The Princesse de Broglie is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French
Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Completed between
1851 and 1853, it shows Pauline de Broglie, who adopted the courtesy
title princesse, and married Albert de Broglie, the 28th prime minister
of France. She was aged 28 at the time of its completion. Although
highly intelligent and widely known for her beauty, Pauline suffered
from profound shyness, and the painting captures her melancholia. She
contracted tuberculosis and died in 1860 aged 35. The painting is
considered one of the artist's finest later-period female portraits,
along with those of Comtesse d'Haussonville, of Baronne de Rothschild
and of Madame Moitessier. As with many of Ingres's female portraits,
details of costume and setting are rendered with a chilly precision
while her body seems to lack a solid bone structure. The portrait is in
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princesse_de_Broglie>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1904:
Himalia, Jupiter's largest irregular moon, was discovered by
Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory in California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_%28moon%29>
1927:
Putting Pants on Philip, the first official film featuring the
comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_and_Hardy>
1967:
Cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first
successful human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur
Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard>
1982:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency tested soil
from Times Beach, Missouri, which revealed high concentrations of dioxin
and led to the abandonment of the town.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Beach,_Missouri>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
confusedly:
In a confused manner.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confusedly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or
excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.
--Joseph Conrad
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad>
The alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) is a species of newt native to
continental Europe and introduced to Great Britain and New Zealand.
Adults measure 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) and are usually dark grey to
blue on the back and sides, with an orange belly and throat. The alpine
newt occurs at high altitude as well as in the forested lowlands, and
migrates to water for breeding. Males are conspicuously coloured during
breeding season, and court females with a ritualised display. The
aquatic larvae grow up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in around three months, and
most metamorphose into terrestrial juvenile efts, which mature into
adults at around three years. Larvae and adults feed mainly on diverse
invertebrates and themselves fall prey to dragonfly larvae, large
beetles, fish, snakes, birds or mammals. Although still relatively
common, alpine newt populations are decreasing. The main threats are
habitat destruction, pollution and the introduction of fish such as
trout into breeding sites.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_newt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
Philippine–American War: A 60-man Filipino rearguard was
defeated at the Battle of Tirad Pass, but delayed the American advance
long enough to ensure President Emilio Aguinaldo's escape.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tirad_Pass>
1942:
Manhattan Project scientists led by Enrico Fermi initiated the
first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the experimental nuclear
reactor Chicago Pile-1.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Pile-1>
1950:
Korean War: UN forces began a retreat from North Korea
following defeat at the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ch%27ongch%27on_River>
1980:
Four American missionaries were murdered by a military death
squad in El Salvador.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_murders_of_U.S._missionaries_in_El_Salva…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
PEBCAK:
(computing, humorous, also attributively) Chiefly used by technical
support helpdesk staff: a problem experienced with a user's computer
that is due to user error.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/PEBCAK>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The big discoveries raise questions that make astronomers work
feverishly and argue with an agitation that verges on rudeness.
--Nigel Calder
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nigel_Calder>
Jack Crawford (1 December 1886 – 2 May 1963) was an English
first-class cricketer who played mainly for Surrey County Cricket Club
and for South Australia. An amateur, he played as an all-rounder.
Unusually for a first-class cricketer, Crawford wore spectacles while
playing. He played Test cricket before he was 21 years old for England,
and successfully toured Australia with the Marylebone Cricket Club in
1907–08. He played only 12 matches for England, although critics
believed he had a great future in the sport and was a potential future
England captain. After a dispute with Surrey cricketing authorities, he
moved to Australia, but after another dispute, moved to New Zealand to
play for Otago, though that relationship also ended badly. After service
in the First World War, he returned to England and played a handful of
games between 1919 and 1921. Although he continued to play cricket at a
lower level, the remainder of Crawford's life passed in relative
obscurity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Crawford_%28cricketer%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1822:
Pedro I was crowned the first emperor of Brazil seven weeks
after his reign began on his 24th birthday.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil>
1918:
With the signing of the Act of Union, Denmark recognized the
Kingdom of Iceland as a fully sovereign state in personal union through
a common monarch.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Iceland>
1955:
In a key event in the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks was
arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man
in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks>
1988:
Five armed men hijacked a bus carrying thirty schoolchildren
and a teacher in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz, Russia), and were later
given an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and ransom for the release of the
hostages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Ordzhonikidze_bus_hijacking>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tip of the iceberg:
(idiomatic) A small indication of a larger possibility; the first part
encountered of a problem that is much bigger than it seems.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tip_of_the_iceberg>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I don't answer questions containing two or more unsupported
assumptions.
--The Rubber Band
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nero_Wolfe#The_Rubber_Band>
Landis's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the
Confederate States Army during the early stages of the American Civil
War. The battery was formed in late 1861 and early 1862, and was crewed
by a maximum of 62 men. It fielded two 12-pounder Napoleon cannons
(example pictured) and two 24-pounder howitzers. The battery saw limited
action at the Battle of Iuka before providing artillery support at the
Second Battle of Corinth, both in 1862. It formed part of Confederate
defenses at the battles of Port Gibson and Champion Hill in May 1863.
The unit may have suffered the capture of two cannons during the Battle
of Big Black River Bridge. Landis's Battery next saw action during the
Siege of Vicksburg, but was captured when the Confederate garrison there
surrendered on July 4. Although the surviving men of the battery were
exchanged, the battery was not reorganized; instead, it was absorbed
into Guibor's Missouri Battery along with Wade's Missouri Battery.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landis%27s_Missouri_Battery>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1803:
An expedition led by Francisco Javier de Balmis departed A
Coruña, Spain, with the aim of vaccinating millions in South America
and Asia against smallpox.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balmis_Expedition>
1942:
World War II: Japanese warships defeated the U.S. Navy in a
nighttime naval battle off Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tassafaronga>
1962:
Following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Burmese diplomat U
Thant was elected secretary-general of the United Nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant>
1999:
Protests by anti-globalization activists against the World
Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Seattle forced the
cancellation of its opening ceremonies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
laird:
1. (chiefly Scotland) The owner of a Scottish estate; a member of the
landed gentry, a landowner.
2. (chiefly Scotland, historical) Often in the form Laird of, followed
by a patronymic: a Scottish clan chief.
3. (transitive, Scotland) Chiefly as laird it over: to behave like a
laird, particularly to act haughtily or to domineer; to lord (it over).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/laird>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by
reasoning he never acquired…
--Jonathan Swift
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift>
The Okęcie Airport incident was a dispute between the players and staff
of the Poland national football team on 29 November 1980, climaxing at
Okęcie Airport (pictured). It occurred at a time when civil resistance
was intensifying in communist Poland and led to the suspension of
several prominent players and the resignation of the team manager,
Ryszard Kulesza. Kulesza had initially angered the team by deciding to
prevent a hung-over player, Józef Młynarczyk, from flying with the
team, but eventually relented. Polish media attacked the rebellious
players over the following days. Another player, Stanisław Terlecki,
defied the communist authorities by arranging for the players to meet
Pope John Paul II. The Polish Football Association sent Terlecki and
others home and imposed various bans. Kulesza resigned in protest over
the harshness of the sanctions imposed on the players. Most of the
banned players were reinstated within a year, but Terlecki never played
for Poland again.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ok%C4%99cie_Airport_incident>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
An estimated crowd of more than 10,000 demonstrators swore
allegiance to the Eureka Flag as a symbol of defiance, in advance of the
Eureka Rebellion in Ballarat, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Flag>
1899:
FC Barcelona, one of the most successful clubs in Spanish
football, was founded by Swiss football pioneer Joan Gamper.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Barcelona>
1972:
Atari announced the release of Pong, one of the first video
games to achieve widespread popularity in both the arcade and home-
console markets.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong>
1987:
A time bomb planted by North Korean agents on Korean Air
Flight 858 detonated over the Andaman Sea, killing all 115 people on
board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_858>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
endow:
1. (transitive, archaic or obsolete) To provide with a dower (“the
portion that a widow receives from her deceased husband's property”) or
a dowry (“property given to a bride”).
2. (transitive) To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically,
to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a
permanent fund of money or other benefits.
3. (transitive) Followed by with, or rarely by of: to enrich or furnish
with some faculty or quality.
4. (transitive) Usually in the passive: to naturally furnish (with
something).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/endow>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting
worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often
go on getting better.
--The Magician's Nephew
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia#The_Magician's_Nephew_%281955%29>
Hurricane Lane was a tropical cyclone that brought torrential rainfall
and strong winds to Hawaii during late August 2018. The storm was the
wettest on record in Hawaii, with peak rainfall accumulations of 58
inches (1,473 mm) along the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa. Lane was the
first of three Category 5 hurricanes of the record-breaking 2018
Pacific hurricane season, and the season's twelfth named storm, sixth
hurricane, and fourth major hurricane. It became a Category 4 hurricane
on August 18 and reached Category 5 status on August 22 to the south
of Hawaii with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and a barometric
pressure of 926 mbar (hPa; 27.34 inHg). The hurricane then turned
north and slowed, battering the Hawaiian Islands from August 22 to 26
with heavy rain that caused flash flooding and mudslides. Across the
Big Island, 159 structures were damaged or destroyed. One person died
on Kauai. (This article is part of a featured topic: Category 5
Pacific hurricanes.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Category_5_Pacific_…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The Chicago Times-Herald race (winner pictured), the first
automobile race in the U.S., was held in Chicago.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Times-Herald_race>
1903:
SS Petriana struck a reef near Point Nepean, leading to
Australia's first major oil spill and a debate over the White Australia
policy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Petriana>
1966:
Michel Micombero abolished the Burundian monarchy and declared
the country a republic with himself as president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Micombero>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turducken:
(US, cooking) A dish, usually roasted, consisting of a deboned turkey
stuffed with a deboned duck that has been stuffed with a small deboned
chicken, and also containing stuffing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turducken>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I never had, and still do not have, the perception of feeling my
personal identity. I appear to myself as the place where something is
going on, but there is no "I", no "me". Each of us is a kind of
crossroads where things happen. The crossroads is purely passive;
something happens there. A different thing, equally valid, happens
elsewhere. There is no choice, it is just a matter of chance.
--Claude Lévi-Strauss
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Claude_L%C3%A9vi-Strauss>
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American biographical drama film
directed and co-written by Rob Cohen, and starring Jason Scott Lee
(pictured), Lauren Holly, Nancy Kwan and Robert Wagner. The film follows
the life of Bruce Lee (Jason) from his relocation to the United States
from Hong Kong to his career as a martial arts teacher, and then
television and film actor. It also focuses on the relationship between
Bruce and his wife Linda Lee (Holly), and the racism to which Bruce was
subjected. Rather than making a traditional biographical film, Cohen
decided to include elements of mysticism and to dramatise fight scenes
to give it the same tone as the films in which Bruce starred. Dragon:
The Bruce Lee Story received positive reviews, with Jason widely praised
for his performance. The film's commercial success, exceeding box office
averages for biographical films, was attributed to its romantic themes
and its appeal to people outside the traditional kung fu film audience.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon:_The_Bruce_Lee_Story>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
As specified by the Congress of Vienna, the Constitution of the
Kingdom of Poland was signed for the newly recreated Polish state that
was under Russian control.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland>
1895:
Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel signed his last
will and testament, setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish
the Nobel Prize after his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel>
1978:
San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor
Harvey Milk were assassinated by supervisor Dan White.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscone%E2%80%93Milk_assassinations>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
potluck:
1. (dated) A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of
whatever food is available.
2. (by extension) Whatever is available in a particular situation.
3. (originally Canada, US) A shared meal consisting of whatever guests
have brought (sometimes without prior arrangement); a potlatch; also, a
dish of food brought to such a meal.
4. (obsolete) The last draft or portion of an alcoholic beverage in a
pot or other drinking vessel.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/potluck>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Perfect Way is only difficult for those who pick and choose;
Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth
difference, and Heaven and Earth are set apart; If you want the truth
to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle
between "for" and "against" is the mind's worst disease; While the deep
meaning is misunderstood, it is useless to meditate on Rest.
--Sengcan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sengcan>
The western yellow robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis) is a species of bird
in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. Described by John Gould in
1838, the western yellow robin and its Australian relatives are not
closely related to either the European or American robins, but appear to
be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. Ranging
between 13.5 and 15.5 cm (5 1⁄4 and 6 in) long, both sexes have
grey upperparts and a grey breast and head, broken by whitish streaks
near the bill and below the eye, with a conspicuous yellow belly. The
species inhabits open eucalypt forest, woodland and scrub, generally
favouring habitats with significant understory. Its range comprises the
Southwest of Western Australia, the state's southern coastline, and the
Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Predominantly insectivorous, the
western yellow robin pounces on prey from a low branch, or forages on
the ground. The species has declined in parts of its range, but is not
threatened.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_yellow_robin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1914:
A large internal explosion destroyed HMS Bulwark near
Sheerness, killing 741 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bulwark_%281899%29>
1940:
The Iron Guard killed 64 political detainees at a penitentiary
near Bucharest and followed up with several high-profile assassinations,
including that of former Romanian prime minister Nicolae Iorga.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Iorga>
1977:
A speaker claiming to represent the "Intergalactic Association"
interrupted a Southern Television broadcast in South East England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Television_broadcast_interruption>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
double life:
1. An existence or life that has two aspects, particularly when one of
them is regarded as embarrassing, immoral, or unlawful and thus kept
hidden from a person's family, friends, and work colleagues.
2. The hidden, or more unusual, aspect of a person's life.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/double_life>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn
those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be
patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but
always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not
despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain
from every form of evil.
--First Epistle to the Thessalonians
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/First_Epistle_to_the_Thessalonians>
Marwan I (c. 625 – 685) was the fourth Umayyad caliph, ruling for
less than a year in 684–685. He was the secretary of his cousin Caliph
Uthman (r. 644–656). During the rebel siege of Uthman's house, Marwan
was wounded and the caliph was slain. Marwan considered Talha ibn Ubayd
Allah, a companion of the prophet Muhammad, culpable in the death of
Uthman, and killed him in the Battle of the Camel in 656. Marwan later
served as governor of Medina under his distant kinsman Caliph
Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680), founder of the Umayyad Caliphate. After the
reigns of Yazid I (r. 680–683) and Mu'awiya II (r. 683–684), the
tribal nobility of Syria, led by Ibn Bahdal of the Banu Kalb, elected
Marwan caliph. He reasserted Umayyad rule over Egypt, Palestine and
northern Syria, and dispatched an expedition to reconquer Iraq, but died
while it was underway. His son Abd al-Malik was his designated
successor, and the Umayyads continued to rule until 750.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwan_I>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1795:
Stanisław II Augustus, the last king of Poland, was forced to
abdicate after the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_August_Poniatowski>
1940:
The de Havilland Mosquito (examples pictured), one of the most
successful military aircraft in the Second World War, made its first
flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquito>
1960:
Three of the four Mirabal sisters, who opposed the dictatorship
of military strongman Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, were
beaten and strangled to death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabal_sisters>
1984:
Band Aid, a supergroup consisting of more than 30 leading
British and Irish pop musicians, recorded the song "Do They Know It's
Christmas?" to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_They_Know_It%27s_Christmas%3F>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vinous:
1. Pertaining to or having the characteristics of wine.
2. Involving the use of wine.
3. Having the colour of red wine; vinaceous.
4. Tending to drink wine excessively.
5. Affected by the drinking of wine.
6. Induced by the drinking of wine.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vinous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not a simple life to be a single cell, although I have no
right to say so, having been a single cell so long ago myself that I
have no memory at all of that stage in my life.
--Lewis Thomas
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lewis_Thomas>
"A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding" is the seventh episode of the second
season of the American television comedy-drama Ugly Betty and the
series's 30th episode overall. It was written by Silvio Horta and Marco
Pennette, and directed by James Hayman. The episode was originally
broadcast on ABC in the United States on November 8, 2007. Ugly Betty
centers on Betty Suarez's job at the fashion magazine MODE, and in this
episode MODE's creative director Wilhelmina Slater attempts to marry the
magazine's publisher Bradford Meade. Victoria Beckham (pictured) guest-
stars as herself in the episode, appearing as Wilhelmina's maid of honor
who steals attention from the wedding. Vanessa Williams's ex-husband
Rick Fox appears as Wilhelmina's bodyguard and lover. Vera Wang makes a
cameo appearance, and designed Wilhelmina's wedding dress and Beckham's
bridesmaid dress. The episode received nominations for a Primetime Emmy
Award and an NAACP Image Award.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nice_Day_for_a_Posh_Wedding>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1750:
Tarabai, the former regent of the Maratha Empire, had
Rajaram II, whom she had previously claimed to be her grandson,
arrested as an impostor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarabai>
1963:
During a live television broadcast, businessman Jack Ruby shot
and fatally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald (shooting pictured), who
assassinated U.S. president John F. Kennedy, fueling numerous conspiracy
theories.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Harvey_Oswald>
2015:
A Turkish fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M after
the latter had allegedly strayed into Turkish airspace and ignored
warnings to change course.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Russian_Sukhoi_Su-24_shootdown>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
slimeball:
1. (biology) A round lump made up of or coated with slime or a slime-
like substance such as mucus.
2. (helminthology, specifically) A mucus-coated lump containing the
cercariae (“parasitic larvae”) of a liver fluke (of the phylum
Platyhelminthes).
3. (originally US, colloquial, derogatory) A person who is regarded as
slimy (that is, sneaky or underhanded) or otherwise undesirable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slimeball>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The mind has greater power over the emotions and is less subject
thereto, in so far as it understands all things as necessary.
--Ethica
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethics_%28Spinoza_book%29>