Combe Hill is a causewayed enclosure, near Eastbourne in East Sussex, on
the northern edge of the South Downs. It consists of an inner circuit
of ditch and bank, incomplete where it meets a steep slope on its north
side, and the remains of an outer circuit. Causewayed enclosures were
built in England from shortly before 3700 BC until at least 3500 BC;
their purpose is not known. The enclosure has been excavated twice: in
1949, by Reginald Musson; and in 1962, by Veronica Seton-Williams, who
used it as a training opportunity for volunteers. Charcoal fragments
from Musson's dig were later dated to between 3500 and 3300 BC. Musson
also found a large quantity of Ebbsfleet ware pottery in one of the
ditches. Seton-Williams found three polished stone axes deposited in
another ditch, perhaps not long after it had been dug. The site is only
800 metres (870 yd) from Butts Brow, another Neolithic enclosure; both
sites may have seen Neolithic activity at the same time.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combe_Hill,_East_Sussex>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1787:
German-born British astronomer William Herschel discovered two
Uranian moons, later named Oberon and Titania by his son John.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_%28moon%29>
1863:
American Civil War: The Battle of Arkansas Post concluded with
the Union Army capturing a fort from Confederate forces near the mouth
of the Arkansas River.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arkansas_Post_%281863%29>
1923:
Troops from France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr to force the
Weimar Republic to pay reparations in the aftermath of World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Ruhr>
2013:
French special forces failed in an attempted rescue of a DGSE
agent, who had been taken hostage in 2009 by al-Shabaab, in Bulo Marer,
Somalia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulo_Marer_hostage_rescue_attempt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
animalcule:
1. (physiology, historical) A sperm cell or spermatozoon; also, the
embryo that was formerly thought to be contained inside a spermatozoon
in a fully developed state.
2. (zoology, archaic) A microscopic aquatic animal, including protozoa
and rotifers.
3. (obsolete) A small animal.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/animalcule>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
He whose soul is charged with awareness of God earns his inner
livelihood by a passionate desire to pour his life into the eternal
wells of love. … We do not live for our own sake. Life would be
preposterous if not for the love it confers. Faith implies no denial of
evil, no disregard of danger, no whitewashing of the abominable. He
whose heart is given to faith is mindful of the obstructive and awry, of
the sinister and pernicious. It is God's strange dominion over both good
and evil on which he relies. … Faith is not a mechanical insurance but
a dynamic, personal act, flowing between the heart of man and the love
of God.
--Abraham Joshua Heschel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Joshua_Heschel>
Osbert Parsley (1510/1511–1585) was an English Renaissance composer
and chorister who wrote mainly church music for both the Latin and
English rites, as well as instrumental music. He was a boy chorister at
Norwich Cathedral, where he spent his musical career. He was first
mentioned as a lay clerk, was appointed a "singing man" around 1534, and
was probably the cathedral's unofficial organist for half a century. He
evidently married in 1558. His works include the elegant polyphonic
Conserva me, domine, two Morning Services, an Evening Service, and the
five-part Lamentations. His Latin settings are considered to be more
fluent and attractive than those to be sung in English. His instrumental
music, nearly all for viols, included six consort pieces. Some of his
incomplete instrumental music has survived. He died in Norwich in 1585
and was buried in Norwich Cathedral, where he has a commemorative plaque
(pictured). Compositions that have been recorded include his
Lamentations and Spes Nostra.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osbert_Parsley>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1475:
Moldavian–Ottoman Wars: Stephen the Great led Moldavian
forces to defeat an Ottoman attack under Hadım Suleiman Pasha near
Vaslui in present-day Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vaslui>
1863:
Service began on the Metropolitan Railway (construction
depicted) between Paddington and Farringdon Street, today the oldest
segment of the London Underground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Railway>
1923:
Lithuanian residents of the Klaipėda Region began a revolt,
ahead of a League of Nations decision on their future which they
expected to be against their interest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaip%C4%97da_Revolt>
2007:
A general strike began in Guinea as an attempt to force
President Lansana Conté to resign, eventually resulting in the
appointment of two new prime ministers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Guinean_general_strike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cumbrous:
1. (also figuratively) Unwieldy because of size or weight; cumbersome.
2. (obsolete)
3. Causing hindrance or obstruction.
4. Giving annoyance or trouble; troublesome, vexatious.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cumbrous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The gang serves lies, the passionate Man plays his part; the
cold passion for truthHunts in no pack.
--Robinson Jeffers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robinson_Jeffers>
The Third Punic War was the third and last of the Punic Wars between
Carthage and Rome, and lasted from 149 to 146 BC. The war was fought in
what is now northern Tunisia. In 149 BC anti-Carthaginian factions in
Rome manufactured a pretext for war. The Carthaginians surrendered all
of their weapons, but the Romans pressed on to besiege the city of
Carthage (siege engine depicted). The Romans suffered repeated setbacks.
A new Roman commander took over in 148 BC, and fared equally badly.
Scipio Aemilianus was appointed commander in Africa for 147 BC; he
tightened the siege and prevented supplies from entering. He then
destroyed Carthage's field army and forced the remaining pro-
Carthaginian towns to surrender. In spring 146 BC the Romans launched
their final assault, systematically destroying the city and killing its
inhabitants; 50,000 survivors were sold into slavery. The formerly
Carthaginian territories became the Roman province of Africa.
(This article is part of a featured topic: Punic Wars.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Punic_Wars>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1909:
Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition, planted the
British flag 97.5 nautical miles (180.6 km; 112.2 mi) from the South
Pole, the farthest south explorers had reached at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farthest_South>
1970:
The Presidential Council for Minority Rights, an appointed body
to review legislation and prevent discrimination against minorities, was
created in Singapore.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Council_for_Minority_Rights>
1978:
Iranian Revolution: Protests took place in Qom after an article
insulting Ruhollah Khomeini was published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Qom_protest>
1991:
Representatives from the United States and Iraq met at the
Geneva Peace Conference to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Peace_Conference_%281991%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
backwardation:
1. In full normal backwardation: the situation in a futures market where
the price for future delivery of a commodity (the forward price) is
lower than the price for immediate delivery (the spot price) or nearer
delivery, generally arising from a near-term shortage of the commodity.
2. The situation in a stock market where the offer price for stock is
lower than the bid price.
3. (obsolete) In the London Stock Exchange: a fee paid by a seller on
settlement day either to the buyer or to a third party who lends stock,
when the seller wishes to defer settlement until the next settlement
day.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/backwardation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We have the chance today to do more than ever before in our
history to make life better in America — to ensure better education,
better health, better housing, better transportation, a cleaner
environment — to restore respect for law, to make our communities more
livable — and to insure the God-given right of every American to full
and equal opportunity. Because the range of our needs is so great —
because the reach of our opportunities is so great — let us be bold in
our determination to meet those needs in new ways.
--Richard Nixon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon>
Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a
British naturalist, explorer, and biologist. He is known for
independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural
selection. Wallace did extensive fieldwork, identified the faunal divide
called the Wallace Line, and was considered the 19th century's leading
expert on the geographical distribution of animal species, leading some
to call him the father of biogeography, or more specifically of
zoogeography. An account of his adventures in Southeast Asia, titled The
Malay Archipelago, was published in 1869. He worked on warning
coloration in animals, and on reinforcement, a way that natural
selection could contribute to speciation by encouraging barriers against
hybridisation. He was also a social activist, critical of the social and
economic system of 19th-century Britain. He was one of the first
prominent scientists to raise concerns over the environmental impact of
human activity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1889:
American statistician Herman Hollerith received a patent for
his electromechanical tabulating machine for punched-card data.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Hollerith>
1936:
Reza Shah issued the Kashf-e hijab decree, ordering Iranian
police to remove hijabs from any women in public.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashf-e_hijab>
1972:
Following Pakistan's defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War,
President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto released Bangladeshi politician Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman from prison in response to international pressure.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Mujibur_Rahman>
1991:
Jeremy Wade Delle killed himself in his high-school class in
Richardson, Texas, an event that inspired the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_%28song%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
noodle:
1. (transitive)
2. (chiefly jazz) To play (a musical instrument or passage of music) or
to sing (a passage of music) in an improvisatory or lighthearted manner;
also, to play (a series of ornamental notes) on an instrument.
3. (US, informal) To ponder or think about (something).
4. (intransitive)
5. (chiefly jazz) To play a musical instrument or to sing in an
improvisatory or lighthearted manner; also, to play a series of
ornamental notes on an instrument.
6. (US, informal)
7. To ponder or think, especially in an unproductive or unsystematic
manner; to muse.
8. To attempt in an informal or uncertain manner; to fiddle.
9. Often followed by about or around: to mess around, to play.
10. (usually in the plural) A string or flat strip of pasta or other
dough, usually cooked (at least initially) by boiling, and served in
soup or in a dry form mixed with a sauce and other ingredients.
11. (by extension) An object which is long and thin like a noodle (sense
1).
12. (informal) Short for pool noodle (“a long, slender tube or rod,
extruded from buoyant foam and usually brightly coloured, used as an
exercise tool or toy in swimming pools”).
13. (archaic) A dumpling cooked by boiling and served in soup; a knaidel
or knödel. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/noodle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Honorable beginnings should serve to awaken curiosity, not to
heighten people's expectations. We are much better off when reality
surpasses our expectations, and something turns out better than we
thought it would.
--Baltasar Gracián
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baltasar_Graci%C3%A1n>
Charles I of Anjou (1226/1227–1285) was the youngest son of
Louis VIII of France. He acquired vast territories and many titles by a
variety of means and founded the Second House of Anjou. He accompanied
Louis during the Seventh Crusade to Egypt. In 1263 he agreed with the
Holy See to seize the Kingdom of Sicily, which included southern Italy
to well north of Naples. Pope Urban IV declared a crusade against the
incumbent Manfred, and Charles occupied the kingdom with little
resistance. In 1270 he took part in the Eighth Crusade and forced the
caliph of Tunis to pay him a yearly tribute. The popes tried to channel
his ambitions away from Italy and assisted him in acquiring claims to
Achaea and Jerusalem. In 1281 Charles was authorised to launch a crusade
against the Byzantine Empire. A riot, known as the Sicilian Vespers,
broke out in March 1282 that put an end to his rule on the island of
Sicily. He was able to defend the mainland territories with the support
of France and the Holy See.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_Anjou>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1782:
The Bank of North America opened in Philadelphia as the de
facto first central bank of the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_North_America>
1989:
Representatives of Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini delivered a
letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, inviting him to consider Islam as an
alternative to communism, and predicting the dissolution of the Soviet
Bloc.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khomeini%27s_letter_to_Mikhail_Gorbachev>
1993:
The Fourth Republic of Ghana was inaugurated with Jerry
Rawlings, the country's former military ruler, as president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rawlings>
2012:
A hot air balloon flight from Carterton, New Zealand, collided
with a power line while landing, causing it to crash and killing all
eleven people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Carterton_hot_air_balloon_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sennight:
1. (archaic or obsolete)
2. A period of seven consecutive days and nights; a week.
3. (attributively) Preceded by a specified day such as Sunday, today, or
yesterday: a week from the specified day.
4. (obsolete)
5. Preceded by a specified day and come: a week after the specified day.
6. Preceded by a specified day and gone or was: a week before the
specified day.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sennight>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.
--Millard Fillmore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Millard_Fillmore>
The London and North Western Railway War Memorial is a First World War
memorial outside Euston station in London, England. The memorial was
designed by Reginald Wynn Owen and commemorates employees of the London
and North Western Railway (LNWR) who were killed in the First World War.
Over 37,000 LNWR employees left to fight in the war, of whom 3,719 were
killed. The memorial cost £12,500 and consists of a single obelisk, 13
metres (43 feet) tall, on a pedestal. At the top, on each side, is a
cross in relief and a bronze wreath. At each corner of the base is a
statue of a military figure—an artilleryman, an infantryman, a sailor,
and an airman—each larger than life-size. Field Marshal Earl Haig
unveiled the memorial on 21 October 1921, accompanied by the Archbishop
of Canterbury; more than 8,000 people attended the ceremony. The
memorial and two entrance lodges are all that remain of the former
Euston station complex, as it was rebuilt in the 1960s. The memorial is
a Grade II* listed building.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_North_Western_Railway_War_Memorial>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1322:
Stefan Dečanski was crowned King of Serbia, succeeding his
half-brother Stefan Konstantin, whom he later defeated in battle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_De%C4%8Danski>
1839:
The worst storm to impact Ireland in 300 years damaged or
destroyed more than 20 per cent of houses in Dublin with 100-knot
(190 km/h) winds.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Big_Wind>
1907:
Italian educator Maria Montessori opened her first school and
day-care centre for working-class children in Rome, employing a
philosophy of education that now bears her name.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori>
1994:
Two-time American Olympic figure-skating medalist Nancy
Kerrigan was hit on the leg with a police baton by an assailant hired by
the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_of_Nancy_Kerrigan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Epiphany:
1. The appearance of Jesus Christ to the Magi, recorded in Matthew
2:1–12 in the Bible.
2. An annual Christian feast celebrating this event on January 6, the
twelfth day after Christmas.
3. The day of the celebration, January 6, or sometimes (in Western
Christianity), the Sunday between January 2 and 8.
4. The season or time of the Christian church year, either from the
Epiphany feast day to Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday, the
start of Lent), or from the Epiphany feast day to the feast of Candlemas
(marking the presentation of Jesus Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Epiphany>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The violent assault on the Capitol — and disruption of a
Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress — was undertaken by
people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false
hopes.In the United States of America, it is the fundamental
responsibility of every patriotic citizen to support the rule of law. To
those who are disappointed in the results of the election: Our country
is more important than the politics of the moment. Let the officials
elected by the people fulfill their duties and represent our voices in
peace and safety.
--George W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush>
Brazza's martin (Phedinopsis brazzae) is a bird in the swallow family
with grey-brown upperparts, black-streaked white underparts, and a
brownish breast. The sexes are similar, but juveniles have more diffuse
breast streaking. Its song is of a series of short notes of increasing
frequency, followed by a complex buzz that is sometimes completed by a
number of clicks. Its range lies within Angola, the Republic of the
Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nesting in burrows in
river banks, it lays a clutch of three white eggs. It feeds on flying
insects, including termites, and may hunt over rivers or savanna. It
forms mixed flocks with other swallows, but is identifiable by its
combination of brown upperparts, streaked underparts, and square tail.
This little-known bird appears to be common and widespread, and has been
listed as a least-concern species since 2008. There may be some hunting
of this martin for food, but it does not appear to be facing any serious
short-term threats.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazza%27s_martin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
Second World War: Australian and British troops defeated
Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an
Australian Army formation took part.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bardia>
2005:
Eris, the most massive dwarf planet known in the Solar System,
was discovered through image analysis by a team at the Palomar
Observatory in California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_%28dwarf_planet%29>
2007:
The Taiwan High Speed Rail opened, connecting Taipei and
Kaohsiung.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_High_Speed_Rail>
2009:
In Eng Foong Ho v Attorney-General, the Court of Appeal of
Singapore held that equality before the law was satisfied by a
"reasonable nexus" between state action and the object of the law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eng_Foong_Ho_v_Attorney-General>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rara avis:
1. A rare species or type of bird.
2. (figuratively) A rare or unique, and thus outstanding or unusual,
person or thing; a rare bird.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rara_avis>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A monk should surely love his books with humility, wishing their
good and not the glory of his own curiosity; but what the temptation of
adultery is for laymen and the yearning for riches is for secular
ecclesiastics, the seduction of knowledge is for monks.
--Umberto Eco
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Umberto_Eco>
Project Waler was an unsuccessful Australian defence procurement
exercise which sought to replace the Australian Army's M113 armoured
personnel carriers (example pictured) during the mid-1990s with between
500 and 1,000 armoured fighting vehicles optimised for Australian
conditions. The vehicles were to be built in Australia to support the
local manufacturing industry. After initial scoping work in 1980,
proposals were submitted in 1982, and further studies were undertaken
during 1983. A tender to acquire them was planned but not issued.
Instead, Project Waler was cancelled by the Australian government in
July 1985 due to concerns over the cost and capabilities of the
proposed vehicles. Most of the M113s were upgraded, although the
resultant vehicles were unfit for combat, and the Australian Government
launched a new project in 2018 to replace them. Commentators have noted
that Project Waler was over-ambitious, with not enough emphasis placed
on keeping costs down.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Waler>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1909:
British explorer Aeneas Mackintosh, a member of the Imperial
Trans-Antarctic Expedition, escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneas_Mackintosh>
1951:
Korean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul from
United Nations forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Seoul>
1973:
Last of the Summer Wine, the longest-running sitcom in the
world, premiered as an episode of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_of_the_Summer_Wine>
2020:
Sembawang Hot Spring Park in Singapore reopened after being
redeveloped by the National Parks Board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sembawang_Hot_Spring_Park>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lick into shape:
(transitive, idiomatic) To exert considerable effort to change (someone
or something) into a desired state.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lick_into_shape>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are
both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.
--Isaac Newton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton>
The Albany Charter half dollar is a commemorative half dollar struck by
the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. It was designed by
sculptor Gertrude K. Lathrop, who lived in Albany, New York's state
capital. In 1936, Congress approved many commemorative coins for
issuance, including some of mostly local significance, such as the
Albany piece. City officials wanted the coin to mark the 250th
anniversary of Albany's 1686 municipal charter, granted by Thomas
Dongan, the governor of colonial New York. Congress passed unopposed
legislation, and the Philadelphia Mint coined 25,013 Albany half dollars
in October 1936. Lathrop's designs have generally been praised: she
placed a beaver on one side of the coin and the persons involved in the
charter on the other side (depicted). By late 1936, the demand for
commemorative coins was falling, and the issue price of $2 was
considered high; more than 7,000 were returned to the Mint in 1943. The
Albany half dollar now prices in the low hundreds of dollars.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_Charter_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1888:
The 36-inch (91 cm) refracting telescope at the Lick
Observatory near San Jose, California, the largest in the world until
1897, was used for the first time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lick_Observatory>
1911:
A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and
sparked a political row over the operational involvement of Winston
Churchill, then Home Secretary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sidney_Street>
1973:
CBS announced the sale of the New York Yankees professional
baseball team to a group of investors headed by American businessman
George Steinbrenner.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees>
1976:
The multilateral International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, part of the International Bill of Human Rights, came
into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Covenant_on_Economic,_Social_an…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
trackbed:
1. The layer of gravel or other foundation on which a railway track is
laid.
2. (loosely) The land on which a railway (especially one that has been
closed or dismantled) was built.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trackbed>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let the welfare of the people be the ultimate law.
--Cicero
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cicero>
Ai-Khanoum is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar
Province, Afghanistan. It was probably established in the early 3rd
century BC by a monarch of the Seleucid Empire at the confluence of the
Oxus and Kokcha rivers, controlling access to valuable mines and
strategic choke points. Ai-Khanoum, which became a major centre of the
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom after it seceded under the Diodotid dynasty, was
redesigned by King Eucratides I to be an imperial capital, with a huge
palace, religious structures, and massive defences. Nevertheless, it was
sacked at the end of his reign (c. 145 BC) by the nomadic Saka and
Yuezhi peoples, and the city was soon abandoned. Rediscovered two
millennia later by the King of Afghanistan in 1961, Ai-Khanoum was
excavated by a team of French archaeologists until the Saur Revolution
in 1978. During the subsequent conflicts in Afghanistan, the site was
extensively looted.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai-Khanoum>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
World War II: Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, was struck
by German bombing during the Cardiff Blitz.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandaff_Cathedral>
1944:
World War II: United States and Australian forces successfully
landed in Papua New Guinea in an attempt to cut off a Japanese retreat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_at_Saidor>
1963:
Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory at the
Battle of Ap Bac.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ap_Bac>
1967:
Former actor Ronald Reagan began his career in government when
he was sworn in as the 33rd governor of California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neither fish nor fowl:
(idiomatic) Not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting
well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of
the various options.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neither_fish_nor_fowl>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I can have respect and admiration for famous people, but I have
never had a sense of fear or awe.
--Barbara Walters
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barbara_Walters>