Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the
Second World War. In 1943, the body of Glyndwr Michael was dressed as an
officer of the Royal Marines, and items were placed on him identifying
him as the fictitious Captain William Martin. Correspondence between two
British generals suggesting that the Allies planned to invade Greece and
Sardinia, with merely a feint at Sicily, was also planted. The body was
taken by the submarine HMS Seraph to the southern coast of Spain and
released close to shore, where it was picked up the following morning by
a Spanish fisherman. The nominally neutral Spanish government shared
copies of the documents with German military intelligence, before
returning them to the British. Ultra decrypts of German messages showed
that the Germans fell for the ruse. Reinforcements were shifted to
Greece and Sardinia before and during the invasion of Sicily; Sicily
received none. The body was buried with military honours in Spain (grave
pictured).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
Philippine–American War: Malolos, capital of the First
Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Malolos>
1942:
Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers
against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas
Island without any resistance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Christmas_Island>
1992:
USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship,
was decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Missouri_%28BB-63%29>
2018:
Nikol Pashinyan began his protest walk, starting in the city of
Gyumri, opening the 2018 Armenian revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Armenian_revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
verklempt:
1. (US, colloquial) Overcome with emotion, choked up.
2. (US, colloquial) Flustered, nervous, overwhelmed.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verklempt>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The war continues. Russia is sending new forces to our land to
continue to destroy us, to destroy Ukrainians. We must do more to stop
the war! The first and most important thing is weapons. Freedom must be
armed no worse than tyranny.
--Volodymyr Zelenskyy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy>
The Yankee was one of America's first cultural publications and a
precursor to the independent American press that formed decades later.
Founded and edited by John Neal (pictured), it was published in
Portland, Maine, between 1828 and 1829. The magazine helped establish
the American gymnastics movement, covered national politics, and
critiqued American literature, art, theater, and social issues. Many
new, predominantly female, writers and editors started their careers
with publication and coverage in The Yankee, including many who are
familiar to modern readers. Essays by Neal on American art and theater
anticipated major changes and movements realized in the following
decades. His articles on women's rights and early feminist ideas
affirmed intellectual equality between men and women and demanded
political and economic rights for women, saying "If woman would act with
woman, there would be a stop to our tyranny".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yankee>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
British chemist William Crookes published his discovery of
thallium using flame spectroscopy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thallium>
1912:
Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the Treaty of Fes, making Morocco a
French protectorate.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fes>
1950:
Usmar Ismail began shooting Darah dan Doa, widely recognised as
the first Indonesian film.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darah_dan_Doa>
1972:
Vietnam War: North Vietnamese forces began the Easter Offensive
in an attempt to gain as much territory and destroy as many South
Vietnamese units as possible.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Offensive>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
what the doctor ordered:
(idiomatic) Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation;
something very beneficial or desirable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/what_the_doctor_ordered>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I'm sure you saw the news today that the Russian military command
allegedly decided to "reduce hostilities in the directions of Kyiv and
Chernihiv." ... I am grateful to all our defenders, to all those who
ensure the defense of Kyiv. It is their brave and effective actions that
force the enemy to retreat in this direction. However, we should not
lose vigilance. The situation has not become easier. The scale of the
challenges has not diminished. The Russian army still has significant
potential to continue attacks against our state. They still have a lot
of equipment and enough people completely deprived of rights whom they
can send to the cauldron of war. Therefore, we stay alert and do not
reduce our defense efforts.
--Volodymyr Zelenskyy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy>
It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School is a 1996 American
documentary film directed by Debra Chasnoff and Helen Cohen. It provides
educators with information on how to teach elementary school children
to be tolerant of gay and lesbian people. The film was noted as the
"first of its kind" and was generally well received, although there was
some backlash from conservatives. It was released in several film
festivals and had screenings in the 2000s. It's Elementary did not
receive much support from PBS due to backlash from the American Family
Association. Prior to airing the film, television stations received
calls, letters, and e-mails from people who did not want PBS program
directors to broadcast it. The film was awarded the GLAAD Media Award
for Outstanding Documentary, Best Documentary at the Reeling Film
Festival, and the Silver Spire at the San Francisco International Film
Festival, among other awards. The film had two sequels: That's A Family!
and It's Still Elementary.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Elementary:_Talking_About_Gay_Issues_i…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1638:
New Sweden, near Delaware Bay, was founded as the first Swedish
colony in the Americas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden>
1942:
Second World War: The Royal Air Force completed a bombing raid
on Lübeck, the first major success for RAF Bomber Command against a
German city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_L%C3%BCbeck_in_World_War_II>
1982:
Queen Elizabeth II granted royal assent to the Canada Act
1982, which ended any remaining constitutional dependence of Canada on
the United Kingdom by a process known as patriation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Act_1982>
2010:
Islamist separatists of the Caucasus Emirate detonated two
bombs on the Moscow Metro, killing 40 people and injuring 102 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Moscow_Metro_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chaotic:
1. Filled with chaos.
2. Extremely disorganized or in disarray.
3. (mathematics) Highly sensitive to starting conditions, so that a
small change to them may yield a very different outcome.
4. (role-playing games) Aligned against following or upholding laws and
principles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chaotic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion one month ago, the
war has led to the senseless loss of thousands of lives; the
displacement of ten million people, mainly women and children; the
systematic destruction of essential infrastructure; and skyrocketing
food and energy prices worldwide. This must stop. ... A cessation of
hostilities will allow essential humanitarian aid to be delivered and
enable civilians to move around safely. It will save lives, prevent
suffering, and protect civilians.
--António Guterres
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_Guterres>
Chagas disease is a parasitic disease which occurs in the Americas,
particularly in South America. It is caused by a protozoan named
Trypanosoma cruzi (pictured), which is transmitted to humans and other
mammals primarily by blood-drinking insects of the subfamily
Triatominae. Other forms of transmission are possible, such as ingestion
of food contaminated with T. cruzi, blood transfusion and
maternal–fetal transmission. After an initial stage of infection that
is usually mild or asymptomatic, untreated individuals enter the chronic
phase of the disease. People with chronic Chagas disease may develop
organ dysfunction, which most commonly involves the heart or the
digestive system. Chagas disease can be treated using the antiparasitic
drugs benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are most effective in the early
stage of infection. It is estimated that 6.5 million people worldwide
are living with the disease, and it is responsible for about 9,490
annual deaths.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
The Vienna Philharmonic held its first concert, conducted by
Otto Nicolai.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Philharmonic>
1918:
World War I: British and Australian troops soundly defeated
German forces at the First Battle of Dernancourt in northern France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Dernancourt>
1942:
Second World War: The port of Saint-Nazaire in occupied France
was disabled by British naval forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nazaire_Raid>
1979:
British prime minister James Callaghan was defeated by one vote
in a vote of no confidence after his government struggled to cope with
widespread strikes during the Winter of Discontent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_vote_of_no_confidence_in_the_Callaghan_m…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
atompunk:
(science fiction) A subgenre of speculative fiction, based on the
society and technology of the Atomic Age (c. 1945–1965).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atompunk>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by
those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or
who jail and poison their critics. #IStandWithUkraine
--J. K. Rowling
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling>
Here Is Mariah Carey is a 1993 video album by American recording artist
Mariah Carey. It presents her singing at Proctor's Theatre (pictured) in
Schenectady, New York, and also includes non-concert footage. Carey
performs ten songs; four are from her third studio album Music Box
(1993), which her record label, Columbia, commissioned the hour-long
video to promote. She is sporadically accompanied by a band, a choir,
dancers, and string players. In creating the stage for the performance,
production designers sought inspiration from works by Boris Aronson and
Josep Maria Jujol. Television network NBC broadcast it on November 25,
1993, to an audience of 19 million. Columbia Music Video released it on
VHS five days later to generally positive reviews from critics. It
received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry
Association of America and was one of the best-selling video albums of
1994 and 1995 in the United States.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Is_Mariah_Carey>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1850:
San Diego, the first European settlement in present-day
California, was incorporated as a city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego>
1915:
Mary Mallon, the first person to be identified as an
asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, was placed into quarantine in New
York City, where she spent the rest of her life.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon>
1977:
Two Boeing 747 airliners collided on a foggy runway at Los
Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife, killing 583 people in the
worst aircraft accident in aviation history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster>
2002:
Second Intifada: A suicide bomber killed around 30 Israeli
civilians and injured about 140 others in Netanya, triggering Operation
Defensive Shield, a large-scale counter-terrorist military incursion
into the West Bank.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wagon:
1. A four-wheeled cart for hauling loads.
2. A four-wheeled child's riding toy, pulled or steered by a long handle
attached to the front.
