USS Romeo was a sternwheel steamer that saw service as a tinclad
warship during the American Civil War. Completed in August 1862 as a
civilian merchant vessel, she was instead purchased by the Union Navy in
October. Commissioned in December, she cleared naval mines from the
Yazoo River later that month before participating in operations against
Confederate-held Fort Hindman in January 1863. Romeo was involved in
some of the operations of the Vicksburg campaign in 1863, particularly
the Yazoo Pass expedition. Later in 1863, Romeo was involved in part of
the Little Rock campaign. During February 1864, she was part of an
expedition up the Yazoo River to Yazoo City, Mississippi. She spent most
of the rest of the war patrolling the Mississippi River, encountering
Confederate land forces on several occasions. Romeo was declared surplus
at the end of the war and was sold to civilian owners. Eventually
converted into a sidewheel steamer, Romeo ceased to appear in the
shipping registers in 1870. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Romeo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1838:
Great Trek: Zulu impis massacred about 532 Voortrekkers,
Khoekhoe, and Basuto near present-day Weenen, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weenen_massacre>
1913:
The Armory Show (commemorative button pictured), the first
large modern-art exhibition in the United States, opened at the 69th
Regiment Armory in New York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armory_Show>
1978:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carried out
a bombing of a restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing twelve
people and injuring thirty others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mon_restaurant_bombing>
1996:
An earthquake with a moment magnitude of 8.2 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) occurred in the New Guinea Trench,
which generated a tsunami that killed 108 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Biak_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Chinese New Year:
1. An annual Chinese festival marking the beginning of the new year
according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, starting on the first day
of the first lunar month and traditionally ending on the fifteenth day
when there is a full moon. It is often celebrated by visiting family and
friends, and giving gifts of money in red envelopes (ang pows or
hongbao).
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Out of a thousand centuries they drew the ancient admiration of
the footman for the horseman. They knew instinctively that a man on a
horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot.
--John Steinbeck
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck>
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was the 16th president of the United
States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Born in a
one-room log cabin in Kentucky, he was self-educated and became a
lawyer, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. representative. An anti-
slavery advocate, he joined the new Republican Party and won the 1860
presidential election, prompting a majority of slave states in the South
to secede and form the Confederate States. As he led the country during
civil war, Lincoln supervised the Union army, implemented a naval
blockade of Southern ports, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation,
which freed slaves in the Confederate states. On November 19, 1863, he
delivered the now famous Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was re-elected in
1864, and on April 14, 1865, five days after the Confederate surrender
at Appomattox, he was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth. For his role in
preserving the Union and ending slavery, Lincoln is ranked as the
greatest US president. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1900:
The Southern Cross Expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink
achieved a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at
the Great Ice Barrier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsten_Borchgrevink>
1936:
The Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, came to
power in the Spanish general election, a factor in the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War five months later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Spanish_general_election>
1961:
The DuSable Museum, the first museum dedicated to the study and
conservation of African American history, culture, and art, was
chartered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuSable_Black_History_Museum>
2013:
At least 91 people were killed and 190 others injured after a
bomb hidden in a water tank exploded at a market in Hazara Town,
Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_2013_Quetta_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
existential:
1. (chiefly logic, philosophy)
2. Of or relating to existence.
3. Concerning the very existence of something, especially with regard to
evading extinction.
4. Of an assertion, etc.: assuming or suggesting the existence of
something.
5. Of or relating to existentialism (“a philosophical movement
emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its
self-defining choices”).
6. (linguistics) Relating to part of a clause that indicates existence
(for example, there is).
7. (linguistics) Ellipsis of existential clause (“a clause that
indicates the existence of something”).
8. (programming) Ellipsis of existential type (“in a type system: a type
that hides the underlying concrete type(s)”).
9. About Word of the Day
10. Nominate a word
11. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/existential>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Half of our wise men declare that the world is going straight to
perdition; the other half that it is fast becoming perfect. Both cannot
be right.
--Henry Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Adams>
The brass threepence, a twelve-sided coin dated between 1937 and 1970,
was the first British coin that was not round. By the mid-1930s, the
weight of the bronze penny and its fractions had become an issue for
firms that dealt with them in bulk. The silver threepence was unpopular
in England due to its small size. The Royal Mint chose a brass twelve-
sided threepence readily distinguishable from other coins due to its
size, shape and colour. The initial reverse design by Frances Madge
Kitchener of a thrift plant was altered at the direction of the Royal
Mint by Percy Metcalfe without Kitchener's knowledge. The new coin was
slow to circulate when released to the public in 1937, but gained the
public's liking, and the silver threepence was discontinued in 1945. A
new design, with a crowned portcullis (pictured), was instituted for
Elizabeth II in 1953. After the decimalisation of the pound in 1971, it
rapidly vanished from circulation and lost its status as legal tender
after 31 August 1971. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_threepence>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1906:
A team of Italian archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli
discovered the tomb of Kha and Merit, an ancient Egyptian foreman and
his wife, in the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Kha_and_Merit>
1961:
All 72 people on board Sabena Flight 548, including the entire
U.S. figure-skating team, and one person on the ground were killed when
the aircraft crashed on approach to Brussels Airport.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_548>
1976:
The current Constitution of Cuba, providing for a system of
government and law based on those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc
countries, was adopted by a national referendum.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Cuba>
1996:
A Long March 3B rocket carrying the communications satellite
Intelsat 708 crashed immediately after launch from the Xichang Satellite
Launch Center, China, destroying a nearby town and killing an unknown
number of inhabitants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelsat_708>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cruciverbalist:
1. A person who constructs or solves crosswords.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cruciverbalist>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Common sense and the truth should feel authorless, writ by time
itself.
--Miranda July
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miranda_July>
Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a
British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three
voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between 1768
and 1779. During these voyages, he sailed tens of thousands of miles
across largely uncharted areas, mapping coastlines, islands, and
features across the globe. He completed the first known circumnavigation
of the main islands of New Zealand, and led the first recorded visit by
Europeans to the east coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.
Renowned for exceptional seamanship and courage in times of danger, he
was also a pioneer in the prevention of scurvy. In his three Pacific
voyages, Cook encountered numerous indigenous peoples, many with little
or no previous contact with Europeans, leading to violent encounters in
which indigenous peoples and Cook's crew members were killed. Cook was
killed in Hawaii in 1779, when a dispute with Native Hawaiians turned
violent. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (production
pictured), once described as the second-most quoted English-language
play after Hamlet, premiered in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest>
1916:
World War I: Britain, France and Russia made the Declaration
of Sainte-Adresse, stating that they would refuse to sign any peace
treaty with the Central Powers that failed to ensure the political and
economic independence of Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Sainte-Adresse>
1961:
Lawrencium, the radioactive synthetic element with atomic
number 103, was first synthesized at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrencium>
2011:
Arab Spring: On the Day of Rage, Bahraini youths began an
uprising against the government in 55 marches across 25 locations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Rage_%28Bahrain%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
paramour:
1. (chiefly archaic) One who is the object of a person's love,
especially in an affair or romance; a lover; also, a sexual partner.
2. (by extension)
3. (chiefly dated) A person (especially someone who is not one's spouse)
with whom one has an illicit or secret affair; also (Scotland, US, law),
one with whom a married person has an adulterous affair.
4. (historical) A woman who is the object of a knight's love, and who he
fights for.
5. (Christianity, obsolete) God as the object of a person's devotion or
love. [...]
6. About Word of the Day
7. Nominate a word
8. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paramour>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as
to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by
what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our ability to
love developing until it embraces the totality of men and the earth.
--Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin>
Black American Sign Language (BASL) is a dialect of American Sign
Language (ASL) used most commonly by deaf Black Americans in the United
States. The divergence from ASL was influenced by the segregation of
schools in the American South based on race, creating a language
community among Black deaf signers at black schools. As of the mid-
2010s, BASL is used by signers in the South despite public schools
having been desegregated since 1954. BASL differs from other varieties
of ASL in its phonology, syntax, and vocabulary. BASL tends to have a
larger signing space, and some signs are produced further away from the
body than in other dialects. Signers of BASL also tend to prefer two-
handed variants of signs, and some signs differ from other dialects
because they borrow from African-American English. Younger signers are
more likely to have a positive perception of the dialect, as they are
less likely to be influenced by perceptions that segregated schools
imprinted upon the dialects. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_American_Sign_Language>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1935:
The USS Macon, one of the largest helium-filled airships ever
created, crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and
sank.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Macon_%28ZRS-5%29>
1993:
Two-year-old James Bulger was led away from New Strand Shopping
Centre in Bootle, England, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, who
became the youngest convicted murderers in modern English history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger>
2001:
The NASA space probe NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros,
becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker>
2016:
In the first meeting between the leaders of the Catholic Church
and the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of
Moscow signed the Havana Declaration at José Martí International
Airport in Cuba.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Declaration_of_Pope_Francis_and_Patriar…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Darwinism:
1. (evolutionary theory, uncountable) Charles Darwin's theory regarding
the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out
chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of
Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this
theory.
2. (uncountable) Short for neo-Darwinism (“the synthesis of Charles
Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection with the modern
genetic understanding of heredity”).
3. (by extension) Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word.
4. (biology, uncountable) Any of various theories in biology which apply
aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) such as adaptation,
competition, or gradual evolution; also, belief in such a theory.
5. (pseudoscience, uncountable) Any of various theories, now generally
discredited, which apply aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) to
other situations such as the development of ideas, organizations, or
social groups.
6. (generally, countable, uncountable) A process of gradual evolution;
also, ruthless competition for achievement or survival.
7. (biology, poetic, historical) Erasmus Darwin's poetic style, or
theory of natural philosophy suggesting that living organisms developed
from simpler lifeforms (set out in his work Zoonomia, 1794–1796).
8. About Word of the Day
9. Nominate a word
10. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Darwinism>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration
which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the
conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should
cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental
and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and
each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men
should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from
the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not
judged. The prayers of both could not be answered — that of neither
has been answered fully.
--Abraham Lincoln
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>
The St Scholastica Day riot took place in Oxford, England, on
10 February 1355. The disturbance began when two students from the
University of Oxford complained about the quality of wine served to them
in a tavern; the argument quickly escalated to a fight and the resulting
mêlée turned into a riot. The violence continued over three days, with
armed gangs entering the town from the countryside to assist the
townspeople. University halls and students' accommodation were raided
and the inhabitants murdered. Around 20 townsfolk were killed, as were
up to 63 members of the university. King Edward III sent judges to the
town to determine culpability. He came down on the side of the
university, who were given additional powers to the disadvantage of the
town's authorities. In an act of conciliation in 1955—the riot's 600th
anniversary—the mayor of Oxford was given an honorary degree, while
the university's vice-chancellor was made an honorary freeman of the
city. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Scholastica_Day_riot>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1936:
Second Italo-Ethiopian War: The Battle of Amba Aradam began,
ending nine days later in a decisive tactical victory for Italy and the
neutralisation of almost the entire Ethiopian army as a fighting force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Amba_Aradam>
1940:
Puss Gets the Boot, the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, was
released to theaters.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puss_Gets_the_Boot>
1941:
In the first airborne operation undertaken by the British
military, six paratroopers landed near Calitri, Italy, to destroy an
aqueduct.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Colossus>
2008:
The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's
National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Namdaemun_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mercury:
1. (uncountable) Senses relating to the metal.
2. A silvery-coloured, metallic chemical element (symbol Hg) with the
atomic number 80; it is liquid at room temperature, and toxic.
3. Preceded by the: mercury (noun sense 1.1) as used in the column of a
barometer or thermometer, its fall or rise thus indicating the decrease
or increase of ambient pressure or temperature.
4. (medicine, historical) A preparation containing mercury (noun sense
1.1), especially calomel (mercurous chloride) or corrosive sublimate
(mercuric chloride), formerly used as a medicine to treat syphilis, etc.
5. (sciences, historical) One of the elemental principles formerly
thought to be present in all metals.
6. (figurative, obsolete) Liveliness, volatility.
7. (countable) Senses relating to plants.
8. An annual plant, now generally called annual mercury (Mercurialis
annua), chiefly native to central and southern Europe which was formerly
grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury.
9. Chiefly with a descriptive word.
10. Any of several plants of the genus Mercurialis; specifically
(obsolete), dog's mercury or wild mercury (Mercurialis perennis).
11. Any of several plants resembling Mercurialis plants but of a
different genus, or having similar medicinal or toxic qualities as
annual mercury or dog's mercury.
12. (Northern England) Allgood or Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-
henricus), a species of goosefoot native to central and southern Europe
formerly cultivated as a vegetable but now generally regarded as a weed;
English mercury, false mercury (obsolete).
13. (Northeastern US) Poison ivy or poison oak (genus Toxicodendron,
especially the eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) or Atlantic
poison oak (Toxicodendron pubescens)).
14. (archaic or obsolete) To apply or coat (something) with mercury
(noun sense 1.1) or a preparation containing mercury; specifically
(obsolete, rare), to apply to (the face) a preparation of mercury to
beautify it.
15. (medicine, archaic or obsolete) To administer to (someone) a
medicine containing mercury.
16. About Word of the Day
17. Nominate a word
18. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mercury>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
They don’t ask much of you. They only want you to hate the
things you love and to love the things you despise.
--Boris Pasternak
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Pasternak>
The Mud March, or United Procession of Women, was a peaceful
demonstration in London on 9 February 1907 organised by the National
Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), in which more than three
thousand women marched from Hyde Park Corner to the Strand in support of
women's suffrage. Women from all classes participated in the largest
public demonstration supporting women's suffrage seen to that date. It
acquired the name "Mud March" from the day's weather; incessant heavy
rain left the marchers drenched and mud-spattered. The NUWSS and other
groups organised the march to coincide with the opening of Parliament.
The event attracted much public interest and broadly sympathetic press
coverage, but when a women's suffrage bill was presented the following
month it was "talked out" without a vote. The march had a large impact
on public awareness and on the movement's tactics. Large peaceful public
demonstrations, never previously attempted, became standard features of
the suffrage campaign. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_March_%28suffragists%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1971:
An earthquake registering 6.6 Mw struck the northern San
Fernando Valley near the Los Angeles district of Sylmar, killing 65
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_San_Fernando_earthquake>
1976:
The Australian Defence Force (ensign pictured) was formed by
the integration of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy, and
the Royal Australian Air Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force>
1996:
Breaking a seventeen-month ceasefire, the Provisional Irish
Republican Army detonated a powerful truck bomb in the London Docklands,
killing two people and injuring more than a hundred others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Docklands_bombing>
2001:
The American submarine USS Greeneville collided with the Ehime
Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by a high school, sinking the
latter ship and killing nine people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehime_Maru_and_USS_Greeneville_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
copper:
1. (uncountable, chemistry) A reddish-brown metallic chemical element
(symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this
element.
2. (uncountable) The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1 sense
1). copper:
3.
4. (countable, entomology) In full copper butterfly: any of various
lycaenid butterflies with copper-coloured upperwings, especially those
of the genera Lycaena and Paralucia.
5. (countable, dated) Any of various specialized items made of copper
(etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or
traditional to the function of the item.
6. (countable) A copper mug used for drinking alcoholic beverages.
7. (countable) A copper sheet on which an image or writing is engraved.
8. (numismatics, countable) A coin, typically of a small denomination,
originally made of copper and now chiefly of other metals such as
bronze; specifically, an English or British penny or halfpenny; also, a
United States cent; (uncountable) coins made of copper collectively.
9. (countable, US, card games) In the game of faro: originally a copper
coin, now usually a small disc or token, placed on a playing card to
indicate that a player bets against that card.
10. (Australia, UK, countable, dated) A large pot, originally made of
copper but later often of iron, filled with water and heated over a fire
for cooking, washing clothes, etc. [...]
11. About Word of the Day
12. Nominate a word
13. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/copper>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Erasmus dramatizes a well-established political position: that of
the fool who claims license to criticize all and sundry without
reprisal, since his madness defines him as not fully a person and
therefore not a political being with political desires and ambitions.
The Praise of Folly, therefore sketches the possibility of a position
for the critic of the scene of political rivalry, a position not simply
impartial between the rivals but also, by self-definition, off the stage
of rivalry altogether.
--J. M. Coetzee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._M._Coetzee>
Master Juba (c. 1825 – 1852 or 1853) was an African-American
dancer. He was one of the first black performers in the United States to
play onstage for white audiences and the only one of the era to tour
with a white minstrel group. He began his career in Manhattan's Five
Points neighborhood and moved to minstrel shows in the mid-1840s. His
act featured a sequence in which he imitated famous dancers, then closed
by performing in his style. In 1848, he became a sensation in Britain
for his dance style, but writers treated him as an exhibit on display.
Juba's popularity faded and he died in 1852 or 1853, likely from
overwork and malnutrition. He was largely forgotten by historians until
a 1947 article by Marian Hannah Winter popularized his story. Juba's
dancing style was percussive, varied in tempo and expressive. It likely
incorporated European folk steps and African-derived steps used by
plantation slaves. Juba was highly influential in the development of
tap, jazz, and step-dancing styles. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Juba>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
William D. Boyce established the Boy Scouts of America,
expanding the Scout Movement into the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_America>
1965:
After taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision just
after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport,
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing
all 84 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_663>
1979:
Denis Sassou Nguesso was chosen as the new President of the
Republic of the Congo after Joachim Yhombi-Opango was forced from power.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Sassou_Nguesso>
1981:
Rhodesian Bush War: Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
cadres in Gwelo attacked Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army troops,
killing over 60 of them and starting the 1981 Entumbane uprising.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Entumbane_uprising>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mendelevium:
1. (chemistry) A radioactive metallic transuranic chemical element
(symbol Md) with atomic number 101, which is artificially produced in a
particle accelerator.
2. About Word of the Day
3. Nominate a word
4. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mendelevium>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts
— the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of
their art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the
two others; but of the three, the only quite trustworthy one is the
last.
--John Ruskin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Ruskin>
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies beauty, taste, art,
and related phenomena. It examines aesthetic properties or features that
influence the appeal of objects, like elegance and ugliness.
Philosophers debate whether these properties exist objectively or depend
on subjective experience. Taste is a sensitivity to aesthetic qualities,
and differences in taste can lead to disagreements about aesthetic
judgments. Artworks are artifacts or performances such as painting,
music, dance, architecture, and literature. Art interpretation and
criticism seek to identify the meanings of artworks. Discussions focus
on elements such as what an artwork represents, which emotions it
expresses, and what the author's underlying intent was. Aesthetics is
relevant to fields such as ethics, religion, psychology, and everyday
life. Its roots lie in antiquity, but it only emerged as a distinct
field of inquiry in the 18th century when philosophers like Alexander
Baumgarten and Immanuel Kant (pictured) engaged with the subject
systematically. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1941:
Soviet border guards opened fire on civilians attempting to
cross the border from the Soviet Union to Romania near Lunca, killing
several hundred people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunca_massacre>
1948:
Neil Harvey became the youngest Australian to score a century
in Test cricket.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Harvey>
1986:
President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country after
a popular uprising, ending 28 years of one-family rule in the nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Duvalier>
1991:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army shelled 10
Downing Street with mortars in a failed attempt to assassinate British
prime minister John Major.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_mortar_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hydrogen:
1. (uncountable) The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an
atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008.
2. (countable) An atom of this element.
3. (uncountable) Molecular hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H2), a colourless,
odourless and flammable gas at room temperature.
4. (countable) A molecule of this molecular species.
5. (uncountable) Synonym of protium (“the lightest and most common
isotope of hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H, 1H, or 11H), as contrasted with
deuterium and tritium”).
6. About Word of the Day
7. Nominate a word
8. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hydrogen>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Athletes, spectators from every corner of the world, this is a
message of peace by my beloved countryman Nelson Mandela: "Peace is not
just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment
where all can flourish, regardless of race, color, creed, religion,
gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference." Today
this message seems more relevant than ever, so let these games be more
than just sport, let them be a reminder of our common humanity, our
respect for one another and a resounding call for peace everywhere.
--Charlize Theron
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charlize_Theron>
Tara Lipinski (born 1982) is an American former competitive figure
skater, actress, sports commentator, and documentary film producer. A
former competitor in women's singles, she was the 1998 Olympic champion,
the 1997 world champion, a two-time Champions Series Final champion
(1997–1998), and the 1997 U.S. national champion. Until 2019, she was
the youngest single skater to win a U.S. Nationals and the youngest to
become an Olympic and world champion. She was the first woman to
complete a triple loop–triple loop combination, her signature jump
element, in competition. Starting in 1997, Lipinski had a rivalry with
fellow skater Michelle Kwan, which was played up by the American press,
and culminated when Lipinski won the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics in
Nagano. She retired from competitive figure skating in 1998. Lipinski
became one of NBC's primary figure skating commentators in 2014,
alongside sports commentator Terry Gannon and fellow figure skater and
good friend Johnny Weir. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Lipinski>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1806:
Napoleonic Wars: A British naval squadron captured or destroyed
five French ships of the line at the Battle of San Domingo in the
Caribbean Sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Domingo>
1918:
Conscientious objector Henry Firth died in a work camp on
Dartmoor, England, triggering a strike over living conditions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Firth>
1951:
A train derailed while crossing a temporary wooden trestle in
Woodbridge, New Jersey, causing 85 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodbridge_train_derailment>
1976:
Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admitted that the
company had paid out approximately US$3 million in bribes to the office
of Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_bribery_scandals>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shaken:
1. Moved rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
2. Of a drink, especially (alcoholic beverages) a cocktail: mixed by
being agitated with ice in a shaker.
3. Caused to move (and usually weakened) by a strong force.
4. (by extension)
5. (archaic or obsolete) Of a cask: taken to pieces which are then tied
up together for transportation.
6. (mining) Of something mined such as coal or ore: broken into pieces.
7. (timber industry) Of timber: damaged from being cracked.
8. (figurative)
9. Chiefly of a person: having had one's composure or confidence
disrupted or upset; in a state of shock or trauma.
10. Weakened by some event. [...]
11. About Word of the Day
12. Nominate a word
13. Leave feedback
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shaken>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal
establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the
powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the
States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal
Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal
Government. Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my
intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work —
work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back.
Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster
productivity, not stifle it.
--Ronald Reagan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan>