions.
3. (specifically, obsolete)
4. Edible plants.
5. (Scotland) Grain of any kind.
6. (transitive, reflexive, chiefly military, nautical) To provide
(military troops, a place, a ship, etc., or oneself) with a stock of
victuals or food; to provision.
7. (intransitive, chiefly military, nautical) To lay in or procure food
supplies.
8. (intransitive) To eat.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/victual>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love... Thy will be done I can no longer hide, I can no longer
run No longer can I resist Your guiding light That gives me the power
2 keep up the fight Oh Lord, Love... Thy will be done Since I have
found you, my life has just begun And I see all of Your creations as
one perfect complex No one less beautiful or more special than the next
We are all blessed and so wise 2 accept Thy will, Love, be done.
--Prince
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Prince_%28musician%29>
Laguna del Maule is a volcanic field in the Andes mountain range of
Chile. The volcanic field covers an area of 500 square kilometres
(190 sq mi) and features at least 130 volcanic vents. The field gets
its name from Laguna del Maule, a lake surrounded by cones, lava domes,
lava coulees and lava flows. The field's volcanic activity began
1.5 million years ago during the Pleistocene. Three major caldera-
forming eruptions took place in the volcanic field prior to the last
glacial period. Volcanic activity has increased during the postglacial
era. In pre-Columbian times, the field was a regionally important source
of obsidian. Today geothermal phenomena occur at Laguna del Maule.
Between 2004 and 2007, ground inflation began in the volcanic field,
indicating the intrusion of a sill beneath it. The rate of inflation is
faster than those measured on other inflating volcanoes, which has
created concern about the potential for impending large-scale eruptive
activity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_del_Maule_%28volcano%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
The Chicago "L" (train pictured), the third-busiest rapid
transit system in the United States, began operation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%22L%22>
1912:
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century began,
forming the volcano Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novarupta>
1971:
Vietnam War: Australian forces attacked a heavily fortified
North Vietnamese base camp at the Battle of Long Khánh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Kh%C3%A1nh>
1985:
The remains of Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician notorious for
performing human experiments on Auschwitz inmates, were exhumed in Embu
das Artes, Brazil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Mengele>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
polemology:
The study of human conflict and war.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polemology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love stands opposed to death. It is love, not reason, that is
stronger than death. Only love, not reason, gives sweet thoughts. And
from love and sweetness alone can form come: form and civilization,
friendly, enlightened, beautiful human intercourse — always in silent
recognition of the blood sacrifice.
--Thomas Mann
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Mann>
Johnny Owen (1956–1980) was a Welsh professional boxer. He won his
first title, the bantamweight title for the Welsh Area, in March 1977,
seven months after turning professional. Later in 1977, Owen defeated
Paddy Maguire for the British bantamweight title, becoming the first
Welshman in more than 60 years to hold the belt. He defeated Paul
Ferreri for the Commonwealth bantamweight title but was controversially
beaten by Juan Francisco Rodríguez for the European title. He later
defeated Rodríguez in a rematch. Owen challenged World Boxing Council
(WBC) champion Lupe Pintor for his world bantamweight title on
19 September 1980, losing in a twelfth-round knockout, leaving the
ring on a stretcher. He never regained consciousness, dying seven weeks
later at age 24. Owen possessed a professional career record of 25 wins
(11 by knockout), 1 draw and 2 defeats. A statue (pictured)
commemorating his life and career stands in his home town of Merthyr
Tydfil.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Owen>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
The June Rebellion (depicted), an anti-monarchist uprising,
broke out in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Rebellion>
1941:
Second Sino-Japanese War: About 4,000 people died of
asphyxiation in Chongqing when the tunnel in which they were hiding
became blocked during a raid in the five-year bombing campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Chongqing>
1981:
The first clinical cases of AIDS were published by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS>
2001:
Tropical Storm Allison, the costliest Atlantic tropical cyclone
that was never a hurricane, made landfall in Texas, causing
approximately $8.5 billion in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Allison>
_____________________________
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>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My ultimate intuitive clue in philosophy is that "God is love"
and that the idea of God is definable as that of the being worthy to be
loved with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and entire being.
--Charles Hartshorne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Hartshorne>
"Bring Us Together" was a political slogan popularized after the
election of Republican candidate Richard Nixon as President of the
United States in the 1968 election. The text was derived from a sign
that 13-year-old Vicki Lynne Cole stated that she had carried at Nixon's
rally in her home town of Deshler, Ohio, during the campaign. After
being told of the sign, Nixon's speechwriters, including William Safire,
began inserting the phrase into his speeches. Nixon mentioned the rally
sign in his victory speech, adopting the phrase as representing his
administration's initial goal—to reunify the bitterly divided country.
Nixon invited Cole and her family to the presidential inauguration, and
she appeared on a float in the inaugural parade (pictured). The phrase
"Bring Us Together" was used ironically by Democrats when Nixon proposed
policies with which they disagreed. In newspaper columns written in the
final years before his 2009 death, Safire expressed doubt that Cole's
sign had ever existed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_Us_Together>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver claimed the land around
Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest for Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound>
1913:
Emily Davison, an activist for women's suffrage in the United
Kingdom, was fatally injured after being trampled by King George V's
horse at the Epsom Derby.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Davison>
1961:
U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita
Khrushchev held an unsuccessful summit in Vienna to discuss issues in
the countries' relationship during the Cold War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_summit>
1998:
Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for his role in
the Oklahoma City bombing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Nichols>
_____________________________
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:
The older I get, the more I realize the importance of exercising
the various dimensions of my body, soul, mind and heart. Taken together,
these aspects give me a sense of wholeness. I want to be a whole human
being rather than one who limps on one leg because I don't know how to
use all of my parts. Intellectual, emotional, and physical activity are
not separate entities. Rather, they are dimensions of the same human
being.
--Robert Fulghum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum>
"Watching the River Flow" is a blues rock song by American singer Bob
Dylan, released as a single on June 3, 1971. Produced by Leon Russell,
it was written and recorded during a session in March 1971 at Blue Rock
Studio in New York City. The collaboration with Russell formed in part
through Dylan's desire for a new sound, after a period of immersion in
country rock music. The song has been interpreted as Dylan's account of
his writer's block in the early 1970s, and his wish to deliver less
politically engaged material and find a new balance between public and
private life. A minor hit in some countries, "Watching the River Flow"
was included on the 1971 Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II and other
Dylan compilation albums. The song has been covered by many artists,
including a recording by five current and former Rolling Stones that was
part of a tribute project for pianist Ian Stewart.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watching_the_River_Flow>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The last known pair of great auks, the only modern species in
the genus Pinguinus of flightless birds, were killed on Eldey off the
coast of Iceland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk>
1921:
At his trial for the assassination of Talat Pasha, viewed as
the main orchestrator of the Armenian genocide, Soghomon Tehlirian was
acquitted after arguing: "I have killed a man, but I am not a murderer."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soghomon_Tehlirian>
1937:
Nearly six months after abdicating the British throne, Edward,
Duke of Windsor, married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private
ceremony near Tours, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson>
1979:
Having invaded Uganda and deposed President Idi Amin, Tanzanian
forces secured Uganda's western border, ending a seven-month war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda%E2%80%93Tanzania_War>
_____________________________
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>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love, and to be
loved, is the greatest happiness of existence.
--Sydney Smith
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Smith>
Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast in
Queensland, Australia. It is owned and operated by Village Roadshow's
Theme Parks division. After a star-studded opening ceremony on
2 June 1991, the park opened the following day. Many park attractions
are based on Warner Bros. and related DC Comics properties, including
thrill rides such as Batwing Spaceshot and Superman Escape, family
attractions such as Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D and Wild West
Falls Adventure Ride, entertainment at the Roxy Theatre and the
Hollywood Stunt Driver live show. Film characters regularly roam the
grounds to interact and take photos with guests. Each afternoon,
characters participate in a parade along Main Street. The seasonal
Fright Nights and White Christmas events are hosted annually. The park
has survived financial hardships and remains among Australia's most
popular tourist destinations. As of 2016, it receives a yearly average
of 1.4 million visitors.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Movie_World>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom, becoming the only U.S.
president to wed in the White House.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland>
1924:
The Indian Citizenship Act was signed into law, granting
citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits
of the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act>
1953:
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II>
1983:
After an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire, 23
passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 were killed when a flashover
occurred as the plane's doors opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Flight_797>
_____________________________
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>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not apt to forget the feelings that have been inspired by my
former society with good acquaintances, nor to be insensible to their
expressions of gratitude to the President of the United States; for you
know me well enough, to do me the justice to believe, that I am fond of
only what comes from the heart.
--Martha Washington
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martha_Washington>
The Treaty of Lutatius was the agreement of 241 BC between Carthage and
Rome which ended the First Punic War after 23 years. The Romans had
defeated a Carthaginian fleet attempting to lift the blockade of its
last strongholds on Sicily. Accepting defeat, the Carthaginian Senate
ordered the local commander to negotiate a peace treaty. One was rapidly
agreed, but when referred to Rome for ratification, it was rejected.
Rome then sent a commission which agreed that Carthage would cede what
it held of Sicily, relinquish several groups of islands nearby (map
pictured), release all Roman prisoners without ransom, and pay large
reparations over 10 years. In 237 BC Carthage prepared an expedition to
recover the island of Sardinia, which had been lost to rebels.
Cynically, the Romans announced that this was an act of war and that
their peace terms were the ceding of Sardinia and Corsica and the
payment of an additional indemnity; these were added to the treaty as a
codicil.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Lutatius>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1813:
War of 1812: Mortally wounded, U.S. Navy captain James Lawrence
ordered his crew "Don't give up the ship!" as USS Chesapeake was
captured by HMS Shannon off the coast of Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_USS_Chesapeake>
1831:
British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross led the
first expedition to reach the north magnetic pole.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clark_Ross>
1974:
In an informal article in a medical journal, Henry Heimlich
introduced the concept of abdominal thrusts, commonly known as the
Heimlich maneuver, to treat choking victims.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts>
2001:
A Hamas-affiliated Islamist terrorist blew himself up outside a
nightclub in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 21 people, most of whom were
teenage girls.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphinarium_discotheque_massacre>
_____________________________
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:
"God is love," as Scripture says, and that means the revelation
is in the relationship. "God is love" means God is known devotionally,
not dogmatically. "God is love" does not clear up old mysteries; it
discloses new mystery. "God is love" is not a truth we can master; it is
only one to which we can surrender. Faith is being grasped by the power
of love.
--William Sloane Coffin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Sloane_Coffin>