Grevillea juniperina, the prickly spider-flower, is a plant of the
family Proteaceae native to eastern New South Wales and south-eastern
Queensland in Australia. It is a small prickly-leaved shrub from 0.2 to
3 m (8 in to 10 ft) high, generally growing on clay-based or alluvial
soils in eucalypt woodland. Scottish botanist Robert Brown described
G. juniperina in 1810, and seven subspecies are recognised. The flower
heads (inflorescences) appear from winter to early summer and are red,
orange or yellow. Birds visit and pollinate the flowers. G. juniperina
plants are killed by bushfire, regenerating afterwards from seed. The
species adapts readily to cultivation and has been important in
horticulture as it is the parent of many popular garden hybrids.
G. j. juniperina, a subspecies restricted to western Sydney and
environs, has its habitat threatened by housing development and other
factors.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grevillea_juniperina>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1678:
Venetian philosopher Elena Cornaro Piscopia became the first
woman to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Cornaro_Piscopia>
1944:
World War II: U.S. Navy and Royal Navy ships bombarded
Cherbourg, France, to support U.S. Army units engaged in the Battle of
Cherbourg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Cherbourg>
1978:
The rainbow flag representing gay pride was first flown at the
San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_%28LGBT%29>
2013:
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the CIA
acknowledged the existence of Area 51 (diagram pictured), a secretive
U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada and a subject of various UFO and other
conspiracy theories.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
a mite:
(informal) To a small extent; in a small amount; rather.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_mite>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection,
that one is sometimes willing to commit sins for the sake of loyalty,
that one does not push asceticism to the point where it makes friendly
intercourse impossible, and that one is prepared in the end to be
defeated and broken up by life, which is the inevitable price of
fastening one's love upon other human individuals.
--George Orwell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Orwell>
The New Rochelle 250th Anniversary half dollar is a fifty-cent piece
struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1937 as a
commemorative coin to mark the 250th anniversary of the settling of New
Rochelle in Westchester County, New York. The coin's obverse (pictured)
depicts a fatted calf being led by John Pell, who sold the land on which
New Rochelle now stands; a "fatt calfe" was to be presented to him
annually on June 24 if he asked for it, lest New Rochelle's land be
forfeited back to him. The other side shows a fleur-de-lis, an element
of the city seal of New Rochelle and of France's La Rochelle, its
eponym. The piece is dated 1938 but was minted the previous year. Artist
Gertrude K. Lathrop designed the coin; she was hired based on her work
on the 1936 Albany Charter half dollar. New Rochelle's coin committee
sold the half dollar for $2.00 both locally and by mail order, sending
them to all 48 states and internationally, distributing them during 1937
and early 1938. Lathrop's work has been both praised and criticized by
numismatic commentators.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rochelle_250th_Anniversary_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: Led by Napoleon, the French Grande Armée
crossed the Neman, beginning their invasion of Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia>
1880:
"O Canada" (audio featured), the present-day national anthem of
Canada, was first performed in Quebec City during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Day banquet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada>
1937:
The U.S. Navy's first two fast battleships, North Carolina and
Washington of the North Carolina class, were ordered from the New York
and Philadelphia Naval Shipyards, respectively.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina-class_battleship>
2010:
John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut at the Wimbledon
Championships, concluding the longest match in tennis history, which
lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isner%E2%80%93Mahut_match_at_the_2010_Wimbled…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
adynaton:
(rhetoric) A form of hyperbole that uses exaggeration so magnified as to
express impossibility; an instance of such hyperbole.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adynaton>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Well, I play purely from the heart, y'know, and so if it doesn't
work the first couple of hours, forget it. Unless we feel like we're
somehow on the right track then I'll keep on going. That's it, really; I
don't have any magic where I just press a button and it happens. It'll
either happen or it won't.
--Jeff Beck
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jeff_Beck>
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise
created and owned by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an
anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles Doctor Eggman, a mad
scientist. In addition to video games, Sonic incorporates printed media,
animations, a 2020 feature film, and merchandise. The first Sonic game,
released for the Sega Genesis on June 23, 1991, was developed after
Sega requested a mascot character to compete with Nintendo's mascot
Mario. Sonic's success helped Sega become one of the leading video game
companies during the fourth generation of video game consoles in the
early 1990s. When Sega exited the console market and shifted to third-
party development in 2001, it continued the series on Nintendo, Xbox,
and PlayStation systems. Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega's flagship franchise
and one of the bestselling video game franchises, having sold more than
140 million copies by 2016. Several Sonic games have been listed among
the greatest of all time. Although later games, notably the 2006 series
reboot, have been criticized for a perceived decline in quality, Sonic
is influential in the video game industry and is frequently referenced
in popular culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1865:
Stand Watie became the last Confederate general of the American
Civil War to surrender to Union forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_Watie>
1894:
Led by French historian Pierre de Coubertin, an international
congress at the Sorbonne in Paris formed the International Olympic
Committee to revive the ancient Olympic Games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin>
1946:
Canada's largest recorded onshore earthquake struck Vancouver
Island, British Columbia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_Vancouver_Island_earthquake>
2013:
A group of militants stormed a high-altitude Pakistani
mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan, killing
ten climbers and one local guide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Nanga_Parbat_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ithyphallic:
1. (historical, Ancient Rome) Of or pertaining to the erect phallus that
was carried in bacchic processions.
2. (specifically) Of a poem or song: having the metre of an ode sung in
honour of the bacchic phallus.
3. Of or pertaining to an upward pointing, erect penis; (specifically)
of an artistic depiction of a deity or other figure: possessing an erect
penis.
4. (by extension) Lascivious, obscene.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ithyphallic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Well my heart knows me better than I know myself So I'm gonna
let it do all the talking.
--KT Tunstall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/KT_Tunstall>
The Thankful Poor is an 1894 painting by the African-American painter
Henry Ossawa Tanner. It is a genre painting of two African Americans
praying at a table and shares themes with Tanner's other works like The
Banjo Lesson (1893). The painting is considered a milestone in African-
American art, notably for its countering of racial stereotypes by
portraying African-American culture in a dignified manner. This
depiction was influenced by Tanner's father and the African Methodist
Episcopal Church. Despite its popularity with critics, The Thankful Poor
was Tanner's last African-American genre work before he began to focus
on biblical scenes. After remaining hidden for years, the painting was
discovered in a storage closet of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
in 1970, before being purchased by Camille and Bill Cosby in 1981 for
their private collection. In 2020, the painting was sold by the Cosbys
to Art Bridges, a foundation created by Alice Walton for loaning
artwork.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thankful_Poor>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
Greek War of Independence: A combined Egyptian and Ottoman army
began an invasion of the Mani Peninsula, but were initially held off by
the Maniots at the fortifications of Vergas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman%E2%80%93Egyptian_invasion_of_Mani>
1957:
Ellen Fairclough became the first woman to be appointed to the
cabinet of Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Fairclough>
1973:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark
case Miller v. California, establishing the Miller test for determining
what is obscene material.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_test>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ski-through:
1. (skiing) Of a ski lodge or other hotel establishment: providing
skiers with the service of transporting their equipment, luggage, and
vehicles to other establishments so they can ski directly to those
establishments.
2. (skiing) Of a restaurant, shop, or other establishment or facility:
providing service to skiers while they are still wearing their skis.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ski-through>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense
in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by
faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone;
therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous
from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint.
Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is
forgiveness.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr>
A pisco sour is a cocktail typical of South American cuisine. The
drink's name is a combination of the word pisco, which is its base
liquor, and the term sour, in reference to sour citrus juice and
sweetener components. Chile and Peru both claim the pisco sour as their
national drink, and each asserts exclusive ownership of both pisco and
the cocktail. The Peruvian pisco sour uses Peruvian pisco as the base
liquor and adds Key lime (or lemon) juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and
Angostura bitters. The Chilean version is similar, but uses Chilean
pisco and Pica lemon, and excludes the bitters and egg white. The
cocktail was invented by Victor Vaughen Morris, an American bartender
working in Peru in the early 1920s. In Chile, the invention of the drink
is attributed to Elliot Stubb, an English ship steward, at a bar in the
port city of Iquique in 1872, although the source for this attributed
the invention of the whiskey sour to Stubb, not the pisco sour. The two
kinds of pisco and the two variations in the style of preparing the
pisco sour are distinct in both production and taste, and the pisco sour
has become a significant and oft-debated topic of Latin American popular
culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_sour>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: Members of the Third Estate took the Tennis
Court Oath (depicted), pledging not to separate until a new French
constitution was created.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Court_Oath>
1921:
Workers at the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in Madras, India,
began a four-month strike.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1921_Buckingham_and_Carnatic_Mills_strike>
1943:
The Royal Air Force launched Operation Bellicose, the first
shuttle-bombing raid of the Second World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bellicose>
1975:
Steven Spielberg's film Jaws was released, which became the
prototypical summer blockbuster and established the modern Hollywood
business model.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_%28film%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
steatopygous:
(physiology) Pertaining to steatopygia; having fat or prominent
buttocks.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/steatopygous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Two hearts, Two hearts that beat as one Our lives have just
begun.
--Lionel Richie
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lionel_Richie>
The rock martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula) is a small swallow that is
resident in central and southern Africa. It breeds in the mountains, and
at lower levels in rocky areas and towns. It has mainly brown plumage
and white "windows" on the spread tail. Its call is a soft twitter. The
sexes are similar in appearance. The martin hunts along cliff faces for
flying insects. It breeds under cliff overhangs or on man-made
structures using mud pellets to build a bowl or half-bowl nest with a
soft lining. The bird is a solitary breeder, but small groups may nest
close together in suitable locations. A typical clutch has two to three
eggs, which are white with brown and grey blotches. Both adults
incubate the eggs for 16–19 days and feed the chicks. Fledging takes
another 22–24 days. The small martin is caught in flight by several
falcons, such as hobbies, but it faces no major threats. Because of its
extensive range and large stable population, it is assessed as a least-
concern species on the IUCN Red List. (This article is part of a
featured topic: Crag martins.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Crag_martins>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
The first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history
using modern rules was played in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the "New York
Nine" defeating the New York Knickerbockers 23–1.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball>
1921:
A group of Black and Tans burned down the village of
Knockcroghery, Ireland, as an act of vengeance for the killing of a
British general two days earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockcroghery>
1965:
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, the head of the South Vietnam Air Force, was
appointed prime minister at the head of a military regime, ending two
years of short-lived military juntas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Cao_K%E1%BB%B3>
2006:
The ceremonial "first stone" of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault,
a facility established to preserve a wide variety of plant seeds from
locations worldwide in an underground cavern in Spitsbergen, Norway, was
laid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Juneteenth:
(US) Also more fully as Juneteenth Day: a holiday celebrated in many
states of the United States of America on June 19, commemorating the end
of slavery.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Juneteenth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a
proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are
free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights
of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection
heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired
labor.
--Gordon Granger
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gordon_Granger>
Five Go Down to the Sea? were an Irish post-punk band from Cork, active
during 1978 to 1989. Vocalist and lyricist Finbarr Donnelly (pictured),
guitarist Ricky Dineen and brothers Philip O'Connell (bass) and Keith
O'Connell (drums) formed the band as Nun Attax when they were teenagers.
They became known for Donnelly's absurdist lyrics and stage presence,
Dineen's angular guitar and bass parts, and a rhythm section influenced
by Captain Beefheart. After developing a following in Ireland in the
early 1980s, they changed their name to "Five Go Down to the Sea?" and
moved to London. They did not find commercial success and split up in
1985. Donnelly and Dineen reformed in 1988 as Beethoven, and released
the EP Him Goolie Goolie Man, Dem the following year. Their reformation
was short-lived, as Donnelly drowned on 18 June 1989, aged 27. The
band's reputation has grown over time and they have influenced later
generations of Irish musicians, especially a succession of dryly
humorous Cork bands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Go_Down_to_the_Sea%3F>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1858:
Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist
Alfred Russel Wallace on natural selection, which encouraged him to
publish his own theory of evolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace>
1954:
Carlos Castillo Armas led a CIA-sponsored invasion force across
the Guatemalan border, beginning the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1967:
American musician Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar on stage at
the end of a performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix>
1981:
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft to
be designed around stealth technology, made its maiden flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-117_Nighthawk>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
meet one's Waterloo:
To be decisively defeated by an encounter with a powerful opponent or a
problem that is too difficult.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meet_one%27s_Waterloo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs And
what's wrong with that? I'd like to know 'Cause here I go again... I
love you.
--Paul McCartney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney>
Antiochus X Eusebes (c. 113 BC – 92 or 88 BC) was a king of
Syria during the Hellenistic period. During his lifetime Seleucid Syria
was beset by civil wars, interference by Ptolemaic Egypt and incursions
by the Parthians. In 95 BC, Seleucus VI killed his own half-uncle
Antiochus IX, the father of Antiochus X, who took revenge by defeating
Seleucus VI and driving him to his death in 94 BC. Antiochus X did
not enjoy a stable reign as he had to fight three of Seleucus VI's
brothers, Antiochus XI, Philip I and Demetrius III. Antiochus XI
defeated Antiochus X and expelled him in 93 BC from Antioch, the
capital. A few months later, Antiochus X regained his position and
killed Antiochus XI. The civil war continued but its final outcome is
uncertain. Antiochus X married his stepmother Cleopatra Selene, and
had several children with her, including a future king, Antiochus XIII.
He probably died fighting against the Parthians in 88 BC.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_X_Eusebes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
New Zealand Wars: British settlers clashed with Māori over a
land dispute in the Wairau Valley, resulting in 26 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wairau_Affray>
1900:
Boxer Rebellion: Allied naval forces captured the Taku Forts
(depicted) from Qing China after a brief but bloody battle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Taku_Forts_%281900%29>
1963:
Riots broke out in Saigon one day after the signing of the
Joint Communiqué to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Communiqu%C3%A9>
2017:
Four wildfires erupted across central Portugal, eventually
killing at least 66 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2017_Portugal_wildfires>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gastrodiplomacy:
A type of cultural diplomacy where relations between representatives of
different cultures are improved by the means of gastronomy and the
promotion of national cuisines.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gastrodiplomacy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You share in all the love there is. The goddess awakens in
infinite forms and a thousand disguises. She is found where she is least
expected, appears out of nowhere and everywhere to illumine the open
heart. She is singing, crying, moaning, wailing, shrieking, crooning to
us, to be awake, to commit ourselves to life, to be a lover in the world
and of the world, to join our voices in the single song of constant
change and creation. For her law is to love all beings, and she is the
cup of the drink of life. The circle is ever open, ever unbroken.
--Starhawk
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Starhawk>
Podokesaurus is a genus of coelophysoid dinosaur that lived in what is
now the eastern United States during the Early Jurassic Period between
201 and 190 million years ago. Its only fossil was discovered by the
geologist Mignon Talbot near Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1910.
Talbot described and named the new genus and species Podokesaurus
holyokensis based on it, becoming the first woman to find and describe a
dinosaur. The holotype fossil (pictured) was recognised as significant
and was studied by other researchers, but was lost when the building it
was in burned down in 1917; no unequivocal Podokesaurus specimens have
since been discovered. It was nominated as the state dinosaur of
Massachusetts in 2021. Estimated to have been about 1 m (3 ft) in
length and 1–40 kg (2–90 lb) in weight, Podokesaurus was lightly
constructed with hollow bones and it is estimated it could have run at
15–20 km/h (9–12 mph). It is believed to have been a fleet-footed
predator, with powerful forelimbs and grasping hands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podokesaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1883:
In the Victoria Hall disaster, 183 children were crushed to
death when they ran down the stairs to collect gifts after a variety
show in Sunderland, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Hall_disaster>
1911:
The technology company IBM was founded as the Computing-
Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing-Tabulating-Recording_Company>
1961:
Pioneering Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected from
the Soviet Union at Paris–Le Bourget Airport with the help of French
police and a Parisian socialite friend.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Nureyev>
2013:
A cloudburst caused severe flooding in the northern Indian
state of Uttarakhand, continuing for several days and resulting in over
5,700 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_North_India_floods>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nuke:
1. (transitive, chiefly US, colloquial) To use a nuclear weapon on a
target.
2. (transitive, chiefly US, colloquial, figuratively) To destroy or
erase completely.
3. (transitive, Internet slang, by extension) To carry out a denial-of-
service attack against (an IRC user).
4. (transitive, chiefly US, colloquial) To expose to some form of
radiation.
5. (transitive, chiefly US, colloquial) To cook in a microwave oven.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nuke>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
my God after that long kiss I near lost my breath yes he said I
was a flower of the mountain yes so we are flowers all a womans body yes
that was one true thing he said in his life and the sun shines for you
today yes that was why I liked him because I saw he understood or felt
what a woman is and I knew I could always get round him and I gave him
all the pleasure I could leading him on till he asked me to say yes and
I wouldnt answer first only looked out over the sea and the sky I was
thinking of so many things he didnt know
--Ulysses
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ulysses>
The Bombing of Yawata on the night of 15/16 June 1944 was the first
air raid on the Japanese home islands conducted by United States Army
Air Forces (USAAF) strategic bombers during World War II. The attack
was undertaken by 75 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers (examples
pictured) staging from bases in China. Only 47 of these aircraft dropped
bombs near the raid's primary target, the Imperial Iron and Steel Works
at Yawata, and little damage was caused. Five B-29s were lost in
accidents during the operation and two were destroyed by Japanese
aircraft. While the raid did not achieve its aims, it raised Japanese
civilians' awareness that their country was being defeated and received
unduly positive media coverage in the United States. Intelligence
gathered also revealed weaknesses in Japan's air defenses and the raid
was the first of many on Japan. Yawata was attacked again on
20 August 1944. Much of the city was destroyed in a firebombing raid
conducted by B-29s based in the Mariana Islands on 8 August 1945.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Yawata_%28June_1944%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
A 7.2 Ms earthquake and a subsequent tsunami struck Japan,
destroying about 9,000 homes and causing at least 22,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Sanriku_earthquake>
1944:
In the Saskatchewan general election, the Co-operative
Commonwealth Federation led by Tommy Douglas won enough seats in the
Legislative Assembly to form the first socialist government in North
America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas>
1991:
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines deposited
large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere, enough to lower
global temperatures by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo>
2001:
Leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Magna Carta:
1. (law, historical) A charter granted by King John to the barons at
Runnymede in 1215, which is one of the bases of English constitutional
tradition; a physical copy of this charter, or a later version.
2. (figuratively) A landmark document that sets out rights or important
principles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Magna_Carta>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
London is always beautiful to those who love and understand that
extraordinary microcosm; but at five of a summer morning there is about
her an exquisite quality of youthful fragrance and debonair freshness
which goes to the heart.
--William McFee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_McFee>