3. An enclosed vehicle for carrying goods or people; (by extension) a
lorry, a truck.
4. An enclosed vehicle used as a movable dwelling; a caravan.
5. Short for dinner wagon (“set of light shelves mounted on castors so
that it can be pushed around a dining room and used for serving”).
6. (slang) Short for paddy wagon (“police van for transporting
prisoners”).
7. (rail transport) A freight car on a railway.
8. (chiefly Australia, US, slang) Short for station wagon (“type of car
in which the roof extends rearward to produce an enclosed area in the
position of and serving the function of the boot (trunk)”); (by
extension) a sport utility vehicle (SUV); any car.
9. (Ireland, slang, derogatory, dated) A woman of loose morals, a
promiscuous woman, a slapper; (by extension) a woman regarded as
obnoxious; a bitch, a cow.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wagon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a
people’s love for liberty. Brutality will never grind down their will
to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia — for free
people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness. We will
have a different future — a brighter future rooted in democracy and
principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and
possibilities. For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power. God
bless you all. And may God defend our freedom. And may God protect our
troops.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>
Jadran is a sailing ship for basic naval training built in Germany for
the Royal Yugoslav Navy and currently in Montenegrin service.
Commissioned in 1933, she completed seven long training cruises before
World War II. During the war, she continued as a training ship, first
by the Yugoslavians, but later by the Italians and then the Germans.
Looted and dilapidated, she was returned to the new Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946 and was rebuilt. Between 1949 and 1991,
training was mainly conducted in the Adriatic, and she undertook only
five long-distance cruises. When the Yugoslav Wars commenced in 1991,
Jadran was homeported at Split but was undergoing a refit at Tivat in
the Bay of Kotor and came under the control of rump Yugoslavia. In 2006,
Montenegro became independent, and Jadran became a ship of the
Montenegrin Navy. Her ownership remains disputed between Montenegro and
Croatia; in December 2021, the two countries agreed to form a commission
to settle the dispute.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadran_%28training_ship%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1885:
Perceiving that the Canadian government was failing to protect
their rights, the Métis people led by Louis Riel began the North-West
Rebellion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion>
1913:
First Balkan War: After a five-month siege, Bulgarian and
Serbian forces (artillery pictured) captured the Ottoman city of
Adrianople.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Adrianople_%281912%E2%80%931913%29>
1975:
The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral
disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of
weapons, entered into force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention>
1997:
Police in Rancho Santa Fe, California, discovered the bodies of
39 members of the religious group Heaven's Gate who had died in an
apparent cult suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_%28religious_group%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
felicitous:
1. Characterized by felicity.
2. Appropriate, apt, fitting.
3. Auspicious, fortunate, lucky.
4. Causing happiness or pleasure.
5. (linguistics) Of a sentence or utterance: semantically and
pragmatically coherent; fitting in the context.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/felicitous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What you’re engaged in is much more than just whether or not
you can alleviate the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine.
We’re in a new phase — your generation. We’re at an inflection
point. About every four or five generations, there comes along a change
— a fundamental change takes place. The world ain’t going to be the
same — not because of Ukraine, but — not going to be the same 10, 15
years from now in terms of our organizational structures. So the
question is: Who is going to prevail? Are democracies going to prevail
... and the values we share? Or are autocracies going to prevail? And
that’s really what’s at stake. So what you’re doing is
consequential — really consequential.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern ('How beautifully the morning star
shines'), BWV 1, is a church cantata for the Annunciation by Johann
Sebastian Bach. He composed his chorale cantata in 1725, based on
Philipp Nicolai's 1599 hymn, for the 25 March feast which coincided
with Palm Sunday that year. The theme of the hymn suits both occasions,
in a spirit of longing expectation of an arrival. The hymn was
paraphrased by a contemporary poet who retained its first and last
stanzas unchanged, set as a chorale fantasia and the closing chorale,
but transformed the inner stanzas into a sequence of alternating
recitatives and arias. Bach scored the work for three vocal soloists, a
four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two horns, two
oboes da caccia, two solo violins (part pictured), strings and continuo.
It is the last chorale cantata of his second cantata cycle, begins the
Bach-Gesellschaft's 1851 complete edition of his works and is listed as
No. 1 in the 1950 Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wie_sch%C3%B6n_leuchtet_der_Morgenstern,_BWV_1>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1655:
Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, the
largest natural satellite of Saturn.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29>
1911:
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed
146 sweatshop workers, many of whom could not escape because the doors
to the stairwells and exits had been locked.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire>
1934:
Enrico Fermi published his discovery of neutron-induced
radioactivity, for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1938.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Fermi>
1975:
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew
Faisal bin Musaid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_bin_Musaid_Al_Saud>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
adytum:
1. (Ancient Greece, religion) The innermost sanctuary or shrine in an
ancient temple, from where oracles were given.
2. (by extension) A private chamber; a sanctum.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adytum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine represents a
fundamental challenge to the values and norms that have brought security
and prosperity to all on the European continent. President Putin’s
choice to attack Ukraine is a strategic mistake, with grave consequences
also for Russia and the Russian people. We remain united and resolute in
our determination to oppose Russia’s aggression, aid the government
and the people of Ukraine, and defend the security of all Allies.
--NATO
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/NATO>
The Seattle Center Monorail is an elevated straddle-beam monorail line
in Seattle, Washington, United States. The mile-long (1.4 km) monorail
runs mostly along 5th Avenue between Seattle Center and Westlake Center
in Downtown Seattle, making no intermediate stops. The monorail is a
major tourist attraction but also operates as a regular public transit
service with trains every ten minutes running for up to 16 hours per
day. It was constructed in eight months for the 1962 world's fair,
hosted at Seattle Center, and opened on March 24, 1962. The system
retains its original fleet of two Alweg trains, each capable of carrying
450 people. The monorail's southern terminus was moved into Westlake
Center in 1988 and the rest of the system was designated a historic
landmark in 2003. The system remains under the ownership of the city
government and is operated by a private company. Plans to expand the
monorail's service area have been rejected or shelved several times
since the 1960s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Center_Monorail>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1898:
The Winton Motor Carriage Company (ad pictured), one of the
first American car companies, sold its first unit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winton_Motor_Carriage_Company>
1922:
Irish War of Independence: In Belfast, two men wearing police
uniforms broke into a house and murdered a Catholic family in what was
believed to be a reprisal for the deaths of two policemen the day
before.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMahon_killings>
1934:
The Tydings–McDuffie Act came into effect, which provided for
self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence from
the United States after a period of ten years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tydings%E2%80%93McDuffie_Act>
1980:
One day after making a plea to Salvadoran soldiers to stop
carrying out the government's repression, Archbishop Óscar Romero was
assassinated while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
get cold feet:
(intransitive, originally US, informal) To become nervous or anxious and
reconsider a decision about an upcoming event.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get_cold_feet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In early 2000, I became the first senior U.S. official to meet
with Vladimir Putin in his new capacity as acting president of Russia.
... I have been reminded in recent months of that nearly three-hour
session with Mr. Putin as he has massed troops on the border with
neighboring Ukraine. After calling Ukrainian statehood a fiction in a
bizarre televised address, he issued a decree recognizing the
independence of two separatist-held regions in Ukraine and sending
troops there. Mr. Putin’s revisionist and absurd assertion that
Ukraine was “entirely created by Russia” and effectively robbed from
the Russian empire is fully in keeping with his warped worldview. Most
disturbing to me: It was his attempt to establish the pretext for a
full-scale invasion. Should he invade, it will be a historic error. ...
Instead of paving Russia’s path to greatness, invading Ukraine would
ensure Mr. Putin’s infamy by leaving his country diplomatically
isolated, economically crippled and strategically vulnerable in the face
of a stronger, more united Western alliance. ... Ukraine is entitled to
its sovereignty, no matter who its neighbors happen to be. In the modern
era, great countries accept that, and so must Mr. Putin.
--Madeleine Albright
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Madeleine_Albright>
"SLAPP Suits" is a 2019 segment of HBO's news-satire television series
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, focusing on strategic lawsuits
against public participation (SLAPPs), expensive lawsuits designed to
scare targets into silence. In the segment, host John Oliver (pictured)
celebrated his victory in a SLAPP initiated by Robert E. Murray; the
lawsuit followed Oliver's criticism of Murray and his coal-mining
company in a 2017 episode that included a man in a giant squirrel
costume holding up an oversized check made payable to "Eat Shit, Bob!"
Murray's lawsuit sought monetary damages and a gag order on the episode.
The case was dismissed in under a year. In "SLAPP Suits", Oliver
highlights Murray's frivolous suits against others, including reputable
newspapers and private citizens, and stages a musical number titled "Eat
Shit, Bob!", in which he jokingly accuses Murray of committing
outlandish acts such as spitting on the Mona Lisa and shooting puppies
into outer space.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLAPP_Suits>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolution: Patrick Henry made his "Give me liberty,
or give me death!" speech to the House of Burgesses of Virginia, urging
military action against the British Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_me_liberty,_or_give_me_death!>
1905:
About 1,500 Cretans, led by Eleftherios Venizelos, met at the
village of Theriso to call for the island's unification with Greece,
beginning the Theriso revolt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theriso_revolt>
1919:
Benito Mussolini and his supporters founded the Fasci Italiani
di Combattimento, the predecessor of the National Fascist Party.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasci_Italiani_di_Combattimento>
1996:
Lee Teng-hui was elected President of the Republic of China in
the first direct presidential election in Taiwan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bulldog clip:
1. A binder clip with rigid handles.
2. (surgery) A surgical instrument with serrated jaws and a spring-
loaded handle used to grip blood vessels or similar organs.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bulldog_clip>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How many more lives must be lost? How many more bombs must fall?
How many Mariupols must be destroyed? How many Ukrainians and Russians
will be killed before everyone realizes that this war has no winners —
only losers? How many more people will have to die in Ukraine, and how
many people around the world will have to face hunger for this to stop?
Continuing the war in Ukraine is morally] unacceptable, politically
indefensible and militarily nonsensical. What I said from this podium
almost one month ago should be even more evident today. By any measure
– by even the shrewdest calculation - it is time to stop the fighting
now and give peace a chance. It is time to end this absurd war.
--António Guterres
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_Guterres>
Alben W. Barkley (1877–1956) was the 35th vice president of the United
States, serving from 1949 to 1953. He was elected the U.S.
representative from Kentucky's first district in 1912 as a liberal
Democrat, supporting President Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom domestic
agenda and foreign policy. In 1927 he entered the U.S. Senate, where he
supported the New Deal, and was elected to succeed Joseph T. Robinson,
Senate Majority Leader, upon Robinson's death in 1937. He resigned as
majority leader after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ignored his advice
and vetoed the Revenue Act of 1943, but the veto was overridden and he
was unanimously re-elected to the position. Barkley had a better working
relationship with Harry S. Truman, who ascended to the presidency after
Roosevelt's death in 1945. At the 1948 Democratic National Convention,
Barkley gave a keynote address that energized the delegates. Truman
selected him as a running mate for the upcoming election, and the two
scored an upset victory.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alben_W._Barkley>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1784:
The Emerald Buddha, considered to be the sacred palladium of
Thailand, was installed in its current location at Wat Phra Kaew on the
grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Buddha>
1913:
Phan Xích Long, the self-proclaimed emperor of Vietnam, was
arrested for organising a revolt against the colonial rule of French
Indochina, which was nevertheless carried out by his supporters the
following day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_X%C3%ADch_Long>
1942:
Second World War: British and Italian naval forces fought the
Second Battle of Sirte in the Gulf of Sidra north of Libya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Sirte>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
potable:
1. (formal) Good for drinking without fear of disease or poisoning.
2. Any drinkable liquid; a beverage.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/potable>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In its Order, which has binding effect, the Court indicates the
following provisional measures: ... The Russian Federation shall
immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24
February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine ... The Russian Federation
shall ensure that any military or irregular armed units which may be
directed or supported by it, as well as any organizations and persons
which may be subject to its control or direction, take no steps in
furtherance of the military operations referred to ... Both Parties
shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the
dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.
--International Court of Justice
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice>