William Hardham (31 July 1876 – 13 April 1928) was a New Zealand
soldier. Born in Wellington, Hardham volunteered to serve with the New
Zealand Military Forces in the Second Boer War. Posted to the 4th
Contingent in 1900, he served in South Africa and was awarded the
Victoria Cross for the rescue of a wounded soldier while under fire.
When the First World War began, he joined the New Zealand Expeditionary
Force (NZEF) and was posted to the Wellington Mounted Rifles (WMR) to
serve overseas as a captain. Wounded during the Gallipoli campaign, he
was repatriated to New Zealand. On recovery he was made the commandant
of Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer Springs. He rejoined the WMR, then in
Palestine, in late 1917 and reached the rank of major by the end of the
war in 1918. Returning to civilian life after his discharge from the
NZEF, he worked for a newspaper and later the Public Works Department as
well as being involved in veterans' affairs. He died in 1928 at the age
of 51. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hardham>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution
commissioning the Marquis de Lafayette as a major general in the
American revolutionary forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_Lafayette>
1941:
The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann
Göring authorised SS officer Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations
for the "Final Solution of the Jewish question".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution>
2002:
Hamas attackers detonated a bomb at the Mount Scopus campus of
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, killing nine students and injuring
about 100 more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_University_bombing>
2020:
A mid-air collision in Soldotna, Alaska, killed seven people,
including state representative Gary Knopp.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Alaska_mid-air_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cosplay:
1. (uncountable) The art or practice of costuming oneself as a (usually
fictional) character.
2. (countable) A skit or instance of this art or practice.
3. To costume oneself as a (usually fictional) character. .mw-parser-
output .object-usage-tag{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output
.deprecated{color:var(--wikt-palette-grey-lime-8,olivedrab)}[with as (a
character)]
4. (transitive) To costume oneself as (a [usually fictional] character).
5. (transitive, figurative, often derogatory) To adopt the behavior and
mannerisms of (another); to pretend to be (someone or something).
6. About Word of the Day
7. Nominate a word
8. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cosplay>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither.
The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great
measure of both.
--Milton Friedman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman>
Sam & Max: Freelance Police was a graphic adventure video game developed
by LucasArts from 2002 until its cancellation in 2004. Freelance Police
was intended for release for Windows in early 2004 as a sequel to Sam &
Max Hit the Road. The game was based on the characters Sam and Max, an
anthropomorphic dog and hyperkinetic rabbit, who debuted in a 1987
comic-book series. It was designed as a point-and-click adventure game
and used a 3D game engine. The game's development was led by Michael
Stemmle (pictured), while Steve Purcell assisted in developing its plot
and providing artistic direction. LucasArts canceled production in
March 2004, citing economic and market conditions; its cancellation was
received poorly by fans of the series and the video game industry media.
Journalists viewed this move as a culmination of the decline of the
genre of adventure games. LucasArts later terminated its development of
the genre, and many of the Freelance Police design team left to create
Telltale Games. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_%26_Max:_Freelance_Police>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1966:
In London, the England national football team won the FIFA
World Cup, winning the final against West Germany 4–2 after extra
time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_FIFA_World_Cup_final>
1981:
Amid a widespread economic crisis and food shortages in Poland,
up to 50,000 people, mostly women and children, took part in the largest
of nationwide hunger demonstrations in Łódź.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Polish_hunger_demonstrations>
2012:
A train fire killed 32 passengers and injured 27 on the Tamil
Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellore_train_fire>
2018:
Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected to his first full term as
president, having served as leader since the 2017 Zimbabwean coup
d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Zimbabwean_general_election>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
squish:
1. (ambitransitive) To squeeze, compress, or crush (especially something
moist).
2. (intransitive) To be compressed or squeezed.
3. (intransitive) To make the sound of something being squeezed or
crushed.
4. (ambitransitive) To proceed or make one’s way (somewhere) with the
sound of something being squeezed or crushed.
5. (countable, informal) The sound or action of something, especially
something moist, being squeezed or crushed.
6. (countable, politics, informal, derogatory) A political moderate; a
moderate on a specific issue.
7. (uncountable, engineering, often attributive) An effect in internal
combustion engines which creates sudden turbulence of the air–fuel
mixture as the piston approaches top dead center.
8. (countable, linguistics) A continuum or progression between
categories that are normally considered discrete.
9. (countable, slang) A non-romantic and generally non-sexual
infatuation with somebody one is not dating, or the object of that
infatuation; a platonic crush.
10. (uncountable, UK, slang, archaic) Marmalade.
11. About Word of the Day
12. Nominate a word
13. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/squish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you think of the visual style, when you think of the visual
language of a film there tends to be a natural separation of the visual
style and the narrative elements, but with the great, whether it is
Stanley Kubrick, Terrence Malick or Hitchcock what you're seeing is
inseparable, a vital relationship between the images and the story he's
telling.
--Christopher Nolan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan>
1
0
July 29: Tiger
by English Wikipedia Article of the Day
28 Jul '26
28 Jul '26
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a large cat and a member of the genus
Panthera native to Asia. It is recognisable by its black, vertical
stripes on orange fur. It is traditionally classified into nine
subspecies, though some recognise only two subspecies. Tigers currently
inhabit the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Russian Far
East and Northeast China. They mainly live in forested habitats, where
they lead a mostly solitary life. They are apex predators and prey
mainly on hooved mammals. A male tiger mates with the multiple females
within his home range. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs
that stay with their mother for about two years. Tigers are considered
to be endangered with their main threats being habitat destruction and
poaching for fur and body parts. They are legally protected in all range
countries. The tiger is among the most popular of the world's
charismatic megafauna and is featured in the ancient cultures of Asia
and modern culture worldwide. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1818:
French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel submitted a memoir on
the diffraction of light to the Royal Academy of Sciences, providing
strong support for the wave theory of light.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustin-Jean_Fresnel>
1900:
Italian-American anarchist Gaetano Bresci assassinated King
Umberto I of Italy in Monza.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Bresci>
1911:
In a case later termed a "legal lynching", Will P. Brady
obtained a guilty verdict and death sentence against 15-year-old León
Martínez Jr., five days after his arrest for killing a white woman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_P._Brady>
1950:
Korean War: Over fears that North Korean soldiers were
infiltrating refugee columns, U.S. forces concluded a four-day massacre
of hundreds of civilians through shootings and air attacks near the
village of Nogeun-ri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Gun_Ri_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vanguard:
1. (military) The leading units at the front of an army or fleet.
2. (by extension) The person or people at the forefront of a group or
movement.
3. About Word of the Day
4. Nominate a word
5. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vanguard>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I think physicists are the Peter Pans of the human race. They never grow
up, and they keep their curiosity.
--Isidor Isaac Rabi
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isidor_Isaac_Rabi>
The Silent Parade was a protest march in New York City on July 28,
1917. The goal was to draw attention to the racial violence and
entrenched systemic discrimination endured by African Americans. The
march was precipitated by racially motivated attacks in 1916 and 1917,
including the East St. Louis massacre, and lynchings in Waco and in
Memphis. The parade was organized by a coalition of African-American
groups, led by the recently formed NAACP. Starting at 57th Street, the
parade route proceeded down Fifth Avenue, ending at Madison Square. It
was a silent procession, with an estimated 8,000 to 15,000 African
Americans marching in protest, accompanied by a muffled drumbeat.
Organizers hoped that the parade would prompt the federal government to
enact anti-lynching legislation, but President Woodrow Wilson did not
act on their demands. Lynchings persisted in the United States into the
1960s. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Parade>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1911:
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition began with the departure
of SY Aurora from London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australasian_Antarctic_Expedition>
1915:
U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince to begin a nineteen-year
occupation of Haiti.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_occupation_of_Haiti>
1945:
A B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in New
York City, killing 14 people and causing an estimated $1 million in
damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Empire_State_Building_B-25_crash>
2010:
In the deadliest air accident in Pakistan's history, Airblue
Flight 202 crashed into the Margalla Hills north of Islamabad, killing
all 152 aboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airblue_Flight_202>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
no man's land:
1. (military) The ground between trenches where a soldier from either
side would be easily targeted.
2. (nautical) A space amidships used to keep blocks, ropes, etc.; a
space on a ship belonging to no one in particular for which to care.
3. The part of a prison, hospital complex, etc. where individuals are
not normally allowed to enter.
4. (figurative) A place where no one can or should be present.
5. (tennis) The area between the backcourt and the space close to the
net, from which it is difficult to return the ball.
6. (cricket) An area of the field where a fielder cannot save a single,
nor stop a boundary.
7. (politics, geography) Territory that is often disputed, and that
cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
8. (historical) Tracts of uninhabited territory close to the Iron
Curtain.
9. The stretch of land between the border posts of two contiguous
sovereign states, sometimes separated by great distance.
10. Land that is not claimed by any recognized sovereign state; a terra
nullius.
11. (medicine, anatomy) The fibrous sheath of the flexor tendons of the
hand, specifically in the zone from the distal palmar crease to the
proximal interphalangeal joint.
12. About Word of the Day
13. Nominate a word
14. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/no_man%27s_land>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is no history of mankind, there is only an indefinite number of
histories of all kinds of aspects of human life. And one of these is the
history of political power. This is elevated into the history of the
world. But this, I hold, is an offence against every decent conception
of mankind. It is hardly better than to treat the history of
embezzlement or of robbery or of poisoning as the history of mankind.
For the history of power politics is nothing but the history of
international crime and mass murder (including it is true, some of the
attempts to suppress them). This history is taught in schools, and some
of the greatest criminals are extolled as heroes.
--Karl Popper
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Popper>
Carlisle & Finch is a manufacturer of nautical equipment in Cincinnati,
Ohio. For most of its history, the company has focused on searchlights,
especially for marine applications; variants of this design have also
been used for navigation beacons by airports and lighthouses. The
company is considered the first in the US to produce electric toy trains
(example pictured), introducing innovations such as using the rails to
conduct electrical power to the cars. They were the first to manufacture
and market trains in volume, which they did for about the first 20 years
of operation. Other early products included electric generators; the
earliest small models were intended to power train sets, but they later
produced larger units. Gasoline engines for marine use were made under
the Clifton Motor Works brand. They also produced electric-powered
appliances such as clothes dryers. Since the start of World War I,
Carlisle & Finch has concentrated on high-power lighting.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_%26_Finch>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1953:
An armistice was signed to end hostilities in the Korean War,
officially making the division of Korea indefinite by creating a 4 km
wide (2.5 mi) demilitarized zone across the Korean Peninsula.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Armistice_Agreement>
1990:
Jamaat al Muslimeen, a radical Islamic group, began a coup
attempt against the government of Trinidad and Tobago by taking
hostages, including Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson, before
surrendering five days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaat_al_Muslimeen_coup_attempt>
2016:
The last nine Aston Martin DB9 (example pictured) units rolled
off the production line, marking the end of a twelve-year manufacturing
period.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_DB9>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
friendly fire:
1. (military) Weapons fire coming from allied or friendly forces, as
opposed to fire coming from enemy forces.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/friendly_fire>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Games give you a chance to excel, and if you're playing in good company
you don't even mind if you lose because you had the enjoyment of the
company during the course of the game.
--Gary Gygax
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax>
1
0
July 26: Nile
by English Wikipedia Article of the Day
25 Jul '26
25 Jul '26
The Nile is a major river in northeast Africa that empties into the
Mediterranean Sea. At 7,088 kilometers (4,404 mi) in length, it is the
longest river in the world, although the volume of water it carries is
much smaller than other major rivers. The Nile has two major
tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. Geologically, the Nile is
a young river and has followed its present course for only 15,000 years.
The Nile was the foundation of the ancient Egyptian civilization, which
relied on the river for nearly every aspect of life. Many Europeans were
fascinated by the Nile, and their explorations around Lake Victoria in
the late 19th century located the source of the river. The Nile plays a
critical role in the economies of Egypt and Sudan, which rely on it for
irrigation. More than a dozen dams have been built in the Nile Basin,
altering the river's annual flood cycle and restricting the transport of
silt downstream to the Nile Delta. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1882:
Boer mercenaries established the Republic of Stellaland (later
flag pictured) in land claimed by the United Kingdom as part of British
Bechuanaland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaland>
1953:
The Battle of the Samichon River, the last engagement of the
Korean War, ended a few hours before the signing of the Korean Armistice
Agreement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Samichon_River>
1968:
After coming second to Nguyễn Văn Thiệu in a rigged
presidential election, Trương Đình Dzu was jailed by a South
Vietnamese military court for illicit currency transactions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C6%B0%C6%A1ng_%C4%90%C3%ACnh_Dzu>
2012:
The New Irish Republican Army was formed from a merger of a
number of dissident republican militant groups.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Irish_Republican_Army>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
first strike:
1. (military) An attack (typically nuclear) launched without warning in
the absence of a prior attack by one's opponent, with the intention of
destroying one's opponent's ability to retaliate.
2. (criminal law) A first offense by a lawbreaker, as counted by a
three-strikes law.
3. (numismatics) One of the first few coins struck from a new set of
dies.
4. About Word of the Day
5. Nominate a word
6. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/first_strike>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not
between right and wrong. The numinosum is dangerous because it lures men
to extremes, so that a modest truth is regarded as the truth and a minor
mistake is equated with fatal error.
--Carl Jung
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Jung>
Las Meninas is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez. The painting depicts
Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by her entourage. Behind them,
Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas, and a mirror in
the background reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. The
Italian Baroque painter Luca Giordano described Las Meninas as the
"theology of painting", and in 1827 Thomas Lawrence called the work "the
true philosophy of the art". The painting has since become a focal point
for scholarly debates about representation, spectatorship, and the
social status of the artist. Michel Foucault opened The Order of Things
with an extended analysis of its treatment of classical representation;
Svetlana Alpers read it as Velázquez's claim for painting as a liberal
art; and Leo Steinberg and Joel Snyder have offered competing accounts
of its spatial logic and the function of the mirror on the back wall.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1591:
Eighty Years' War: Dutch and English forces relieved the siege
of Knodsenburg in the Spanish Netherlands, having defeated the Duke of
Parma's army in the field.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Knodsenburg>
1950:
Korean War: After American troops withdrew, North Korean forces
captured the village of Yongdong in South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yongdong>
2001:
Phoolan Devi, a serving Indian member of Parliament, was shot
outside her house in New Delhi, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoolan_Devi>
2022:
The Duffield Memorial (central medallion pictured) in Great
Baddow, an "unusual example of Art Nouveau design in metal work", was
designated a listed building by Historic England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffield_Memorial>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
life car:
1. (historical) A watertight boat or box, travelling on a line from a
wrecked vessel to the shore, used to haul people through the waves in a
rescue.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/life_car>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
”
--Eric Hoffer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Hoffer>
Bleed American is the fourth studio album by Jimmy Eat World (pictured),
released on July 24, 2001. The album was re-released as Jimmy Eat World
following the September 11 attacks; it was re-released in 2008 with its
original title. Following the commercial failure of Clarity, the band
was dropped by their label. They raised money for the album by touring
and working odd jobs. The musical style was more direct and accessible
than its predecessor, with simpler chord structures. The album's lead
single, "Bleed American", was released to radio on June 5, 2001. Each
of the album's singles entered the top twenty of at least one US chart:
the most successful was "The Middle", which reached number one on the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In August 2002, Bleed American was
certified platinum; as of September 2016, the album has sold more than
1.6 million copies in the US. Bleed American was well received by
critics and appeared on several publications' best-of-the-year album
lists and all-time lists. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_American>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1948:
Australia set a world record for the highest successful run-
chase in Test cricket history during the Fourth Test of the Ashes series
against England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Test,_1948_Ashes_series>
1974:
The Metapolitefsi period began with Konstantinos Karamanlis
taking office as Prime Minister of Greece after the collapse of the
military junta.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metapolitefsi>
1987:
Iran–Iraq War: In opposition to the American plan to protect
Kuwaiti tankers, Iran laid mines and damaged SS Bridgeton, resulting in
a propaganda victory for Iran.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeton_incident>
2014:
Air Algérie Flight 5017 disappeared from radar shortly after
take-off from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; its wreckage was found the
following day in Mali with no survivors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Alg%C3%A9rie_Flight_5017>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
union:
1. (countable) The act of uniting or joining two or more things into
one.
2. (uncountable) The state of being united or joined; a state of unity
or harmony.
3. (countable) Something united, or made one; something formed by a
combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a
consolidated body; a league.
4. (countable) A trade union; a workers' union.
5. (countable) An association of students at a university for social
and/or political purposes; also in some cases a debating body.
6. (countable) A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery,
such as pipes.
7.
8. (countable, set theory) The set containing all of the elements of two
or more sets.
9. (countable) The act or state of marriage.
10. (uncountable, archaic, euphemistic) Sexual intercourse.
11. (countable, programming) A data structure that can store any of
various types of item, but only one at a time.
12. (countable, now rare, archaic) A large, high-quality pearl.
13. (historical) An affiliation of several parishes for joint support
and management of their poor; also the jointly-owned workhouse.
14. (set theory) To combine sets using the union operation.
15. Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour
union.
16. (India) federal.
17. About Word of the Day
18. Nominate a word
19. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/union>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely
tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to
do. You can act to change and control your life and the procedure. The
process is its own reward.
--Amelia Earhart
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart>
The Diaspora Revolt (115–117 CE) was a series of uprisings by Jewish
diaspora communities across the eastern Roman Empire during the reign of
Emperor Trajan. The uprisings erupted nearly simultaneously in Egypt,
Cyrenaica and Cyprus, amid tensions following the destruction of the
Jerusalem Temple, the imposition of the Fiscus Judaicus tax, messianic
expectations, hopes for a return to Judaea, and Trajan's engagement with
the Parthian campaign in Mesopotamia. Roman forces under generals
Marcius Turbo and Lusius Quietus suppressed the revolts. The conflict
resulted in the destruction of Jewish communities in multiple regions.
Damage to temples, structures and roads is well attested in Cyrene and
its surroundings. A festival celebrating victory was still observed
eighty years later in Oxyrhynchus. Jewish communities re-established
themselves in the affected provinces in late antiquity, but never
regained their former prominence. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_Revolt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1942:
Bulgarian poet and communist activist Nikola Vaptsarov was
executed by firing squad.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Vaptsarov>
1995:
Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th
century, was independently discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and
Thomas Bopp.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp>
1999:
Forty-seven people were arrested in Tulia, Texas, for dealing
cocaine; 35 of them were pardoned by the governor of Texas years later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Tulia_drug_arrests>
2010:
The English-Irish boy band One Direction were formed while
auditioning for the 2010 series of the British singing competition The X
Factor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Direction>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pyramidal:
1. (geometry) Pyramid-shaped.
2. (crystallography) Tetragonal.
3. About Word of the Day
4. Nominate a word
5. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pyramidal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way
a Swiss-waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it,
I split it so it will remain split, and when I interrupt the velvety
smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of
barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind
relaxed and attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I
have.
--Raymond Chandler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler>
Ludwig Ross (22 July 1806 – 6 August 1859) was a German classical
archaeologist. He is chiefly remembered for the rediscovery and
reconstruction of the Temple of Athena Nike in 1835 and 1836, and for
his other excavation and conservation work on the Acropolis of Athens.
He was also an important figure in the early years of archaeology in the
independent Kingdom of Greece, serving as Ephor General of Antiquities
between 1834 and 1836. As the first professor of archaeology at the
University of Athens, he educated the first generation of natively
trained Greek archaeologists, including Panagiotis Efstratiadis. Ross
lost his post as a result of the 3 September 1843 Revolution, which
removed most non-Greeks from public service in the country. He spent his
final years as a professor in Halle, where he argued unsuccessfully
against the reconstruction of the Indo-European language family,
believing Latin to be a direct descendant of Ancient Greek.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ross>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1691:
Williamite forces defeated the Jacobites at the Battle of
Aughrim, the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aughrim>
1951:
Soviet space dogs: Dezik and Tsygan were launched into a sub-
orbital spaceflight from Kapustin Yar and became the first dogs to fly
in space and the first to safely return.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dezik_and_Tsygan>
1963:
The United Kingdom granted self-government to Sarawak (first
flag pictured); the day would be celebrated as Sarawak Day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarawak_Day>
1976:
Japan completed its last reparation to the Philippines for war
crimes committed during imperial Japan's conquest of the country in the
Second World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_the_Philippines>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Boston marriage:
1. (historical) A long-term monogamous relationship between two
unmarried women, especially in New England between the 18th and early
20th centuries.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Boston_marriage>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
”
--Emma Lazarus
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus>