HMS Levant was a sixth-rate 28-gun frigate of the Coventry class,
launched in 1758. Principally a hunter of privateers, she was also
designed to be a match for small French frigates, but with a broader
hull and sturdier build at the expense of some speed and
manoeuvrability. Assigned to the Jamaica station in 1759, Levant
defeated nine French vessels in three years at sea and was part of the
British expedition against Martinique in 1762. The frigate was
decommissioned in 1763, returned to service in 1766 for patrol duties in
the Caribbean, decommissioned for a second time in 1770, and reinstated
at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. Sent to the
Mediterranean and based at Gibraltar, Levant captured or sank a total of
fourteen enemy craft over the next three years, including an 18-gun
American privateer. The ageing frigate was removed from Navy service in
1779 and broken up at Deptford Dockyard in 1780, having secured a total
of 31 victories during 21 years at sea.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Levant_%281758%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1801:
French Revolutionary Wars: A Royal Navy squadron attempted to
eliminate a smaller French Navy squadron at Algeciras before they could
join their Spanish allies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Algeciras>
1940:
The Story Bridge in Brisbane, the longest cantilever bridge in
Australia, was opened by Sir Leslie Wilson, Governor of Queensland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_Bridge>
2013:
In the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 airliner,
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed on final approach to San Francisco
International Airport, resulting in three deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiana_Airlines_Flight_214>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ensorcell:
1. (transitive) To bewitch or enchant.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To captivate, entrance, fascinate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensorcell>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart,
as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the
long term for both yourself and others will come.
--Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso,_14th_Dalai_Lama>
The black currawong (Strepera fuliginosa), also known as the black jay,
is a large passerine bird endemic to Tasmania and nearby islands in the
Bass Strait. One of three currawong species, it is closely related to
the butcherbirds and Australian magpie in the family Artamidae. It is a
large crow-like bird, around 50 cm (20 in) long, with yellow irises, a
heavy bill, and black plumage with white wing patches. The sexes are
similar in appearance. Three subspecies are recognised, one of which,
S. f. colei of King Island, is vulnerable to extinction. The black
currawong is generally sedentary, although populations at higher
altitudes relocate to lower areas during the cooler months. The habitat
includes densely forested areas as well as alpine heathland. It is rare
below altitudes of 200 m (660 ft). Its omnivore diet includes a
variety of berries, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. Less arboreal
than the pied currawong, the black currawong spends more time foraging
on the ground. It roosts and breeds in trees.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_currawong>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
The Second Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies
adopted the Olive Branch Petition in the hopes of avoiding war with
Great Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Branch_Petition>
1841:
Thomas Cook, founder of the travel company Thomas Cook & Son,
organised his first excursion, escorting about 500 people from Leicester
to Loughborough.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cook>
1950:
Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and
American forces, an unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force
was routed at the Battle of Osan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Osan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coffee table book:
A large book, usually with lavish illustrations, typically displayed on
a coffee table.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coffee_table_book>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The plan of "counting the chickens before they are hatched" is an
error of ancient date, but it does not seem to improve by age.
--P. T. Barnum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum>
The Arch of Remembrance is a First World War memorial designed by Sir
Edwin Lutyens and located in Victoria Park, Leicester, in the East
Midlands of England. A committee was formed in 1919 to propose a
permanent memorial, and the first proposal was accepted, but eventually
cancelled due to a shortage of funds. The committee then asked for a
memorial arch, which Lutyens presented to a public meeting in 1923. With
a large budget devoted entirely to the structure, the result is one of
the architect's largest and most imposing war memorials, dominating
Victoria Park and the surrounding area. The memorial was unveiled on
4 July 1925 in front of a large crowd. It cost £27,000, though the
committee was left with a funding shortfall of £5,500, for which they
were criticised in the local press. The arch is a Grade I listed
building and, since 2015, has been part of a national collection of
Lutyens's war memorials.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Remembrance>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1945:
The Brazilian cruiser Bahia was accidentally sunk by one of its
own crewmen, killing more than 300.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_cruiser_Bahia>
1976:
Israeli forces raided Uganda's Entebbe International Airport to
free hostages taken by hijackers on Air France Flight 139.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe>
2005:
The impactor of the NASA space probe Deep Impact collided with
the comet Tempel 1, excavating interior material to study its
composition.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Impact_%28spacecraft%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
all-American:
1. Comprising things that are wholly from the United States of America;
completely made in the United States.
2. Regarded as embodying the ideal qualities of the United States;
(specifically) of a person: courageous, heroic; honest, wholesome, etc.
3. (US, chiefly sports) Of a person or a team, or some other thing:
regarded as the best in the United States.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/all-American>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Something in all human beings makes them want to do the right
thing. Not that this desire always prevails; oftentimes it is overcome
and they turn towards evil. But some power is constantly calling them
back. Ever there comes a resistance to wrongdoing. When bad conditions
begun to accumulate, when the forces of darkness become prevalent,
always they are ultimately doomed to fail, as the better angels of human
nature are roused to resistance.
--Calvin Coolidge
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge>
Peter van Geersdaele (3 July 1933 – 20 July 2018) was a British
conservator best known for his work on the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. Among
other work he oversaw the creation of a plaster cast of the ship
impression, from which a fibreglass replica of the ship was formed. From
1949 to 1951 he engaged in moulding and casting at the Victoria and
Albert Museum. From 1954 to around 1976 he was a conservator at the
British Museum, rising to the position of senior conservation officer in
the British and Medieval department. Following that he became an
assistant chief of archaeology in the conservation division of the
National Historic Sites of Canada for Parks Canada, and then the deputy
head of the conservation department at the National Maritime Museum in
London. He retired in 1993, and during that year's Birthday Honours was
appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition
of his services to museums.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_van_Geersdaele>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
American Revolutionary War: Loyalists and Iroquois killed over
300 Patriots at the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wyoming>
1940:
Second World War: The Royal Navy attacked the French fleet
(ship pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into Axis hands after
the French–German armistice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir>
1970:
The Troubles: The British Army began the Falls Curfew in
Belfast, Northern Ireland, which resulted in greater Irish republican
resistance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Curfew>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ambivert:
(psychology) A person who is neither clearly extroverted nor
introverted, but has characteristics of each.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ambivert>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Between "just desserts" and "tragic irony" we are given quite a
large scope for our particular talent. Generally speaking, things have
gone about as far as they can possibly go when things have gotten about
as bad as they can reasonably get.
--Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rosencrantz_%26_Guildenstern_Are_Dead_%28film…>
Ichthyovenator is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaurs that lived in what is
now Laos, sometime between 125 and 113 million years ago. The fossils
of a single specimen were found between 2010 and 2014 and became the
holotype of the new genus and species Ichthyovenator laosensis. It is
estimated to have been 8.5 to 10.5 metres (28 to 34 feet) long and
weighed around 2.4 tonnes (2.6 short tons). Ichthyovenator is considered
a primitive member of the Spinosaurinae and would have had a long,
shallow snout and robust forelimbs. It had a sail on its back that may
have been used for sexual display or species recognition. The diet of
Ichthyovenator (meaning "fish hunter") probably consisted mainly of
aquatic prey. Spinosaurids were probably adapted for semiaquatic
lifestyles, and also ate small dinosaurs and pterosaurs. The tall
vertebral spines of Ichthyovenator's tail suggest that it may have aided
in swimming—as in today's crocodilians.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyovenator>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
The combined forces of Scottish Covenanters and English
Parliamentarians defeated Royalist troops at the Battle of Marston Moor
(depicted), one of the decisive encounters of the English Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marston_Moor>
1917:
Amidst weeks of race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, white
residents burned sections of the city and shot black inhabitants as they
escaped the flames.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis_riots>
1976:
More than a year after the end of the Vietnam War, North and
South Vietnam officially merged under communist rule to form the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tinge:
1. (transitive) To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension)
to add a small amount of some other thing.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To affect or alter slightly, particularly
due to the actual or metaphorical influence of some element or thing.
3. (intransitive) To change slightly in shade due to the addition of
colour; (by extension) to change slightly in quality due to the addition
of some other thing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tinge>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Granted, in daily speech, where we don't stop to consider every
word, we all use phrases like "the ordinary world," "ordinary life,"
"the ordinary course of events"… But in the language of poetry, where
every word is weighed, nothing is usual or normal. Not a single stone
and not a single cloud above it. Not a single day and not a single night
after it. And above all, not a single existence, not anyone's existence
in this world. It looks like poets will always have their work cut out
for them
--Wisława Szymborska
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wis%C5%82awa_Szymborska>
The Battle of Malvern Hill was fought on July 1, 1862, between the
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee, and the
Union Army of the Potomac under George B. McClellan. It was the final
battle of the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War, taking
place on the 130-foot (40 m) elevation of Malvern Hill, near the
Confederate capital of Richmond. Including inactive reserves, more than
50,000 soldiers from each side took part, using more than 200 pieces of
artillery. The Union's V Corps, commanded by Fitz John Porter, took up
positions on the hill on June 30. The battle occurred in stages: over
the course of four hours a series of blunders in planning and
communication caused Lee's forces to launch three failed frontal
infantry assaults across hundreds of yards of open ground, unsupported
by Confederate artillery, charging toward strongly entrenched Union
infantry and artillery. These errors provided Union forces with an
opportunity to inflict heavy casualties.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Malvern_Hill>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1770:
Lexell's Comet approached Earth at a distance of 0.015 AU
(2.2 million km; 1.4 million mi), closer to the Earth than any other
comet in recorded history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexell%27s_Comet>
1916:
First World War: The first day of the Battle of Albert, the
opening phase of the Battle of the Somme, became the bloodiest day in
the British Army's history, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albert_%281916%29>
1960:
Ghana became a republic, with Kwame Nkrumah as its first
president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah>
2002:
Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and DHL Flight 611 collided
in mid-air over Überlingen, Germany, killing all 71 people aboard both
aircraft.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
motlopi:
The shepherd tree or shepherd's tree (Boscia albitrunca), an evergreen
tree native to southern and tropical Africa which is one of the most
important forage trees of the Kalahari.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motlopi>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every morning I pick up my newspaper, get the obituary section,
see if I'm listed, and if not, I have my breakfast.
--Carl Reiner
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Reiner>
Chris Gragg (born June 30, 1990) is a former professional American
football tight end who played three seasons for the Buffalo Bills of the
National Football League (NFL). Over 32 career games, Gragg totaled 24
career receptions with 2 touchdowns. Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Gragg
played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he won the
2012 Cotton Bowl. Gragg was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round of
the 2013 NFL Draft after he performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Gragg finished the 2013 season with 5 receptions for 53 yards and a
touchdown. After playing in 2014 for the Bills, in 2015, Gragg set
career highs in games played, receptions, and receiving yards. Gragg
signed with the New York Jets in 2017, but did not play in any regular-
season games for the team after a preseason injury. A Twitter account
belonging to Gragg described him as "retired" as of December 31, 2019.
Gragg's brother, Will, played college football for the University of
Pittsburgh Panthers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gragg>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1859:
French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Gorge, making
him one of the world's most famous tightrope walkers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Blondin>
1908:
A massive explosion occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska
river in Siberia, flattening more than 2,150 square kilometres
(830 sq mi) of forest (sample pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event>
1960:
The Belgian Congo gained independence from colonial rule,
beginning a period of instability that led to the dictatorship of
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in 1965.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
plat:
1. A plot of land; a lot.
2. A map showing the boundaries of real properties (delineating one or
more plots of land), especially one that forms part of a legal document.
3. (obsolete) A plot, a scheme.
4. (transitive) To create a plat; to lay out property lots and streets;
to map. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Leaves glowing in the sun, zealous hum of bumblebees, From afar,
from somewhere beyond the river, echoes of lingering voices And the
unhurried sounds of a hammer gave joy not only to me. Before the five
senses were opened, and earlier than any beginning They waited, ready,
for all those who would call themselves mortals, So that they might
praise, as I do, life, that is, happiness.
--Czesław Miłosz
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Czes%C5%82aw_Mi%C5%82osz>
Harmon Killebrew (June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011) was an American
professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder.
During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball, primarily with the
Minnesota Twins, Killebrew was a prolific power hitter who, at the time
of his retirement, had the fourth most home runs in major league
history. Second only to Babe Ruth in home runs in the American League,
he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. He led
the American League six times in home runs and three times in runs
batted in (RBIs), and was named to thirteen All-Star teams. His finest
season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs and recorded 140 RBIs. Known
for his quick hands and exceptional upper body strength, Killebrew hit
the longest measured home runs at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium,
520 ft (158 m), and Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, 471 ft (144 m). He
was the first of four batters to hit a baseball over the left field roof
at Detroit's Tiger Stadium.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmon_Killebrew>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
The first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War,
the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet, was fought near Cape May, New Jersey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Turtle_Gut_Inlet>
1914:
During the second day of anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo (aftermath
pictured), numerous buildings owned by ethnic Serbs were vandalized and
looted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Serb_riots_in_Sarajevo>
1950:
The United States defeated England during the FIFA World Cup in
one of the greatest upsets in the competition's history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v_England_%281950_FIFA_World_Cu…>
1995:
Atlantis became the first U.S. Space Shuttle to dock with the
Russian space station Mir as part of the Shuttle–Mir program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle%E2%80%93Mir_program>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
citerior:
(literary) Chiefly in place names: situated on the nearer side.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/citerior>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Thou great Creator! Pardon us who reach For other heaven beyond
this world of thine, This matchless world, where thy least touch doth
teach Thy solemn lessons clearly, line on line. And help us to be
grateful, we who live Such sordid, fretful lives of discontent, Nor
see the sunshine nor the flower, nor strive To find the love thy bitter
chastening meant.
--Celia Thaxter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Celia_Thaxter>
Baby Driver is an action film written and directed by Edgar Wright.
First released on June 28, 2017, it tells the story of a young Atlanta-
based getaway driver, played by Ansel Elgort (pictured), who is on a
quest for freedom from a life of crime with his lover Debora (Lily
James). The film also features Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eiza González,
Jamie Foxx and Jon Bernthal in supporting roles. Baby Driver was a
project Wright had contemplated for over two decades, and his early
directing experience shaped his ambitions for the project. Filming took
place over four months, using stunts, choreography and in-camera
shooting. Baby Driver was praised by some critics, but the
characterization and scriptwriting drew mixed responses. During its
initial theatrical run, the film grossed $226 million at the global box
office, boosted by word-of-mouth support and fatiguing interest in
blockbuster franchises. Wright has completed a script for a possible
sequel.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Driver>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The U.S. Court of Private Land Claims ruled that James Reavis's
claim to 18,600 sq mi (48,000 km2) of land in present-day Arizona and
New Mexico was "wholly fictitious and fraudulent".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Reavis>
1950:
Korean War: South Korean forces began the Bodo League massacre,
summarily executing at least 60,000 suspected North Korean sympathizers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodo_League_massacre>
1990:
Paperback Software, a company founded by Adam Osborne, was
found guilty of copyright infringement for using Lotus 1-2-3's look-and-
feel interface in its own spreadsheet program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Osborne>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
onager:
1. The Asiatic wild ass or hemione (Equus hemionus), an animal of the
horse family native to Asia; specifically, the Persian onager, Persian
wild ass, or Persian zebra (Equus hemionus onager).
2. (military, historical) A military engine acting like a sling which
threw stones from a bag or wooden bucket powered by the torsion from a
bundle of ropes or sinews operated by machinery; a torsion catapult.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/onager>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whenever the last trumpet shall sound, I will present myself
before the sovereign judge with this book in my hand, and loudly
proclaim, thus have I acted; these were my thoughts; such was I. With
equal freedom and veracity have I related what was laudable or wicked, I
have concealed no crimes, added no virtues; and if I have sometimes
introduced superfluous ornament, it was merely to occupy a void
occasioned by defect of memory: I may have supposed that certain, which
I only knew to be probable, but have never asserted as truth, a
conscious falsehood.
--Confessions
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confessions_%28Rousseau%29>
The Goldfinch is a painting of a chained goldfinch by Carel Fabritius, a
Dutch Golden Age artist. Signed and dated 1654, it is now in the
collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands. The work is a
trompe-l'œil oil on panel measuring 33.5 by 22.8 centimetres (13.2 in
× 9.0 in) that was once part of a larger structure, perhaps a window
jamb or a protective cover. A common and colourful bird with a pleasant
song, the goldfinch was used in Italian Renaissance painting as a symbol
of Christian redemption and the Passion of Jesus. The Goldfinch is
unusual for Dutch Golden Age painting in the simplicity of its
composition and use of illusionary techniques. After Fabritius was
killed in the gunpowder explosion that destroyed much of the city of
Delft in 1654, the painting was lost for more than two centuries before
its rediscovery in Brussels. It plays a central role in the Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and its film
adaptation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goldfinch_%28painting%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
American Civil War: General Sherman's frontal assault against
the Confederate Army of Tennessee failed, but did not stop the Union
Army from advancing on Atlanta.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kennesaw_Mountain>
1905:
First Russian Revolution: The crew of the Russian battleship
Potemkin began a mutiny against their oppressive officers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Potemkin>
1976:
The first identifiable case of Ebola occurred in Sudan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola>
2015:
Ignition of corn starch caused a dust fire at a water park in
New Taipei City, Taiwan, killing 12 people and injuring more than 400
others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_New_Taipei_water_park_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pushbike:
1. (Australia, New Zealand, Britain, informal) A pedal bicycle, as
distinguished from a motorized bicycle.
2. (intransitive, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, informal) To travel
by pushbike.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pushbike>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To know the history of philosophy is to know that the highest
thinkers of the ages, the seers of the tribes and the nations, have been
optimists. The growth of philosophy is the story of man's spiritual
life.
--Helen Keller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Keller>