The Greensburg tornado struck on May 4, 2007, in Kiowa County, Kansas,
heavily damaging the town of Greensburg. It tracked 28.8 miles
(46.3 km) through the area, killing 12 people and injuring 63. The
tornado was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The
tornado heavily damaged Greensburg; 662 structures in the town sustained
some form of damage and 95 percent of the town was damaged or destroyed.
It dissipated northwest of Greensburg after being on the ground for just
over an hour. The tornado left monetary losses of $250 million
(2007 USD) in its wake. Kiowa County was declared a federal disaster
area in the immediate aftermath. Rebuilding efforts were intensive, and
several major federal government agencies collaborated with state
agencies to help restore the town with the goal of making it a "green
town" using a long-term community recovery plan. (This article is part
of a featured topic: Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Tornado_outbreak_of…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1931:
Isaac Isaacs became the first Australian-born governor-general
of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Isaacs>
1968:
Vietnam War: The People's Army of Vietnam attacked Khe Sanh
Combat Base, a U.S. Marines outpost in Quảng Trị province, South
Vietnam, starting the Battle of Khe Sanh.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh>
1976:
The Concorde, an Anglo-French supersonic airliner, began
scheduled commercial flights to London, Paris, Bahrain, and Rio de
Janeiro.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde>
2011:
Demonstrations against alleged corruption in the Albanian
government led to the killings of four protesters in Tirana by the
Republican Guard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Albanian_opposition_demonstrations>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
among:
1. Of a person or thing: in the midst of and surrounded by (other people
or things).
2. Associated with or living alongside (other people or things).
3. Belonging to (a group comprising similar people or things).
4. Distinct in some way from (other members of a group); specifically,
superior or pre-eminent compared to (other members of a group).
5. Of an event or a fact.
6. Originally, in the course of; during; now, in the circumstances or
context of.
7. Distributed or divided between (members of a group).
8. Done jointly by (two or more people).
9. In the general custom or opinion of (members of a group).
10. Occurring between (members of a group) or within (a group). [...]
11. About Word of the Day
12. Nominate a word
13. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/among>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is altogether reasonable to conclude that the heavenly bodies,
alias worlds, which move or are situate within the circle of our
knowledge, as well all others throughout immensity, are each and every
one of them possessed or inhabited by some intelligent agents or other,
however different their sensations or manners of receiving or
communicating their ideas may be from ours, or however different from
each other.
--Ethan Allen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen>
King Edward III of England led a campaign in the Duchy of Brittany in
1342 and 1343. England, at war with France since 1337 in the Hundred
Years' War, had sided with John of Montfort's faction in the Breton
Civil War soon after it broke out in 1341. An English fleet broke the
blockade of Brest on 18 August, and on 30 September a numerically
inferior English army inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the
battle of Morlaix. After logistical difficulties, Edward abandoned his
siege train and landed in Brittany on 26 October after a storm-wracked
three-week passage. The English then advanced on the major Breton town
of Vannes. The French garrison repelled an immediate assault and the
English began a siege. English raiding parties devastated large parts of
eastern Brittany, but attempts to reinforce or supply Edward from
England failed. Philip VI of France moved his court to Brittany and
entered into negotiations with Edward; they rapidly agreed the Truce of
Malestroit, which is widely seen as favouring the English.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_III%27s_Breton_campaign>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1915:
World War I: The first major attack of the German bombing
campaign against Britain took place when Zeppelins bombed several towns
in Norfolk.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_bombing_of_Britain,_1914%E2%80%931918>
1972:
The French newspaper L'Aurore revealed that the former Nazi SS
officer Klaus Barbie, the "Butcher of Lyon", had been found to be living
in Peru.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Barbie>
1975:
An earthquake registering 6.8 Ms struck northern Himachal
Pradesh in India, causing extensive damage to the region.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Kinnaur_earthquake>
2007:
A four-man team, using only skis and kites, completed a
1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Southern Pole of
Inaccessibility, the first people to get there since 1967, and the first
to do so on foot.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_of_Inaccessibility_research_station>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Poean:
1. Synonym of Poe-esque (“of or relating to Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849),
the American poet and writer best known for tales of the macabre and
mystery, or to his works; also, suggestive, or in the style, of Poe's
works; especially, eerie, Gothic, macabre”).
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Poean>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of
a brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningAnd
everything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay.
--Dolly Parton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton>
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final was an association football match
to determine the winner of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, organised by
the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It was held at the Stade de
l'Amitié in Libreville, Gabon, and contested by Cameroon (team
pictured) and Egypt. Egypt took a 1–0 lead through Mohamed Elneny
after 22 minutes. Cameroon had more possession than Egypt in the first
half, but their attack lacked potency and Egypt led at half time. The
Egyptians made few attempts to attack in the second half, and Cameroon
equalised after 59 minutes through Nicolas Nkoulou, who had come on as a
substitute. Egypt were unable to adjust, and Cameroon continued to have
the better chances, eventually scoring again two minutes before the end,
through Vincent Aboubakar, to record a 2–1 win. The victory marked
their fifth Africa Cup of Nations title. As winners, they represented
CAF at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, but they did not
progress beyond the group phase. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_final>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1915:
Japanese prime minister Ōkuma Shigenobu issued the Twenty-One
Demands to China in a bid to increase Japan's power in East Asia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-One_Demands>
1943:
World War II: In Operation Iskra, the Red Army established a
narrow land corridor to Leningrad, partially easing the protracted
German siege of the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Iskra>
1958:
Members of the Lumbee tribe arrived to protest at a Ku Klux
Klan rally near Maxton, North Carolina, which turned into an armed
confrontation between the two groups (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hayes_Pond>
1983:
Singaporean communist activist Tan Chay Wa was executed,
leading to a much-publicised trial of his brother for engraving
"subversive" material on the gravestone.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Chay_Wa%27s_tombstone_trial>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unification:
1. The act or process of unifying.
2. The state of being unified.
3. (computer science, logic) An algorithmic process of solving equations
between symbolic expressions.
4. About Word of the Day
5. Nominate a word
6. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unification>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are periods of history when the visions of madmen and dope
fiends are a better guide to reality than the common-sense
interpretation of data available to the so-called normal mind. This is
one such period, if you haven't noticed already.
--Robert Anton Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Anton_Wilson>
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton
and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman,
it is the sequel to Batman (1989) and the second installment in the
Batman film series (1989–1997). Set during Christmas in Gotham City,
the film follows Batman, played by Michael Keaton (pictured), as he
confronts corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) and
deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot / the Penguin (Danny DeVito),
whose bid for power threatens the city. Their schemes are further
complicated by Shreck's former secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle
Pfeiffer), who seeks revenge against him as Catwoman. Released in
June 1992, Batman Returns broke several box-office records and grossed
$266.8 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of
1992. Critical reception was polarized, though most reviewers praised
the principal cast. Following the film's mixed reception, Burton was
replaced as director for its sequel, Batman Forever (1995).
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Returns>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1883:
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United
States Civil Service, is enacted by the U.S. Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendleton_Civil_Service_Reform_Act>
1945:
World War II: Adolf Hitler and his staff moved into the
Führerbunker in Berlin, where he would eventually commit suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BChrerbunker>
2016:
After gunmen took hostages the previous night at a restaurant
in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, government commandos stormed the premises
to bring the situation to an end.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Ouagadougou_attacks>
2017:
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crashed in Manas International
Airport (aftermath pictured) after the flight overflew the entire
runway, which resulted in 39 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Airlines_Flight_6491>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
least:
1. Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.
2. Smallest in amount or extent.
3. Followed by a plural noun: the smallest number of; the fewest.
4. (chiefly in the negative) Any, no matter how small in amount or
extent.
5. About Word of the Day
6. Nominate a word
7. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/least>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is my view that belief is the underlying and basic element of
policy and action. First one must sort out matters of belief: who one
is, in what relationship to whom, and what general direction in the
realm of values is up and what direction is down. Then clear and
rigorous logic, based upon a cold and unemotional assessment of the
objective evidence concerning the relevant facts, and a careful analysis
of the probable outcomes and probable material and moral costs of
alternative courses of action, can help to get one from where one is to
where one wants, and should want, to be.
--Paul Nitze
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Nitze>
Louis Abramson (August 1, 1887 – January 15, 1985) was an American
architect who practiced mostly in New York City, specializing in
hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants. He is best known for
designing the Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center (pictured). Early in
his career, he designed several Jewish Centers, a new type of building
which filled the religious, cultural, educational, and often fitness
needs of the community in a single structure. Abramson had little formal
schooling in architecture; he took courses at Cooper Union, the
Mechanics Institute, and Columbia University but did not complete a
degree. Most of his training was on-the-job in junior positions at well-
known New York City architecture firms, after which he started his own
firm. He employed a variety of styles, including Neo-Renaissance,
Moorish Revival, Neo-Classical, Tudor, Art Deco, and Art Moderne.
Several of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Abramson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Construction was completed on the Buffalo Bill Dam, then the
tallest dam in the world, on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of
Wyoming.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill_Dam>
1951:
Ilse Koch, wife of Karl-Otto Koch, the Nazi commander of the
Buchenwald and Majdanek concentration camps, was sentenced to life
imprisonment by a West German court.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilse_Koch>
1962:
The Derveni papyrus (fragment pictured), the oldest surviving
manuscript in Europe, was discovered in Macedonia in northern Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derveni_papyrus>
1970:
The Republic of Biafra surrendered following a failed attempt
at secession from Nigeria, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra>
2001:
The first edit to the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia was made.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fitting:
1. That fits.
2. Chiefly preceded by a descriptive adverb or noun: that fits in some
manner (often closely) to the shape or size of something.
3. (figurative) Appropriate, suitable. [...]
4. About Word of the Day
5. Nominate a word
6. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fitting>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do
irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs. This
is the principle behind lotteries, dating, and religion.
--Scott Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Scott_Adams>
The Snow Queen is a 2000 young-adult fantasy novel by the Canadian
writer Eileen Kernaghan. It follows Gerda, a young Danish woman who sets
out to rescue her childhood friend Kai from Madame Aurore, a magician
known as the Snow Queen. She is joined on her journey by Ritva, a young
Sámi woman born to a shamaness and a robber. The novel is based on Hans
Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" (1844), but
incorporates elements of Scandinavian shamanism and influences from the
Kalevala (1835), a compilation of Finnish mythology and epic poetry. It
also explores feminist and matriarchal themes, reinterpreting several
plot elements from Andersen's original with contemporary shifts against
the background of the imaginative geography of Arctic landscapes. The
Snow Queen was published by Thistledown Press and received positive
reviews. It received the Aurora Award for Best Novel in 2001 and was
considered for two other accolades. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Queen_%28Kernaghan_novel%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1907:
An earthquake registering 6.2 Mw struck Kingston, Jamaica,
resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907_Kingston_earthquake>
1966:
Vietnam War: United States and Australian troops ended
Operation Crimp; during the military operation, troops discovered an
extensive tunnel network used by the Viet Cong.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Crimp>
1978:
Austrian logician Kurt Gödel, who suffered from an obsessive
fear of being poisoned, died of starvation after his wife was
hospitalized and unable to cook for him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_G%C3%B6del>
2011:
Arab Spring: Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled
the country after several violent protests.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_revolution>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
triumvirate:
1. (Ancient Rome, government, historical) A council of three magistrates
ruling jointly; specifically, the First Triumvirate (60 or 59 – 53
B.C.E.) or the Second Triumvirate (43 – 33 or 27 B.C.E.); the office of
a triumvir (“one of such magistrates”), or of the three triumviri.
2. (by extension)
3. (government) Any group of three joint rulers.
4. Any group of three people regarded as significant in some way; also
(rare), a group of three things; a trio.
5. About Word of the Day
6. Nominate a word
7. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/triumvirate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for
life is not a true religion or philosophy.
--Albert Schweitzer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer>
"Shine" is a song written and recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani
(pictured) featuring Pharrell Williams, who also produced the song.
Originally intended for Stefani's band No Doubt, it is a reggae pop and
ska song that is featured in the 2014 live-action/animated film
Paddington in the United States and Canada. The lyrics revolve around
the lead character Paddington Bear's journey to London and his identity
crisis. Stefani initially disagreed with Williams' choice to use direct
references to Paddington in the lyrics, but praised this decision after
watching the film with her children. She reported that her involvement
with the recording was inspired by her then-husband Gavin Rossdale and
her children's connection to England. Critical response to "Shine" was
mixed; some praised Stefani and Williams's chemistry, while others
compared it negatively to their previous collaborations. Commentators
frequently likened it to Williams's 2013 single "Happy" and Stefani's
2014 song "Spark the Fire". (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shine_%28Gwen_Stefani_song%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1916:
The first Feminist Congress of Yucatán (delegates pictured)
began in Mérida, Mexico, to propose reforms for women's social,
educational, and legal rights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Feminist_Congress_of_Yucat%C3%A1n>
1949:
In the first recorded instance of strike action by Catholic
laity against the clergy, gravediggers at Calvary Cemetery in Queens,
New York City, went on strike.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Calvary_Cemetery_strike>
2001:
The first of two large earthquakes in the span of a month
struck El Salvador, killing at least 944 people and destroying over
100,000 homes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2001_El_Salvador_earthquake>
2003:
The trans-Neptunian object 208996 Achlys was discovered by
Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown at Palomar Observatory, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/208996_Achlys>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mickey:
1. (computing) The smallest distance that a computer mouse can move a
cursor on a screen, which is used to measure the device's resolution or
sensitivity.
2. (Australia)
3. (informal) The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), a honeyeater
endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia.
4. (slang) A young bull, especially one which is unbranded and running
wild; a bullock.
5. [...]
6. (chiefly Canada, informal) A small bottle of liquor, such as whiskey,
usually holding 375 millilitres (13.2 imperial fluid ounces; 12.7 U.S.
fluid ounces), typically shaped to fit in one's pocket.
7. [...]
8. (UK)
9.
10. (Cockney rhyming slang) Short for Mickey Bliss (“an act of
urinating; a piss”).
11.
12. (informal) In take the mickey: a person's (false) pride, which is
criticized through disparagement or ridicule; piss.
13. (US, slang)
14. [...]
15. (chiefly New York City, dated) A potato or sweet potato;
specifically, one roasted over a fire outdoors.
16. (originally US) Alternative letter-case form of Mickey (“a Mickey
Finn: an alcoholic drink deliberately doctored with a drug intended to
quickly render the drinker unconscious”). [...]
17. About Word of the Day
18. Nominate a word
19. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mickey>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Me seemes the world is runne quite out of square, From the first
point of his appointed sourse, And being once amisse growes daily wourse
and wourse.
--Edmund Spenser
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Spenser>
Elizabeth Alkin (c. 1600 – c. 1655) was a publisher, nurse and
spy for the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War
(1642–1651). She was also commonly known as Parliamentary Joan, one of
many derogatory names she was called by royalist sympathisers. Little is
known about Alkin's early life. Her husband was arrested and hanged in
1643 by the royalists during the English Civil War for spying for the
Parliamentarians; Alkin continued his work, spying in Oxford—the
royalist wartime capital—even during the city's siege. By 1648 Alkin
was involved in selling and then publishing Parliamentary newsbooks
(example pictured)—the forerunners of newspapers. She used her role as
a vendor to track down and report several publishers of royalist
material. After the civil war, Alkin nursed casualties of the First
Anglo-Dutch War, initially in Portsmouth, then Harwich and Ipswich. With
her health failing she returned to London. It is presumed she died
shortly afterwards, possibly over the 1655 Christmas period.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Alkin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church in Reculver
from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the
church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Church,_Reculver>
1895:
The National Trust, a conservation organisation in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Trust>
1916:
Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German
aviators to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military
honour.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Immelmann>
2010:
An earthquake registering 7.0 Mw struck Haiti, killing more
than 100,000 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gooey:
1. Having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky.
2. (figurative)
3. Emotional or sentimental, especially to an excessive extent; mushy,
soppy.
4. (originally New York, archaic) Distasteful, unpleasant.
5. (originally Australia) A thing which is soft or viscous, and sticky.
6. (figurative)
7. (originally Australia, derogatory, dated) A person who is regarded as
weak or worthless; a fool.
8. (US, chiefly education, psychology) A person who favours closer
relationships with other people and less structured settings, rather
than formal, organized settings; also, an educational approach,
curriculum, etc., which is less structured.
9. About Word of the Day
10. Nominate a word
11. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gooey>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I take toleration to be a part of religion. I do not know which I
would sacrifice; I would keep them both: it is not necessary that I
should sacrifice either.
--Edmund Burke
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke>
The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird, the largest species
of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the
Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and northeastern North
America. It is the largest seabird in the northern Atlantic. The sexes
are similar in appearance. Nesting takes place in colonies on both sides
of the North Atlantic. Its breeding range has extended northward and
eastward, with colonies being established on Russia's Kola Peninsula in
1995 and Bear Island (the southernmost island of Svalbard) in 2011.
Colonies are mostly located on offshore islands with cliffs, from which
birds can more easily launch into the air. The northern gannet
undertakes seasonal migrations and catches fish (which are the mainstay
of its diet) by making high-speed dives into the sea. It faces few other
natural or man-made threats. Because the northern gannet is both a
conspicuous and a common bird, it is referred to in several ancient
myths and legends. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_gannet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1946:
The People's Republic of Albania was proclaimed, with Enver
Hoxha as the country's de facto head of state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enver_Hoxha>
1961:
Students at the University of Georgia rioted in an attempt to
prevent the attendance of two African-American students.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia_desegregation_riot>
1986:
The Gateway Bridge (pictured) in Brisbane, Australia, opened as
the largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges>
2024:
Several thousand North Korean migrant workers in Helong engaged
in civil unrest, including a factory occupation and the taking of
managers as hostages, due to unpaid wages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Helong_North_Korean_migrant_workers_unre…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
central bank:
1. (banking) The principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary
union, which normally implements monetary objectives by controlling
interest rates, issuing currency, managing the national debt, overseeing
banking and financial activities, and regulating the supply of money.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/central_bank>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
As a rule we disbelieve all the facts and theories for which we
have no use.
--William James
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_James>
The 2021 Masters (officially the 2021 Betfred Masters) was a
professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 10 to
17 January 2021 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. It was
the 47th staging of the Masters, which was first held in 1975, and the
second of three Triple Crown events in the 2020–21 season. The top
sixteen players from the snooker world rankings were invited to compete
in a knockout tournament, organised by the World Professional Billiards
and Snooker Association. It was played behind closed doors because of
COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom. The defending champion,
Stuart Bingham, had defeated Ali Carter 10–8 in the 2020 Masters
final. Bingham lost 6–5 to Yan Bingtao (pictured) in the semi-finals.
Yan (one of three debutants at the event, alongside Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
and Gary Wilson) met John Higgins in the final. Yan completed a 10–8
victory to win his first Triple Crown tournament. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Masters_%28snooker%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1430:
Philip the Good established the Order of the Golden Fleece,
referred to as the most prestigious, exclusive, and expensive order of
chivalry in the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece>
1917:
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: Seven survivors of the
Ross Sea party were rescued after being stranded for several months.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Sea_party>
1941:
Greco-Italian War: The Greek army captured the strategically
important Klisura Pass in Albania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Klisura_Pass>
1985:
Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair C5 personal electric
vehicle, "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry",
which later became a cult collectable despite its commercial failure.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_C5>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
anatomize:
1. (transitive)
2. To cut up or dissect (the body of a human being or an animal),
specifically for the purpose of investigating its anatomy.
3. To punish (someone) by post mortem dissection following execution.
4. To cut up or dissect (a plant or one of its parts) to investigate its
structure.
5. (figurative)
6. To scrutinize (something) down to the most minute detail.
7. (obsolete) To chemically analyse (a substance).
8. (intransitive) To cut up or dissect the body of a human being or an
animal.
9. About Word of the Day
10. Nominate a word
11. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anatomize>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whenever a single definite object is made the supreme end of the
State, be it the advantage of a class, the safety of the power of the
country, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, or the support
of any speculative idea, the State becomes for the time inevitably
absolute. Liberty alone demands for its realisation the limitation of
the public authority, for liberty is the only object which benefits all
alike, and provokes no sincere opposition.
--John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton>