USS Massachusetts was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Indiana
class. Authorized in 1890, she launched on June 10, 1893. Massachusetts
served in the Spanish–American War and took part in the blockades of
Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. After the war, she served with the
North Atlantic Squadron where she suffered an explosion in a gun turret
and ran aground twice. She was recommissioned in 1910 for annual cruises
for midshipmen, and in 1917 she served as a training ship for gun crews
for World War I. Her final decommission was in March 1919 under the
name Coast Battleship Number 2 so her name could be reused for
USS Massachusetts (BB-54). In 1921, she was scuttled in shallow water
near Pensacola, Florida, and used as a target for experimental
artillery. The wreck was declared the property of the State of Florida
in 1956. In 1993 it became a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve.
In 2001, it was included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Massachusetts_%28BB-2%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1782:
King Rama I moved into the Grand Palace in Bangkok, which has
remained the royal residence of Siam and Thailand since then.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palace>
1957:
Led by John Diefenbaker, the Progressive Conservative Party won
a plurality of House of Commons seats in the Canadian federal election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_Canadian_federal_election>
1968:
The Royal New Zealand Navy adopted a unique white ensign, to
distinguish its vessels from those of the Royal Navy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_White_Ensign>
1991:
Eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in South Lake
Tahoe, California; she remained a captive until 2009.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Dugard>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Maxwellisation:
1. (physics) The property of exhibiting a Maxwellian distribution (or
Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution), especially as regards the speed of a
particle.
2. (Britain, law) A process whereby a person criticized in an official
inquiry is given an opportunity to read and respond to the criticisms
before the report of the inquiry is published.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Maxwellisation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The men and women of the United States intelligence community and
our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its
people. Our laws that protect national defense information are critical
to the safety and security of the United States and they must be
enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk. Adherence
to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice.
And our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the
world. We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to
everyone. Applying those laws. Collecting facts. That’s what
determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The prosecutors in my office are among the most talented and experienced
in the Department of Justice. They have investigated this case hewing to
the highest ethical standards. And they will continue to do so as this
case proceeds. It’s very important for me to note that the defendants
in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law. To that end, my office will seek a
speedy trial in this matter.
-- Jack Smith
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jack_Smith_%28lawyer%29>
The 1880 Greenback National Convention met from June 9 to 11 in Chicago
to select candidates and write a platform for the Greenback Party in the
presidential election. Delegates chose James B. Weaver (pictured) of
Iowa for President and Barzillai J. Chambers of Texas for Vice
President. The Greenback Party was a response to government policy
tightening the money supply and returning to the gold standard. Many
felt that issuance of "greenbacks" would improve economic conditions.
Weaver, the favorite for the presidential nomination, won on the first
ballot; Chambers, one of his defeated rivals, was his running mate. More
tumultuous was the fight over the platform, as delegates from disparate
factions of the left-wing movement clashed over women's suffrage and
Chinese immigration. In the presidential election, the party received
only about three percent of the vote, as Republican congressman James A.
Garfield of Ohio triumphed. (This article is part of a featured topic:
1880 United States presidential election.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1880_United_States_…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: Union and Confederate forces fought the
Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry engagement to take place
on American soil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brandy_Station>
1928:
Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed
the Southern Cross in Brisbane, completing the first transpacific
flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith>
1973:
The racehorse Secretariat, of Meadow Stables (racing colors
pictured), won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, achieving the first
American Triple Crown victory in a quarter of a century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Belmont_Stakes>
1982:
Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force carried out Operation Mole
Cricket 19, successfully suppressing Syrian air defenses in the Beqaa
Valley, Lebanon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mole_Cricket_19>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unparished:
1. (Britain, Ireland, Christianity) Not designated as a parish (“an
administrative part of a diocese that has its own church”).
2. (England) Of an area: not in a civil parish (“an administrative
subdivision of a borough or local government district”), or not having a
parish council or town council.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unparished>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami
on Tuesday, at 3 PM. I never thought it possible that such a thing could
happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more
votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is
currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican,
in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!
--Donald Trump
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis.
The plot focuses on commodities broker Louis Winthorpe III, played by
Dan Aykroyd, and street hustler Billy Ray Valentine, played by Eddie
Murphy (pictured), who are the subject of a bet to test how each man
will perform when their lives are swapped. Trading Places was the
fourth-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States and Canada and
received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the cast and
the film's revival of the screwball comedy genre. It received an Academy
Award nomination for Best Score and won two BAFTA awards. The film has
been praised as one of the greatest comedy films and Christmas films
ever made, but retrospective assessments have criticized its use of
racial jokes and language. In 2010, the film was referenced in
congressional testimony concerning the reform of the commodities trading
market designed to prevent the insider trading demonstrated in Trading
Places.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trading_Places>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1950:
Thomas Blamey became the only Australian to attain the rank of
field marshal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey>
1967:
The Israeli Air Force attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship
USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 and wounding 171.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident>
2007:
A major storm caused the bulk carrier Pasha Bulker to run
aground in New South Wales, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Xanthea>
2009:
Two American journalists, having been arrested for illegal
entry into North Korea, were sentenced to twelve years hard labor before
being pardoned two months later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_imprisonment_of_American_journalists_by_…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
white whale:
1. Synonym of beluga (“the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), a
cetacean found in the Arctic Ocean”)
2. Any whale of the family Monodontidae, which comprises the beluga
whales and narwhals (Monodon monoceros), and some extinct species.
3. (figuratively)
4. An obsession, a monomania.
5. (trading cards) A printing plate used to manufacture a particular
sports card, that is then issued as a collectible itself.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/white_whale>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not difficult to nourish admirable thoughts when the stars
are present.
--Marguerite Yourcenar
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marguerite_Yourcenar>
Tropical Storm Vicente was a small tropical cyclone that made landfall
as a tropical depression in the Mexican state of Michoacán on
October 23, 2018, causing deadly mudslides. The 21st named storm of the
2018 Pacific hurricane season, it originated from a tropical wave that
traveled westward from Africa's western coast across the Atlantic and
entered the Eastern Pacific on October 17. The disturbance formed into
a tropical depression early on October 19 and became Tropical Storm
Vicente later that day. It peaked on October 20 with winds of 50 mph
(85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1,002 mbar (29.59 inHg). After
making landfall near Playa Azul on October 23, Vicente quickly lost
organization and dissipated a few hours later. The storm caused
torrential rainfall in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Oaxaca,
Veracruz, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Guerrero, and Colima; the rainfall exceeded
12 inches (300 mm) in Oaxaca. The storm left 16 people dead.
(This article is part of a featured topic: 2018 Pacific hurricane
season.) .
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/2018_Pacific_hurric…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
The Reform Act, which is widely credited with launching modern
democracy in the United Kingdom, received royal assent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Act_1832>
1892:
Homer Plessy, an "octoroon" from New Orleans, was arrested for
refusing to leave his seat in the "whites-only" car of a train; he lost
the resulting court case, Plessy v. Ferguson.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Plessy>
1981:
The Israeli Air Force attacked a nuclear reactor under the
assumption that it was about to start producing plutonium to further an
Iraqi nuclear-weapons program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera>
1998:
Three white supremacists murdered James Byrd Jr., an African
American, by chaining him behind a pickup truck and dragging him along
an asphalt road in Jasper, Texas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd_Jr.>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wash one's hands of:
(transitive, idiomatic) To absolve oneself of responsibility or future
blame for (something); to refuse to have any further involvement with
(something).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wash_one%27s_hands_of>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
No one wants my painting because it is different from other
people's — peculiar, crazy public that demands the greatest possible
degree of originality on the painter's part and yet won't accept him
unless his work resembles that of the others!
--Paul Gauguin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Gauguin>
British logistics in the Normandy campaign played a key role in the
success of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France in
June 1944. The Allies had to land sufficient assaulting forces to
overcome the initial opposition, and build them up faster than the
Germans could respond. The British Second Army and Canadian First Army
included six armoured divisions (including the Polish 1st Armoured
Division), ten infantry divisions, two airborne divisions, nine
independent armoured brigades and two commando brigades. Logistical
units included 6 supply unit headquarters, 25 base supply depots, 83
detail issue depots, 25 field bakeries, 14 field butcheries and 18 port
detachments. During the first seven weeks after the Normandy landings on
D-Day, 6 June 1944, the advance was much slower than anticipated, but
by 26 July, 675,000 personnel, 150,000 vehicles, 690,000 tonnes of
stores and 69,000 tonnes of bulk petrol had been landed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_logistics_in_the_Normandy_campaign>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1674:
Shivaji, who led a resistance to free the Maratha from the
Bijapur Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, was crowned the first
chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivaji>
1882:
The Shewan army defeated Gojjame forces at the Battle of
Embabo, an event that contributed to the supremacy of Shewa within the
Ethiopian Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Embabo>
1971:
Hughes Airwest Flight 706 collided with a US Marine Corps jet
near Duarte, California, killing 50 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_Airwest_Flight_706>
1985:
The remains of Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician notorious for
performing human experiments on Auschwitz inmates, were exhumed in Embu
das Artes, Brazil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Mengele>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ushanka:
A traditional Russian fur cap with earflaps.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ushanka>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Come purge my soul, Thou Master of my days, Of vain and empty
words, of idle ways, Of base ambition and the urge to rule; That
hidden serpent that corrupts a fool; and grant me, Lord, to see my sins
alone. That I not call my brother to atone; Make chaste my heart and
lend me from above Thy fortitude, humility, and love.
--Aleksandr Pushkin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Pushkin>
Martinus (died c. 641) was caesar of the Byzantine Empire from some
point between 638 and 640, to 641. He was the fifth son of Emperor
Heraclius and his second wife (and niece) Empress Martina. Heraclius
elevated Martinus to caesar, a junior imperial title that placed
Martinus on the line of succession. Heraclius died on 11 February 641,
leaving the throne jointly to Martinus's half-brother Constantine III
and his elder full brother Heraclonas. Constantine III soon died of
tuberculosis, though some of his partisans alleged that Martina poisoned
him. One such partisan, Valentinus, led troops to Chalcedon, across the
Bosporus Strait from the capital, Constantinople, to force Martina to
install Constans, Constantine III's son, as co-emperor. Valentinus
seized Constantinople, forced Constans II's enthronement in September
or October 641, and deposed Martina, Heraclonas, and Martinus.
Mutilated and exiled to Rhodes, Martinus died soon after, possibly
during or immediately after the surgery.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinus_%28son_of_Heraclius%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1968:
U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot by Palestinian
immigrant Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy>
1976:
The Teton Dam in eastern Idaho, U.S., collapsed as its
reservoir was being filled for the first time, resulting in the deaths
of eleven people and 13,000 cattle, and causing up to $2 billion in
damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Dam>
2004:
Noël Mamère, mayor of the Bordeaux suburb of Bègles,
conducted a marriage ceremony for two men, even though same-sex marriage
in France had not yet been legalised.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_France>
2009:
After almost two months of civil disobedience, at least 31
people were killed in clashes between the National Police and indigenous
people in Peru's Bagua Province.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Peruvian_political_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
understory:
1. (architecture, dated, also figuratively) A story of a building below
the stories generally used for residence or work.
2. (ecology, also attributively) The (layer of) plants that grow in the
shade of the canopy of a forest above the forest floor.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/understory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Too large a proportion of recent "mathematical" economics are
mere concoctions, as imprecise as the initial assumptions they rest on,
which allow the author to lose sight of the complexities and
interdependencies of the real world in a maze of pretentious and
unhelpful symbols.
--The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_General_Theory_of_Employment,_Interest_an…>
BioShock 2: Minerva's Den is a single-player downloadable content (DLC)
campaign for the 2010 first-person shooter game BioShock 2, developed
by 2K Marin and published by 2K Games. The player assumes the role of
Subject Sigma, an armored and genetically modified human, or "Big
Daddy"; Sigma must travel through Minerva's Den, the technological hub
of the underwater city of Rapture, to download a schematic of the city's
supercomputer. Minerva's Den was created by a small team (some members
pictured) within 2K Marin led by Steve Gaynor. They decided upon a
small, personal story about identity and free will, which explores an
unseen part of Rapture. Minerva's Den was initially released for
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in August 2010, and was later
released and reissued on other platforms. It was well received by
critics, who praised its story, characters, and gameplay; reviewers,
including those writing for Kotaku and Paste, considered it one of the
best video game expansions of all time.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock_2:_Minerva%27s_Den>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The last known pair of great auks (one pictured), the only
modern species in the genus Pinguinus of flightless birds, were killed
on Eldey, Iceland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk>
1968:
American radical feminist Valerie Solanas shot and wounded
visual artist Andy Warhol and two others at Warhol's New York City
studio, The Factory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Solanas>
1973:
At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-air,
killing all six members of its crew and eight bystanders on the ground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Paris_Air_Show_Tu-144_crash>
1979:
Having invaded Uganda and deposed President Idi Amin, Tanzanian
forces secured Uganda's western border, ending a seven-month war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda%E2%80%93Tanzania_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pedal pushers:
(originally US) Women's casual trousers, usually fairly form-fitting,
that end at the calves.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pedal_pushers>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Among the smaller duties of life I hardly know any one more
important than that of not praising where praise is not due.
--Sydney Smith
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Smith>
Prince Alfred (1780–1782) was the fourteenth child and the ninth and
youngest son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and his
queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Alfred was baptised by
Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Great Council
Chamber at St James's Palace on 21 October 1780. His godparents were
his elder siblings George, Prince of Wales; Prince Frederick; and
Charlotte, Princess Royal. Alfred was a delicate child. He suffered from
"eruptions" on his face and, throughout his life, a cough. In 1782,
Alfred became unwell and died after his inoculation against the smallpox
virus. Although the household did not go into mourning (it was not
prescribed for royal children under seven), his parents took the loss
harshly. Alfred's early death, along with that of his brother Prince
Octavius six months later, deeply distressed the royal family. In his
later bouts of madness, King George imagined conversations with both of
his youngest sons.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Alfred_of_Great_Britain>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom took place
in the White House, the only time a U.S. president used that building
for the ceremony.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland>
1953:
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II>
1967:
Benno Ohnesorg, a German university student, was killed in West
Berlin while protesting the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran;
the anarchist militant 2 June Movement was later named after the
incident.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_June_Movement>
1983:
After an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire, 23
passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 were killed when a flashover
occurred as the aircraft's doors opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Flight_797>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spaghetti:
1. (countable, uncountable) A type of pasta made in the shape of long
thin strings.
2. (by extension, countable, uncountable) A dish that has spaghetti
(sense 1) as a main part of it, such as spaghetti bolognese.
3. (by extension, countable) Denoting Italianness.
4. (derogatory, informal) An Italian person.
5. (film) Short for spaghetti western (“a motion picture depicting a
story of cowboys and desperadoes set in the American Old West, but
produced by an Italian-based company and filmed in Europe, notably in
Italy”).
6. (by extension, uncountable, informal, often attributively) Something
physically resembling spaghetti (sense 1) in appearance or consistency,
or in being tangled.
7. (electrical engineering) Electrical insulating tubing or electrical
wiring.
8. (road transport) Roads forming a complex junction, especially one
with multiple levels on a motorway.
9. (uncountable, figuratively, informal) Something confusing or
intricate.
10. (programming, derogatory, informal) Short for spaghetti code
(“unstructured or poorly structured program source code, especially code
with many GOTO statements or their equivalent”).
11. (transitive)
12. (humorous) To serve (someone) spaghetti (noun sense 1).
13. To cause (someone or something) to become, or appear to become,
longer and thinner; to stretch.
14. To cause (something) to become tangled.
15. (intransitive)
16. (humorous) To eat spaghetti (noun sense 1).
17. To become, or appear to become, longer and thinner.
18. To become tangled.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spaghetti>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Is your heart far away, Or with mine beating? When false things
are brought low, And swift things have grown slow, Feigning like froth
shall go, Faith be for aye.
--Thomas Hardy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardy>
Tom Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor, whose accolades
include a British Academy Film Award and three Saturn Awards. His
career began at age nine, when he auditioned for a role in Billy Elliot
the Musical at London's Victoria Palace Theatre; he played the title
role from 2008 to 2010. Holland made his film debut in the disaster
drama The Impossible (2012) as a teenage tourist trapped in a tsunami.
He achieved international recognition playing Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
in six Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero films, beginning with
Captain America: Civil War (2016). The following year, Holland received
the BAFTA Rising Star Award and became the youngest actor to play a
title role in an MCU film in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The sequels Far
>From Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021) each grossed more than
$1 billion worldwide, and the latter became the highest-grossing film
of the year. Some publications have called him one of the most popular
actors of his generation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1857:
The Revolution of the Ganhadores, the first general strike in
Brazil, began in Salvador, Bahia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_the_Ganhadores>
1868:
The Navajo and the U.S. government signed an agreement,
allowing those interned at Fort Sumner to return to their ancestral
lands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Bosque_Redondo>
1974:
In an informal article in a medical journal, Henry Heimlich
introduced the concept of abdominal thrusts, commonly known as the
Heimlich maneuver, to treat choking victims.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Heimlich>
1988:
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was ratified,
banning all American and Soviet land-based missiles with a range of 500
to 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 mi).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate-Range_Nuclear_Forces_Treaty>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
atelier:
A studio or workshop, especially for an artist, designer, or fashion
house.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atelier>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we do not learn to regard a war, and the separate campaigns of
which it is composed, as a chain of linked engagements each leading to
the next, but instead succumb to the idea that the capture of certain
geographical points or the seizure of undefended provinces are of value
in themselves, we are liable to regard them as windfall profits. In so
doing, and in ignoring the fact that they are links in a continuous
chain of events, we also ignore the possibility that their possession
may later lead to definite disadvantages.
--Carl von Clausewitz
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz>