Takin' It Back is the fifth major-label studio album by American singer-
songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released it on October 21,
2022. Trainor worked with producers including Federico Vindver and Gian
Stone and featured artists like Teddy Swims and Natti Natasha. Inspired
by the sound of her album Title (2015) after its title track went viral
on TikTok, Takin' It Back is a doo-wop and bubblegum-pop album about
motherhood and self-acceptance. Trainor promoted the latter with
televised performances and two singles, "Bad for Me" and "Made You
Look". The latter peaked at number 11 in the US and reached the top 10
in several other countries. Reviewers thought Takin' It Back showcased
Trainor's maturity, growth, and musicality, but they were divided on
whether it was a progression from her earlier work. The album debuted at
number 16 on the US Billboard 200. Its deluxe edition was supported by
the single "Mother". (This article is part of two featured topics:
Takin' It Back and Meghan Trainor albums.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Meghan_Trainor_albu…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
The first and second of three treaties were signed near
Medicine Lodge, Kansas, between the United States federal government and
several Native American tribes in the Great Plains, requiring them to
relocate to areas in present-day western Oklahoma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Lodge_Treaty>
1941:
World War II: German soldiers massacred nearly 2,800 Serbs in
Kragujevac in reprisal for insurgent attacks in the district of Gornji
Milanovac.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kragujevac_massacre>
1968:
At the height of the Japanese university protests, protesters
occupied Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and clashed violently with police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_riot>
1994:
In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people were killed and 17 others
injured when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seongsu_Bridge_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apple:
1. A common, firm, round fruit produced by a tree of the genus Malus.
2. The fruit of the tree Malus domestica, chiefly with a green, red, or
yellow skin, cultivated in temperate climates for cidermaking, cooking,
and eating.
3. Often with a qualifying word: any fruit or vegetable, or any other
thing (such as a cone or gall) produced by a plant, especially if from a
tree and similar to the fruit of Malus domestica (sense 1.1).
4. Something which resembles the fruit of Malus domestica (sense 1.1) in
shape (such as a ball, breast, or globe) or colour.
5. Short for Adam's apple (“the lump in the throat, usually more
noticeable in men than in women; the laryngeal prominence”).
6. Short for apple-green (“a bright green colour with a light tint of
yellow, like that of a Granny Smith apple”). apple:
7. (historical) Short for apple of the eye (“the pupil, or pupil and
iris, of the eye, originally believed to be spherical; also, the
eyeball”).
8. (informal) The round, fleshy part of a cheek between the eye and the
corner of the mouth when a person is smiling.
9. (geometry) The surface of revolution of a circular arc of an angle
greater than 180° rotated about the straight line passing through the
arc's two endpoints.
10. (smoking) In full apple bowl: a round bowl of a tobacco pipe; also,
a tobacco pipe with such a bowl.
11. (obsolete, baseball, slang) In full old apple: a baseball.
12. (Christianity) According to postbiblical Christian tradition, the
fruit of the tree of knowledge which was eaten by Adam and Eve despite
God commanding them not to do so; the forbidden fruit.
13. (obsolete, botany) Synonym of pome (“a type of fruit in which the
often edible flesh arises from the swollen base of the flower and not
from the carpels”)
14.
15. A tree of the genus Malus; especially Malus domestica which is
cultivated for its edible fruit; the apple tree.
16. Synonym of applewood (“the wood of the apple tree”) [...]
17. (transitive) To make (something) appear like an apple (noun sense
1.1).
18. (intransitive)
19. To become like an apple.
20. (UK, dialectal, rare) To collect fir-cones.
21. (obsolete except UK, dialectal) Of a flower bud or vegetable
(especially a root vegetable): to grow into the shape of an apple.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apple>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
True myth may serve for thousands of years as an inexhaustible
source of intellectual speculation, religious joy, ethical inquiry, and
artistic renewal. The real mystery is not destroyed by reason. The fake
one is. You look at it and it vanishes. You look at the Blond Hero —
really look — and he turns into a gerbil. But you look at Apollo, and
he looks back at you. The poet Rilke looked at a statue of Apollo about
fifty years ago, and Apollo spoke to him. “You must change your
life,” he said. When true myth rises into consciousness, that is
always its message. You must change your life.
--Ursula K. Le Guin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin>
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by
Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee and designed by
artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in 1962
and received his own title in 1968. Shortly after his creation, Iron Man
became a founding member of the superhero team the Avengers, with Thor,
Ant-Man, the Wasp and the Hulk. Iron Man stories have been published
consistently since the character's creation. Iron Man is the superhero
persona of Tony Stark, a businessman and engineer who runs the weapons
manufacturing company Stark Industries. When Stark was captured in a war
zone and sustained a severe heart wound, he built his Iron Man armor and
escaped his captors. Iron Man's suits grant him superhuman strength,
flight, energy projection and other abilities. Robert Downey Jr.
(pictured) portrayed Tony Stark from 2008 to 2019. His portrayal
popularized the character, making Iron Man one of Marvel's most
recognizable superheroes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1951:
African-American college football player Johnny Bright was the
victim of an on-field assault, eventually leading to changes in NCAA
football rules that mandated the use of more protective helmets with
face guards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Bright_incident>
1967:
Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed an unidentified
subject, which they claimed was Bigfoot, at Six Rivers National Forest
in California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterson%E2%80%93Gimlin_film>
1984:
The Spanish trawler Sonia sank in British waters after a five-
hour chase by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel Aisling, during
which almost 600 shots were fired.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Spanish_trawler_Sonia>
1991:
An earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing
at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Uttarkashi_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
queen cake:
(cooking, dated) A soft, muffin-sized, often heart-shaped cake,
particularly popular in the 18th century, containing currants and
flavoured with mace and sometimes lemons or oranges, which may be topped
with chocolate or shredded coconut.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/queen_cake>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is found again. What? Eternity. It is the sea Gone with the
sun.
--Arthur Rimbaud
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud>
"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga (pictured) from her
third extended play, The Fame Monster (2009). Gaga wrote and produced
the song with RedOne. It is an electropop and dance-pop song with a
spoken bridge. The lyrics, which describe Gaga's attraction to unhealthy
romantic relationships, were drawn from the paranoia she experienced
while on tour. "Bad Romance" topped charts in more than 20 countries and
sold 12 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling
singles of all time. It won two Grammy Awards and was named one of
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Its music video received
critical praise, won various accolades (including seven MTV Video Music
Awards) and was briefly the most-viewed video on YouTube in 2010. Gaga
has performed "Bad Romance" on multiple occasions, including at the
Super Bowl LI halftime show in 2017.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Romance>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1752:
The Pennsylvania Gazette published a statement by Benjamin
Franklin describing a kite experiment (depicted) to determine the
electrical nature of lightning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_experiment>
1914:
First World War: Allied forces began engaging German troops at
the First Battle of Ypres.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Ypres>
1944:
The Guatemalan Revolution began with a small group of army
officers led by Francisco Javier Arana and Jacobo Árbenz launching a
coup against dictator Jorge Ubico.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalan_Revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
knap:
1. (transitive)
2. To break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to
fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
3. (specifically, especially archaeology) To break away flakes from (a
brittle material which fractures conchoidally (“with planar concentric
curves”), usually a mineral such as chert, flint, or obsidian), often to
form a tool with a sharp edge or point.
4. To strike (something) sharply; to knock, to rap.
5. Followed by off: to break (something) away from another thing by
striking or tapping sharply.
6. (figurative) To say (something) crisply or sharply.
7. (intransitive)
8. To break or fracture suddenly; to snap.
9. To make a cracking or snapping sound; to crack, to snap.
10. To strike sharply.
11. (figurative)
12. To speak crisply or sharply.
13. (gambling, chiefly dice games, obsolete) To cheat while gambling,
especially at a dice game.
14. (chiefly archaic or obsolete except UK, dialectal)
15. A sudden, sharp blow, knock, or slap; a rap, a whack.
16. The sound made by such a blow, knock, or slap.
17. (agriculture) Synonym of chattering damsel (“a component of a
traditional mill which creates a vibratory motion to impel portions of
grain toward the millstone; a clapper”)
18. (figurative, gambling, chiefly dice games, obsolete) A method of
cheating at a dice game. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knap>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) Awoke one night from a
deep dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, An Angel writing in a book of
gold: Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the Presence
in the room he said, "What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord Answered, "The names of those
who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerily still; and said,
"I pray thee, then, Write me as one who loves his fellow men." The
Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again with a great
wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!
--Leigh Hunt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leigh_Hunt>
The Galileo project was an American robotic space program that studied
Jupiter and its moons (including Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto), as
well as several other Solar System bodies. Named after the Italian
astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Galileo spacecraft consisted of an
orbiter and an atmospheric entry probe. It was launched in 1989 by the
Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission. Despite suffering major
antenna problems, Galileo achieved the first asteroid flyby (of
951 Gaspra), discovered the first asteroid moon (Dactyl, around
243 Ida), and observed Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9's collision with
Jupiter. After gravity-assisted flybys of Venus and Earth, Galileo
became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It then launched the first
probe to directly measure Jupiter's atmosphere. In 2003, the mission was
terminated by sending the orbiter into Jupiter's atmosphere to eliminate
the possibility of contaminating the Jovian moons with terrestrial
bacteria.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_project>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1748:
The War of the Austrian Succession ended with the signing of
the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Aix-la-Chapelle_%281748%29>
1873:
Renton defeated Kilmarnock 2–0 in the opening match of the
inaugural Scottish Cup.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1873%E2%80%9374_Scottish_Cup>
1968:
At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American athlete Bob
Beamon achieved a distance of 8.90 m (29.2 ft) in the long jump event,
setting a world record that stood for 23 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beamon>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
superplural:
(grammar, metaphysics (ontology), also attributive) A term, word, etc.,
that describes a plurality greater than another plural.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/superplural>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
War is pain, and hate is woe. Come in thy lowest form of love,
and I will kneel and kiss thee; but at thy highest, come as mere
supernal power; and though thou launchest navies of full-freighted
worlds, there's that in here that still remains indifferent. Oh, thou
clear spirit, of thy fire thou madest me, and like a true child of fire,
I breathe it back to thee.
--Moby-Dick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Moby-Dick>
Changi Airport MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
station in Changi, Singapore. The station directly connects to
Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of Changi Airport and serves other airport
amenities. Glass atrium walls at the ends of the station support an
illuminated bridge that spans the island platform while allowing maximum
sunlight into the station. A rail connection to the airport had been
planned in the 1980s but these plans were shelved due to the low
financial viability of such a branch. With increased air traffic to
Changi Airport and the proposal of Terminal 3 in 1994, the plans were
revived, and finalised in 1996. Construction for the line began in 1998.
The station opened on 8 February 2002 with lower passenger demand than
expected, but it continues to provide an alternative transport option to
the airport. In May 2019 it was announced that the station would be
incorporated into the Thomson–East Coast Line by 2040 as it extends to
the airport's Terminal 5.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Airport_MRT_station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: British general John Burgoyne's
Saratoga campaign ended with his surrender to the Americans, later
convincing France to enter the war in alliance with the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_campaign>
1814:
A wooden beer-fermenting vat in London burst, destroying a
second vat and causing a large flood of at least 128,000 imperial
gallons (580,000 l; 154,000 US gal) of porter that killed eight
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Beer_Flood>
1914:
Off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel, a British naval
squadron sank the German 7th Half Flotilla of torpedo boats in the
Battle off Texel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Texel>
1964:
Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurated the artificial Lake
Burley Griffin in the centre of the Australian capital Canberra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Burley_Griffin>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
genitive:
1. (archaic) Of or pertaining to the generation of offspring;
generative, procreative, reproductive.
2. (grammar)
3. Of a grammatical case: in an inflected language (such as Greek or
Latin), expressing that a thing denoted by a word is related to a thing
denoted by another word as its origin or possessor; and in an
uninflected language (such as English), expressing origin or possession;
possessive.
4. Of, pertaining to, or used in the genitive case.
5. (countable, uncountable) Short for genitive case (“a grammatical case
used to express a relationship of origin or possession”).
6. (countable) A word inflected in the genitive case, and which thus
indicates origin or possession.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genitive>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I don't know a critic who penetrates the center of anything.
--Arthur Miller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller>
New York Dolls is the debut album by the American hard rock band New
York Dolls (pictured). It was released in 1973 by Mercury Records. In
the years leading up to the album, the Dolls had developed a local
fanbase by playing regularly in lower Manhattan after forming in 1971.
Most music producers and record companies were reluctant to work with
them because of their onstage cross-dressing and blatant vulgarity. The
album – a mix of carefree rock and roll, influences from Brill
Building pop, and campy sensibilities – explores themes of urban
youth, teen alienation, adolescent romance, and authenticity, as
rendered in lead singer David Johansen's colloquial and ambiguous
lyrics. New York Dolls was met with widespread critical acclaim but sold
poorly and polarized listeners. Despite its commercial failure, New York
Dolls was an influential precursor to the 1970s punk rock movement. It
has been named in various publications as one of the best debut records
in rock music.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Dolls_%28album%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1834:
Most of the Palace of Westminster in London was destroyed in a
fire caused by the burning of wooden tally sticks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Parliament>
1916:
Margaret Sanger established the United States' first family
planning clinic in Brooklyn, New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger>
1943:
The Holocaust: The Gestapo conducted a raid on the Roman
Ghetto, capturing 1,259 members of the Jewish community, most of whom
were sent to Auschwitz.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_the_Roman_Ghetto>
2013:
In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301
crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people
aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_Airlines_Flight_301>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cryptolect:
(linguistics) A secretive language form used by a subculture; an arcane
cant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cryptolect>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Question not, but live and labour Till yon goal be won, Helping
every feeble neighbour, Seeking help from none; Life is mostly
froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another's
trouble, Courage in your own.
--Adam Lindsay Gordon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adam_Lindsay_Gordon>
"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is the third episode of the third series of
the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9.
Written by the programme's creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece
Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales, it first aired on
28 February 2017 on BBC Two. It stars Alexandra Roach as Nina, a young
woman seeking answers to the Varsity cryptic crossword, Pemberton as
Professor Squires, who sets the crossword using the pseudonym Sphinx,
and Shearsmith as Dr Tyler. The same crossword was published in The
Guardian on the day the episode aired, and the episode is filled with
references to the puzzle. Influences for the episode include Anthony
Shaffer's 1970 play Sleuth, the works of Anton Chekhov, and the 1989
film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Critics lauded the
writing and the precise attention to detail in the production. Roach's
performance was praised, as was the direction of Morales.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riddle_of_the_Sphinx_%28Inside_No._9%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1773:
French astronomer Charles Messier discovered the Whirlpool
Galaxy, an interacting, grand design spiral galaxy located an estimated
31 million light-years away.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy>
1917:
At least 30,000 people witnessed the Miracle of the Sun in the
fields of Cova da Iria near Fátima, Portugal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Sun>
1961:
Newly elected Burundian prime minister Louis Rwagasore was
assassinated by his political rivals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rwagasore>
2013:
During the Hindu festival of Navaratri at a temple in Madhya
Pradesh, India, rumours about an impending bridge collapse caused a
stampede that resulted in 115 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Madhya_Pradesh_stampede>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
overegg:
(transitive, idiomatic, originally UK, regional) Chiefly in over-egg the
pudding: to spoil (something) by exaggerating it, or an aspect of it; to
overdo.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overegg>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
For every idealistic peacemaker willing to renounce his self-
defence in favour of a weapons-free world, there is at least one
warmaker anxious to exploit the other's good intentions.
--Margaret Thatcher
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher>
On 12 October 1984 an assassination attempt was made by the Provisional
Irish Republican Army (IRA) on members of the British government,
including the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Five people were killed
and more than thirty injured; Thatcher was unharmed. The bombing was a
key moment in the Troubles, the conflict in Northern Ireland between
unionists and republicans, which took place in the late 20th century.
The IRA decided to assassinate Thatcher during the 1981 hunger strike.
Three weeks before the conference, the IRA member Patrick Magee planted
a long-delay time bomb in the Grand Brighton Hotel, which the IRA knew
would be occupied by Thatcher. The explosion dislodged a hotel chimney
stack, which crashed through several floors (damage pictured). Thatcher
decided to continue the conference as normal, which reopened six and a
half hours after the explosion. A partial palm print was found on
Magee's room registration card and after an eight-month investigation he
was sent to prison for eight life sentences.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_hotel_bombing>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1890:
The Uddevalla Suffrage Association was founded in Uddevalla,
Sweden, with the purpose of bringing about universal suffrage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uddevalla_Suffrage_Association>
1928:
The iron lung (example pictured), a type of medical ventilator,
was used for the first time at the Boston Children's Hospital to treat
an eight-year-old girl paralyzed by polio.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_lung>
1933:
The United States Department of Justice acquired a military
prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to be transformed into
the last-resort Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary>
2013:
Twelve people were killed in an apartment-building collapse in
Medellín, leading to new construction laws being passed in Colombia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_of_the_Space_Building>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lass:
1. A girl; also (by extension), a young woman.
2. (specifically) A female member of the Salvation Army; a hallelujah
lass.
3. (especially Geordie, Wearside) A sweetheart.
4. (Northern England, Scotland) A female servant; a maid, a maidservant.
5. (Scotland, familiar) A term of address for a woman, or a female
animal.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lass>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel
Peace Prize for 2024 to the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo. This
grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, is receiving the Peace Prize for its
efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating
through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.
--Norwegian Nobel Committee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norwegian_Nobel_Committee>
Tomorrow Speculative Fiction was a science fiction magazine edited by
Algis Budrys (pictured), published in print and online in the US from
1992 to 1999. It was launched by Pulphouse Publishing, but cash flow
problems led Budrys to buy the magazine after the first issue and
publish it himself. There were 24 issues as a print magazine from 1993
to 1997, mostly on a bimonthly schedule. The magazine lost money, and in
1997 Budrys moved to online publishing, rebranding the magazine as
tomorrowsf. Readership grew while the magazine was free on the web, but
fell when Budrys began charging for subscriptions. In 1998 Budrys
stopped acquiring new fiction, only publishing reprints of his own
stories, and in 1999 he shut the magazine down. Tomorrow published many
new writers, though few of them went on to successful careers. Well-
known authors who appeared in the magazine included Gene Wolfe, Ursula
K. Le Guin, and Harlan Ellison. Tomorrow was a finalist for the Hugo
Award for Best Semiprozine in 1994 and 1995.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Speculative_Fiction>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1968:
Apollo 7, the first manned mission of NASA's Apollo program,
and the first three-man American space mission, launched from Complex 34
in Cape Kennedy, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7>
1987:
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Indian Peace Keeping Force began
Operation Pawan to take control of Jaffna from the Tamil Tigers and
enforce their disarmament as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pawan>
2002:
A bomb exploded in the Myyrmanni shopping center in Helsinki,
Finland, (aftermath pictured) resulting in 7 deaths and 159 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myyrmanni_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Heinz 57:
1. (countable) A thing comprising parts from many different sources; a
complete mix; a hodgepodge, a mishmash.
2. An animal (chiefly a dog) of mixed breed or uncertain origin; a
mongrel, a mutt.
3. (sometimes derogatory) A person of mixed ethnic or racial ancestry.
4. (uncountable, poker) A variety of draw poker in which the five and
seven playing cards are wild cards.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Heinz_57>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must know what we think and speak out, even at the risk of
unpopularity. In the final analysis, a democratic government represents
the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It
cannot be better than they are. … In the long run there is no more
exhilarating experience than to determine one's position, state it
bravely and then act boldly.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt>
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee (pictured) published in
1960 and considered a classic of modern American fiction. The novel is
loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors,
as well as an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she
was 10 years old. The narrator's father, Atticus Finch, has served as a
moral hero for many readers, and a model of integrity for lawyers. As a
Southern Gothic novel and a bildungsroman, the primary themes of To Kill
a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence,
but scholars have also noted that Lee addresses the issues of class
tensions, courage and compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep
South. The book, which won a Pulitzer Prize, is widely taught in schools
in English-speaking countries with lessons that emphasize tolerance and
decry prejudice. Despite its themes, To Kill a Mockingbird has been the
target of various campaigns to have it removed from public classrooms.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1933:
In the first proven act of sabotage in the history of
commercial aviation, a Boeing 247 operated by United Airlines exploded
in mid-air near Chesterton, Indiana, killing all seven people aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Air_Lines_Flight_23>
1963:
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all test
detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted underground,
went into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty>
1973:
U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged
with tax evasion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew>
1992:
After 20 years of construction, Vidyasagar Setu, the longest
cable-stayed bridge in India, opened, joining Kolkata and Howrah.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyasagar_Setu>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
breakdown:
1. (countable) A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in
nature.
2. (physics, uncountable) The sudden (and usually damaging) transition
of an electrical insulator to a conductor when subjected to a
sufficiently strong voltage, caused by the partial or complete
ionization of the insulator; (countable) an instance of this; also, the
minimum voltage at which this occurs.
3. (countable) Something, such as a vehicle, that has experienced a
mechanical failure.
4. (uncountable) Separation of a thing into components; decomposition,
fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.
5. (uncountable) Detailed categorization, or itemization or listing, of
the components of a thing; (countable) an instance of this.
6. (chemistry, uncountable) Breaking of chemical bonds within a compound
to produce simpler compounds or elements; (countable) an instance of
this.
7. (film, television, countable) A detailed description of a forthcoming
project or screenplay which identifies all the required elements, such
as the cast, costumes, equipment, props, and special effects.
8. (figurative)
9. (countable) A failure in a relationship; a failure or loss of
organization in a system.
10. (uncountable) (Sudden) worsening of physical health or (more
commonly) mental stability, resulting in an inability to carry on normal
activities; (countable) an instance of this.
11. (veterinary medicine, uncountable) Injury to a horse's leg causing
lameness; (countable) an instance of this.
12. (originally and chiefly New Zealand, countable, chiefly attributive)
An act of splitting logs of wood using a large saw in a sawmill; also,
the saw used; or (rare) the building in which the process is carried
out.
13. (music, countable)
14. A part of a piece of music or a song which differs from the other
parts in that it features improvisation or is stripped down (for
example, played by fewer instruments or a solo performer).
15. Synonym of percussion break (“a percussion-focused segment of a
song, chosen by a hip-hop DJ to manipulate through cutting, mixing, and
other techniques in order to create rhythmic music”)
16. (chiefly Southern US, countable)
17. (dance, dated) A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in
competitively by a number of individuals or pairs in succession, common
among African-Americans from the Southern United States; also, a lively
event, chiefly in a rural setting, at which such dancing is done; a
hoedown, a shindig.
18. (music) A piece of music played for such a dance, especially a rapid
bluegrass tune featuring a five-string banjo.
19. (obsolete, countable) An act of a structure or other thing breaking
and collapsing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/breakdown>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too
proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its leaves are a little
yellow, its tone mellower, its colours richer, and it is tinged a little
with sorrow and a premonition of death. Its golden richness speaks not
of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer, but of the
mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the
limitations of life and is content. From a knowledge of those
limitations and its richness of experience emerges a symphony of
colours, richer than all, its green speaking of life and strength, its
orange speaking of golden content and its purple of resignation and
death.
--Lin Yutang
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lin_Yutang>