Cirrus clouds are atmospheric clouds characterized by thin, wispy
strands, often bunched into tufts. They range in color from white to
faint gray and form when water vapor undergoes deposition at altitudes
above 5,000 m (16,500 ft) in temperate regions and above 6,000 m
(20,000 ft) in tropical regions. They also form from the outflow of
tropical cyclones or the anvils of cumulonimbus clouds. Since these
cirrus clouds arrive in advance of the frontal system or tropical
cyclone, they indicate that the weather conditions may soon deteriorate.
While they can indicate the arrival of precipitation, cirrus clouds
themselves produce only fall streaks (falling ice crystals that
evaporate before landing on the ground). Jet streams can stretch cirrus
clouds across continents, but the clouds will remain only a few
kilometers deep. When visible light interacts with the ice crystals in
cirrus clouds, it can produce glories, sun dogs, and fire rainbows.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_cloud>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1911:
Mexican president Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary
Francisco I. Madero signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to end
hostilities between each other's forces, concluding the initial phase of
the Mexican Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez>
1927:
Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles
Lindbergh completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying
from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris–Le Bourget Airport.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh>
1946:
While working with a mass of plutonium known as the demon core,
Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin accidentally exposed himself to
a lethal dose of hard radiation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin>
2014:
A Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree on a Taipei Metro
train, killing four people and injuring 24 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Taipei_Metro_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
orature:
The oral equivalent of literature: a collection of traditional folk
songs, stories, etc., that is communicated orally rather than in
writing. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orature>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In his own way each man must struggle, lest the moral law become
a far-off abstraction utterly separated from his active life.
--Jane Addams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jane_Addams>
The Battle of Heraklion was fought during World War II on the island of
Crete between 20 and 29 May 1941. British, Australian and Greek forces
defended the port and the airfield of Heraklion against a German
paratrooper attack. The German assault was launched without direct air
support, and drops occurred over several hours rather than
simultaneously. German units dropping near Heraklion (pictured) suffered
very high casualties; those dropping further away were severely hampered
by Cretan partisans. The German attack failed. When it was renewed the
next day it failed again. The fighting then settled into a stalemate. A
convoy of German seaborne reinforcements was intercepted by a British
naval squadron and scattered. The Germans refocused on the battle for
Maleme airfield, which they won, causing the Allies to evacuate.
Commonwealth troops were taken off Crete by Allied warships on the night
of 28/29 May; at sea, two Allied destroyers were sunk and two cruisers
badly damaged, causing many casualties.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heraklion>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1875:
Representatives from seventeen countries signed the Metre
Convention, which set up an institute for the purpose of coordinating
international metrology and for coordinating the development of the
metric system.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre_Convention>
1927:
By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the
sovereignty of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia over Hejaz and Nejd, which
later merged to become Saudi Arabia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Saud>
1965:
While attempting to land at Cairo International Airport,
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashed for unknown reasons,
killing all but 6 of the 121 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_International_Airlines_Flight_705>
2012:
The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy,
resulting in seven deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Northern_Italy_earthquakes>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wheelhouse:
1. A building or other structure containing a (large) wheel, such as the
water wheel of a mill.
2. (automotive) The partially enclosed structure above and around a
wheel of an automobile, typically partly formed by a portion of a fender
panel that has been extended outward beyond the plane of the rest of the
panel.
3. (nautical) An enclosed compartment on the deck of a vessel such as a
fishing boat, originally housing its helm or steering wheel, from which
it may be navigated; on a larger vessel it is the bridge.
4. (nautical) The enclosed structure around the paddlewheel of a
steamboat.
5. (archaeology) A prehistoric structure from the Iron Age found in
Scotland, characteristically including an outer wall within which a
circle of stone piers (resembling the spokes of a wheel) form the basis
for lintel arches supporting corbelled roofing with a hearth at the hub.
6. (Canada, US, baseball, by extension from sense 1.2) A pitch location
which is favourable to the hitter.
7. (Canada, US, figuratively) A person's area of authority or expertise.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wheelhouse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our heart is a treasury; if you pour out all its wealth at once,
you are bankrupt. We show no more mercy to the affection that reveals
its utmost extent than we do to another kind of prodigal who has not a
penny left.
--Honoré de Balzac
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac>
Eduard Fraenkel (1888–1970) was a German classical scholar who served
as Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at the University of Oxford from
1935 until 1953. Born to a family of assimilated Jews in the German
Empire, he studied classics at the Universities of Berlin and
Göttingen. He established his academic reputation in 1922 with the
publication of a monograph on Plautus, a Roman comedian. In 1934,
antisemitic legislation introduced by the Nazi Party forced him to seek
refuge in England. He published a three-volume commentary in 1950 on
Agamemnon by the Greek playwright Aeschylus (pictured), and a monograph
in 1957 on the Roman poet Horace. Biographers place particular emphasis
on the impact of his teaching at Oxford, where he led a weekly classical
seminar that influenced the intellectual development of many
undergraduates. The Hellenist Hugh Lloyd-Jones described Fraenkel as
"one of the most learned classical scholars of his time".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Fraenkel>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1743:
French physicist Jean-Pierre Christin published the design of a
mercury thermometer using the centigrade scale, with 0 representing the
melting point of water and 100 its boiling point.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius>
1828:
The United States Congress passed the largest tariff in the
nation's history, which resulted in severe economic hardship in the
American South.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_of_Abominations>
1997:
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere, which encompasses the most
ecologically diverse region in Mexico, was established as a result of
grassroots efforts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Gorda>
2010:
In Bangkok, the Thai military concluded a week-long crackdown
on widespread protests by forcing the surrender of opposition leaders.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Thai_military_crackdown>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gnomon:
1. An object such as a pillar or a rod that is used to tell time by the
shadow it casts when the sun shines on it, especially the pointer on a
sundial.
2. An object such as a pillar used by an observer to calculate the
meridian altitude of the sun (that is, the altitude of the sun when it
reaches the observer's meridian), for the purpose of determining the
observer's latitude.
3. The index of the hour circle of a globe.
4. (geometry) A plane figure formed by removing a parallelogram from a
corner of a larger parallelogram.
5. (mathematics, by extension) A number representing the increment
between two figurate numbers (“numbers equal to the numbers of dots in
geometric figures formed of dots”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gnomon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There isn't just one point; it takes time to learn. You don't
have to be intelligent, but I think you have to be open to possibilities
and willing to explore. The only stupid people are those who are
arrogant and closed off.
--Edward de Bono
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono>
The Pyramid of Sahure is a pyramid complex built in the late-26th to
25th century BC for the Egyptian pharaoh Sahure of the Fifth Dynasty.
The main pyramid was built from roughly hewn limestone blocks bound with
mud mortar and encased with fine white Tura limestone. Stone fragments
believed to belong to the king's basalt sarcophagus are the only remains
of the burial that have been found. A mortuary temple is adjacent to the
pyramid's east face and to the south is a cult pyramid, constructed
similarly to the main pyramid but on a reduced scale. The layout of the
complex was adopted by succeeding kings of the Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties, marking a milestone in pyramid complex construction. Sahure's
mortuary temple became the object of a cult of Sekhmet around the
Eighteenth Dynasty. The cult was active through to the Ptolemaic
Kingdom. The temple also became the site of a Coptic shrine. The site
was first thoroughly excavated by Ludwig Borchardt between March 1907
and 1908.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Sahure>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1695:
An earthquake measuring Ms7.8 struck Shanxi Province in
northern China, resulting in at least 52,600 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1695_Linfen_earthquake>
1927:
Disgruntled school board treasurer Andrew Kehoe set off
explosives with timers and a rifle (aftermath pictured), causing the
Bath School disaster in the Bath Consolidated School in Michigan,
killing 44 people in the deadliest mass murder in a school in United
States history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster>
1955:
Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000
Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French
Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of
the First Indochina War, ended.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Passage_to_Freedom>
2006:
The Parliament of Nepal unanimously voted to strip King
Gyanendra of many of his powers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Nepalese_revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
schlubby:
(chiefly US, informal) Clumsy, oafish, or socially awkward; unattractive
or unkempt.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/schlubby>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Jill and I bring you this message from deep in our nation’s
soul: In America, evil will not win — I promise you. Hate will not
prevail. And white supremacy will not have the last word. For the evil
did come to Buffalo, and it’s come to all too many places, manifested
in gunmen who massacred innocent people in the name of hateful and
perverse ideology rooted in fear and racism. … What happened here is
simple and straightforward: terrorism. Terrorism. Domestic terrorism.
