Theodore II Laskaris (1221/1222–1258) was a Byzantine emperor who
ruled the Empire of Nicaea from 1254 until his death. Nicaea was a
successor state to the Byzantine Empire, after crusaders captured the
Byzantine capital, Constantinople, in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade.
Theodore began to write treatises on theological, historical and
philosophical themes in his youth. From around 1242, he was co-ruler
with his father, and his relationship with some prominent aristocrats
grew tense. Succeeding his father in 1254 Theodore replaced many
aristocratic officials and generals with loyalists, including some of
low birth. In 1256, he repelled a Bulgarian invasion of Thrace and
Macedonia and forced Epirus to cede Dyrrachium on the Adriatic Sea.
Epirus allied with Serbia and Sicily, and jointly invaded Nicaea in
1257; Nicaea's new generals could not resist the invasion. Theodore died
in 1258, leaving an underage son, John IV. Michael Palaiologos seized
the regency, and usurped the throne soon after.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_II_Laskaris>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, became the
de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hon%C3%B3rio_Hermeto_Carneiro_Le%C3%A3o,_Marq…>
1968:
The Houston Cougars upset the UCLA Bruins in what became known
as the "Game of the Century", ending the Bruins' 47-game winning streak,
and establishing college basketball as a sports commodity on American
television.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_the_Century_%28college_basketball%29>
1969:
Bengali student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman was shot and
killed by East Pakistani police, an event that led to the Bangladesh
Liberation War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanullah_Asaduzzaman>
2009:
During a national financial crisis, thousands of people
protested at the Icelandic parliament in Reykjavík.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Icelandic_financial_crisis_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tropism:
1. (uncountable, biology) The turning of an organism (chiefly a plant)
or part of an organism either towards or away from a stimulus;
(countable) an instance of this.
2. (countable, by extension, chiefly virology) A capability or tendency
for a pathogen (chiefly a virus) to infect a type of cell, tissue,
organ, or host organism.
3. (countable, figurative) Of a person: an instinctive predilection or
tendency; also (generally), a liking, a preference.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tropism>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Remember we have the potential to make life better for others. In
our own small way, we can inspire, mentor, and encourage other women to
do great things. So, don’t hold back. Don’t be silent. Don’t give
in to fear. Be bold. Be adventurous. Be yourself. There will always be
people who want to tell you what you can do and what you can’t. What
is possible and what is not. I know because I have encountered those
people throughout my life. Some of them were well meaning. But all of
them wanted to limit my potential. Your potential is limitless. Your
life — the life you want — is worth fighting for. So, fight.
--Nikki Haley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikki_Haley>
Homeworld is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic
Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios (co-founder pictured) in
1999 for Microsoft Windows. The science fiction game follows exiles on a
spacecraft-constructing mothership who aim to reclaim their ancient
homeworld, encountering pirates, mercenaries, traders, and rebels along
the way. The player's fleet carries over between levels, and can travel
in a fully three-dimensional space. Alex Garden of Relic served as the
game's director, and Luke Moloney was lead programmer. Metacritic lists
Homeworld as the highest rated computer game of 1999 and the third-
highest on any platform for the year, although critical opinions were
divided on its plot and high difficulty. The game sold over 500,000
copies in its first six months, and received several awards and
nominations for best strategy game of the year and best game of the
year. Gearbox Software purchased the game rights in 2013 and released a
remastered collection in 2015.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1909:
A deed was recorded for David Hanbury to sell Island No. 2 in
northern California to his brother John for $10 ($326.00 in 2022).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_No._2>
1977:
Iva Toguri, convicted of treason for broadcasting Japanese
propaganda, was granted a full pardon by U.S. president Gerald Ford.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D%27Aquino>
1996:
A tank barge and a tug grounded on a beach in Rhode Island,
causing a spill of an estimated 828,000 U.S. gallons (3,130,000 L) of
home heating oil.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cape_oil_spill>
2006:
In the deadliest aviation accident in Slovak history, an
Antonov An-24 operated by the Slovak Air Force crashed in northern
Hungary, killing 42 of the 43 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Slovak_Air_Force_Antonov_An-24_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
odylic:
(pseudoscience, historical) Of or pertaining to the od or odyle (“a
hypothetical force or natural power, now proved not to exist, which was
supposed by Carl Reichenbach and others to inhere in certain people and
produce phenomena such as animal magnetism and mesmerism, and to be
developed by various agencies, as by chemical or vital action, heat,
light, magnets, etc.”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/odylic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Language forms a kind of wealth, which all can make use of at
once without causing any diminution of the store, and which thus admits
a complete community of enjoyment; for all, freely participating in the
general treasure, unconsciously aid in its preservation.
--August Comte
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/August_Comte>
Mark Baldwin (1863–1929) was an American right-handed professional
baseball pitcher who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball
(MLB). Born in Pittsburgh, Baldwin made his professional debut for a
Cumberland, Maryland, team in 1883. He made his MLB debut for the
Chicago White Stockings in 1887. Baldwin signed with the Columbus Solons
of the American Association in 1889, and led the league in innings
pitched (.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output
.frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0
;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub
}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-
path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hi
dden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}513+2⁄3), losses (34),
strikeouts (368), and walks (274). In 1890, he played for the Chicago
Pirates of the Players' League and was the league leader in games played
as a pitcher (58), innings pitched (492), wins (33), strikeouts (206),
complete games (53), and walks (249). He later played for the Pittsburgh
Pirates and New York Giants, then went on to a career as a physician.
In 346 career MLB games, he pitched to a 154–165 win–loss record
with 295 complete games. Baldwin set the single-season MLB wild pitches
record with 83 that still stands today.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Baldwin_%28baseball%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1951:
Construction began of the United Nations Military Cemetery, the
only United Nations cemetery in the world, in Busan, South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Memorial_Cemetery>
1956:
Navvab Safavi, an Iranian Shia cleric and the founder of the
fundamentalist group Fada'iyan-e Islam, was executed with three of his
followers for attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Hossein Ala'.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navvab_Safavi>
1969:
Thousands of Japanese police stormed the University of Tokyo
after six months of nationwide leftist university student protests and
occupation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968%E2%80%931969_Japanese_university_protests>
1983:
Thirty years after his death, the International Olympic
Committee presented commemorative medals to the family of American
athlete Jim Thorpe, who had been stripped of his gold medals for playing
semi-professional baseball before the 1912 Summer Olympics.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spate:
1. (countable) A (sudden) flood or inundation of water; specifically, a
flood in or overflow of a river or other watercourse due to heavy rain
or melting snow; (uncountable, archaic) flooding, inundation.
2. (countable) A sudden heavy downpour of rain.
3. (countable, figurative) A sudden increase or rush of something; a
flood, an outburst, an outpouring.
4. (transitive) To (suddenly) flood or inundate (a river or other
watercourse) with water.
5. (intransitive) To (suddenly) rain heavily; to pour.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If one can only see things according to one's own belief system,
one is destined to become virtually deaf, dumb, and blind. It's only
possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see
it. That's what guerrilla ontology is — breaking down this one-model
view and giving people a multi-model perspective.
--Robert Anton Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Anton_Wilson>
The music for three of the four operas written by the youthful composer
George Frideric Handel (pictured) between 1703 and 1706, when he lived
in the German city of Hamburg, is lost apart from a few orchestral
fragments. Only the first, Almira, has survived complete. He was able to
get Almira and the less successful Nero performed at Oper am
Gänsemarkt, the opera house, during the temporary absence of the
theatre's director, Reinhard Keiser. Handel's last two Hamburg operas,
Florindo and Daphne, were not produced before Handel left the city. No
music that can be definitively traced to Nero has been identified,
although some of it may have been used in later works, particularly
Agrippina, which has a similar plot and characters. Fragments of music
from Florindo and Daphne have been preserved without the vocal parts,
and some of these elements were incorporated into an orchestral suite
first recorded in 2012.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handel%27s_lost_Hamburg_operas>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1893:
Lorrin A. Thurston and the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety
led the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the government of Queen
Liliʻuokalani (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Hawaiian_Kingdom>
1945:
World War II: Australian troops advanced along the northern
part of Bougainville Island (in present-day Papua New Guinea) and began
fighting Japanese forces in the Battle of Tsimba Ridge.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tsimba_Ridge>
1948:
Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between
the Netherlands and Indonesian republicans was ratified, in an
ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve disputes arising from the
Linggadjati Agreement of 1946.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renville_Agreement>
1999:
In Little Saigon, California, a series of protests began when
the owner of a video rental store displayed an image of Ho Chi Minh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Tek_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
venomous:
1. Of an animal (specifically a snake) or parts of its body: producing
venom (“a toxin intended for defensive or offensive use”) which is
usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging; hence, of
a bite or sting: injecting venom.
2. Of or pertaining to venom.
3. (archaic) Consisting of, or containing or full of, venom or some
other poison; hence, harmful to health due to this.
4. (figurative)
5. Posing a threat; dangerous, threatening.
6. Hateful; malignant; spiteful.
7. (obsolete)
8. Of a weapon such as an arrow or dart: dosed with venom or poison;
envenomed, poisoned.
9. (figurative) Harmful, hurtful, injurious; specifically, morally or
spiritually harmful; evil, noxious, pernicious.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/venomous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All Wars are Follies, very expensive & very mischievous ones.
When will Mankind be convinc’d of this, and agree to settle their
Differences by Arbitration? Were they to do it even by the Cast of a
Dye, it would be better than by Fighting & destroying each other.
--Benjamin Franklin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin>
Adamson Tannehill (1750–1820) was an American military officer,
politician, civic leader, and farmer. Born in Maryland, Tannehill was
among the first to join the Continental Army during the American
Revolutionary War, becoming commander of the Maryland and Virginia Rifle
Regiment. He then settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was
active in the state militia, rising to the rank of major general in
1811. He also served as a brigadier general of United States Volunteers
in the War of 1812. Tannehill held several local, state, and national
offices, including one term as a Democratic-Republican in the U.S. House
of Representatives from 1813 to 1815. He was president of the Pittsburgh
branch of the Bank of the United States from 1817 until his death. He
also served on the founding boards of several civic and state
organizations. Tannehill died in 1820 and was buried at his Grove Hill
home outside Pittsburgh. He was later reinterred in Allegheny Cemetery
(gravestone pictured).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamson_Tannehill>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
A pumping engine at a colliery in New Hartley, England, broke
and fell down the shaft, trapping miners below and resulting in 204
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartley_Colliery_disaster>
1942:
World War II: During the Battle of Bataan, U.S. Army sergeant
Jose Calugas organized a squad of volunteers to man an artillery
position under heavy fire, which later earned him the Medal of Honor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Calugas>
1964:
The musical Hello, Dolly! opened at the St. James Theatre on
Broadway, and went on to win ten Tony Awards, a record that stood for 37
years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_Dolly!_%28musical%29>
2018:
In Mrauk U, Myanmar, police fired into a crowd protesting the
ban of an event to mark the anniversary of the end of the Kingdom of
Mrauk U, resulting in seven deaths and twelve injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrauk_U_riot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
backstory:
1. The previous experiences and life of a person, specifically
(narratology, especially in film, television) a character in a dramatic
work.
2. (chiefly espionage, law enforcement) A fictitious account of a
person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives.
[...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/backstory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Human will can be effective only at the margin of events. Freedom
is not absolute either for individuals or for nations and much is
determined by forces beyond their control, by events of the past, by
accident, or by chance. At any given moment in time the margin of
freedom left them may seem so small as to make it hardly worthwhile to
exercise their will one way or the other. But the narrow margin of today
becomes the foundation of the broader possibility for tomorrow. Over
time the margin of freedom — the impact of will upon the possible —
expands geometrically. The decision of today makes possible, or
forecloses, ten decisions of tomorrow. The accumulated wisdom and
experience of the past do not always give unambiguous precedents for
decisions and actions at the relevant margin of freedom of the present.
A new integration of general purpose with the concrete possibilities of
the present may then become necessary. The most difficult issues of
foreign policy and ethics arise when changes in degree, at some point,
move so far as to become changes in kind, and dictate fundamental
departures from past policy and direction.
--Paul Nitze
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Nitze>
WWJ-TV (channel 62) is a television station broadcasting in Detroit,
Michigan, United States. It is owned and operated by the CBS News and
Stations group, with studios in the suburb of Southfield. Channel 62 was
founded as WGPR-TV in 1975 by William V. Banks as the first Black-owned
television station in the continental United States. It produced its own
shows and helped launch the careers of Black television hosts and
executives such as Pat Harvey, Shaun Robinson, Sharon Dahlonega Bush,
and Amyre Makupson. In 1994, when a major affiliation switch threatened
to leave CBS without an affiliate station in Detroit, the network moved
to buy WGPR-TV and dropped the existing programming in favor of CBS and
syndicated programs, later changing the call letters to WWJ-TV. The
station's original studios (pictured) are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places and preserved as a museum that opened on
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2017. A full news department
began operation in January 2023.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWJ-TV>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1934:
At least 10,700 people died when an earthquake registering
8.0 Mw struck Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_Nepal%E2%80%93India_earthquake>
1974:
American serial killer Dennis Rader bound, tortured, and killed
his first four victims, earning him the nickname "BTK killer".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader>
1991:
The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted by letters
patent; the first Commonwealth realm with a separate Victoria Cross
award in its honours system.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross_for_Australia>
2009:
US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of Canada geese during
its climb out from New York City and made an emergency landing in the
Hudson River (featured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ooch:
1. (transitive)
2. (also reflexive) To move or slide (oneself or someone, or something)
by a small amount.
3. (also reflexive, figurative) To cause (oneself or someone, or
something) to change or progress by a small amount or in small
increments.
4. (figurative) To force (someone or something) to move without
noticeable disruption or opposition; to nudge.
5. (intransitive)
6. To move or slide by a small amount; to scooch, to scoot.
7. To move around in a restricted or small space; to squeeze, to squirm.
8. (figurative) To change or progress by a small amount or in small
increments; to nudge.
9. (figurative) To force to move without noticeable disruption or
opposition.
10. (sailing) To propel a boat or sailboard by rocking one's body back
and forth.
11. A small amount by which something has changed or moved.
12. (figurative) A small change or small amount of progress.
13. (sailing) An act of propelling a boat or sailboard forward by
rocking one's body. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ooch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God is not interested merely in freeing black men and brown men
and yellow men, but God is interested in freeing the whole human race.
We must work with determination to create a society, not where black men
are superior and other men are inferior and vice versa, but a society in
which all men will live together as brothers and respect the dignity and
worth of human personality.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.>
Fleetwood Park was a 19th-century American harness racing track in the
Bronx, New York City. The races were a popular form of entertainment,
drawing crowds as large as 10,000. The one-mile (1.6 km) course
described an unusual shape, with four turns in one direction and one in
the other. For the last five years of operation, Fleetwood was part of
trotting's Grand Circuit, one travel guide calling it "the most famous
trotting track in the country". The track operated under several
managements between 1870 and 1898, most notably the New York Driving
Club, consisting of many wealthy New York businessmen, including members
of the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller families as well as former US
president Ulysses S. Grant and Robert Bonner, owner of the New York
Ledger. Economic pressures forced the track to close in 1898, and
within two years the property was being subdivided into residential
building lots. The meandering route of modern 167th Street runs along a
portion of the old racecourse.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Park_Racetrack>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1814:
Sweden and Denmark–Norway signed the Treaty of Kiel, whereby
Frederick VI of Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden in return for the
Swedish holdings in Pomerania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Kiel>
1969:
A major fire and series of explosions aboard the U.S. Navy
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise killed 28 sailors, injured 314 others,
and destroyed 15 aircraft.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_fire>
1970:
The self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria
surrendered to the federal government less than three years after
declaring independence, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War>
2018:
In the "Minneapolis Miracle", American football player Stefon
Diggs caught a 61-yard touchdown pass that secured the Minnesota
Vikings' victory in the National Football Conference divisional playoff
game.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Miracle>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
siglum:
1. A letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word;
specifically, one used in a modern literary work to refer to an early
version of a text.
2. (figurative) A thing which represents something else; a sign, a
symbol.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/siglum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The awareness that we are all human beings together has become
lost in war and through politics. We have reached the point of regarding
each other only as members of a people either allied with us or against
us and our approach; prejudice, sympathy, or antipathy are all
conditioned on that. Now we must rediscover the fact that we — all
together — are human beings, and that we must strive to concede to
each other what moral capacity we have.
--Albert Schweitzer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer>
Carucage was a medieval English land tax based on the size of the
taxpayer's estate. It was levied six times: by Richard I in 1194 and
1198, John in 1200, and Henry III in 1217, 1220, and 1224. The taxable
value of an estate was initially assessed from the Domesday Book survey,
but other methods were later employed, such as valuations based on the
sworn testimony of neighbours or the number of plough-teams (example
depicted) the taxpayer used. Carucage never raised as much as other
taxes, but it helped fund the ransom for Richard's release in 1194, the
tax John paid to Philip II of France on land he inherited in that
country, and the cost of Henry III's military campaigns in England and
continental Europe. The tax was an attempt to secure new sources of
revenue when new demands were being made on royal finances. Unlike the
older danegeld tax, carucage was an experiment in revenue collection and
only levied for specific purposes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carucage>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1953:
Nine Moscow doctors were accused of a plot to poison members of
the Soviet political and military leadership.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctors%27_plot>
1968:
American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At
Folsom Prison live at Folsom Prison in California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Folsom_Prison>
1972:
Ghanaian military officer Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a coup
to overthrow Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward
Akufo-Addo.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Kutu_Acheampong>
2000:
Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive
officer of Microsoft.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ascendant:
1. Moving upward; ascending, rising.
2. (figurative) Controlling, dominant, surpassing.
3. (astronomy) Rising towards the zenith.
4. (astrology) In an eastern direction rising just above the horizon.
5. (botany, physiology) Of a part of an organism: synonym of ascending
(“leading or sloping upwards”)
6. (genealogy, archaic or obsolete) Synonym of ascending (“of or
pertaining to one's ancestors”)
7. (astrology, also figurative) The degree of the zodiac or point of the
ecliptic which rises in an eastern direction above the horizon at a
particular moment (especially the moment of a person's birth), which is
supposed to have a commanding influence on a person's fortune and life;
a horoscope.
8. (by extension)
9. Chiefly in in the ascendant: an act of ascending or rising.
10. (figurative) Synonym of ascendancy (“commanding influence; dominant
control; superiority, supremacy”)
11. (genealogy) An ancestor.
12. (obsolete)
13. A person who ascends or goes up; specifically (usually followed by
to), a person who ascends to a throne or assumes some other position of
power.
14. Something which is higher than the things around it; a peak, a
summit; specifically (typography), synonym of ascender (“the portion of
a lowercase letter that extends above the midline”)
15. Something which leads or slopes upwards, such as a flight of stairs
or an upward incline.
16. (rare) A person who supports a policy of ecclesiastical or national
supremacy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ascendant>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Don't judge a man by the tales of others.
--G. I. Gurdjieff
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/G._I._Gurdjieff>
SMS Prinz Adalbert was an armored cruiser built in the early 1900s for
the German Kaiserliche Marine, and was named after Prince Adalbert of
Prussia, the former commander-in-chief of the Prussian Navy. Her class
included a second ship, Friedrich Carl. Prinz Adalbert was built at the
Imperial Dockyard in Kiel. Her keel was laid in April 1900 and she was
commissioned on 12 January 1904. She served as a gunnery training ship
and made several visits to foreign countries. After the outbreak of
World War I in July 1914 she served in the Baltic Sea, and after her
sister ship was sunk in November 1914, she became the flagship of a
cruiser squadron in the Baltic, conducting operations against Russian
forces. She was torpedoed twice by British submarines in 1915. On the
second occasion she sank quickly with heavy loss of life; from a crew of
675 men, only 3 were rescued. This was the worst German naval disaster
in the Baltic during the war. (This article is part of a featured
topic: Armored cruisers of Germany.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Armored_cruisers_of…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1879:
Anglo-Zulu War: Natal Native Contingent and British troops
defeated Zulu forces in the Action at Sihayo's Kraal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_at_Sihayo%27s_Kraal>
1899:
During a storm, the crew of Lynmouth Lifeboat Station
transported their 10-ton lifeboat 15 mi (24 km) overland in order to
rescue a damaged schooner.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynmouth_Lifeboat_Station>
1969:
British rock band Led Zeppelin released their first album, Led
Zeppelin, in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin_%28album%29>
2007:
Comet McNaught reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet
in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
psychrometry:
(meteorology, thermodynamics) Synonym of psychrometrics (“the
measurement or study of the physical and thermodynamic properties of the
atmosphere and its water vapour”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/psychrometry>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony, in the
pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and
mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The
prayers of those that are pure in mind and body will be answered by
Shiva, and those that are impure and yet try to teach religion to others
will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal
worship; but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without
them, external worship would be of no avail.
--Swami Vivekananda
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda>
The rock parrot (Neophema petrophila) is a species of grass parrot
native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small
parrot .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output
.frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0
;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub
}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-
path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hi
dden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}22 to 24 cm (8+3⁄4 to
9+1⁄2 in) long and weighing 50 to 60 g (1+3⁄4 to 2 oz) with
predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its
head is olive with light blue forecheeks and lores, and a dark blue
frontal band line across the crown with lighter blue above and below.
The sexes are similar in appearance, although the female tends to have a
duller frontal band and less blue on the face. The preferred habitats
are rocky islands and coastal dune areas from Lake Alexandrina in
southeastern South Australia westwards across coastal South and Western
Australia to Shark Bay. Unlike other grass parrots, it nests in burrows
or rocky crevices mostly on offshore islands such as Rottnest Island.
Seeds of grasses and succulent plants form the bulk of its diet. The
species is not threatened, but it has suffered in the face of feral
mammals.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_parrot>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1693:
The most powerful earthquake recorded in Italy, registering
7.4 Mw, struck the island of Sicily.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1693_Sicily_earthquake>
1914:
The Karluk, the flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition,
sank after being crushed by ice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_voyage_of_the_Karluk>
1964:
In a landmark report (cover pictured), U.S. surgeon general
Luther Terry issued a warning that tobacco smoking may be hazardous to
health, concluding that it has a causative role in lung cancer, chronic
bronchitis, and other illnesses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_and_Health>
2003:
After Chicago police detective Jon Burge was discovered to have
forced confessions from more than 200 suspects, the governor of Illinois
commuted the death sentences of 167 prisoners and pardoned four others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Burge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ornery:
1. (originally and chiefly US, especially Appalachia, informal)
Disagreeable, stubborn, and troublesome to deal with; cantankerous.
2. (Southern US, humorous, informal) Troublesome to deal with in a good
way; mischievous, prankish, teasing.
3. (obsolete) Ordinary, commonplace; hence, inferior, plain-looking,
unpleasant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ornery>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Faith is something that comes out of the soul. It is not an
information that is absorbed but an attitude, existing prior to the
formulation of any creed.
--Abraham Joshua Heschel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Joshua_Heschel>