The Kalākaua coinage is a set of silver coins of the Kingdom of Hawaii
dated 1883. They were designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of
the United States Bureau of the Mint, and were struck at the San
Francisco Mint. The issued coins are a dime, quarter dollar, half
dollar, and dollar (pictured). No immediate action had been taken after
the 1880 act authorizing the coins, but King Kalākaua was interested,
and government officials saw a way to get out of a financial bind by
getting coins issued in exchange for government bonds. The coins entered
circulation in early 1884. After legal maneuvering by the business
community in Honolulu, who feared inflation of the currency in a time of
recession, the government agreed to use over half of the coinage as
backing for paper currency. The coins were more eagerly accepted after
the economy picked up in 1885. In 1903, after Hawaii became a territory,
Congress called in the coins, replacing them with US currency.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kal%C4%81kaua_coinage>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1893:
First Matabele War: A patrol of British South Africa Company
soldiers was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele
warriors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangani_Patrol>
1909:
The Montreal Canadiens, the oldest professional ice hockey club
in the world, were founded as a charter member of the National Hockey
Association.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Montreal_Canadiens>
1971:
Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launched a successful
attack against the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, sinking three ships with no
casualties.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trident_%281971%29>
1978:
Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein
became San Francisco's first female mayor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conglomerate:
1. Clustered together into a mass.
2. (geology) Composed of fragments of rock, pebbles, or stones cemented
together.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conglomerate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every new idea has something of the pain and peril of childbirth
about it; ideas are just as mortal and just as immortal as organised
beings are.
--Samuel Butler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Butler>
Wihtred (c. 670 – 725) ruled the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent from
about 690 or 691 until his death. A son of Ecgberht I and a brother of
Eadric, he acceded to the throne after a brief conquest of Kent by
Cædwalla of Wessex and subsequent dynastic conflicts in the 680s. His
immediate predecessor was Oswine of Kent, who was probably descended
from Eadbald of Kent, though not through the same line as Wihtred.
Shortly after the start of his reign, Wihtred issued a code of laws that
has been preserved in the Textus Roffensis manuscript (pictured). The
laws pay a great deal of attention to the rights of the Church,
including punishment for irregular marriages and for pagan worship. He
may have married three times: to Cynegyth, Æthelburh and, late in life,
Wærburh. Wihtred's long reign had few incidents recorded in the annals
of the day. He was succeeded in 725 by his sons, Æthelberht II,
Eadberht I, and Alric.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wihtred_of_Kent>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Freda Du Faur became the first woman to climb Mount Cook, the
highest peak in New Zealand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Du_Faur>
1976:
Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley survived an assassination
attempt by unknown assailants.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley>
1984:
Methyl isocyanate and other toxic chemicals were accidentally
released from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal,
India, causing the world's worst industrial disaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster>
1994:
Sony released the PlayStation, the first "computer
entertainment platform" to ship 100 million units.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_%28console%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
archetype:
1. An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or
persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned; a
prototype.
2. An ideal example of something; a quintessence.
3. (literature) A character, object, or story that is based on a known
character, object, or story.
4. (psychology) According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung: a universal
pattern of thought, present in an individual's unconscious, inherited
from the past collective experience of humanity.
5. (textual criticism) A protograph (“original manuscript of a text from
which all further copies derive”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/archetype>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To see! to see! — this is the craving of the sailor, as of the
rest of blind humanity. To have his path made clear for him is the
aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous
existence.
--Joseph Conrad
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad>
Marasmius rotula, the pinwheel mushroom, is a fungus in the family
Marasmiaceae. Widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, it was first
described scientifically in 1772 by mycologist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli.
The mushrooms are characterized by thin whitish caps up to 2 cm
(0.8 in) wide that are sunken in the center and pleated with scalloped
margins. The wiry black hollow stalks measure up to 8.0 cm (3.1 in)
long by 1.5 mm (0.06 in) thick. On the underside of the caps are
widely spaced white gills, attached to a collar encircling the stalk.
The mushrooms grow in groups or clusters on decaying wood such as fallen
twigs and sticks, moss-covered logs, and stumps. Spore release is
dependent upon sufficient moisture. Dried mushrooms may revive after
rehydrating and release spores for up to three weeks, much longer than
most gilled mushrooms. Although the mushrooms are not generally
considered edible, they produce a unique peroxidase enzyme that is
attracting research interest for use in bioengineering applications.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marasmius_rotula>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1899:
Philippine–American War: A 60-man Filipino rear guard was
defeated in the Battle of Tirad Pass, but delayed the American advance
long enough to ensure Emilio Aguinaldo's escape.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tirad_Pass>
1927:
The Ford Motor Company introduced the second version of the
Model A, its first new model in 18 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_%281927%E2%80%9331%29>
1943:
World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on
Allied ships in Bari, Italy, sinking twenty-eight ships and releasing
one ship's secret cargo of mustard gas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto took office as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,
becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sowl:
(transitive) To pull (especially an animal) by the ears; to drag about.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sowl>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community
organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing
good. …The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are
timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its
expression in taking part and pitching in.
--George H. W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush>
The Cloisters is a museum in Washington Heights in New York City
featuring four covered walkways pieced together from several abandoned
European monasteries and rebuilt in the United States. Specializing in
European medieval architecture, sculpture and decorative arts, the
museum has about five thousand works, most dating from the 12th to the
15th centuries. The varied objects include stone and wood sculptures,
around three hundred panels of stained glass, and panel paintings,
including the Early Netherlandish Mérode Altarpiece (c. 1422). Designed
by architect Charles Collens, the museum houses medieval gardens,
several indoor chapels and thematic display spaces. Two rooms are
dedicated to the tapestry series Nine Heroes (c. 1385) and The Hunt of
the Unicorn (c. 1495–1505). Illuminated manuscripts displayed in the
Treasury room include the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry
(c. 1399–1416), attributed to the Limbourg brothers.
(Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloisters>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1828:
Juan Lavalle, returning to Buenos Aires with troops that fought
in the Cisplatine War, deposed the provincial governor Manuel Dorrego,
reigniting the Argentine Civil Wars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolution_%28Argentina%29>
1918:
With the signing of the Act of Union, Denmark recognized the
Kingdom of Iceland as a fully sovereign state in personal union with
Denmark through a common monarch.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Iceland>
1948:
In "one of Australia's most profound mysteries", the body of an
unidentified man was found on Somerton beach in Adelaide, a case which
remains unsolved today.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamam_Shud_case>
1988:
Four armed men hijacked a bus carrying thirty schoolchildren
and one teacher in Ordzhonikidze, Soviet Union (now Vladikavkaz in
Russia), and were later given an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and ransom in
exchange for the release of the hostages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Ordzhonikidze_bus_hijacking>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Playboy Bunny:
A waitress at a Playboy Club, characteristically dressed in a strapless
teddy, black pantyhose, cuffs, a collar and bowtie, bunny ears, and a
short, fluffy tail.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Playboy_Bunny>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The potency of knowledge depends on how and when it is used.
--Murder by the Book
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nero_Wolfe#Murder_by_the_Book>
The Battle of Tassafaronga was fought on the night of November 30, 1942,
between US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships near Tassafaronga
Point on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal. Five cruisers and four
destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright
(pictured) stalked eight Japanese destroyers under Rear Admiral Raizō
Tanaka that were en route to deliver food to their forces on the island.
Using radar, the US warships gained surprise, opened fire, and sank one
of the destroyers. Tanaka's ships reacted quickly, launching Type 93
"Long Lance" torpedoes that sank one US cruiser and heavily damaged
three others. The rest of Tanaka's force escaped without significant
additional damage, abandoning the intended supply mission. The battle
had little strategic impact, and the Japanese were unable to recapture
Guadalcanal from Allied forces.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tassafaronga>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1872:
The first international football match took place at Hamilton
Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_Scotland_vs_England_football_match>
1982:
Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time,
was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28Michael_Jackson_album%29>
1993:
U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence
Prevention Act into law, requiring purchasers of handguns to pass a
background check.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Handgun_Violence_Prevention_Act>
2005:
John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the
first black person to serve as an archbishop in the Church of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sentamu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
loch:
1. (Ireland, Scotland) A lake.
2. (Ireland, Scotland) A bay or arm of the sea.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealth's political
clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a
new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor. That he may be the only one
who thinks he sees this decay, does not excuse him; it is his duty to
agitate anyway, and it is the duty of the others to vote him down if
they do not see the matter as he does.
--Mark Twain
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mark_Twain>
New York State Route 308 is a 6.19-mile-long (9.96 km) state highway
within northern Dutchess County in New York State that connects U.S.
Route 9 and NY 9G. The western end of the highway is in the Rhinebeck
Village Historic District, a 2.6-square-mile (6.7 km2) area that
features 272 buildings in a variety of architectural styles. NY 308
passes near the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, several historical
landmarks, and the Landsman Kill River, a minor tributary of the Hudson
River. Around 1685, the Native American Sepasco Trail ran from the
Hudson eastward through modern-day Rhinebeck and ended at Lake Sepasco,
roughly following NY 308 and its side roads. The trail remained until
1802, when part of the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike was chartered over
it, extending from Salisbury, Connecticut, to the Susquehanna River at
or near the town of Jericho (now Bainbridge). NY 308 incorporates a
portion of the former turnpike.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Route_308>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
The crew of the British slave ship Zong, running low on water,
began killing 133 African slaves by throwing them into the sea to claim
insurance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_massacre>
1847:
Oregon missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, along with
about a dozen others, were killed by members of the Cayuse and Umatilla
tribes, sparking the Cayuse War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitman_massacre>
1972:
Atari released Pong (screenshot pictured), one of the first
video games to achieve widespread popularity in both the arcade and home
console markets.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong>
2012:
The United Nations General Assembly voted to accord non-member
observer state status to Palestine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_resolution_67…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bivious:
(rare) Having, or leading, two ways.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bivious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What can you ever really know of other people's souls — of
their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the
whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed
in your hands. If there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him.
You cannot put Him off with speculations about your next door neighbours
or memories of what you have read in books.
--C. S. Lewis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis>
Bulgaria is a country in Southeastern Europe. It borders Romania to the
north, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, Greece and
Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The semi-nomadic
Bulgars founded the first Bulgarian state in AD 681, which was
instrumental in the development and spread of the Cyrillic script. The
modern Bulgarian state was established following the Russo-Turkish War
of 1877–78 and obtained full independence in 1908. It transformed into
a Soviet-allied people's republic in 1946, but the fall of communism
paved the way for a transition into a parliamentary democracy in 1990.
Since joining the European Union in 2007, Bulgaria has improved its
Human Development Index. The country has an open market economy focused
on services. The biggest cities are Sofia (the capital), Plovdiv, Varna
and Burgas. The population, currently around seven million, has declined
significantly since 1988.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The first automobile race in the United States, the Chicago
Times-Herald race, was held in Chicago.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Times-Herald_race>
1912:
At the All-Albanian Congress, the Assembly of Vlorë was
constituted, which declared the independence of the Albanian Vilayet
from the Ottoman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_of_Vlor%C3%AB>
1943:
World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin (all
three pictured) met at the Tehran Conference to discuss war strategy
against the Axis powers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Conference>
2002:
Suicide bombers blew up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa,
Kenya, but their colleagues failed in their attempt to bring down an
Arkia Israel Airlines charter flight with surface-to-air-missiles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Mombasa_attacks>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Martian:
1. Of or relating to the planet Mars, or (science fiction) its imagined
inhabitants.
2. (astrology) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet
Mars; aggressive, bellicose.
3. (obsolete) Pertaining to battle or war; martial, military.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Martian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
While I complain of being able to glimpse no more than the shadow
of the past, I may be insensitive to reality as it is taking shape at
this very moment, since I have not reached the stage of development at
which I would be capable of perceiving it. A few hundred years hence, in
this same place, another traveller, as despairing as myself, will mourn
the disappearance of what I might have seen, but failed to see.
--Claude Lévi-Strauss
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Claude_L%C3%A9vi-Strauss>
Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by English-American rock
band the Jimi Hendrix Experience (pictured). Released in 1967, the LP
was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely
regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music.
Featuring Jimi Hendrix's songwriting and electric guitar playing, the
album established a new direction in psychedelic and hard rock music.
Are You Experienced and its preceding singles were recorded between late
October 1966 and early April 1967. Released in the UK in May, the album
spent 33 weeks on the charts, peaking at number two. The US release,
issued in August, contained some of Hendrix's best-known songs,
including the Experience's first three singles: "Purple Haze", "Hey
Joe", and "The Wind Cries Mary". Both the US and UK versions included
"Foxy Lady". In 2005, Rolling Stone ranked Are You Experienced 15th on
its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_Experienced>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1835:
James Pratt and John Smith became the last people executed in
England for sodomy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Pratt_and_John_Smith>
1856:
King-Grand Duke William III unilaterally revised the
constitution of Luxembourg, greatly expanding his powers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourg_Coup_of_1856>
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>
2001:
The Hubble Space Telescope detected sodium in the atmosphere of
the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b (artist's impression pictured), the
first planetary atmosphere outside our solar system to be measured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_209458_b>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mirative:
1. (uncountable, grammar) A grammatical mood that expresses (surprise
at) unexpected revelations or new information.
2. (countable, grammar) (An instance of) a form of a word which conveys
this mood.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mirative>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We want our sound to go into the soul of the audience, and see if
it can awaken some little thing in their minds... Cause there are so
many sleeping people.
--Jimi Hendrix
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix>
Grasshoppers are insects in the suborder Caelifera, probably the oldest
living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early
Triassic around 250 million years ago. They are typically ground-
dwelling insects with powerful hind legs which enable them to escape
from threats by leaping vigorously. Defences against their many
predators include camouflage, flight, and brilliantly coloured wing-
flashes that can startle or distract an assailant. Some species have
warning coloration. Grasshoppers share the order Orthoptera with
crickets and their allies in the other suborder Ensifera. Some
grasshopper species can change colour and behaviour to form locust
swarms that can destroy crops and cause famine over wide areas. Even in
smaller numbers, the insects can be serious pests. They are used as food
in some countries, including Mexico and Indonesia. They feature in art,
symbolism and literature.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
The University of Notre Dame was founded by Rev. Edward Sorin,
of the Congregation of Holy Cross, as an all-male institution in South
Bend, Indiana, U.S.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame>
1943:
Second World War: The British troop ship HMT Rohna was sunk in
the Mediterranean by a Luftwaffe bomb, killing more than 1,100 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Rohna>
1983:
Six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow
Airport in London and stole three long tons (3,000 kilograms) of gold
bullion, much of which has never been recovered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brink%27s-Mat_robbery>
2008:
A coordinated group of shooting and bombing attacks across
Mumbai began, ultimately killing at least 174 people and wounding more
than 300 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
illustrious:
Admired, distinguished, respected, or well-known, especially due to past
achievements or noble qualities.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/illustrious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The French Revolution liberated people from the power of the
aristocrats. But the bourgeoisie that took over represented the
exploitation of man by man, and had to be destroyed — as in the
Russian Revolution, which then degenerated into totalitarianism,
Stalinism, and genocide. The more you make revolutions, the worse it
gets. Man is driven by evil instincts that are often stronger than moral
laws … there is a higher order, but man can separate himself from it
because he is free — which is what we have done. We have lost the
sense of this higher order, and things will get worse and worse,
culminating perhaps in a nuclear holocaust — the destruction predicted
in the Apocalyptic texts. Only our apocalypse will be absurd and
ridiculous because it will not be related to any transcendence. Modern
man is a puppet, a jumping jack.
--Eugène Ionesco
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Ionesco>
Wiglaf (died 839) ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia from 827 to
829 and again from 830 until his death. His ancestry is uncertain: the
820s were a period of dynastic conflict within Mercia, and the
genealogies of several of the kings of this time are unknown. He
succeeded Ludeca, who was killed campaigning against East Anglia.
Wiglaf's first reign coincided with the continued rise of the rival
kingdom of Wessex under Ecgberht. Ecgberht drove Wiglaf from the throne
in 829, and ruled Mercia directly for a year. Mercia never regained the
south-eastern kingdoms, but Berkshire and perhaps Essex came back into
Mercia's control. Although Wiglaf appears to have restored independence,
the recovery was short-lived, and later in the century Mercia was
divided between Wessex and the Vikings. Wiglaf died in about 839, and
was eventually succeeded by Beorhtwulf, though one tradition records his
son Wigmund as having reigned briefly. Wiglaf is buried at Repton, near
Derby (engraving of the crypt pictured).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiglaf_of_Mercia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1510:
Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, led an
armada to conquer the city of Goa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_conquest_of_Goa>
1678:
Trunajaya rebellion: After a series of difficult marches, the
allied Mataram and Dutch troops successfully assaulted the rebel
stronghold of Kediri in eastern Java.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kediri_campaign_%281678%29>
1917:
World War I: German troops invaded Portuguese East Africa in an
attempt to escape superior British forces to the north and resupply from
captured Portuguese materiel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ngomano>
1940:
The de Havilland Mosquito (examples pictured) and the Martin
B-26 Marauder, two of the most successful military aircraft in World
War II, both made their first flights.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-26_Marauder>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chatelaine:
1. (dated) The mistress of a castle or large household.
2. (historical) A chain or clasp worn at the waist by women with
handkerchief, keys, etc., attached, supposed to resemble the chain of
keys once worn by medieval chatelaines.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chatelaine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I must mend the ways of my mind. This is a very big place, and I
do not know how it works. I am a member of a fragile species, still new
to the earth, the youngest creatures of any scale, here only a few
moments as evolutionary time is measured, a juvenile species, a child of
a species. We are only tentatively set in place, error prone, at risk of
fumbling, in real danger at the moment of leaving behind only a thin
layer of of our fossils, radioactive at that.
--Lewis Thomas
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lewis_Thomas>