The Xá Lợi Pagoda raids were attacks on various Buddhist pagodas in
South Vietnam in 1963, executed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Special Forces and combat police, who both took their orders from Ngô
Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm. South Vietnam's
Buddhist majority were protesting religious bias and discrimination, and
temples in major cities, notably Xá Lợi Pagoda (pictured) in Saigon,
became focal points for protesters. On 21 August, Nhu's men attacked,
looted and vandalised the pagodas. In Huế, street battles erupted
between government forces and rioting civilians. Over 1,400 Buddhists
were arrested, and estimates of the number dead or missing ranged up to
the hundreds. The Ngô family claimed that the army had carried out the
raids; this was later debunked, prompting the United States to turn
against the regime, leading to Diệm's overthrow. In response to the
raids, several public servants resigned, and university and high school
students boycotted classes and staged demonstrations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X%C3%A1_L%E1%BB%A3i_Pagoda_raids>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1945:
American physicist Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a
tungsten carbide brick onto a plutonium bomb core, exposing himself to
neutron radiation and later becoming the first Manhattan Project
fatality due to a criticality accident.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Daghlian>
1971:
Six people were killed during an escape attempt and riot at San
Quentin State Prison in California; the subsequent trial of six inmates
was the longest in state history at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Quentin_Six>
1986:
A limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of
carbon dioxide, suffocating 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos_disaster>
2013:
Syrian civil war: Areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in
Ghouta, Damascus, were attacked by rockets (launcher pictured)
containing sarin, killing at least 281 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghouta_chemical_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Barbiefication:
(derogatory) A cultural move toward superficiality and a focus on
physical attractiveness at the expense of depth and intellect.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Barbiefication>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There can be a new tomorrow There can be a brighter day There
can be a new tomorrow Love will find a way
--Jackie DeShannon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jackie_DeShannon>
The primary law governing nationality of the Republic of Ireland is the
Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, which came into force on 17
July 1956. All persons born in the Republic before 1 January 2005 are
automatically citizens by birth regardless of the nationalities of their
parents. Individuals born in the country since that date receive Irish
citizenship at birth if at least one of their parents is an Irish
citizen or entitled to be one, a British citizen, a resident with no
time limit of stay in either the Republic or Northern Ireland, or a
resident who has been domiciled on the island of Ireland for at least
three of the preceding four years. Persons born in Northern Ireland are
usually entitled to – but not automatically granted – Irish
citizenship, largely under the same terms. Foreign nationals may become
citizens by naturalisation after meeting a minimum residence
requirement, usually five years. The president of Ireland may also grant
honorary citizenship, which entails the same rights and duties as normal
citizenship, although this is rare.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_nationality_law>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Hurricane-force winds combined hundreds of small fires in the
U.S. states of Washington and Idaho into the Devil's Broom fire, which
burned about three million acres (12,140 km²), the largest fire in
recorded U.S. history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910>
1920:
The American Professional Football Association, a predecessor
of the National Football League, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League>
1998:
The Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan was destroyed by a
missile attack launched by the United States in retaliation for the
August 7 U.S. embassy bombings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Infinite_Reach>
2008:
Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after take-off from Madrid's
Barajas Airport, killing 154 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanair_Flight_5022>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coenobium:
1. A conventual or monastic community; also, a convent or monastery.
2. (by extension)
3. (botany) A fruit of a plant from either of the families Boraginaceae
(the borages) or Lamiaceae which has small loculi or compartments,
reminiscent of the cells in a convent or monastery.
4. (botany) A colony of algae which acts as a single organism; a
coenobe.
5. (zoology) A colony of unicellular organisms (such as protozoa) which
acts as a single organism.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coenobium>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The courage to be as oneself is never completely separated from
the other pole, the courage to be as a part; and even more, that
overcoming isolation and facing the danger of losing one's world in the
self-affirmation of oneself as an individual are a way toward something
which transcends both self and world. Ideas like the microcosm mirroring
the universe, or the monad representing the world, or the individual
will to power expressing the character of will to power in life itself
— all these point to a solution which transcends the two types of the
courage to be.
--Paul Tillich
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Tillich>
The Fatimid conquest of Egypt took place in 969, as the troops of the
Fatimid Caliphate under the general Jawhar captured Egypt, then ruled by
the autonomous Ikhshidid dynasty in the name of the Abbasid Caliphate.
The Fatimids had launched repeated unsuccessful invasions of Egypt soon
after coming to power in Ifriqiya in 909. By the 960s, the collapse of
the Ikhshidid regime, and an economic crisis and factional infighting in
Egypt, allowed Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz (coin pictured) to organize a
large expedition to conquer the country, aided by the activity of a
network of Fatimid agents there. When the Fatimid invasion came, the
Ikhshidid elites negotiated a peaceful surrender, and the brief
resistance of the Ikhshidid soldiery was overcome. Jawhar took control
of Fustat, the Egyptian capital, on 6 July. Jawhar served as viceroy of
Egypt until 973, when al-Mu'izz arrived and took up residence in a new
capital, Cairo, which became the seat of the Fatimid Caliphate.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatimid_conquest_of_Egypt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1897:
The Bersey Electric Cab entered service as the first electric
taxi in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bersey_Electric_Cab>
1950:
The 766th Independent Infantry Regiment of North Korea was
disbanded after fighting for less than two months in the Korean War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/766th_Independent_Infantry_Regiment_%28North_…>
2003:
A Hamas suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded more than
130 others, including many Orthodox Jewish children, on a crowded public
bus in Shmuel HaNavi, Jerusalem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmuel_HaNavi_bus_bombing>
2005:
Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least
three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario_tornado_outbreak_of_2005>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
godsend:
1. An instance of unexpected benefit or good fortune; a windfall.
2. (specifically, Britain, regional, archaic) The wreck of a ship which
has washed up on shore, from which cargo, timber, etc., may be obtained.
3. A person who provides greatly needed assistance.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/godsend>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right
to be wrong in his facts.
--Bernard Baruch
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bernard_Baruch>
Frances Cleveland (1864–1947) was the first lady of the United States
from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897, as the wife of President
Grover Cleveland. She met him while an infant, as he was a friend, and
later the executor, of her father, Oscar Folsom. Grover settled Oscar's
debts and provided for Frances. She graduated from Wells College, then
married Grover while he was president. When he lost reelection in 1888,
they went into private life for four years, returning when he was
elected again in 1892. Much of her time during Grover's second term was
dedicated to their children. They had five; four survived to adulthood.
Frances Cleveland served on the Wells College board, supported women's
education, and organized kindergartens. Grover died in 1908, and she
married Thomas J. Preston Jr. in 1913. During World War I, she
advocated military preparedness. She died in 1947 and was buried
alongside Grover Cleveland in Princeton Cemetery.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1877:
American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Phobos, the larger of
Mars's two moons, six days after discovering Deimos, the smaller one.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobos_%28moon%29>
1919:
Russian Civil War: British motor torpedo boats raided the
Bolshevik Baltic Fleet's home base of Kronstadt, sinking a depot ship
and damaging a battleship.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Kronstadt>
1920:
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was
ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Con…>
1964:
East German Communist Party member Hildegard Trabant was killed
while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_Trabant>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
recess:
1. (transitive)
2. To position (something) a distance behind another thing; to set back.
3. (often architecture)
4. To make a recess (noun sense 1 and sense 1.1) in (something).
5. (also reflexive) Often preceded by in or into: to inset (something)
into a recess or niche.
6. (figuratively) To conceal, to hide.
7. (chiefly US, government)
8. To temporarily suspend (a meeting, the proceedings of an official
body, etc.).
9. (informal) To make a recess appointment in respect of (someone).
10. (intransitive, chiefly US, government)
11. Of a meeting, the proceedings of an official body, etc.: to adjourn,
to take a break.
12. Of an official body: to suspend proceedings for a period of time.
[...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recess>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even on the white English crags A few strong spirits, in a race
that binds Its body in chains and calls them Liberty, And calls each
fresh link Progress, stood erect With faces pale that hunger'd to the
light.
--Robert Williams Buchanan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Williams_Buchanan>
Doc Savage was an American pulp magazine published from 1933 to 1949 by
Street & Smith. The lead character was Clark Savage, a scientist and
adventurer. Lester Dent wrote most of the novels that appeared in the
magazine, often using the alias "Kenneth Robeson". A few dozen more
novels were ghost-written by writers hired either by Dent or by Street &
Smith. Dent's work was full of inventive ideas, and ranged across
multiple genres. Science fiction elements were common, but there were
also detective novels, westerns, fantasies, and straightforward
adventures. Dent worked with Henry Ralston and (until 1943) John
Nanovic, two editors at Street & Smith, to plot most of the novels.
Covers were painted by Walter Baumhofer until 1936, then by R. G.
Harris and later by Emery Clarke. The magazine was successful, reaching
a circulation of 300,000, but was shut down when Street & Smith left the
pulp magazine field completely in 1949. The novels were later reprinted
as paperbacks.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Savage_%28magazine%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1915:
A category 4 hurricane made landfall in Galveston, Texas,
leaving at least 275 people dead and causing $50 million in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1915_Galveston_hurricane>
1943:
Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in a highly
secret military conference held in Quebec City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Quebec_Conference>
1945:
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet
totalitarianism, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm>
1959:
American musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which
became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz
recordings of all time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
phial:
1. (dated) A bottle or other vessel for containing a liquid; originally
any such vessel, especially one for holding a beverage; now
(specifically), a small, narrow glass bottle with a cap used to hold
liquid chemicals, medicines, etc.
2. (transitive) To keep or put (something, especially a liquid) in, or
as if in, a phial (noun sense).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What matters in the end in literature, what is always there, is
the truly good. And — though played out forms can throw up miraculous
sports like The Importance of Being Earnest or Decline and Fall — what
is good is always what is new, in both form and content. What is good
forgets whatever models it might have had, and is unexpected; we have to
catch it on the wing.
--V. S. Naipaul
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V._S._Naipaul>
Esplanade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
on the Circle line (CCL) in Singapore. The station serves the Esplanade
performing arts centre, alongside various developments such as War
Memorial Park, Suntec City Mall and the Suntec Singapore Convention and
Exhibition Centre. Esplanade station is linked to the nearby City Hall
station via CityLink Mall, an underground retail development. The
station was initially announced as Convention Centre station in 1999 as
part of the Marina MRT line, which was later incorporated into Stage 1
of the CCL. The station was renamed Esplanade in 2005 through a public
poll. The station opened on 17 April 2010, with provisions to
interchange with a future MRT line. Esplanade station features the Art-
in-Transit artwork A Piece of Ice-Clear Heart by Lim Mu Hue, a collage
of woodblock prints featuring scenes of shadow puppetry and other
traditional performances.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplanade_MRT_station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
A group including George Carmack and Skookum Jim Mason
discovered gold near Dawson City, Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold
Rush.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klondike_Gold_Rush>
1906:
An earthquake registering approximately 8.2 Mw struck
Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,882 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_Valpara%C3%ADso_earthquake>
1946:
Widespread riots between Hindus and Muslims took place in
Calcutta following the All-India Muslim League's call for an independent
Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Day>
2009:
At the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Usain Bolt
ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds, breaking his own record set a year
earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
proteranthous:
1. Of a plant: having flowers that appear earlier than the leaves.
2. Of a plant: having leaves that appear earlier than the flowers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/proteranthous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential
election held on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was
Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment
refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully
joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in
favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to
commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County,
Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.
--The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Georgia_%28U.S._state%29>
Chandralekha is a 1948 Indian historical adventure film produced and
directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. Starring T. R. Rajakumari,
M. K. Radha and Ranjan, the film follows two brothers who fight over
ruling their father's kingdom and marrying the village dancer,
Chandralekha. Veppathur Kittoo developed a story based on a chapter of
Robert Macaire; or, The French Bandit in England, a novel by George
W. M. Reynolds. The film spent five years in production, undergoing a
number of scripting, filming and cast changes, and was the most
expensive film made in India at the time. Vasan mortgaged all his
property and sold his jewellery to complete the film. The Tamil version
(poster pictured), released on 9 April 1948, did not recoup production
costs. Vasan directed a Hindi version with some changes, which was a
box-office success. South Indian cinema became prominent throughout
India with the film's release, inspiring South Indian producers to
market their Hindi films in North India.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandralekha_%281948_film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors ambushed a United States Army
convoy after it had evacuated Fort Dearborn, in present-day Chicago, and
razed the fort.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Dearborn>
1941:
Josef Jakobs, a German spy, became the last person executed at
the Tower of London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Jakobs>
1948:
The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its
first president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee>
1977:
Big Ear, a radio telescope at Ohio State University received a
strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal that became known as
the Wow! signal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hecatomb:
1. (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, historical) A great public sacrifice
to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of
animals reserved for such a sacrifice.
2. (by extension, religion, historical) A great public sacrifice in
other religions; also, a great number of animals or people reserved for
such a sacrifice.
3. (figuratively, literary and poetic) A great number of animals,
people, or things that are sacrificed or destroyed; any great sacrifice;
also (generally), a large amount.
4. (transitive) To provide (someone or something) with a hecatomb (noun
senses).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hecatomb>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense — he is
always satisfied with himself.
--Napoleon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon>
Cherry Valentine was the stage name of George Ward (1993–2022), an
English drag queen and mental health nurse who competed in the second
series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Raised in an
English Traveller community, Ward was the first member of his family to
attend university, where he was introduced to Manchester's drag scene.
He began performing as Cherry Valentine in 2016, while working in a
children's psychiatric intensive-care unit. As part of the LGBT
community, Ward hid his Traveller heritage because he feared he might
receive "hate or backlash". Ward has been credited as the first
contestant on the Drag Race franchise to acknowledge his Romani
heritage. In 2022, he addressed his background in the BBC documentary
film Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud, and in an episode of the
documentary series God Shave the Queens. Following Ward's death in 2022,
a memorial concert and fundraiser was held at London's Clapham Grand
(pictured).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Valentine>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
After a secret meeting in Newfoundland, British prime minister
Winston Churchill and U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (both
pictured) issued the Atlantic Charter, establishing a vision for a
post–World War II world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter>
1975:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London, the first in
its record-breaking run in cinemas, which continues in limited release.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show>
2010:
The inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games opened in
Singapore for athletes aged between 14 and 18.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_Olympic_Games>
2013:
Security forces raided two camps of supporters of the ousted
Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo, leading to the deaths of at
least 595 civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2013_Rabaa_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
minnow:
1. Any small fish.
2. The common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), a small freshwater fish of the
carp family Cyprinidae which has a green back with black elongated
blotches, commonly swimming in large shoals.
3. Chiefly with a qualifying word: any of a number of other (small) fish
from the family Cyprinidae; also (chiefly US), other small (usually
freshwater) fish from other families.
4. (Australia, New Zealand) Synonym of galaxiid (“any member of the
family Galaxiidae of mostly small freshwater fish of the Southern
Hemisphere”); specifically, the common galaxias, inanga, or jollytail
(Galaxias maculatus).
5. (Britain, regional) Synonym of stickleback (family Gasterosteidae).
6. (figuratively) A person or thing of relatively little consequence,
importance, or value.
7. (fishing) An artificial bait in the form of a small fish.
8. (rare) Very small; tiny.
9. To fish for minnows (noun sense 1 and subsenses).
10. To fish, especially for trout, using minnows as bait.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/minnow>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Human civilization is the outgrowth of conscious altruism; and
the directive Moral Purpose in the world nothing but our dim perception,
ever growing through spiritual friction, that we are all bound more and
more toward the understanding of ourselves and each other, and all that
this carries with it.
--John Galsworthy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Galsworthy>
The Wood River Branch Railroad was a shortline railroad in Rhode Island.
Chartered in 1872 and opened on July 1, 1874, the 5.6-mile (9.0 km)
freight and passenger line connected the village of Hope Valley to the
New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (NYP&B;) mainline at Wood River
Junction. While it was nominally independent, finances were tough from
the start; it heavily relied on support from the NYP&B; and its
successor, the New Haven Railroad. Ralph C. Watrous became its president
in 1904, and remained involved for the next 33 years. A major flood in
November 1927 severed the line and the company considered abandonment,
but local citizens and the New Haven agreed to rebuild the line for
freight only under New Haven control, using a gasoline locomotive. The
New Haven sold the line in 1937 for $301 to local grain mill owner Roy
Rawlings. He ran the company until 1947 when a fire destroyed his mill
and other local industries. The railroad was abandoned in August 1947,
and little remains of it.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_River_Branch_Railroad>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1868:
A major earthquake near Arica, Peru (now in Chile), caused an
estimated 25,000 casualties; the subsequent tsunami caused considerable
damage as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868_Arica_earthquake>
1876:
The Bayreuth Festival, now known for showcasing the stage works
of Richard Wagner, was inaugurated under his and his wife Cosima's
direction.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosima_Wagner>
1906:
Members of the U.S. Army's all-black 25th Infantry Regiment
were accused of killing a white bartender and wounding a white police
officer in Brownsville, Texas, despite exculpatory evidence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsville_affair>
2010:
After being boarded by Canadian authorities, MV Sun Sea docked
in British Columbia and the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee claimants on
board were placed into detention.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Sun_Sea_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
captivate:
1. (obsolete)
2. To make (a person, an animal, etc.) a captive; to take prisoner; to
capture, to subdue.
3. (figuratively) To capture or control (the mind, etc.); to subdue, to
subjugate.
4. (figuratively) To attract and hold (someone's) attention and
interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate.
5. (also figuratively, obsolete) Made captive; taken prisoner; captured,
subdued.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/captivate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There may be, and there ought to be, progress in the moral
sphere. The moral truths which we have inherited from the past need to
be expanded and restated.
--Felix Adler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Felix_Adler>
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. They are the only
surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea.
Three living species are recognised: the African bush elephant, the
African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant (all pictured).
Distinctive features of elephants include a long, flexible proboscis
(trunk), long tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and grey skin.
They are herbivorous, and stay near water when it is accessible. Females
(cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female
with her calves or several related females with offspring. After
reaching adulthood, males (bulls) live separately, either alone or with
other males. Elephants communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound.
Threats to their populations include poaching for their ivory tusks,
habitat destruction, and conflicts with local people. Elephants are
iconic in human culture and have been featured in art, folklore,
religion, literature, and popular culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1952:
Thirteen Jewish poets were executed in Moscow for espionage
based on false confessions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Murdered_Poets>
1969:
The Troubles: Riots erupted in the neighbourhood of Bogside in
Derry, and spread across much of Northern Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Northern_Ireland_riots>
1985:
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crashed into Mount Takamagahara in
Gunma Prefecture, killing 520 of 524 people on board in the world's
worst single-aircraft aviation disaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_123>
1990:
Near Faith, South Dakota, American paleontologist Sue
Hendrickson found one of the most complete discovered Tyrannosaurus rex
skeletons, nicknamed Sue (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_%28dinosaur%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kangaroo court:
(originally US, idiomatic) A judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, or a
group of people which conducts such proceedings, which is without proper
authority, and often acts abusively or decides unjustly.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kangaroo_court>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Multiplicity is only apparent, in truth, there is only one mind.
--Erwin Schrödinger
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Erwin_Schr%C3%B6dinger>