Erin Phillips (born 1985) is an Australian rules footballer for the
Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition and a
former professional basketball player. With the launch of the AFLW in
2017, Phillips began her football career at age 31. Despite not having
played competitive football since she was 13Â years old, Phillips won
the AFLW best and fairest award by a wide margin twice in her first
three seasons in 2017 and 2019. In both years, she also led Adelaide to
the premiership and won best on ground in the AFLW Grand Final. Before
her football career, Phillips played nine seasons in the Women's
National Basketball Association (WNBA), winning her first WNBA title
with the Indiana Fever in 2012 and another with the Phoenix Mercury in
2014. She also represented Australia on the women's national basketball
team, winning a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women
and serving as a co-vice captain at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Phillips>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1890:
Wilford Woodruff, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, wrote the first draft of a manifesto that
officially disavowed the future practice of plural marriage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890_Manifesto>
1950:
"The Great Smoke Pall", generated by the Chinchaga fire, the
largest recorded fire in North American history, was first recorded in
present-day Nunavut and may eventually have circled the entire globe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchaga_fire>
1975:
Dougal Haston and Doug Scott of the Southwest Face expedition
became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by
ascending one of its faces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_British_Mount_Everest_Southwest_Face_exp…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mercurial:
1. (comparable) Having a lively or volatile character; animated,
changeable, quick-witted.
2. (not comparable, astrology) Pertaining to the astrological influence
of the planet Mercury; having the characteristics of a person under such
influence (see adjective sense 1).
3. (not comparable, astronomy) Pertaining to the planet Mercury.
4. (not comparable, chemistry) Of or pertaining to the element mercury
or quicksilver; containing mercury.
5. (not comparable, medicine) Caused by the action of mercury or a
mercury compound.
6. (not comparable, Roman mythology) Pertaining to Mercury, the Roman
god of, among other things, commerce, financial gain, communication, and
thieves and trickery; hence (comparable), money-making; crafty.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mercurial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 You have many years to live — do things you will be proud to
remember when you're old. Â
--John Brunner
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Brunner>
Ealdred (died 1069) was Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester, and
Archbishop of York in Anglo-Saxon England. After becoming a monk at the
monastery at Winchester, he became abbot around 1027 and a bishop in
1047. Besides his clerical duties, Ealdred served Edward the Confessor
as a diplomat in Hungary and as a military leader in Wales. In 1058, he
undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the first bishop from England to do
so. In 1060, Ealdred was elected to the archbishopric of York. During
his archiepiscopate, he built and embellished churches in his diocese,
and worked to improve his clergy by promulgating regulations for the
priesthood. Following King Edward's death in 1066, Ealdred supported
Harold as king, but when Harold was defeated at the Battle of Hastings,
Ealdred eventually endorsed William the Conqueror and crowned him on
Christmas Day in 1066. William never quite trusted Ealdred, and Ealdred
had to accompany William back to Normandy in 1067, but he had returned
to York by the time of his death in 1069.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ealdred_%28archbishop_of_York%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1952:
U.S. vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the
Checkers speech, one of the first political uses of television to appeal
directly to the populace.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers_speech>
2002:
The first version of the web browser Firefox was released by
the Mozilla Organization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox>
2010:
Teresa Lewis became the first woman to be executed by the U.S.
state of Virginia since 1912, and the first woman in the state to be
executed via lethal injection.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Lewis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tellurian:
1. (formal or literary) Of or relating to the earth; (specifically,
chiefly science fiction) inhabiting planet Earth as opposed to other
planets.
2. (mineralogy) Of a mineral: containing tellurium.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tellurian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 I don’t think anybody truly knows where we’re going from here
yet. It depends on too many unknowns. We don’t know where the COVID
virus is going to take us. We don’t know where Black Lives Matter is
going to take us right now. Do we get a real practical conversation
going about race and policing and ultimately about the economic
inequality that’s been a stain on our social contract? And of course,
nobody knows where our next election is going to take us. I believe that
our current president is a threat to our democracy. He simply makes any
kind of reform that much harder. I don’t know if our democracy could
stand another four years of his custodianship. These are all existential
threats to our democracy and our American way of life. Â
--Bruce Springsteen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen>
Jomo Kenyatta (c. 1897 – 1978) was an anti-colonial activist and
politician who governed Kenya as its prime minister from 1963 to 1964
and then as its first president from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was
the country's first indigenous head of government and played a
significant role in the transformation of Kenya from a colony of the
British Empire into an independent republic. In 1947, he began lobbying
for independence from British colonial rule through the Kenya African
Union, attracting widespread indigenous support. In 1952, he was among
the Kapenguria Six arrested and charged with masterminding the anti-
colonial Mau Mau Uprising. Although protesting his innocence—a view
shared by later historians—he was convicted. Upon his release in 1961,
he led the Kenya African National Union party until his death. During
his presidency, he secured support from both the black majority and
white minority with his message of reconciliation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomo_Kenyatta>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
U.S. president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation, declaring the freedom of all slaves in Confederate
territory by January 1, 1863.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation>
1922:
After nine days, the great fire of Smyrna was extinguished
(aftermath pictured), having caused at least ten thousand deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_fire_of_Smyrna>
1980:
The Iraqi Air Force launched surprise airstrikes on ten Iranian
airfields, starting the Iran–Iraq War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
martial:
1. (comparable) Of, relating to, or suggestive of war; warlike.
2. (comparable) Connected with or relating to armed forces or the
profession of arms or military life.
3. (comparable) Characteristic of or befitting a warrior; having a
military bearing; soldierly.
4. (not comparable, astrology, obsolete) Pertaining to the astrological
influence of the planet Mars.
5. (not comparable, astronomy, obsolete) Of or relating to the planet
Mars; Martian.
6. (not comparable, chemistry, medicine, obsolete) Containing, or
relating to, iron (which was symbolically associated with the planet
Mars by alchemists); chalybeate, ferric, ferrous.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/martial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Cheerful with wisdom, with innocence gay, And calm with your
joys gently glide thro' the day. The dews of the evening most carefully
shun — Those tears of the sky for the loss of the sun. Â
--Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield>
Bats, of the order Chiroptera, are the only mammals capable of sustained
flight. Their wings, spread-out fingers covered by a thin membrane, make
them more manoeuvrable than birds. Bats range in size from Kitti's hog-
nosed bat, weighing 2–2.6 g (0.07–0.09 oz), to the giant golden-
crowned flying fox, up to 1.6Â kg (4Â lb) with a wingspan of up to
1.7Â m (5Â ft 7Â in). The second largest order of mammals after rodents,
bats comprise about 20% of all mammal species, with over 1,200 species
distributed across the world. Most bats are nocturnal. They are mostly
insect- and fruit-eaters, but some are carnivorous, such as vampire
bats. Some are important for pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds;
others consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides. Bats
harbour the agents of many communicable diseases, such as rabies and
coronaviruses. They are often associated with darkness, malevolence,
vampires, and death.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
Jacobite risings: Jacobite troops led by Charles Edward Stuart
defeated Hanoverian forces in Prestonpans, Scotland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prestonpans>
1965:
Portugal accepted a diplomatic mission from Southern Rhodesia
despite objections by Britain, which had required the colony to
implement black majority rule as a condition of independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_mission_in_Lisbon>
1996:
The Defense of Marriage Act was passed by the United States
Congress, prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage, while
allowing states to adopt any marital definition of their choosing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
olive branch:
1. A branch of an olive tree offered as an emblem of peace.
2. (figurative) Any symbol of peace, or a peace offering to an adversary
to show goodwill and in the hope of securing peace. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/olive_branch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 What fascinates me — mesmerizes me — isn't so much Trump
himself as the American government he's crafted: a major world power
with no policy, no consistency, and no idea what it's doing. Â
--Stephen King
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_King>
Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele is a large oil-on-oak panel
painting completed around 1434–1436 by the Early Netherlandish painter
Jan van Eyck. It shows the painting's donor, Joris van der Paele, within
an apparition of saints. Van der Paele was then elderly and gravely ill,
and intended the work as his memorial. The Virgin Mary is enthroned at
the centre of the semicircular space, which likely represents a church
interior, with the Christ Child on her lap. Saint Donatian stands to her
right, Saint George to her left. The saints are identifiable from Latin
inscriptions lining the borders of the imitation bronze frame. The
Virgin's throne is decorated with carved representations of Adam and
Eve, prefigurations of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, and
scenes from the Old Testament. The panel is considered one of van Eyck's
most fully realised and ambitious works, and has been described as a
"masterpiece of masterpieces".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_and_Child_with_Canon_van_der_Paele>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
First English Civil War: The First Battle of Newbury was fought
in Berkshire; Parliamentarian forces were allowed to pass Royalist
troops to retreat the next morning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Newbury>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: British police officers known as
Black and Tans went on a rampage in Balbriggan as revenge for the
shooting of two officers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Balbriggan>
1977:
A series of celestial phenomena of disputed nature was observed
in the western Soviet Union, Finland and Denmark.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrozavodsk_phenomenon>
2000:
The Real Irish Republican Army carried out a rocket-launcher
attack on the MI6 headquarters in London, with no casualties and minimal
damage recorded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_MI6_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
missing in action:
1. (chiefly military) The designation for a member of an organization
(usually military) with whom contact is lost and whose whereabouts are
not known, but whose death is not confirmed.
2. (by extension) Not present when one is expected to be.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/missing_in_action>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new
president is installed. Â
--Ruth Bader Ginsburg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg>
Opisthocoelicaudia is a genus of sauropod dinosaur of the Late
Cretaceous discovered in the Nemegt Formation in the Gobi Desert of
Mongolia. Named and described by Polish paleontologist Maria Magdalena
Borsuk-Białynicka in 1977, the type species is Opisthocoelicaudia
skarzynskii. A well-preserved skeleton lacking only the head and neck
was unearthed in 1965 by Polish and Mongolian scientists, making
Opisthocoelicaudia one of the best known sauropods from the Late
Cretaceous. Tooth marks on this skeleton indicate that large carnivorous
dinosaurs had fed on the carcass. Two more specimens have been found,
including part of a shoulder and a fragmentary tail. A relatively small
sauropod, Opisthocoelicaudia measured about 11.4–13 metres
(37–43 ft) in length. Like other sauropods, it would have been
characterised by a small head sitting on a very long neck and a barrel-
shaped trunk carried by four column-like legs. It may have been able to
rear on its hind legs.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opisthocoelicaudia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1870:
Nathaniel P. Langford of the Washburn–Langford–Doane
Expedition first observed a geyser in the Wyoming Territory erupting at
regular intervals, naming it Old Faithful (video featured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Faithful>
1895:
Daniel David Palmer performed the first chiropractic
adjustment, on deaf janitor Harvey Lillard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chiropractic>
1918:
World War I: The Central Powers' defeat at the Battle of Dobro
Pole played a role in the Bulgarian withdrawal from the war and led to
the subsequent liberation of Vardar Macedonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dobro_Pole>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Ember day:
(Christianity) Any of the three days within the same week, four separate
sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that
are set aside for fasting and prayer. In Western Christianity they are
usually the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the first Sunday
in Lent, Whitsunday, Holy Cross Day (14 September), and Saint Lucy's Day
(13 December).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ember_day>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Men more frequently require to be reminded than informed. Â
--Samuel Johnson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson>
Infinity Science Fiction was an American science fiction magazine,
edited by Larry T. Shaw and published by Royal Publications. The first
issue (cover pictured) was on newsstands in September 1955, with a
November cover date. Among the short stories in the first issue was
Arthur C. Clarke's "The Star", about a planet destroyed by a supernova
seen from Earth as the Star of Bethlehem; it won the 1956 Hugo Award for
Best Short Story. Harlan Ellison's "Glowworm" appeared in the second
issue. Shaw obtained stories from some of the leading writers of the
day, including Brian Aldiss, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Sheckley, but the
material was of variable quality. In 1958 the owner of Royal
Publications, Irwin Stein, decided to shut down Infinity; the last issue
was dated November 1958. The title was revived a decade later by
Stein's publishing house, Lancer Books, as a paperback anthology series.
Five volumes were published between 1970 and 1973, edited by Robert
Hoskins.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Science_Fiction>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1630:
Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded the city of
Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston>
1970:
The Jordanian army entered Amman as part of operations to oust
Palestinian fedayeen from the country in what became known as Black
September (smoke over Amman pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_September>
1980:
Solidarity, a Polish trade union, was founded as the first
independent labor union in an Eastern Bloc country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Solidarity>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hokum:
1. (countable, uncountable, informal) (An instance of) meaningless
nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate.
2. (countable, uncountable, informal) (An instance of) excessively
contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, television
programme, theater production, etc.
3. (countable, informal) A film, television programme, theater
production, etc., containing excessively contrived, hackneyed, or
sentimental material.
4. (uncountable, music) A genre of blues song or music, often
characterized by sexual innuendos or satire.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hokum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 I'm so crazy I plan to vote for Eisenhower again this November.
Â
--Ken Kesey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Kesey>
"Style" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift
(pictured) for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). It was written and
produced by Max Martin, Shellback, and Ali Payami, with additional
writing by Swift, and released to US radio stations as the album's third
single. Musically, "Style" incorporates disco, funk, and pop rock. The
song garnered generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom
deemed it the album's highlight. It earned an APRA Music Award
nomination for International Work of the Year and appeared on year-end
lists of Pitchfork and The Village Voice. "Style" peaked at number six
on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, becoming 1989's third consecutive
Hot 100 top-ten single, and received multi-platinum certifications in
Australia and Canada. Swift included "Style" on regular set lists for
two of her world tours: The 1989 World Tour (2015) and the Reputation
Stadium Tour (2018).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Style_%28Taylor_Swift_song%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1920:
A bomb in a horse-drawn wagon exploded in front of 23Â Wall
Street in New York City, killing 38 people and injuring several hundred
others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_bombing>
1940:
Second World War: Italian forces captured the town of Sidi
Barrani, but their invasion of Egypt (tanks pictured) progressed no
further.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_invasion_of_Egypt>
1990:
Construction of the Northern Xinjiang railway was completed
between Ürümqi South and Alashankou, linking the railway lines of
China and Kazakhstan, and adding a sizeable portion to the Eurasian Land
Bridge.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Land_Bridge>
2007:
Seventeen Iraqi civilians were shot and killed by Blackwater
guards in Baghdad.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisour_Square_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
thou:
1. (transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun thou, especially
as an expression of contempt or familiarity.
2. (intransitive) To use the word thou.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thou>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Grant us the single heart once more That mocks no sacred thing,
The Sword of Truth our fathers wore When Thou wast Lord and King.Let
darkness unto darkness tell Our deep unspoken prayer; For, while our
souls in darkness dwell, We know that Thou art there. Â
--Alfred Noyes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Noyes>
The 2006 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR
Nextel Cup Series and the sixth in the ten-race Chase for the Nextel
Cup. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at
Martinsville Speedway (pictured) in Martinsville, Virginia, one of five
short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The 500-lap race was won by Jimmie
Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports; Denny Hamlin finished second, and Bobby
Labonte came in third. Kurt Busch won the pole position with the fastest
time in qualifying; Johnson started from ninth position. There were 18
cautions and 16 lead changes by five different drivers during the race.
Johnson's win was his fifth of the 2006 season, and the 23rd of his
career. The result advanced him to third in the Drivers' Championship,
41 points behind Matt Kenseth, who took over the championship lead after
Jeff Burton retired from the race. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the
Manufacturers' Championship with four races left in the season.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Subway_500>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1816:
HMSÂ Whiting ran aground on the Doom Bar on the coast of
Cornwall, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_Bar>
1935:
Nazi Germany enacted the Nuremberg Laws, which deprived Jews of
their citizenship.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Laws>
1944:
World War II: The Greek People's Liberation Army won the
Battle of Meligalas and began the execution of many prisoners of war and
civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Meligalas>
1963:
The Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, an
African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four girls and
injuring at least 14 other people (memorial march pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
orphrey:
1. (obsolete) Any elaborate embroidery, especially when made of gold
thread; an object (such as clothing or fabric) adorned with such
embroidery.
2. (Christianity) An embroidered ornamental band or border on an
ecclesiastical vestment, altar frontal, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orphrey>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 It is not a great misfortune to be of service to ingrates, but it
is an intolerable one to be obliged to a dishonest man. Â
--François de La Rochefoucauld
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_La_Rochefoucauld>