Carsten Borchgrevink (1864–1934) was an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer
and a pioneer of modern Antarctic travel. He was a precursor of Robert
Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen and others associated
with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He began his exploring
career in 1894 by joining a Norwegian whaling expedition, from which he
brought back a collection of the first specimens of vegetable life
within the Antarctic Circle. From 1898 to 1900 Borchgrevink led the
British-financed Southern Cross Expedition, which in 1899 became the
first to overwinter on the Antarctic mainland and the first to visit the
Great Ice Barrier in nearly 60 years. There he set a Farthest South
record at 78° 50′ S. He was one of three scientists sent to the
Caribbean in 1902 by the National Geographic Society to report on the
aftermath of the Mount Pelée disaster. Recognised and honoured by
several countries, he received a handsome tribute in 1912 from Amundsen,
conqueror of the South Pole.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsten_Borchgrevink>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1894:
London's Tower Bridge, a combined bascule and suspension bridge
over the River Thames, was inaugurated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge>
1922:
An agreement was signed to end the United States occupation of
the Dominican Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_occupation_of_the_Dominican_Rep…>
1960:
The Belgian Congo gained independence from colonial rule,
beginning a period of instability that would lead to the dictatorship of
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis>
2015:
An Indonesian Air Force military transport aircraft crashed
near a residential neighborhood in Medan, killing 139 people total.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Sumatra_Indonesian_Air_Force_C-130_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
at the best of times:
(idiomatic) Even under the most favourable conditions.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/at_the_best_of_times>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic
Alliance, have gathered in Madrid as war has returned to the European
continent. We face a critical time for our security and international
peace and stability. We stand together in unity and solidarity and
reaffirm the enduring transatlantic bond between our nations. NATO is a
defensive Alliance and poses no threat to any country. … We are united
in our commitment to democracy, individual liberty, human rights, and
the rule of law. We adhere to international law and to the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations. … We condemn
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible
terms. Russia bears full responsibility for this humanitarian
catastrophe. … We will continue and further step up political and
practical support to our close partner Ukraine as it continues to defend
its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression.
… Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become
members of NATO, and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols. In any
accession to the Alliance, it is of vital importance that the legitimate
security concerns of all Allies are properly addressed. … The
accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and
the Euro-Atlantic area more secure.
--NATO
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/NATO>
Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828–1901) was a Canadian-born New England
oil painter of the American Barbizon school. He and his wife Christiana
were active in the African-American abolitionist community in Boston.
Bannister won first prize for his art at the 1876 Philadelphia
Centennial Exhibition and was a founding member of the Providence Art
Club and the Rhode Island School of Design. His style and pastoral
subjects were influenced by Jean-François Millet and the French
Barbizon school. He also looked to the seaside for inspiration for his
often experimental and Idealistic use of color and atmosphere. He worked
as a photographer and portraitist before progressing to landscapes. His
style fell out of favor later in his life; he and Christiana moved out
of College Hill in Providence to Boston and then a smaller house in
Providence. He was overlooked after his death in 1901, until the
National Museum of African Art and others returned him to national
attention in the 1960s and 1970s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Mitchell_Bannister>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
A passenger train fell through an open swing bridge into the
Richelieu River near present-day Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, killing as
many as 99 people and injuring 100 others in Canada's worst railway
accident (wreckage pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St-Hilaire_train_disaster>
1967:
Actress Jayne Mansfield, her boyfriend Sam Brody, and their
driver were killed in a car accident outside of New Orleans, while her
children Miklós, Zoltán, and Mariska Hargitay escaped with only minor
injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Mansfield>
1995:
Atlantis became the first U.S. Space Shuttle to dock with the
Russian space station Mir as part of the Shuttle–Mir program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle%E2%80%93Mir_program>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
jaggery:
1. A traditional dark-brown unrefined sugar made from palm tree sap
which is used throughout South and Southeast Asia; (by extension) other
types of unrefined sugar.
2. (by extension) A small-scale production plant that processes sugar
cane to make sugar.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jaggery>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our nation is preserved by those who abide by their oaths to our
Constitution. Our nation is preserved by those who know the fundamental
difference between right and wrong.
--Liz Cheney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney>
The red panda is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and
southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly
and legs, and a ringed tail. It has a head-to-body length of
51–63.5 cm (20–25 in) and a 28–48.5 cm (11–19 in) tail, and
it weighs between 3.2 and 15 kg (7 and 33 lb). It is genetically close
to raccoons, weasels and skunks. Solitary, largely arboreal and well
adapted to climbing, it inhabits coniferous, temperate broadleaf and
mixed forests, favouring steep slopes with dense bamboo cover close to
water sources. It uses elongated wrist bones ("false thumbs") to grasp
bamboo. It feeds mainly on bamboo shoots and leaves. Red pandas mate in
early spring, giving birth to up to four cubs in summer. On the IUCN
Red List as endangered since 2015, the species is threatened by poaching
and deforestation-based habitat destruction and fragmentation. It is
featured in animated movies, video games and comic books, and is also
the namesake of companies and music bands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1841:
Giselle (title role pictured), a ballet by the French composer
Adolphe Adam, was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale
de Musique in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle>
1904:
In the worst maritime disaster involving a Danish merchant
ship, SS Norge ran aground on Hasselwood Rock and sank in the North
Atlantic, resulting in more than 635 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Norge>
1942:
World War II: The Wehrmacht launched Case Blue, a strategic
German offensive to capture oil fields in the south of the Soviet Union.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Blue>
1978:
In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the U.S.
Supreme Court barred quota systems in college admissions but held that
affirmative-action programs advantaging minorities were constitutional.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Ba…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tau:
1. The letter Τ/τ in the Greek, Hebrew, and ancient Semitic alphabets;
being the nineteenth letter of the Classical and Modern Greek, and the
twenty-first letter of the Old and Ancient Greek alphabets.
2. A Τ-shaped object or sign; a Saint Anthony's cross, sometimes
regarded as a sacred symbol.
3. (Christianity) A crosier with a Τ-shaped head.
4. The ankh symbol (☥).
5. (astronomy) Chiefly written τ: used to designate the nineteenth star
(usually according to brightness) in a constellation.
6. (finance) A measurement of the sensitivity of the value of an option
to changes in the implied volatility of the price of the underlying
asset.
7. (mathematics, neologism) Chiefly written τ: an irrational and
transcendental constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a
Euclidean circle to its radius, equal to twice the value of pi (2π;
approximately 6.2831853071).
8. (neurology) Short for tau protein (“a protein abundant especially in
the neurons of the human central nervous system that stabilizes
microtubules, and when misfolded is associated with forms of dementia
such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases”).
9. (physics) Chiefly written τ.
10. Short for tau lepton or tau particle (“an unstable elementary
particle which is a type of lepton, having a mass almost twice that of a
proton, a negative charge, and a spin of ½; it decays into hadrons
(usually pions) or other leptons, and neutrinos; a tauon”).
11. (historical) Short for tau meson, now known as a kaon.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tau>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Hope for the best. Expect the worst. The world's a stage. We're
unrehearsed. No way of knowing which way it's going. Take your
chances, there are no answers. Hope for the best. Expect the worst.
--Mel Brooks
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mel_Brooks>
Will P. Brady (1876–1943) was an American lawyer, the first district
attorney for Texas's 70th judicial district from 1909 to around 1914,
and the judge for the El Paso County Court at Law from 1917 to 1919.
Brady was born to a pioneering Austin family and grew up there. After
service as a teacher in Travis County, Texas, he served as county school
superintendent from 1900 to 1904. He then became a lawyer, and spent
several years in private practice. As district attorney, Brady
prosecuted several high-profile murder cases, including one that has
since been termed a "legal lynching", a death penalty case of a Mexican
boy charged with killing a white woman. Brady moved to El Paso in 1915
and resumed private practice, but was soon named a judge. He resigned in
1919 and moved to California to pursue interests in oil. Brady was a
Democrat and deeply involved in public affairs throughout his adult
life. He also incorporated both the Cruces Oil Corporation and the
Pecos Valley Southern Railway.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_P._Brady>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
A. E. J. Collins scored 628 runs not out, the highest
recorded score in cricket until being surpassed in 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._J._Collins>
1954:
The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant near Moscow was connected to
the electrical grid, becoming the world's first nuclear power plant to
produce electricity industrially.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obninsk_Nuclear_Power_Plant>
1989:
Convention 169, a major binding international convention
concerning indigenous peoples, and a forerunner of the 2007 Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, was adopted by the International
Labour Organization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_and_Tribal_Peoples_Convention,_1989>
2018:
The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 (artist's impression
pictured) arrived at the asteroid Ryugu to collect samples for return to
Earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/162173_Ryugu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lesbiandom:
1. The quality or state of being a lesbian.
2. Lesbians collectively.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lesbiandom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I regarded my life from the point of view of the pessimist, I
should be undone. I should seek in vain for the light that does not
visit my eyes and the music that does not ring in my ears. I should beg
night and day and never be satisfied. I should sit apart in awful
solitude, a prey to fear and despair. But since I consider it a duty to
myself and to others to be happy, I escape a misery worse than any
physical deprivation.
--Helen Keller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Keller>
J. K. Rowling is a pen name of Joanne Rowling, the British author of
the children's fantasy series Harry Potter, the crime series Cormoran
Strike and other works. Before her first Potter novel was published on
26 June 1997, her mother died from multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1990 and
she lived on state assistance as a single parent after her marriage
failed in 1993. Separation and loss are reflected in the Potter novels,
with death and the divide between good and evil as central themes.
Despite receiving mixed reviews for perceived conventional writing,
Rowling became the world's highest-paid author by 2008. The series has
sold over 500 million copies and spawned a media franchise including
films and video games. Rowling has used her wealth to advance political
causes, as well as charitable causes centered around MS, women and
children. Her views on transgender rights have led to controversy, with
critics deeming them transphobic. She has received many accolades for
literature and philanthropy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
French chemist Henri Moissan successfully isolated elemental
fluorine (pictured in liquid state), for which he later won the Nobel
Prize in Chemistry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine>
1907:
Organized by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, among others,
Bolshevik revolutionaries robbed a bank stagecoach in Tiflis, present-
day Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907_Tiflis_bank_robbery>
1997:
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the
first book in the Harry Potter fantasy novel series, is released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
languid:
1. Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from
weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness;
faint, listless.
2. Of a person or their movement: showing a dislike for physical effort;
leisurely, unhurried.
3. Of a person or their actions, character, etc.: lacking drive,
emotion, or enthusiasm; apathetic, listless, spiritless, unenthusiastic.
4. Of a colour: not bright; dull, muted.
5. Of an idea, writing, etc.: dull, uninteresting.
6. Of a period of time: characterized by lack of activity; pleasant and
relaxed; unstressful.
7. Of a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-
moving, weak. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/languid>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The real importance of Swedenborg lies in the doctrines he
taught, which are the reverse of the gloom and hell-fire of other
breakaway sects. He rejects the notion that Jesus died on the cross to
atone for the sin of Adam, declaring that God is neither vindictive nor
petty-minded, and that since he is God, he doesn't need atonement. It is
remarkable that this common-sense view had never struck earlier
theologians. God is Divine Goodness, and Jesus is Divine Wisdom, and
Goodness has to be approached through Wisdom. Whatever one thinks about
the extraordinary claims of its founder, it must be acknowledged that
there is something very beautiful and healthy about the Swedenborgian
religion. Its founder may have not been a great occultist, but he was a
great man.
--Colin Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Colin_Wilson>
The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by
John Carpenter (pictured) and written by Bill Lancaster. Based on the
1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There?, it tells the story of
American researchers in Antarctica who encounter a parasitic
extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates and imitates other
organisms. The group is overcome by paranoia and conflict as they learn
that they can no longer trust each other. The film stars Kurt Russell
and also features A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, and
Keith David. Of the film's $15 million budget, $1.5 million was spent
on Rob Bottin's creature effects, a mixture of chemicals, food products,
rubber, and mechanical parts used to represent an alien capable of
taking on any form. The Thing was released on June 25, 1982, to very
negative reviews and earned $19.6 million during its theatrical run,
but has been favorably reappraised. It found an audience when released
on home video and television.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_%281982_film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
The United States Congress passed the Mann Act, which
prohibited the interstate transport of females for "immoral purposes".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mann_Act>
1950:
The Korean War began with North Korean forces launching a pre-
dawn raid over the 38th parallel into South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War>
1967:
More than an estimated 400 million people viewed Our World, the
first live international satellite television production.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_World_%281967_TV_program%29>
2009:
Singer Michael Jackson died as a result of the combination of
drugs in his body.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Michael_Jackson>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fathom:
1. (chiefly nautical, historical) Originally, the distance between an
adult man's arms stretched out away from the sides of his torso so that
they make a straight line perpendicular to his body, measured from the
tips of the longest fingers of each hand, generally reckoned to be six
feet (about 1.8 metres); subsequently used as a unit for water depth but
now generally replaced by the metre.
2. (figuratively)
3. (chiefly in the plural) An unspecified depth.
4. (archaic or obsolete) Depth of insight; mental reach or scope.
5. (obsolete)
6. The act of stretching out one's arms away from the sides of the torso
so that they make a straight line perpendicular to the body.
7. Someone or something that is embraced.
8. (figuratively) Control, grasp.
9. (transitive)
10. (also figuratively) To measure the depth of (water); to take a
sounding of; to sound.
11. (archaic or obsolete) To encircle (someone or something) with
outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare)
length of something.
12. (figuratively) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone
or something); to get to the bottom of.
13. (obsolete) To embrace (someone or something).
14. (intransitive)
15. To measure a depth; to sound.
16. (figuratively) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fathom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States expressly took away
a constitutional right from the American people that it had already
recognized. They didn’t limit it. They simply took it away.
That’s never been done to a right so important to so many Americans.
But they did it. And it’s a sad day for the Court and for the
country.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>
The International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide was the first
major conference in the field of genocide studies and marked the shift
from viewing genocide as an irrational phenomenon to one that could be
studied and understood. It was held at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv on
20–24 June 1982 and was initially organized by Israel Charny, Elie
Wiesel, and Shamai Davidson. The Turkish government tried to have the
conference cancelled because it included presentations on the Armenian
genocide, which Turkey denies. Turkey threatened to close its borders to
Syrian and Iranian Jews fleeing persecution. In response, the Israeli
government called participants, claiming the conference was cancelled
and asking them not to attend. The official Israeli Holocaust memorial
and Tel Aviv University withdrew, as did many high-profile participants
including Wiesel. The organizers refused to remove the Armenian genocide
from the program and held the conference with fewer participants than
planned.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Conference_on_the_Holocaust_and…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1340:
Hundred Years' War: The English fleet commanded by Edward III
almost completely destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of Sluys.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sluys>
1932:
A group of military officers and civilians engineered a
bloodless coup in Siam, ending the absolute rule of the Chakri dynasty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_revolution_of_1932>
1937:
The U.S. Navy's first two fast battleships, North Carolina and
Washington, of the North Carolina class, were respectively ordered from
the New York and Philadelphia Naval Shipyards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina-class_battleship>
2010:
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the first female prime minister
of Australia after incumbent Kevin Rudd declined to contest a leadership
spill in the Labor Party.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
merchandising:
1. (also attributively) gerund of merchandise
2. (archaic) Trade in merchandise.
3. (originally US) The promotion of goods for sale in a store,
especially through advertising, attractive displays, discounts, etc.;
also (generally), the promotion of any goods or services for sale.
4. (specifically) The promotion of a film, music group, theatre
production, etc., through the sale of goods bearing motifs associated
with the subject being promoted; also, such goods themselves
collectively; merchandise.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/merchandising>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Insurrection, n. An unsuccessful revolution. Disaffection's
failure to substitute misrule for bad government.
--Ambrose Bierce
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ambrose_Bierce>
The 2007 AT&T; 250 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car race that took
place on June 23, 2007. Held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis,
Wisconsin, the race was the 17th of 35 in the 2007 season of the Busch
Series. Aric Almirola (pictured) of Joe Gibbs Racing was the listed
winner of the race. Gibbs intended for NASCAR Nextel Cup Series regular
Denny Hamlin to run the race, but the Cup Series was racing that weekend
at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, and Hamlin did not arrive in
time to start the race. Almirola started instead and ran the first 59
laps before he was pulled out of the car under caution; Hamlin finished
the race and came from behind to win after losing a lap to the leaders
during the driver change. NASCAR rules state that the driver who starts
the race gets credit for the result, making Almirola the official race
winner. The driver change frustrated Almirola, who proceeded to leave
the track before the race ended.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_AT%26T_250>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1594:
Anglo-Spanish War: During the Action of Faial, an English
attempt to capture a Portuguese carrack, reputedly one of the richest
ever to set sail from the Indies, caused it to explode with all the
treasure lost.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_Faial>
1972:
President Richard Nixon signed Title IX (co-author Patsy Mink
pictured) into law as part of the Education Amendments, prohibiting
gender discrimination in any educational program receiving U.S. federal
funds.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX>
1982:
Chinese American Vincent Chin died after being beaten into a
coma in Highland Park, Michigan, U.S., by two automotive workers who
were angry about the success of Japanese auto companies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Vincent_Chin>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
prepossess:
1. Chiefly followed by by or with: to preoccupy (someone) in an
emotional or mental way, so as to preclude other things.
2. (by extension) To cause (someone) to have a previous inclination
against, for, or to something; to bias or prejudice; specifically, to
induce in (someone) a favourable opinion beforehand, or at the outset.
3. (obsolete)
4. To cause (someone) to think a certain way.
5. To occupy or possess (something) beforehand.
6. (reflexive, chiefly passive) Chiefly followed by of or with: to cause
(oneself) to obtain possession of something beforehand, or ahead of
someone else.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prepossess>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
--Martin Rees
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Rees>
Lancaster's chevauchée of 1356 in Normandy was an English offensive
directed by Henry, Earl of Lancaster (depicted), as part of the Hundred
Years' War. The offensive took the form of a chevauchée, a large-scale
mounted raid, and lasted from 22 June to 13 July 1356. Lancaster
landed in the Cotentin and pillaged and burnt his way eastward across
the Duchy of Normandy with 2,300 men. John II of France moved to Rouen
with a much stronger force to intercept Lancaster, but the English
turned south after relieving and re-victualling the besieged friendly
citadel of Pont-Audemer. They resupplied another friendly fortification,
Breteuil, then stormed and sacked the important town of Verneuil-sur-
Avre before retreating. John pursued, but bungled several opportunities
to bring the English to battle. In 22 days the English travelled
330 miles (530 km), a remarkable effort for the period. The expedition
seized a large amount of loot, damaged the French economy and prestige,
and cemented new alliances.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster%27s_Normandy_chevauch%C3%A9e_of_1356>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1911:
King George V and Queen Mary of Teck were crowned at
Westminster Abbey in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Teck>
1966:
Vietnamese Buddhist activist leader Thích Trí Quang was
arrested as the military junta of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ crushed the Buddhist
Uprising.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Tr%C3%AD_Quang>
2002:
An earthquake registering 6.5 Mw struck northwestern Iran,
killing at least 230 people and injuring 1,300 others, and later causing
widespread public anger at the slow official response.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Bou%27in-Zahra_earthquake>
2009:
Two Metro trains collided in Washington, D.C., killing nine
people and injuring eighty others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2009_Washington_Metro_train_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gadfly:
1. Any dipterous (“two-winged”) insect or fly of the family Oestridae
(commonly known as a botfly) or Tabanidae (horsefly), noted for
irritating animals by buzzing about them, and biting them to suck their
blood; a gadbee.
2. (figuratively, also attributively)
3. A person or thing that irritates or instigates.
4. (specifically) A person who upsets the status quo by posing novel or
upsetting questions, or attempts to stimulate innovation by being an
irritant.
5. Synonym of gadabout (“a person who restlessly moves from place to
place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others”)
6. (derogatory, slang) A person who takes without giving back; a
bloodsucker.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gadfly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I would urge all of those watching today to focus on the evidence
the committee will present. Don't be distracted by politics. This is
serious. We cannot let America become a nation of conspiracy theories
and thug violence.
--Liz Cheney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney>
Woodleigh MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on
the North East line in Bidadari, Singapore. The station is underneath
Upper Serangoon Road, near the junction with Upper Aljunied Road.
Surrounding points of interest include Stamford American International
School and Avon Park. The station also serves the developing Bidadari
Estate and Woodleigh Residences (pictured). Woodleigh was among the 16
North East line stations first announced in March 1996. Despite being
completed along with the rest of the line in June 2003, the station
remained closed due to the lack of local development. It eventually
opened on 20 June 2011. As with most of the North East line stations,
it is a designated Civil Defence shelter. Woodleigh station features an
Art-in-Transit public artwork Slow Motion by April Ng on thirty zinc
panels, depicting commuters going about their daily lives.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodleigh_MRT_station>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and
Christian Tell proclaimed a new republican government in present-day
Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallachian_Revolution_of_1848>
1948:
The Manchester Baby (replica pictured), the world's first
stored-program computer, ran its first computer program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Baby>
2000:
President Bill Clinton awarded the Medal of Honor to 22 Asian
Americans, mostly from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, for actions
during World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asian_Pacific_American_Medal_of_Honor…>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rhapsody:
1. (Ancient Greece, poetry, historical) An epic poem, or part of one,
suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
2. (by extension)
3. (sometimes with a negative connotation) An exaggeratedly enthusiastic
or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing.
4. (music) An instrumental composition of irregular form, often
incorporating improvisation.
5. (archaic) A random collection or medley; a miscellany; also, a
confused string of stories, words, etc.
6. (sometimes with a negative connotation, obsolete) A literary
composition consisting of miscellaneous works.
7. Synonym of rhapsodize
8. (transitive)
9. To say (something) with exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
10. (obsolete, rare) To perform (a rhapsody (“an epic poem, or part of
one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation”))
11. (intransitive) Followed by about, on, over, or upon: to speak with
exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rhapsody>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
O great wide beautiful wonderful World With the wonderful waters
around you curled And the beautiful grass upon your breast O World you
are beautifully dressed.
--John Crowley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Crowley>