The battle of Morlaix was fought in Brittany on 30 September 1342
between an Anglo-Breton army under William, Earl of Northampton, and a
far larger Franco-Breton force led by Charles of Blois (pictured).
England and France, fighting the Hundred Years' War since 1337, had each
sided with a faction in the Breton Civil War. The English had prepared a
defensive position and when the first of three French divisions advanced
it was shot to pieces by English archers using longbows. The second
division, of men-at-arms, attacked but their charge was halted when they
fell into a camouflaged ditch. Presented with a large, close-range
target the English archers inflicted many casualties. The English then
withdrew into a wood to their rear, which the French besieged, possibly
for several days, before Northampton broke out with a night attack. This
was the first major land battle of the Hundred Years' War and the
tactics used foreshadowed those of both the French and the English for
the rest of the 1340s.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Morlaix>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1955:
American film actor James Dean suffered fatal injuries in a
head-on car accident near Cholame, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_James_Dean>
1975:
The Boeing AH-64 Apache (example pictured), the primary attack
helicopter for a number of countries, made its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_AH-64_Apache>
2005:
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published controversial
editorial cartoons depicting Muhammad, sparking protests across the
Islamic world by many who viewed them as Islamophobic and blasphemous.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
indemn:
(rare) Without loss or injury.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/indemn>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Once you label a people "illegal", that is exactly what the Nazis
did to Jews. You do not label a people "illegal." They have committed an
illegal act. They are immigrants who crossed illegally. They are
immigrants who crossed without papers. They are immigrants who crossed
without permission. They are living in this country without permission.
But they are not an illegal people.
--Elie Wiesel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel>
Casey Stengel (July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was the manager
of the championship New York Yankees teams of the 1950s and of the New
York Mets of the early 1960s. An outfielder for the 1912 Brooklyn
Dodgers, he played on their 1916 National League championship team, then
for the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Giants and the Boston
Braves. In 1925, he began a career as a manager, with mostly poor
finishes for the next 20 years. In 1948, after he won the PCL title with
the Oakland Oaks, the Yankees hired him. In his twelve seasons, they won
ten pennants and seven World Series, including a record-setting five in
a row (1949–1953), but Stengel was fired after losing the 1960 World
Series. The Mets were an expansion team when they hired him in late
1961. They finished last all four seasons with Stengel, and he retired
in 1965. Remembered as one of the great characters in baseball history,
and known for his humorous sayings, Stengel was elected to the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1966.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Stengel>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1955:
The first Indonesian legislative election resulted in an
unexpectedly poor result for the Masyumi Party of incumbent prime
minister Burhanuddin Harahap (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burhanuddin_Harahap>
1990:
The Lockheed YF-22, the prototype for the F-22 Raptor, made its
first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_YF-22>
2005:
John Roberts became the 17th Chief Justice of the United
States; he would be the first Chief Justice to serve for twenty years
since Melville Fuller in 1908.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mneme:
Persisting effect of memory of past events.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mneme>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed
about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing
accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of
those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute
beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
--Epistle of Jude
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Epistle_of_Jude>
"Feather" is a song by American singer Sabrina Carpenter (pictured) from
Emails I Can't Send Fwd:, the 2023 deluxe edition of her fifth studio
album. A dance-pop, disco, and disco-pop song, "Feather" is a post-
breakup track celebrating the freedom and relief one feels upon ending a
relationship. Carpenter co-wrote it with Amy Allen and its producer,
John Ryan. Its production was described as light and airy by music
critics, who thought the song had impact on Carpenter's success the
following year. "Feather" reached number 21 in the US, where it became
her first song to reach the top 40, and was also Carpenter's first
number 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. The music video, which depicts the
deaths of several men who mistreat Carpenter and her dancing at their
joint funeral in a church, caused controversy when the Catholic bishop
of Brooklyn criticized the church scenes and suspended the priest who
allowed them to be filmed. Carpenter performed the song on Saturday
Night Live and on her tours.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather_%28song%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1821:
The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire from
Spain was drafted in the National Palace in Mexico City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%28Mexico%29>
1924:
A team of U.S. Army Air Service aviators landed in Seattle,
Washington, to complete the first aerial circumnavigation of the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation>
1958:
Fernando Rios, a Mexican tour guide in New Orleans, was killed
in an instance of gay bashing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Fernando_Rios>
2009:
A protest held by 50,000 people in Conakry, Guinea, was
forcefully disrupted by the military junta, resulting in at least 157
deaths and over 1,200 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Guinean_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
crisp:
1. Senses relating to something brittle.
2. (chiefly Canada, US) A type of baked dessert consisting of fruit
topped with a crumbly mixture made with fat, flour, and sugar; a
crumble.
3. (Ireland, UK, chiefly in the plural) In full potato crisp: a thin
slice of potato which has been deep-fried until it is brittle and
crispy, and eaten when cool; they are typically packaged and sold as a
snack.
4. (Ireland, UK, by extension) Chiefly with a descriptive word: a thin
slice made of some other ingredient(s) (such as cornmeal or a vegetable)
which is baked or deep-fried and eaten as a snack like a potato crisp.
5. (slang, dated) A banknote; also, a number of banknotes collectively.
6. (originally US, also figurative) Chiefly in to a crisp: a food item
that has been overcooked, or a thing which has been burned, to the point
of becoming charred or dried out.
7. (obsolete except UK, dialectal) The crispy rind of roast pork;
crackling.
8. (obsolete) Senses relating to something curled.
9. A curly lock of hair, especially one which is tightly curled.
10. A delicate fabric, possibly resembling crepe, especially used by
women for veils or other head coverings in the past; also, a head
covering made of this fabric. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crisp>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your
right to say it.
--Evelyn Beatrice Hall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Evelyn_Beatrice_Hall>
The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR;), the world's first public
railway to use steam locomotives, first operated on 27 September 1825.
It initially connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and
Stockton in County Durham, north-east England. The transport of coal
proved profitable, and the line was soon extended to a new port at
Middlesbrough. The opening of the S&DR; was seen as proof of steam
railway effectiveness. While coal was hauled by steam locomotives,
horses drew passenger coaches along the rails until carriages hauled by
locomotives were introduced in 1833. The S&DR; suffered severe financial
difficulties at the end of the 1840s but the discovery of iron ore in
Cleveland led to an increase in revenue. At the beginning of the 1860s
it took over railways that had crossed the Pennines, but was itself
taken over by the North Eastern Railway, continuing to operate
independently until 1876. Much of the original route is now served by
the Tees Valley line.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockton_%26_Darlington_Railway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1875:
The merchant ship Ellen Southard was wrecked in a storm at
Liverpool, England; the U.S. Congress subsequently awarded 27 Gold
Lifesaving Medals to the men who rescued her crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Southard>
1940:
World War II: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Empire of
Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin, officially forming a
military alliance known as the Axis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripartite_Pact>
1949:
Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference unanimously selected Zeng Liansong's design for the flag of
China (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_China>
2014:
Mount Ontake in central Japan unexpectedly erupted, killing 63
people in the nation's deadliest eruption in more than 100 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Mount_Ontake_eruption>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fount:
1. (chiefly poetic, dated or archaic) Synonym of fountain (“a natural
source of water”); a spring.
2. (by extension, agriculture, archaic) A device from which poultry may
drink; a waterer.
3. (figurative) That from which something proceeds; an origin, a source.
4. (UK, printing, typography, chiefly dated, historical) Synonym of font
(“a set of glyphs of unified design, usually representing the letters of
an alphabet and its supplementary characters belonging to one typeface,
style, and weight; a typeface; a family of typefaces”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fount>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure
the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally
corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country
who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and
influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of
power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man. We must not conclude
merely upon a man's haranguing upon liberty, and using the charming
sound, that he is fit to be trusted with the liberties of his country.
It is not unfrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty, who, if we
may judge by the whole tenor of their actions, mean nothing else by it
but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint
of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves.
--Samuel Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams>
SMS Rheinland was one of four Nassau-class battleships, the first
dreadnoughts built for the Imperial German Navy and launched on
September 26, 1908. Her service with the High Seas Fleet during World
War I included fleet advances into the North Sea, some in support of
raids by I Scouting Group as well as the Battle of Jutland, in which
Rheinland was engaged by British destroyers. The ship also saw duty in
the Baltic Sea during the Battle of the Gulf of Riga. She returned to
the Baltic as the core of an expeditionary force to aid the White Finns
in the Finnish Civil War in 1918, but ran aground. The damage done by
the grounding was too severe and Rheinland was decommissioned to be used
as a barracks ship for the remainder of the war. In 1919, following the
scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow, Rheinland was ceded to the
Allies who, in turn, sold the vessel to ship breakers in the Netherlands
to eventually be broken up to scrap metal. (This article is part of a
featured topic: Battleships of Germany.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Battleships_of_Germ…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1907:
The British Colony of New Zealand officially became a dominion
to reflect its political independence since the 1850s.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_of_New_Zealand>
1944:
World War II: The Soviet Army completed the Tallinn offensive,
driving German forces out of Estonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn_offensive>
1983:
The racing yacht Australia II, captained by John Bertrand, won
the America's Cup and ended the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defence
of the trophy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_II>
2008:
Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy flew a wingpack powered by
jet engines across the English Channel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yves_Rossy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
scrum-half:
(rugby) player who introduces the ball into a scrum.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scrum-half>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Trying to use words, and every attempt Is a wholly new start,
and a different kind of failure Because one has only learnt to get the
better of words For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in
which One is no longer disposed to say it.
--Four Quartets
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Four_Quartets>
Joan (Autumn/Winter 1998) was the twelfth collection by British fashion
designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. Continuing
his dual fascination with religion and violence, it was inspired by
imagery of persecution, most significantly the 1431 martyrdom of Joan of
Arc, who was burned at the stake. The collection's palette was mainly
red, black and silver; colours which evoked notions of warfare, death,
blood and flames. Many looks referenced ecclesiastical garments and
medieval armour, including items that mimicked chainmail and one
ensemble that had silver-plated armour pieces. The runway show was
staged in London. The set design was sparse and industrial: a dark room
lit by metal lamps suspended over the runway. The 100-foot (30 m)
runway was covered in black ashes, and models entered through a black
backdrop backlit in red. Ninety-one looks were presented; primarily
womenswear with some menswear. Critical response to the clothing and the
runway show was positive.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_%28collection%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1066:
Harold Godwinson defeated King Harald III of Norway and his
English ally Tostig Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, ending
the last Norse invasion of the British Isles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge>
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Ethan Allen and a small force of
American and Quebec militia failed to capture the city of Montreal from
British forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Longue-Pointe>
1800:
French Revolutionary Wars: After U.S. ships became involved,
French forces abandoned their invasion of the Batavian island of
Curaçao.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Cura%C3%A7ao_%281800%29>
1990:
The Ram Rath Yatra, a political–religious rally organised to
erect a temple to the Hindu deity Rama on the site of the Babri Masjid
in Ayodhya, began in the Indian state of Gujarat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Rath_Yatra>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
knight in shining armor:
(idiomatic) A person who will rescue a dangerous situation; a hero.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knight_in_shining_armor>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Maybe the silver lining from this is we found one thing we can
agree on, and maybe we'll even find another one. Maybe we can get a
little bit closer together. We do agree on a lot of things. We agree on
keeping our children safe from guns, on reproductive rights for women,
Social Security, affordable health care, pediatric cancer research.
These are all things that most Americans support. Let's stop letting
these politicians tell us what they want and tell them what we want.
There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. I don't
know if you saw this on Sunday. Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her
husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. If you
believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was. That's, that's
it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It
touched me deeply, and I hope it touches many, and if there's anything
we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that
and not this.
--Jimmy Kimmel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimmy_Kimmel>
Burger's Daughter is a novel by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer
(pictured). Set in the mid-1970s, it details a group of white anti-
apartheid activists seeking to overthrow the South African government.
It follows the life of Rosa Burger as she comes to terms with her
father's legacy as an activist in the South African Communist Party.
Gordimer was involved in South African politics and knew Bram Fischer,
Nelson Mandela's treason trial defence lawyer. She modelled the novel's
Burger family on Fischer's family and described Burger's Daughter as an
homage to Fischer. The novel was first published in the United Kingdom
in 1979. It was banned in South Africa a month after its publication,
and its import and sale were prohibited by the South African
Publications Control Board. Three months later, the Publications Appeal
Board overturned the ban and restrictions were lifted. The novel was
generally well received by critics and won the Central News Agency
Literary Award in 1980.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger%27s_Daughter>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
The Judiciary Act of 1789 was signed into law, establishing the
U.S. federal judiciary and setting the number of Supreme Court justices
at six.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_Act_of_1789>
1903:
Alfred Deakin became the second Australian prime minister,
succeeding Edmund Barton, who left office to become a founding justice
of the High Court of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Deakin>
1950:
The "Great Smoke Pall", generated by the Chinchaga fire, the
largest recorded fire in North American history, was first recorded in
present-day Nunavut and may eventually have circled the entire globe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchaga_fire>
1975:
Dougal Haston and Doug Scott of the Southwest Face expedition
became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by
ascending one of its faces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_British_Mount_Everest_Southwest_Face_exp…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
juanitaite:
(mineralogy) A tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal mineral containing
arsenic, bismuth, calcium, copper, hydrogen, iron, and oxygen.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/juanitaite>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial
Department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to
particular cases must, of necessity, expound and interpret that rule. If
two laws conflict with each other, the Courts must decide on the
operation of each. So, if a law be in opposition to the Constitution,
if both the law and the Constitution apply to a particular case, so that
the Court must either decide that case conformably to the law,
disregarding the Constitution, or conformably to the Constitution,
disregarding the law, the Court must determine which of these
conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of
judicial duty. If, then, the Courts are to regard the Constitution, and
the Constitution is superior to any ordinary act of the Legislature, the
Constitution, and not such ordinary act, must govern the case to which
they both apply.
--John Marshall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Marshall>
20 Exchange Place is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower
Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1931, it was designed by Cross &
Cross as the headquarters of the City Bank–Farmers Trust Company,
predecessor of Citigroup. The building, standing at approximately 741
feet (226 m) with 57 usable stories, was one of New York City's tallest
buildings and the world's tallest stone-clad building upon its
completion. The building has a granite and limestone facade, while its
internal superstructure is made of steel. The lower section of the
facade fills the entirety of an irregular quadrilateral city block and
contains piers with figures depicting the "giants of finance". The upper
stories, consisting of a square tower with chamfered corners, are offset
from the base. The building is an official New York City landmark and a
contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_Exchange_Place>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1913:
The United Mine Workers of America begin a strike against the
Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, sparking the Colorado
Coalfield War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Coalfield_War>
2002:
The first version of the web browser Firefox was released by
the Mozilla Organization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox>
2008:
A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki
University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing
suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauhajoki_school_shooting>
2019:
The British travel company Thomas Cook Group ceased operations
with immediate effect, leaving around 600,000 tourists stranded around
the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cook_Group>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mean business:
(idiomatic, used to convey serious intent) To be serious, especially
where achieving a specific end against opposition is concerned.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mean_business>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science ... commits suicide when it adopts a creed.
--Thomas Huxley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Huxley>
Thomas J. Hudner Jr. (1924–2017) was a United States Navy officer and
naval aviator. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying
to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the
Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Born in Fall River,
Massachusetts, Hudner attended Phillips Academy in Andover and the
United States Naval Academy. Initially uninterested in aviation, he
eventually took up flying and joined Fighter Squadron 32, flying the
F4U Corsair at the outbreak of the Korean War. Arriving near Korea in
October 1950, he flew support missions from the aircraft carrier
USS Leyte. He later served in the Vietnam War. After retiring as a
captain in 1973, he worked for various veterans' organizations in the
United States. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner is named
for him.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Hudner_Jr.>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1914:
World War I: German naval forces bombarded Papeete in French
Polynesia and sank a French gunboat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Papeete>
1922:
After nine days, the great fire of Smyrna was extinguished
(aftermath pictured), having caused at least ten thousand deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Smyrna>
1975:
Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate U.S. president Gerald
Ford, but failed due to unfamiliarity with her weapon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Jane_Moore>
2014:
The NASA spacecraft MAVEN entered into orbit around Mars to
study the planet's atmosphere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAVEN>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ghost:
1. (transitive)
2. (literary, poetic)
3. Of a disembodied soul: to appear (somewhere or to someone) in the
form of an apparition; to haunt.
4. To imbue (something) with a ghost-like effect or hue.
5. (by extension, figurative)
6. To continuously cause (someone or something) trouble; specifically,
to continuously be in the thoughts of (someone) in a disturbing manner;
to perturb, to trouble.
7. (slang) To kill (someone).
8. (computing) [...]
9. (graphical user interface) To gray out (a visual element) to indicate
that it is unavailable.
10. (Internet) To forcibly disconnect (an IRC user) who is using one's
reserved nickname.
11. (chiefly social media, slang) To stop communicating with (someone)
on social media, though text messages, etc., without explanation,
especially as a way of ending a relationship; hence, to end a
relationship with (someone) by stopping all communication without
explanation.
12. (chiefly UK, law enforcement) To transfer (a prisoner) to another
prison, usually without first informing the prisoner.
13. Synonym of ghostwrite (“to write (a literary work or speech), or
produce (an artistic work)), in the place of someone”); also, to carry
out (an artistic performance) in the place of someone.
14. (intransitive)
15. To appear suddenly or move like a disembodied soul; specifically
(often sports); also (transitive, dated) followed by the dummy subject
it: to move easily and quietly without anyone noticing; to slip.
16. Followed by for: synonym of ghostwrite (“to write a literary work or
speech, or produce an artistic work, in the place of someone”); also, to
carry out an artistic performance in the place of someone.
17. (nautical) Of a sailing vessel: to sail seemingly with very little
or no wind.
18. (obsolete) Apparently only in the writings of the Dutch-English
physician Gideon Harvey (c. 1636–1640 – c. 1700–1702): to die, to
expire.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ghost>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give luster, and
many more people see than weigh.
--Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield>
Myst V: End of Ages is a 2005 adventure video game, developed by Cyan
Worlds, published by Ubisoft, and released for Macintosh and Windows PC
platforms. Directed by Rand Miller (pictured) it is the fifth
installment in the Myst series. Like in past entries, gameplay consists
of navigating worlds known as "Ages" via the use of special books and
items which act as portals. End of Ages replaces pre-rendered
environments used in past games with worlds rendered in real-time 3D
graphics, allowing easy navigation. It also includes an in-game camera.
Additionally, the faces of actors were digitally mapped onto three-
dimensional character models. End of Ages was positively received,
despite complaints such as lessened interactivity compared to previous
games and poorer graphics. After the game's release Cyan announced the
end of software development and the layoff of most of its staff, but was
able to rehire much of the development team a few weeks later.
(This article is part of a featured topic: Myst series.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Myst_series>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1697:
The first of a series of treaties comprising the Peace of
Ryswick was signed between France and the Grand Alliance, ending the
Nine Years' War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Ryswick>
1870:
The Bersaglieri entered Rome through the Porta Pia, ending the
temporal power of the Pope and completing the unification of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Rome>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: British auxiliary police officers
known as Black and Tans went on a rampage in Balbriggan, burning more
than fifty homes and businesses and killing two people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Balbriggan>
1988:
British prime minister Margaret Thatcher gave a landmark speech
at the Belfry of Bruges, Belgium, against federalism in the European
Economic Community.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges_speech>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
halfpenny:
1. (numismatics, historical, also attributive)
2. Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies.
3. (UK) A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one
penny (old or new).
4. (by extension, Ireland, Scotland) A similar coin formerly used in
Ireland and Scotland.
5. Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence.
6. (UK) An amount of money that the English (later British) coin was
worth.
7. (by extension, Ireland, Scotland) An amount of money that the Irish
or Scottish coin was worth.
8. (by extension)
9. (philately, historical) A postage stamp worth half of one penny.
10. (chiefly Australia, US, agriculture, archaic) A usually semicircular
earmark made in the ear of a livestock animal.
11. (obsolete, figurative) A small piece; a fragment.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/halfpenny>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Anger repressed can poison a relationship as surely as the
cruelest words.
--Joyce Brothers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers>