The queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is a species of marine
angelfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a warm-water
species that lives near the ocean floor in coral reefs. It is blue and
yellow and has a distinctive spot or "crown" on its forehead. This crown
distinguishes it from the similar, closely related, Bermuda blue
angelfish, with which it overlaps in range and can interbreed. Adult
queen angelfish primarily eat sponges. They form harems of one male and
up to four females. They live within a territory where the females
forage separately and are tended to by the male. Breeding occurs near a
full moon. The transparent eggs are pelagic and float in the water,
hatching after 15 to 20 hours. Juveniles have different coloration than
adults and act as cleaner fish. The queen angelfish is popular in the
aquarium trade. In 2010, the fish was assessed as a least-concern
species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_angelfish>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
Spencer Perceval was shot in the lobby of the House of Commons,
becoming the only British prime minister to be assassinated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Spencer_Perceval>
1963:
African Americans rioted in Birmingham, Alabama, in response to
two bombings, perceiving local police to be complicit with the
perpetrators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_riot_of_1963>
1997:
Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in six games to become the
first chess computer to win a match against a world champion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_%28chess_computer%29>
2011:
An earthquake registering Mw 5.1, the worst to hit the region
for more than 50 years, struck near Lorca, Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Lorca_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brubru:
Also more fully as brubru shrike: a bird in the bushshrike family found
in sub-Saharan Africa (Nilaus afer).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brubru>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What brings understanding is love. When your heart is full, then
you will listen to the teacher, to the beggar, to the laughter of
children, to the rainbow, and to the sorrow of man. Under every stone
and leaf, that which is eternal exists. But we do not know how to look
for it. Our minds and hearts are filled with other things than
understanding of "what is". Love and mercy, kindliness and generosity do
not cause enmity. When you love, you are very near truth. For, love
makes for sensitivity, for vulnerability. That which is sensitive is
capable of renewal. Then truth will come into being. It cannot come if
your mind and heart are burdened, heavy with ignorance and animosity.
--Jiddu Krishnamurti
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti>
Abu Mansur Nizar ibn al-Mustansir (1045–1095) was a Fatimid prince and
the eldest son of al-Mustansir, an Isma'ili imam and the eighth Fatimid
caliph. When al-Mustansir died in December 1094, the powerful vizier,
al-Afdal Shahanshah, raised Nizar's younger brother al-Musta'li to the
throne in Cairo, bypassing the claims of Nizar and other older sons of
al-Mustansir. Nizar escaped, rebelled and seized Alexandria, where he
reigned as caliph with the regnal name al-Mustafa li-Din Allah. In late
1095, he was defeated, taken prisoner and executed by immurement. During
the 12th century, some of Nizar's actual or claimed descendants tried,
without success, to seize the throne from the Fatimid caliphs. Many
Isma'ilis, especially in Persia, rejected al-Musta'li and considered
Nizar to have been the rightful imam. As a result, they split off from
the Fatimid regime and founded the Nizari branch of Isma'ilism, with
their own line of imams who claimed descent from Nizar. This line
continues to this day in the person of the Aga Khan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizar_ibn_al-Mustansir>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: A small force of Patriots led by
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga (depicted) in
New York, without significant injury or incident.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Fort_Ticonderoga>
1941:
World War II: German Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess parachuted
into Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the British
government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess>
1997:
An earthquake registering 7.3 Mw struck near Qaen, Iran,
killing at least 1,567 and leaving around 50,000 others homeless.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake>
2017:
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces, assisted by the
U.S. military, captured the Tabqa Dam and surrounding countryside,
completing the Battle of Tabqa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tabqa>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abstract away:
1. (transitive) To generalize concepts or their application by using
abstraction into a more usable form.
2. (transitive, by extension) To ignore, to omit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abstract_away>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now.
... The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom,
you are fighting for all of us who love freedom.
--Bono
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bono>
The double florin, or four-shilling piece, was produced by the Royal
Mint between 1887 and 1890, and was one of the shortest-lived of all
denominations of British coinage. Its obverse, designed by Joseph Boehm
and engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon, depicts Queen Victoria, whilst the
reverse (pictured), featuring national symbols of the United Kingdom,
was designed by Wyon based on the coinage of Charles II. When issued in
June 1887, the Jubilee coinage, of which the double florin was a part,
provoked an outcry. The small royal crown Boehm had depicted on
Victoria's head provoked widespread mockery. The double florin was
criticised as it was similar in size to the crown, worth five shillings,
which led to confusion. The issue was said to be particularly acute in
public houses, where barmaids accepted it believing it to be a crown,
giving it the nickname "Barmaid's Ruin". The coin was no longer minted
after 1890, though it remained in circulation for many years, and is
still legal tender for 20 pence (£0.20).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_florin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
Second Schleswig War: The Battle of Heligoland (depicted), the
last naval engagement fought by squadrons of wooden ships, took place
between the Danish and Austro-Prussian fleets.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heligoland_%281864%29>
1918:
First World War: Germany repelled Britain's second attempt to
blockade the Belgian port of Ostend.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Ostend_Raid>
1992:
An underground methane explosion occurred at the Westray Mine
in Plymouth, Nova Scotia, killing all 26 Canadian coal miners who were
working at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westray_Mine>
2012:
The pilots of a Sukhoi Superjet, ignoring alerts from the
terrain warning system, crashed the aircraft into Mount Salak in
Indonesia, resulting in the deaths of all 45 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Mount_Salak_Sukhoi_Superjet_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
system:
1. A collection of organized things; a whole composed of relationships
among its members.
2. (derogatory) Preceded by the word the: the mainstream culture,
controlled by the elites or government of a state, or a combination of
them, seen as oppressive to the individual.
3. (computing) A set of hardware and software operating in a computer.
4. (mathematics) A set of equations involving the same variables, which
are to be solved simultaneously.
5. (music) A set of staves linked by a brace that indicate instruments
or sounds that are to be played simultaneously.
6. (physiology) A set of body organs having a particular function.
7. A method or way of organizing or planning.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/system>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Russia has forgotten everything that was important to the victors
of World War II. But Ukraine and the whole free world will remind it.
So that then no one will forget. So that really important words —
"never again" — which are repeated all over the free world every year
on the days of remembrance of the victims of World War II regain their
weight again. I am grateful to all our defenders who are defending and
saving Ukraine from the modern descendants of that old evil. Eternal
glory to all our heroes! Eternal glory to all our warriors! I am
grateful to all the friends of Ukraine and freedom! Glory to Ukraine!
--Volodymyr Zelenskyy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy>
Interstate 196 (I-196) is an auxiliary interstate highway that runs for
80.6 miles (129.7 km) in the US state of Michigan. It is a state
trunkline highway that links Benton Harbor, South Haven, Holland, and
Grand Rapids. I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway in Kent,
Ottawa, and Allegan counties, after the 38th president of the United
States, who was raised in Grand Rapids and served Michigan in the House
of Representatives. There are two business loops (BL I-196) and one
business spur (BS I-196) that serve the South Haven, Holland, and Grand
Rapids areas. The current I-196 is the second in the state to bear the
number. The Benton Harbor–Grand Rapids freeway was designated I-96 in
the 1950s while another interstate, between Muskegon and Grand Rapids,
was numbered I-196. That I-196 was built in the late 1950s and completed
in the early 1960s. Michigan officials requested a change in 1963, which
switched the two numbers. (This article is part of a featured topic:
Interstate 96.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Interstate_96>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1927:
French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the
biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first
non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Oiseau_Blanc>
1942:
World War II: The Axis launched a major counteroffensive,
turning the tide of the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kerch_Peninsula>
1950:
The Tollund Man, a naturally mummified corpse, was discovered
in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tollund_Man>
1972:
Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to
demand the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
megapolitan:
Of or pertaining to a megapolis (“a very large city or urban complex”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/megapolitan>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The knife cuts through the apple like a knife cutting an apple.
Everything is where it is, no clearer than usual, but certainly more
present. So much has to be left behind now, so quickly.
--Thomas Pynchon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon>
Daisy Pearce (born 1988) is an Australian rules footballer playing for
the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. Often
regarded as the face of women's Australian rules football, Pearce has
served as Melbourne captain starting with the AFLW's inaugural season in
2017. Pearce began her playing career in 2005 in the Victoria state
league with the Darebin Falcons, captaining the club from 2008 to 2016.
She represented Victoria at both under-19 and senior levels, and was
recruited by Melbourne in 2013 for the first women's exhibition game.
Pearce is a three-time AFL Women's All-Australian, having been named
captain in the 2017 team and vice-captain in the 2018 team. She is a
three-time Melbourne best and fairest winner and a four-time AFLW's best
captain, having won the latter in four of her five completed AFLW
seasons. Pearce is an established media personality on both television
and radio. She is an expert commentator for the Seven Network and 1116
SEN's AFL coverage.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Pearce>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1763:
Pontiac, a Native American chief of the Odawa tribe, led an
attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British, marking the start of
Pontiac's War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_War>
1940:
A three-day debate began in the House of Commons that resulted
in British prime minister Neville Chamberlain being replaced by Winston
Churchill (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_Debate>
1999:
Kosovo War: NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the United States
bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_bombing_of_the_Chinese_embassy_…>
2009:
Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the
home of a former New Zealand Army member who had shot at officers during
the routine execution of a search warrant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_shootings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
calumny:
1. (countable) A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's
reputation or standing.
2. (uncountable) Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to
disparage or discredit another.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calumny>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Want of love is a degree of callousness; for love is the
perfection of consciousness. We do not love because we do not
comprehend, or rather we do not comprehend because we do not love. For
love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. It is not a mere
sentiment; it is truth; it is the joy that is at the root of all
creation.
--Rabindranath Tagore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore>
Banksia integrifolia is a species of tree that grows in Australia
between Victoria and Central Queensland. One of the most widely
distributed Banksia species, it has a broad range of habitats, from
coastal dunes to mountains. It is highly variable in form, but most
often encountered as a tree up to 25 metres (82 ft) in height. Its
leaves have dark green upper surfaces and white undersides. It is one of
the four Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in early 1770,
and one of the four species published in 1782 as Carolus Linnaeus the
Younger's original description of the genus. A hardy and versatile
garden plant, B. integrifolia is widely planted in Australian gardens.
It is a popular choice for parks and streetscapes, and has been used for
bush revegetation and stabilisation of dunes. Its hardiness has prompted
research into its suitability for use as a rootstock in the cut flower
trade, but has also caused concerns about its potential to become a weed
outside its natural habitat.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_integrifolia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1882:
U.S. president Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion
Act into law (cartoon pictured), implementing a ban on Chinese
immigration to the United States that remained for 61 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act>
1915:
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: SY Aurora, anchored in
McMurdo Sound, broke loose during a gale and began a 312-day drift in
sea ice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SY_Aurora%27s_drift>
1988:
Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into the fog-covered mountain of
Torghatten in Brønnøy, Norway, killing all 36 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wider%C3%B8e_Flight_710>
2008:
British barrister Mark Saunders was shot dead by police after a
five-hour siege at his home in Chelsea, London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mark_Saunders>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
staid:
1. Not capricious or impulsive; sedate, serious, sober.
2. (rare) Always fixed in the same location; stationary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/staid>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Dreams are windows into our multiversal selves.
--Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doctor_Strange_in_the_Multiverse_of_Madness>
G-8 and His Battle Aces was an American air-war pulp magazine published
by Popular Publications from 1930 to 1944. Originally titled Battle
Aces, it was retitled by Popular in 1933 after its hero, G-8, a top
pilot and a spy, due to the success of Street & Smith's The Shadow, a
magazine featuring a single character. Robert J. Hogan wrote the lead
novels for all the G-8 stories, set in World War I, featuring the
Germans threatening the Allies with extraordinary or fantastic schemes,
such as giant bats, zombies, and Martians. Hogan and others wrote the
short stories that filled the rest of each issue. The covers by
Frederick Blakeslee are notable for their fidelity to planes flown in
World War I. Originally a monthly, it began releasing an issue every
two months shortly before World War II and ceased publication in 1944.
Pulp historian Lee Server suggests that Hogan's talent as a writer kept
the pulp alive, since by the last issue, in June 1944, the aircraft it
featured had long been obsolete.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-8_and_His_Battle_Aces>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
Carnegie Hall (interior pictured) in New York City, built by
the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert
conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Hall>
1992:
The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
was ratified, 202 years after it was first proposed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-seventh_Amendment_to_the_United_States…>
2019:
Aeroflot Flight 1492 was struck by lightning after leaving
Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport and caught fire during the
subsequent emergency landing attempt, killing 41 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_1492>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lustrum:
1. (Ancient Rome, religion, historical) A ceremonial purification of all
the people, performed every five years after the taking of the census; a
lustration.
2. (by extension, literary) A period of five years.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lustrum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine from the map. He will clearly not
succeed. On the contrary: Ukraine has risen up in unity. And it is his
own country, Russia, he is sinking. … We want Ukraine to win this war.
But we also want to set the conditions for Ukraine's success in the
aftermath of the war. The first step is immediate relief. … But then,
in a second phase, there is the wider reconstruction effort. The scale
of destruction is staggering. Hospitals and schools, houses, roads,
bridges, railroads, theatres and factories — so much has to be
rebuilt. … Europe has a very special responsibility towards Ukraine.
With our support, Ukrainians can rebuild their country for the next
generation. … This will bring the stability and certainty needed to
make Ukraine an attractive destination for foreign direct investment.
And eventually, it will pave the way for Ukraine's future inside the
European Union. Slava Ukraini and long live Europe.
--Ursula von der Leyen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ursula_von_der_Leyen>
The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film in the
Star Wars series, directed by Irvin Kershner with a screenplay by Leigh
Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, and based on a story by George Lucas.
Featuring an ensemble cast, the film recounts the battle between the
malevolent Galactic Empire led by the Emperor, and the Rebel Alliance
led by Princess Leia. Luke Skywalker trains to master the Force so he
can confront the powerful Sith lord, Darth Vader. The Empire Strikes
Back faced production difficulties, including actor injuries, illnesses,
fires, and financing issues, as costs rose to $30.5 million from an
initial budget of $8 million. This highly anticipated sequel became the
highest-grossing film of 1980. Its reception was mixed because of the
darker and more mature tone, but it has been reassessed as the best film
in the series, and has been listed among the greatest films of all time.
It has had a significant impact on filmmaking and popular culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empire_Strikes_Back>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its
allegiance to the British Crown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantat…>
1942:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Allied naval
forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first fleet action in which
aircraft carriers engaged each other.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea>
1982:
Falklands War: HMS Sheffield was struck by an Exocet missile,
killing 20 sailors and leading to its sinking six days later—the first
Royal Navy ship sunk in action since World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sheffield_%28D80%29>
2015:
The Parliament of Malta moved from the Grandmaster's Palace to
the purpose-built Parliament House (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_House_%28Malta%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
walking carpet:
(slang, derogatory or humorous) An exceptionally hairy person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/walking_carpet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am pleased that more than 100 civilians have successfully been
evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, in an operation
successfully coordinated by the United Nations and the International
Committee of the Red Cross. I hope the continued coordination with Kyiv
and Moscow will lead to more humanitarian pauses that will allow
civilians safe passage away from the fighting and aid to reach people
where the needs are greatest.
--António Guterres
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_Guterres>
Lorde (born 1996) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for
employing unconventional musical styles and thoughtful songwriting. She
signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2009 and collaborated with
producer Joel Little in 2011 to record material. The pair's first
collaborative effort, an extended play titled The Love Club, was
released by UMG in 2013, and its international chart-topping single
"Royals" helped Lorde rise to prominence. Her debut studio album Pure
Heroine followed that year and achieved critical and commercial success.
The following year, she curated the soundtrack for the 2014 film The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and recorded several tracks, including
the single "Yellow Flicker Beat". Her second studio album Melodrama
(2017) garnered widespread acclaim and reached number one on the US
Billboard 200. Lorde's music is primarily electropop and contains
elements of subgenres such as dream pop and indie-electro.
(This article is part of a featured topic: Overview of Lorde.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Overview_of_Lorde>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1845:
A long-running feud between two towns in Wisconsin came to a
head when a schooner crashed into a bridge; they later merged to form
the city of Milwaukee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Bridge_War>
1913:
Raja Harishchandra (scene pictured), the first Indian feature-
length film, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Harishchandra>
1942:
Second World War: Japanese forces began an invasion of Tulagi
and nearby islands in the British Solomon Islands, enabling them to
threaten and intercept supply and communication routes between the
United States and Australasia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tulagi_%28May_1942%29>
1999:
A Doppler on Wheels team measured the fastest winds recorded on
Earth, at 301 ± 20 mph (484 ± 32 km/h), in a tornado near Bridge
Creek, Oklahoma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Bridge_Creek%E2%80%93Moore_tornado>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
legman:
1. (originally US) A person hired to carrying out errands or (often)
menial tasks, frequently requiring travel from place to place; an errand
boy or errand girl, a runner.
2. (originally US, journalism) A reporter who frequently travels to
conduct research, interview witnesses, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/legman>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every single one of you, whether you like it or not, is a bastion
of democracy. And if you ever begin to doubt your responsibilities. If
you ever begin to doubt how meaningful it is, look no further than
what's happening in Ukraine. Look at what's happening there. Journalists
are risking and even losing their lives to show the world what's really
happening. You realize how amazing it is. Like in America, you have
the right to seek the truth and speak the truth, even if it makes people
in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers or readers
uncomfortable. Do you understand how amazing that is? I stood here
tonight and I made fun of the President of the United States, and I'm
going to be fine. — I'm going to be fine, right? Like, do you really
understand what a blessing it is? Maybe it's happened for so long that
you — it might slip your mind, it's a blessing.
--Trevor Noah
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Trevor_Noah>
The 2021 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker
tournament that took place from 17 April to 3 May at the Crucible
Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 45th consecutive year the
World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre and was the
15th and final ranking event of the 2020–21 snooker season. It was
organised by the World Snooker Tour, a subsidiary of the World
Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. The event was sponsored
by sports betting company Betfred and broadcast by the BBC, Eurosport
and Matchroom Sport. There were 128 participants in the qualifying
rounds, consisting of a mix of professional and invited amateur players.
The main stage of the tournament featured 32 players: the top 16 players
from the snooker world rankings and an additional 16 players from the
qualifying rounds. It featured a total prize fund of £2,395,000 of
which the winner received £500,000. It was won by Mark Selby, who
defeated Shaun Murphy 18–15 in the final.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_World_Snooker_Championship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1878:
A dust explosion at the world's largest flour mill in
Minneapolis resulted in 18 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mill_Disaster>
1945:
World War II: General Helmuth Weidling, the German commander
of Berlin, surrendered to Soviet forces led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov,
ending the Battle of Berlin.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin>
1982:
Falklands War: HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser
General Belgrano, the only ship ever to have been deliberately sunk by a
nuclear submarine in battle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano>
2014:
Russo-Ukrainian War: Forty-eight people were killed during a
confrontation between pro-Russian protesters and pro-Ukrainian unity
protesters in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Odessa_clashes>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turn turtle:
1. (intransitive) Especially of a boat or ship, or some other vehicle:
to turn upside down.
2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fail; to go belly up.
3. (intransitive, surfing) To roll upside down with one's surfboard
(usually a longboard) to allow a wave, especially a wave that has
already broken, to pass over.
4. (intransitive, historical) To capture a turtle by turning it on to
its back.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turn_turtle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and
resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with
Ukraine.
--Nancy Pelosi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi>