Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) was the 29th president of the United
States, serving from March 4, 1921, until his death in 1923. A member
of the Republican Party, Harding was defeated for Governor of Ohio in
1910, but was elected to the Senate in 1914. He ran for the Republican
nomination for president in 1920. Considered a long shot until after the
convention began, he was nominated on the tenth ballot. He conducted a
front porch campaign, running on the theme of a return to normalcy, and
won in a landslide, the first sitting senator to be elected president.
He appointed a number of well-regarded figures to his cabinet, including
Andrew Mellon at the Treasury Department, Herbert Hoover at Commerce,
and Charles Evans Hughes at State. After his death in San Francisco, a
number of scandals, including Teapot Dome, came to light, as did his
extramarital affair with Nan Britton, eroding his popular regard.
Harding was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_G._Harding>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: Using artillery transported from
Ticonderoga, the Continental Army occupied Dorchester Heights, forcing
the British to abandon Boston two weeks later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortification_of_Dorchester_Heights>
1918:
A case of influenza was recorded at Camp Funston, Kansas,
conventionally marking the beginning of the Spanish flu.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu>
1941:
Second World War: British Commandos successfully executed a
raid on the Lofoten Islands in German-occupied Norway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Claymore>
2009:
President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan was indicted by the
International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against
humanity committed during the War in Darfur.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
not to put too fine a point on it:
(idiomatic) Used to apologize for a possibly impolite statement one is
making.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/not_to_put_too_fine_a_point_on_it>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Knowledge must start from some foundation, something must be
recognized as known; otherwise we shall be obliged always to define one
unknown by means of another.
--P. D. Ouspensky
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._D._Ouspensky>
Carmen is an opera in four acts which Georges Bizet set to a libretto by
the team Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on Prosper Mérimée's
novella. When it was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3
March 1875, its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its
first audiences. The opera was originally written with musical numbers
and spoken dialogue. Set in southern Spain, it tells of the downfall of
Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the fiery gypsy Carmen,
and finally kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian
life, immorality, and lawlessness broke new ground in French opera.
Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work
would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years.
Carmen has become one of the most frequently performed operas, with the
"Habanera" and the "Toreador Song" among the best known of all operatic
arias. The music has been acclaimed for its brilliance of melody,
harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for Bizet's skill in
expressing the emotions and suffering of his characters.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1924:
The Ottoman Caliphate, the world's last widely recognized
caliphate, was abolished.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolition_of_the_Caliphate>
1931:
"The Star-Spangled Banner", originally a poem written by
American author Francis Scott Key after witnessing the Battle of
Baltimore during the War of 1812, became the official national anthem of
the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner>
1991:
Motorist Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles Police
Department officers during an arrest, causing public outrage that
increased tensions between the African-American community and the police
department over police brutality and social inequality.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King>
2012:
Two passenger trains collided near Szczekociny, Poland,
resulting in 16 deaths and 58 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szczekociny_rail_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
triangulation:
1. (uncountable, surveying) A technique in which distances and
directions are estimated from an accurately measured baseline and the
principles of trigonometry; (countable) an instance of the use of this
technique.
2. (countable, surveying) The network of triangles so obtained, that are
the basis of a chart or map.
3. (countable, chess) A delaying move in which the king moves in a
triangular path to force the advance of a pawn.
4. (countable, geometry) A subdivision of a planar object into
triangles, and by extension the subdivision of a higher-dimension
geometric object into simplices.
5. (uncountable, navigation, seismology) A process by which an unknown
location is found using three known distances from known locations.
6. (uncountable, politics) The practice of repositioning one's group or
oneself on the political spectrum in an attempt to capture the centre.
7. (uncountable, qualitative research) The use of three (or more)
researchers to interview the same people or to evaluate the same
evidence to reduce the impact of individual bias.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/triangulation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it's the only one we
have.
--Émile Chartier
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Chartier>
Lionel Matthews (15 August 1912 – 2 March 1944) was an Australian Army
officer during World War II who was posthumously awarded the George
Cross, the highest non-combat award for heroism for members of the
Australian armed forces at the time. Matthews served in the 27th Brigade
during the Malayan campaign, and at the surrender of Singapore in 1942
became a prisoner of war (POW). He was awarded the Military Cross for
courage, energy and ability under fire during this fighting. At Sandakan
POW camp Matthews established an intelligence network, collecting
information, weapons, medical supplies and radio parts, and making
contact with organisations outside the camp. The group was betrayed, and
Matthews was arrested, beaten, tortured and starved. He refused to
provide any information, and was executed by firing squad. After the war
he was awarded the George Cross in recognition of his gallant and
distinguished services while in Japanese hands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Matthews>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1865:
New Zealand Wars: Carl Sylvius Völkner, a Protestant
missionary, was killed by Hauhau militants in Ōpōtiki for working as
an agent for George Grey, Governor-General of New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sylvius_V%C3%B6lkner>
1937:
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee, precursor to the United
Steel Workers of America, had a major success when it signed a
collective-bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Workers_Organizing_Committee>
1962:
Led by General Ne Win, the Burmese military seized power in a
coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_Burmese_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
2017:
A naming ceremony for the chemical elements moscovium,
tennessine, and oganesson took place at the Russian Academy of Sciences
in Moscow.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oganesson>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conversely:
1. (often conjunctive) With a reversed relationship.
2. (conjunctive, loosely) From another point of view; on the other hand.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conversely>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Peace is not unity in similarity but unity in diversity, in the
comparison and conciliation of differences. And, ideally, peace means
the absence of violence. It is an ethical value.
--Mikhail Gorbachev
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev>
Interstate 70 passes through Colorado on its route between its western
terminus at Cove Fort, Utah, and its eastern at Baltimore, Maryland. In
western Colorado, the highway connects the metropolitan areas of Grand
Junction and Denver via a route through the Rocky Mountains. Bicycles
are allowed on those stretches of I-70 in the Rockies where no other
through route exists. The United States Department of Transportation
(USDOT) lists the construction of I-70 among the engineering marvels
undertaken in the Interstate Highway system. The Eisenhower Tunnel, with
a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) and length of 1.7 miles
(2.7 km), is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point along the
Interstate Highway System. The portion through Glenwood Canyon was
completed on October 14, 1992, one of the final pieces of the
Interstate Highway System to open to traffic, and one of the most
expensive rural highways per mile built in the United States.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_70_in_Colorado>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
Ethiopia defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa, ending the First
Italo-Ethiopian War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adwa>
1921:
The Australian cricket team, led by Warwick Armstrong, became
the first team to complete a whitewash in the Ashes, an achievement that
would not be repeated for 86 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Armstrong>
2014:
A group of knife-wielding terrorists attacked passengers at
Kunming railway station in Kunming, China, leaving 31 victims dead and
more than 140 others injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kunming_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pendragon:
Also capitalized as Pendragon: a title assumed by the ancient British
chiefs when called to lead other chiefs: chief war leader, dictator, or
king.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pendragon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The mortality of all inanimate things is terrible to me, but that
of books most of all.
--William Dean Howells
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Dean_Howells>
1080° Snowboarding is a 1998 snowboarding video game developed by
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development and published by Nintendo.
It was released for the Nintendo 64 and re-released in 2008 for the
Wii's Virtual Console. In the game, the player controls one of five
snowboarders from a third-person perspective, using a combination of
buttons to snowboard past flags, jump and perform tricks over eight
levels. The objective is either to arrive quickly at a level's finish
line or to receive maximum points for grabbing or spinning the board in
trick combinations. 1080° was announced in November 1997 and developed
over the course of nine months; it garnered critical acclaim and won an
Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts &
Sciences. It sold over two million units, and a second installment,
1080° Avalanche, was released for the Nintendo GameCube in November
2003.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080%C2%B0_Snowboarding>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1874:
In one of the longest cases ever heard in an English court, the
claimant in the Tichborne case was convicted of perjury for attempting
to assume the identity of the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tichborne_case>
1928:
Indian physicist C. V. Raman and his colleagues discovered
what is now known as Raman scattering, for which he later became the
first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Raman>
2001:
A high-speed train crash occurred near Selby in North
Yorkshire, England, killing 10 and injuring 82.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selby_rail_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
carbonado:
1. (dated) Meat or fish that has been scored and broiled. […]
2. A dark, non-transparent, impure form of polycrystalline diamond (also
containing graphite and amorphous carbon) used in drilling.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carbonado>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Wherever your life ends, it is all there. The utility of living
consists not in the length of days, but in the use of time; a man may
have lived long, and yet lived but a little. Make use of time while it
is present with you. It depends upon your will, and not upon the number
of days, to have a sufficient length of life. Is it possible you can
imagine never to arrive at the place towards which you are continually
going? and yet there is no journey but hath its end. And, if company
will make it more pleasant or more easy to you, does not all the world
go the self-same way?
--Michel de Montaigne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne>
"The Body" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the
supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Written
and directed by series creator Joss Whedon, it originally aired on The
WB Television Network in the United States on February 27, 2001. In the
series, Buffy Summers is a teenager chosen by mystical forces and
endowed with superhuman powers to defeat vampires, demons, and other
evils in the fictional town of Sunnydale. In "The Body", Buffy discovers
the body of her mother, who has died of a brain aneurysm. In the series
Buffy and her friends deal with death every week, often in gruesome and
fantastic ways, but in this episode they are bewildered by the natural
death of Buffy's mother and struggle to comprehend what the loss means
to them. Buffy must begin to face her life and her duties as the Slayer
without parental support and comfort. "The Body" is regarded by many
critics as one of the best episodes of the series.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: A Patriot victory at the Battle of
Moore's Creek Bridge resulted in the arrests of 850 Loyalists over the
following days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Moore%27s_Creek_Bridge>
1933:
The Reichstag building, the seat of the German parliament in
Berlin, was set on fire in a pivotal event in the establishment of the
Nazi regime.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire>
1996:
The multimedia franchise Pokémon was launched with the release
of the video games Pocket Monsters: Red and Green.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pronoia:
1. (philosophy, theology) Divine providence, foreknowledge, foresight.
2. (historical, Byzantine Empire) An imperial grant to an individual of
temporary fiscal rights in the form of land, incomes or taxes from land,
fishing rights, etc., sometimes carrying with it an obligation of
military service. […]
3. (psychology) A belief (sometimes regarded as irrational) that people
conspire to do one good.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pronoia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Time is the only critic without ambition.
--John Steinbeck
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck>
Oryzomys gorgasi, also known as Gorgas's rice rat, is a rodent in the
genus Oryzomys of the family Cricetidae. First collected as a living
animal in 1967, it is known from only a few localities, including a
freshwater swamp in the lowlands of northwestern Colombia and a mangrove
islet in northwestern Venezuela. An extinct form from the island of
Curaçao off Venezuela has been described as a separate species,
O. curasoae, but does not differ morphologically from mainland
populations. It is a medium-sized, brownish species with large,
semiaquatically specialized feet. It differs from other Oryzomys species
in several features of its skull. Its diet includes crustaceans,
insects, and plant material, and parasitic nematodes infect it. The
species is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN due to destruction of its
habitat and competition with the introduced black rat. (This article is
part of a featured topic: Oryzomys.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Oryzomys>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
Napoleon escaped from the Italian island of Elba (depicted), to
which he had been exiled after the signing of the Treaty of
Fontainebleau a year earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon>
1995:
Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, was declared
insolvent after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson,
lost £827 million while making unauthorised trades on futures
contracts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leeson>
2013:
A hot air balloon crashed near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people
in the deadliest ballooning disaster in history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Luxor_hot_air_balloon_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
haul:
1. (transitive) To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or
oxen, or a motor vehicle.
2. (transitive) To draw or pull something heavy.
3. (transitive) To carry or transport something, with a connotation that
the item is heavy or otherwise difficult to move.
4. (transitive, figuratively) To drag, to pull, to tug.
5. (transitive, figuratively) Followed by up: to summon to be
disciplined or held answerable for something.
6. (intransitive) To pull apart, as oxen sometimes do when yoked.
7. (transitive, intransitive, nautical) To steer (a vessel) closer to
the wind.
8. (intransitive, nautical) Of the wind: to shift fore (more towards the
bow).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/haul>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Civil war? What does this mean? Is there any foreign war? Is not
every war between men, war between brothers? War is modified only by its
aim. There is neither foreign war, nor civil war; there is only unjust
war and just war.
--Les Misérables
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables>
The grey currawong (Strepera versicolor) is a large passerine bird
native to southern Australia, including Tasmania. One of three currawong
species, it is a large crow-like bird, around 48 cm (19 in) long, with
yellow irises, a heavy bill, and dark plumage, with a white undertail
and wing patches. The male and female are similar in appearance. The six
subspecies are distinguished by their overall plumage shade. They have a
distinctive loud ringing or clinking call. The currawong is generally
sedentary, although it is a winter visitor in south-easternmost
Australia. Much of its behaviour and habits is poorly known. It is a
ground-foraging omnivore and builds its nests high in trees. It is found
in forests and scrubland in drier regions. Unlike its more common
relatives, it has adapted poorly to human impact, and has declined in
much of its range.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_currawong>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1843:
Royal Navy captain Lord George Paulet began a five-month
occupation of the Hawaiian Islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulet_affair>
1951:
After being postponed due to World War II, the inaugural Pan
American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina (flame ceremony
pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_Games>
2009:
At their headquarters in Pilkhana, members of the Bangladesh
Rifles began a mutiny that resulted in 82 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Rifles_revolt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
stance:
1. The manner, pose, or posture in which one stands.
2. One's opinion or point of view.
3. A place to stand; a position, a site, a station.
4. (specifically, climbing) A foothold or ledge on which to set up a
belay.
5. (Scotland) A place for buses or taxis to await passengers; a bus
stop, a taxi rank.
6. (Scotland) A place where a fair or market is held; a location where a
street trader can carry on business.
7. (obsolete, rare) A stanza.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stance>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Military people have a heavy investment in rules against torture,
not only because we want to protect our own POWs from reciprocal
brutalities… but also because war is so terrible that it desperately
requires any limits anyone can agree on, any gesture toward dignity, any
mitigation suggesting civilized scruple. There isn’t even persuasive
evidence that torture makes its victims tell their secrets, instead of
saying whatever we want to hear.
--John Leonard
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Leonard>
The Portrait of a Musician is an unfinished painting widely attributed
to the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. His only known male
portrait painting, it was probably painted between 1483 and 1487 while
Leonardo was in Milan. It has been in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan
since at least 1672. Perhaps influenced by Antonello da Messina's
introduction of the Early Netherlandish style of portrait painting to
Italy, the work marks a shift from the profile portraiture that
predominated in 15th-century Milan. It shares many similarities with
other paintings Leonardo executed there, such as the Virgin of the Rocks
and the Lady with an Ermine. Most current scholarship attributes at
least the portrait's face to Leonardo, based on stylistic resemblances
to his other works. Uncertainty over the rest of the painting is due to
the stiff and rigid qualities of the body, which are uncharacteristic of
Leonardo's work.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Musician>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
The Treaty of Yandabo was signed, ending the First Anglo-
Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in the history of
British India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo>
1942:
World War II: The Canadian government ordered the removal of
"all persons of Japanese origin" to internment camps (example pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Canadians>
1968:
Vietnam War: South Vietnamese forces led by Ngô Quang
Trưởng recaptured the citadel of Huế.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hu%E1%BA%BF>
1989:
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced uncontrolled
decompression after leaving Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii,
blowing seats out of the aircraft and killing nine passengers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
histrionic:
1. Of or relating to actors or acting.
2. (by extension) Excessively dramatic or emotional, especially with the
intention to draw attention.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/histrionic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whoever, in the present juncture of our affairs, can proclaim his
entire political creed as frankly in Charleston as in Boston, can do it
only because he has stricken from the list our distinctive national
principle, without which we are not Americans at all — the natural
equal rights of men. If Washington or Jefferson or Madison should utter
upon his native soil today the opinions he entertained and expressed
upon this question, he would be denounced as a fanatical abolitionist.
To declare the right of all men to liberty is sectional, because slavery
is afraid of liberty and strikes the mouth that speaks the word.
--George William Curtis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_William_Curtis>
Margaret (born 1991) is a Polish singer and songwriter. Before her
mainstream debut, she performed with underground bands, recorded
soundtracks for television commercials and produced a fashion blog.
Through her blogging, she was discovered by music manager Sławomir
Berdowski and signed by the record label Extensive Music. Margaret
gained international recognition with her singles "Thank You Very Much"
(2013) and "Cool Me Down" (2016), the first of which was included on her
first extended play (EP) All I Need, and charted in several European
countries. In 2014, she released her debut studio album Add the Blonde,
which reached the top ten in the Polish charts. By re-releasing it in
2016, Margaret had her first Polish top five and Sweden-charting single
with "Cool Me Down". In 2015, she recorded a collaborative jazz album
with Matt Dusk titled Just the Two of Us. Her third studio album, Monkey
Business (2017), became her second top-ten album in Poland.
(This article is part of a featured topic: Overview of Margaret.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Overview_of_Margaret>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
The Orange River Convention was signed in Bloemfontein, with
Britain agreeing to recognise the independence of the Orange Free State
in present-day South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_River_Convention>
1903:
As part of a lease agreement with Cuba, the United States
assumed control of part of Guantánamo Bay to operate coaling and naval
stations, including Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base>
1941:
Plutonium (sample pictured) was first chemically identified by
chemist Glenn T. Seaborg and his team at the University of California,
Berkeley.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium>
2008:
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber crashed on the runway shortly after
takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in the most expensive crash
in U.S. Air Force history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Andersen_Air_Force_Base_B-2_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
navel-gazing:
1. Contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation.
2. (derogatory) Excessive focus on oneself; self-indulgent
introspection.
3. (sometimes derogatory) (Disproportionate) concentration on a single
issue.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/navel-gazing>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.
--W. E. B. Du Bois
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/W._E._B._Du_Bois>