Violence inflicted in the service of hate and a vicious thirst for power
that defines one group of people being inherently inferior to any other
group.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>
Colossal Cave Adventure is a 1976 text-based adventure game by Will
Crowther, based on his own spelunking experience, and expanded in 1977
by Don Woods. In it, the player explores a vast cave system rumored to
be filled with treasure and gold, by typing one- or two-word commands.
These are interpreted by the game's natural language input system. The
program acts as a narrator, describing the player's location and the
results of the player's attempted actions. It is the first well-known
example of interactive fiction, as well as the first well-known
adventure game, for which it was also the namesake. The version by Woods
expanded the game in size and increased the amount of fantasy elements
present in it, such as a dragon and magic spells. Both versions were
spread around the nascent ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, and
were very popular in the computer community. Noted as one of the most
influential video games, it was in 2019 inducted into the World Video
Game Hall of Fame.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1642:
The Société Notre-Dame de Montréal founded Fort Ville-Marie,
a permanent mission that eventually grew into the Canadian city of
Montreal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal>
1902:
The Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known surviving geared
mechanism, was discovered among artifacts retrieved from a shipwreck off
the Greek island of Antikythera.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism>
1947:
After renegotiating a contract with the makers of her signature
perfume Chanel No. 5, Coco Chanel received a share of wartime profits
from its sale, making her one of the richest women in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Chanel>
1974:
The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force detonated a series of
car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland, killing 34 people and
injuring almost 300 more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_and_Monaghan_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fjord:
A long, narrow, deep inlet between cliffs.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fjord>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
They who say, "There will always be war," do not know what they
are saying. They are preyed upon by the common internal malady of
shortsight. They think themselves full of common-sense as they think
themselves full of honesty. In reality, they are revealing the clumsy
and limited mentality of the assassins themselves. The shapeless
struggle of the elements will begin again on the seared earth when men
have slain themselves because they were slaves, because they believed
the same things, because they were alike.
--Henri Barbusse
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>
The Saline Valley salt tram is located in Inyo County, California. The
electric aerial tramway was constructed from 1911 to 1913 to carry salt
from the Saline Valley, over the Inyo Mountains, and into the Owens
Valley. Covering a distance of 13.4 miles (21.6 km), it operated
sporadically from 1913 to 1935 for four different companies. The tram
was built for the Saline Valley Salt Company (SVSC) by the Trenton Iron
Company, but the costs of its construction and operation were ruinously
expensive for the SVSC. The salt mining operation and tram were leased
in 1915 to the Owens Valley Salt Company until the latter went bankrupt
in 1918. In 1920, the tram was taken over by the Trenton Iron Company,
which sold it to the Sierra Salt Company in 1928. The Sierra Salt
Company put it back into service until the company went bankrupt in
1935. During its operation, it was the steepest tram in the United
States. The tram was included in the National Register of Historic
Places in 1974.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saline_Valley_salt_tram>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
Prospector Juan Godoy discovered a silver outcrop in
Chañarcillo, sparking the Chilean silver rush.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_silver_rush>
1925:
The first modern performance of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il
ritorno d'Ulisse in patria occurred in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_ritorno_d%27Ulisse_in_patria>
1958:
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, a supersonic interceptor
aircraft, set a world flight airspeed record of 1,404.012 mph
(2,259.538 km/h).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter>
1975:
Based on the results of a referendum held about one month
earlier, the Kingdom of Sikkim (flag pictured) abolished its monarchy
and was annexed to become the 22nd state of India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikkim>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bright:
1. Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.
2. Of light: brilliant, intense.
3. Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high
lustre; gleaming, shiny.
4. Of a place: not dark; well-lit.
5. Of climate or weather: not cloudy or gloomy; fair; also, of a period
of time, the sky, etc.: characterized by much sunshine and good weather.
6. (figuratively)
7. Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid.
8. Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful.
9. Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear,
resounding, and often high-pitched.
10. Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to
cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high
frequencies.
11. Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong.
12. Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated;
(specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine.
13. Glorious; illustrious.
14. In good spirits; happy, optimistic.
15. Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness;
cheerful, lively.
16. Of a person: lively, vivacious.
17. Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful.
18. Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success;
favourable, good.
19. Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit;
clever, witty.
20. Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.
21. (archaic)
22. Of the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp.
23. Manifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain.
24. (music) Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.
25. (metallurgy) Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective
coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bright>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What counts is what you do with your money, not where it came
from.
--Merton Miller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Merton_Miller>
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara (1911–1989) was an Indonesian statesman and
economist. He became active in politics after an education in law, and
joined the Indonesian nationalist movement during the Japanese
occupation of 1942–1945. He was appointed finance minister in the
republican government during the Indonesian National Revolution of
1945–1949. In December 1948, the Indonesian revolutionary leaders
were captured and Sjafruddin served as head of government for seven
months. After Indonesia's independence he first served as deputy prime
minister, then again as finance minister until 1951. A pragmatic
policymaker, he espoused religious socialism based on a liberal
interpretation of Islam; he was a staunch opponent of communism.
Sjafruddin's opposition to the government's system of Guided Democracy
resulted in his leading three years of guerrilla warfare, which ended
with his surrender in 1961. Imprisoned until 1966, he became a vocal
critic of the Indonesian government until his death in 1989.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjafruddin_Prawiranegara>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1836:
English astronomer Francis Baily observed Baily's beads
(example pictured), a phenomenon during a solar eclipse in which the
rugged topography of the lunar limb allows sunlight to shine through.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Baily>
1864:
American Civil War: A small Confederate force, which included
cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, forced the Union Army out
of the Shenandoah Valley.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Market>
2010:
Three days before her seventeenth birthday, Jessica Watson
arrived in Sydney after sailing non-stop and unassisted around the
world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Watson>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
primigravida:
(obstetrics, veterinary medicine) A woman or female animal who is
pregnant for the first time, or who has been pregnant once.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/primigravida>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing
as gray as her other surroundings.
--L. Frank Baum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Frank_Baum>
The 1987 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Coventry
City and Tottenham Hotspur on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium in London
to determine the winner of the 1986–87 FA Cup. It was the third final
for Tottenham Hotspur in seven years and Coventry's first domestic cup
final. Both clubs recorded songs to commemorate reaching the final. With
the game tied 2–2 at full time, the match went into extra time. The
only goal of extra time was scored in its first period when a cross from
Lloyd McGrath looped off Gary Mabbutt's left knee for an own goal,
making the final score 3–2 to Coventry. The match is regarded by many
as one of the greatest finals in the history of the competition, with
BBC TV commentator John Motson calling it "the finest Cup Final I've had
the pleasure of commentating on". The 1987 FA Cup remains Coventry's
only major tournament victory. One of Coventry's fanzines is entitled
Gary Mabbutt's Knee in commemoration of the deciding goal.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_FA_Cup_Final>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1856:
Major Henry C. Wayne arrived in Indianola, Texas, with 34
camels to form the short-lived United States Camel Corps (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Camel_Corps>
1919:
Sir Harry Hands, the mayor of Cape Town, performed the first
public observance of a two-minute silence in remembrance of those killed
in World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-minute_silence>
1939:
In Lima, Peru, Lina Medina became the youngest confirmed mother
in history, giving birth at the age of five years, seven months and
twenty-one days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lina_Medina>
2008:
On the day of the UEFA Cup Final, violence erupted between
football hooligan supporters of both teams and the Greater Manchester
Police, resulting in 39 arrests and 39 injured officers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Cup_Final_riots>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
up to something:
(idiomatic) Doing something mischievous or scheming.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/up_to_something>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero
every day of their lives … and you can either help somebody, you can
be compassionate toward people, you can treat some people with dignity
— or not. And … one way you become a hero, and the other way …
you’re part of the problem. And … it’s not a grand thing, you
know; you don’t have to get into a giant laser-sword fight and blow up
three spaceships to become a hero. I mean — it’s a very small thing
that happens every day of your life.
--George Lucas
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Lucas>
"I'm Goin' Down" is a rock song written and performed by American singer
Bruce Springsteen (pictured). The song was recorded with the E Street
Band on May 12–13, 1982, and was released on August 27, 1985, by
Columbia Records as the sixth single from his 1984 album Born in the
U.S.A. Although Springsteen had changing ideas about the songs to put on
the album, "I'm Goin' Down" was ultimately selected for inclusion. The
recording is based on an energetic band performance that gives
prominence to a heavy drum sound. The lyrics focus on sexual frustration
in a deteriorating relationship. The single reached number 9 in the
United States and the top 30 in Sweden, Canada, and Italy. On the
album's release, the song was praised by critics for the band's
musicianship and Springsteen's vocals and lyrics. Later it received
favorable rankings in retrospectives of Springsteen's career, among
which was an NME list calling it his fourth-best song.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Goin%27_Down>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
The Australian astronomer John Tebbutt discovered the Great
Comet of 1861, through the tail of which the Earth passed later that
year.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/1861_J1>
1913:
The Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky flew the self-designed
Russky Vityaz, the world's first four-engine fixed-wing aircraft.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Sikorsky>
1972:
The Troubles: A car bomb planted by Ulster loyalists exploded
outside a crowded pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, beginning two days
of gun battles between the British Army, the Provisional Irish
Republican Army, and the Ulster Volunteer Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_at_Springmartin>
1992:
Li Hongzhi introduced the Falun Gong movement at a public
lecture in Changchun, China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
slip-up:
(idiomatic) A (small) error or mistake; a (minor) misstep.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slip-up>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our Soul may never have rest in things that are beneath itself.
--Julian of Norwich
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich>
The dispute between Darnhall and Vale Royal Abbey arose in the early
fourteenth century. Tensions in Cheshire between villagers from Darnhall
and Over and their feudal lord, Abbot Peter of Vale Royal Abbey, erupted
into violence over whether they had villein—servile—status. The
villagers' efforts to reject the Abbey's feudal overlordship included
appeals to the Abbot, the Justice of Chester and even to the King and
Queen. On each occasion the villagers were unsuccessful, frequently
suffering imprisonment and fines when their appeals failed. On one
occasion the villagers of Darnhall and Over followed Peter to Rutland;
an affray broke out, the Abbot's groom was killed and Peter and his
entourage were captured. The King intervened and released him; the Abbot
then had the villagers imprisoned again. Abbot Peter was killed a few
years later. Nothing is known of any resolution to the dispute, but
serfdom was in decline nationally and Peter's successor may have had
other priorities.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispute_between_Darnhall_and_Vale_Royal_Abbey>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: The Confederates were routed in the Battle
of Raymond, a small battle that had an inordinately large impact on the
Vicksburg Campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Raymond>
1888:
North Borneo was established as a British protectorate.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Borneo>
1975:
The Cambodian navy seized the American container ship
SS Mayaguez in what they claimed to be Cambodian territorial waters.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident>
1982:
The Coppergate Helmet, the best preserved of the six known
Anglo-Saxon helmets, was discovered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppergate_Helmet>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
motherhood statement:
(chiefly Canada, US) A vague, feel-good platitude, especially one made
by a politician, that few people would disagree with.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motherhood_statement>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.
--Florence Nightingale
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale>