Spiro Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969
until his resignation in 1973. A Republican, Agnew was born in Baltimore
to a US-born mother and a Greek immigrant father. He became a lawyer,
then held minor political offices before his election in 1962 as
Baltimore County Executive. In 1966, he was unexpectedly elected
Governor of Maryland, and was a surprise choice as Richard Nixon's
running mate at the 1968 Republican National Convention. Initially
regarded as a progressive, after his election, Agnew moved to the right,
appealing to conservatives who were wary of stances taken by Nixon, and
also gained their applause for attacking the news media for bias. He had
accepted kickbacks during his time in Maryland, and he was investigated
for corruption in 1973. He pleaded no contest to tax evasion and
resigned from office. Despite his fall he is regarded as a significant
contributor to the Republican Party's move to the right.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1757:
Seven Years' War: Prussian forces led by Frederick the Great
defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire
at the Battle of Rossbach.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rossbach>
1925:
Sidney Reilly, a "super-spy" who was one of the inspirations
for James Bond, was executed by the Soviet secret police.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Reilly>
1950:
Korean War: The 27th British Commonwealth Brigade succeeded in
preventing a Chinese break-through at Pakchon in the Battle of Pakchon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pakchon>
2013:
The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars
Orbiter Mission, the nation's first interplanetary probe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Orbiter_Mission>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
recension:
1. A census, an enumeration, a review, a survey.
2. A critical revision of a text.
3. A text established by critical revision.
4. A family of manuscripts which share similar traits; the variety of a
language which is used in such manuscripts.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recension>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. Nothing that has
ever happened is quite without influence at this moment. The present is
merely the past rolled up and concentrated in this second of time. You,
too, are your past; often your face is your autobiography; you are what
you are because of what you have been; because of your heredity
stretching back into forgotten generations; because of every element of
environment that has affected you, every man or woman that has met you,
every book that you have read, every experience that you have had; all
these are accumulated in your memory, your body, your character, your
soul. So with a city, a country, and a race; it is its past, and cannot
be understood without it.
--Will Durant
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Will_Durant>
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a bird in the sparrow
family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on pure
white cheeks on both sexes. It is widespread in the towns and cities of
eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of the lightly wooded open
countryside. It is not closely related to the American tree sparrow. Its
untidy nest is built within a natural cavity, a hole in a building, or
the large nest of a Eurasian magpie or white stork. It feeds mainly on
seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the
breeding season. Parasites, diseases and birds of prey take their toll,
and the typical life span is about two years. There have been large
declines in western European populations, in part due to increased use
of herbicides and a decline in winter stubble fields. The species has
long been depicted in Chinese and Japanese art, and has appeared on the
postage stamps of Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belgium, Cambodia, the
Central African Republic, China, Estonia, The Gambia and Taiwan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_tree_sparrow>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1890:
London's City and South London Railway (locomotive pictured),
the first deep-level underground railway in the world, officially
opened, running a distance of 3.2 mi (5.1 km) between the City of
London and Stockwell.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_and_South_London_Railway>
1960:
At the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Tanzania, Jane Goodall
observed a chimpanzee using a grass stalk to extract termites from a
termite hill, the first recorded case of tool use by animals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasakela_chimpanzee_community>
2010:
In the first aviation occurrence for an Airbus A380, Qantas
Flight 32 suffered an uncontained engine failure and safely made an
emergency landing at Singapore Changi Airport with no casualties.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_32>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cloud-headed:
Having one's head in the clouds: prone to daydreaming, or thinking
impractically.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cloud-headed>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Christ whose glory fills the skies,Christ, the true, the only
light,Sun of Righteousness, arise,Triumph o'er the shades of night;Day-
spring from on high, be near, Day-star in my heart appear.
--Augustus Toplady
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustus_Toplady>
Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards (2005) is a graphic novel
written by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by the company Big Time Attic.
It tells a slightly fictionalized account of the Bone Wars, a period of
intense rivalry over the excavation of dinosaur fossils in the western
United States. The novel is the first semi-fictional work written by
Ottaviani; previously, he had taken no creative license with the
characters he depicted, portraying them strictly according to historical
sources. Bone Sharps follows two scientists, Othniel Charles Marsh and
Edward Drinker Cope (pictured), as they pursue their hotheaded and
sometimes illegal acquisitions of fossils. Along the way, they encounter
P. T. Barnum, Buffalo Bill, Alexander Graham Bell, Ulysses S. Grant, and
other figures of the Gilded Age. Upon release, the novel was praised by
critics for its historical content, although some reviewers were
disappointed by the fictional elements.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Sharps,_Cowboys,_and_Thunder_Lizards>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1812:
French invasion of Russia: As Napoleon's Grande Armée began
its retreat, its rear guard was defeated at the Battle of Vyazma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vyazma>
1948:
The Chicago Daily Tribune published the erroneous headline
"Dewey Defeats Truman" in its early morning edition shortly after
incumbent U.S. President Harry S. Truman officially upset the heavily
favored Governor of New York Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Defeats_Truman>
1954:
The first film featuring the giant monster known as Godzilla
was released (poster pictured) nationwide in Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla>
1996:
Abdullah Çatlı, a leader of the ultra-nationalist Grey
Wolves, was killed in a car crash near Susurluk, Balıkesir Province,
Turkey, sparking a scandal which exposed the depth of the state's
complicity in organized crime.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_scandal>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
amigurumi:
1. (uncountable, knitting) The Japanese art of crocheting or knitting
stuffed yarn toys, typically creatures having oversized heads.
2. (countable, knitting) Such a stuffed toy crocheted or knitted from
yarn.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amigurumi>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Political ideological systems are based on conceptions of the
natural life process. They may further or hinder the natural life
process. They themselves, however, do not function at the roots of the
social process. They may be democratic; in that case they further the
natural human life process. They may be authoritarian and dictatorial;
in that case they are its deadly enemy.
--Wilhelm Reich
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich>
God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a third-person action-adventure video
game for the PlayStation Portable, first released on November 2, 2010.
Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is the sixth installment in the God
of War series and the fourth chronologically. The player controls
Kratos, a Spartan warrior who became the God of War. Haunted by visions
of his mortal past, he journeys to the Domain of Death to rescue his
brother Deimos, then teams up with him to battle the God of Death,
Thanatos. The gameplay focuses on combo-based combat and includes quick
time events that require the player to complete game controller actions
in a timed sequence to defeat stronger enemies. The game also features
magical attacks, puzzles, and platforming elements. Critics praised its
story, gameplay, and graphics, and the game won awards at the 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo and the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards. By
June 2012, it had sold nearly 1.2 million copies worldwide. A remastered
version was released for the PlayStation 3, included in the 2011 and
2012 God of War video game collections.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War:_Ghost_of_Sparta>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1917:
British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued a declaration
proclaiming British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland
in Palestine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration>
1943:
World War II: A U.S. Navy task force was able to turn away an
Imperial Japanese Navy fleet in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, thus
protecting the landings at Cape Torokina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Empress_Augusta_Bay>
1990:
Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merged to
form BSkyB, currently the largest pay-TV broadcaster in Europe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_plc>
2000:
Aboard Expedition 1, American astronaut William Shepherd and
Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko (all pictured)
became the first resident crew to arrive at the International Space
Station.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
homily:
1. A sermon, especially concerning a practical matter.
2. A moralizing lecture.
3. A platitude.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/homily>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I was suddenly arrested by what seemed to be an awful voice
proclaiming the words, "Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!" It reached my
very soul — my whole man shook — it brought me like Saul to the
ground. The great depravity and sinfulness of my heart were set before
me, and the gulf of everlasting destruction to which I was verging. I
was made to bitterly cry out, "If there is no God — doubtless there is
a hell." I found myself in the midst of it.
--Stephen Grellet
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Grellet>
Interstate 75 in Michigan is a part of the Interstate Highway System
that runs 396 miles (637 km) generally northward from Ohio to the
Canadian border in Sault Ste. Marie. It passes near Lake Erie and
through Detroit, Pontiac and Bay City, Michigan, crossing the Mackinac
Bridge (pictured) in the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and
Lake Huron. Within the state, the Interstate shares parts of its route
with circle tours around four of the five Great Lakes, and spawns four
auxiliary Interstates. Native American trails spanned the state along
the general path of the modern freeway; after statehood, several of
these were converted into plank roads that later became some of the
first state highways. Interstate construction in Michigan started in
1957, signs went up in 1959, and the last section was opened on November
1, 1973. South of Michigan, Interstate 75 continues for 1,391 miles
(2,239 km), terminating in Miami, Florida.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_75_in_Michigan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1611:
The first recorded performance of William Shakespeare's play
The Tempest was held at the Palace of Whitehall in London, exactly seven
years after the first certainly known performance of his tragedy Othello
was held in the same building.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello>
1914:
World War I: The first contingent of the First Australian
Imperial Force departed Albany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Australian_Imperial_Force>
1956:
The Indian states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka were
formally created under the States Reorganisation Act.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka>
1968:
The voluntary Motion Picture Association of America film rating
system came into effect, affecting films released in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_ra…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Indian summer:
1. A stretch of sunny and warm, often hazy, days during late autumn.
2. (figuratively) The late autumn of life; a late flowering of activity
before old age.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Indian_summer>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We belong to the Society of Friends, a community of love, a
family of persons. In so far as we are not just another
“denomination,” we know also that the salvation of our age is in our
keeping; that is, that it lies in the divine-human society which is
"rooted and grounded in love." This is the unity which alone can make
one world out of "one world", and not one nightmare, one hell, one
burned-out cinder. We know also and in a way we respond to the fact that
we have a mission, we are "called to be saints".
--A. J. Muste
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A._J._Muste>
Microscopium is a minor constellation in the Southern Celestial
Hemisphere, one of twelve created in the 18th century by French
astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting
scientific instruments. Its stars are faint and hardly visible from most
of the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere. The constellation's brightest
star is Gamma Microscopii, of apparent magnitude 4.68, a yellow giant
2.5 times the Sun's mass. Now around 381 light-years distant, it may
have been only 1.14 light-years from the Sun some 3.9 million years ago,
possibly disturbing the outer Solar System. Two star systems—WASP-7
and HD 205739—have planets, while two others—the young red dwarf
star AU Microscopii and the sunlike HD 202628—have debris disks. AU
Microscopii and the binary red dwarf system AT Microscopii are probably
a wide triple system and members of the Beta Pictoris moving group. BO
Microscopii, nicknamed "Speedy Mic", is a star with an extremely fast
rotation period of 9 hours 7 minutes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microscopium>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted
his Ninety-five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,
present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses>
1917:
World War I: Allied forces defeated Turkish troops in Beersheba
in Southern Palestine at the Battle of Beersheba, with the battle
involving one of the last successful cavalry charges.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba_%281917%29>
1941:
Approximately 400 workers completed the 60-foot (18 m) busts of
U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt,
and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore>
1984:
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of
her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Sikhs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bloodthirsty:
Thirsty for blood: inexorably violent or eager for bloodshed; murderous.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bloodthirsty>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am beginning to have a healthy dread of possessions, be it of a
country, a house, a being or even an idea. If we are bothered by
possessions we cannot really live either from without or from within; we
are the possession of our possessions. All wars and most loves come from
the possessive instinct. Why grab possessions like thieves, or divide
them like socialists when you can ignore them like wise men: that you
may belong to everything and everything be yours inclusive of yourself.
Could we, and we can, have the vital necessities for all, we should do
away with this cry of class and begin to differentiate between
individuals.
--Natalie Clifford Barney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Natalie_Clifford_Barney>
The Gevninge helmet fragment is the dexter eyepiece of a Danish helmet
from the Viking Age or end of the Nordic Iron Age. It was found in 2000
during the excavation of a Viking farmstead at Gevninge. The fragment is
moulded from bronze and gilded, and consists of a stylised eyebrow with
eyelashes above an oval opening. There are three holes at the top and
bottom of the fragment to affix the eyepiece to a helmet. One of two
Scandinavian eyepieces discovered alone, it may have been deposited in
an invocation of the one-eyed god Odin. Gevninge is three kilometres
(1.9 mi) upriver from Lejre, a one-time centre of power believed to be
the setting for Heorot, the fabled mead hall to which the epic hero
Beowulf journeys in search of the monster Grendel; on his way, Beowulf
passes through an armed outpost comparable to Gevninge. The eyepiece has
been in the collection of the Lejre Museum since its discovery, and has
been exhibited internationally as part of a traveling exhibition on
Vikings.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gevninge_helmet_fragment>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
Seventeen-year-old Vilhelm, Prince of Denmark, arrived in
Athens to become George I, King of Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece>
1918:
The Armistice of Mudros was signed in Greece, ending the
hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, and paving
the way for the occupation of Constantinople and the subsequent
partitioning of the Ottoman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_Mudros>
1938:
The radio drama The War of the Worlds, based on the science
fiction novella by H. G. Wells, frightened many listeners in the United
States into believing that an actual Martian invasion was in progress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_%28radio_drama%29>
1993:
The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association
opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight
civilians and wounding nineteen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greysteel_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
talaria:
(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) The winged sandals worn by certain
gods and goddesses, especially the Roman god Mercury (and his Greek
counterpart Hermes).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/talaria>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Virtue is not always amiable. Integrity is sometimes ruined by
prejudices and by passions.
--John Adams
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams>
A binary search algorithm is a method to determine the position of a
target value within a sorted array (an ordered list). Binary search
compares the target value to the middle element of the array. If they
are not equal, the half in which the target cannot lie is eliminated and
the search continues on the remaining half, again taking the middle
element to compare to the target value, and so on. If the remaining half
at any stage is found to be empty, then the target is not in the array.
Even though the idea is simple, implementing binary search correctly
requires attention to some subtleties about its exit conditions and
midpoint calculation. Binary search runs in logarithmic time in the
worst case. It is faster than linear search except for small arrays, but
the array must be sorted first. Although specialized data structures
designed for fast searching, such as hash tables, can be searched more
efficiently, binary search applies to a wider range of problems.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_search_algorithm>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1787:
The opera Don Giovanni, based on Don Juan, the legendary
fictional libertine, and composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered
in the Estates Theatre in Prague.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni>
1948:
Arab–Israeli War: As the Israel Defense Forces captured the
Palestinian Arab village of Safsaf, they massacred at least 52
villagers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safsaf_massacre>
1998:
At 77 years old as a crew member aboard the Space Shuttle
Discovery on the STS-95 mission, John Glenn became the oldest person to
go to space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn>
2015:
China announced the abolition of its one-child policy, allowing
families to have two children instead.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shunt:
1. (transitive) To cause to move (suddenly), as by pushing or shoving;
to give a (sudden) start to.
2. (transitive) To divert to a less important place, position, or state.
3. (transitive) To provide with a shunt.
4. (transitive, computing) To move data in memory to a physical disk.
5. (transitive, electricity) To divert electric current by providing an
alternative path.
6. (transitive, rail transport) To move a train from one track to
another, or to move carriages, etc. from one train to another.
7. (transitive, chiefly road transport, informal, Britain) To have a
minor collision, especially in a motor car.
8. (transitive, surgery) To divert the flow of a body fluid.
9. (transitive, obsolete, Britain, dialectal) To turn aside or away; to
divert.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shunt>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Take care that thou be not made a fool by flatterers, for even
the wisest men are abused by these. Know, therefore, that flatterers are
the worst kind of traitors; for they will strengthen thy imperfections,
encourage thee in all evils, correct thee in nothing; but so shadow and
paint all thy vices and follies, as thou shalt never, by their will,
discern evil from good, or vice from virtue. And, because all men are
apt to flatter themselves, to entertain the additions of other men's
praises is most perilous. Do not therefore praise thyself, except thou
wilt be counted a vain-glorious fool; neither take delight in the
praises of other men, except thou deserve it, and receive it from such
as are worthy and honest, and will withal warn thee of thy faults; for
flatterers have never any virtue — they are ever base, creeping,
cowardly persons. … But it is hard to know them from friends, they
are so obsequious and full of protestations; for as a wolf resembles a
dog, so doth a flatterer a friend.
--Walter Raleigh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh>
The 2009 World Series was the championship series of Major League
Baseball's 2009 season. Opening on October 28, it was a best-of-seven
playoff between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National
League and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees,
champions of the American League. The Yankees defeated the Phillies, 4
games to 2, with a Game 6 victory in which Hideki Matsui hit his third
home run of the series. He was named Most Valuable Player of the series,
making him the first Japanese-born player to win the award. Several
records were tied, extended, or broken during this World Series,
including team championships (Yankees with 27), career postseason wins
(Andy Pettitte with 18), career World Series saves (Mariano Rivera with
11), home runs in a World Series (Chase Utley with five), strikeouts by
a hitter in a World Series (Ryan Howard with 13), and runs batted in
during a single World Series game (Matsui with six).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_World_Series>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
In New York Harbor, U.S. President Grover Cleveland dedicated
the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, to commemorate the centennial
of the Declaration of Independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>
1940:
World War II: Italy invaded Greece after Greek prime minister
Ioannis Metaxas rejected Benito Mussolini's ultimatum demanding the
cession of Greek territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Italian_War>
1995:
A fire in the Baku Metro, Azerbaijan, killed at least 286
passengers and injured 270 more in the world's deadliest subway
disaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Baku_Metro_fire>
2007:
In the Argentine general election, Cristina Fernández de
Kirchner became the first woman to be elected President of Argentina.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Skyriot:
One of the inhabitants of the Greek island of Skyros.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Skyriot>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some people might look at something and let it go by, because
they don't recognize the pattern and the significance. It's the
sensitivity to pattern recognition that seems to me to be of great
importance. It's a matter of being able to find meaning, whether it's
positive or negative, in whatever you encounter. It's like a journey.
It's like finding the paths that will allow you to go forward, or that
path that has a block that tells you to start over again or do something
else.
--Jonas Salk
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk>
The Mascarene parrot (Mascarinus mascarin), now extinct, was endemic to
the Mascarene island of Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. It has
historically been grouped taxonomically with the Psittaculini parrots or
the vasa parrots, with the latest genetic study favouring the former
group. It was 35 cm (14 in) in length with a large red bill and long,
rounded tail feathers. Its legs were red, and it had naked red skin
around the eyes and nostrils. It had a black facial mask and partially
white tail feathers. Very little is known about the bird in life. The
Mascarene parrot was first mentioned in 1674, and live specimens were
later brought to Europe, where they lived in captivity. The species was
scientifically described in 1771. Only two stuffed specimens exist
today, in Paris and Vienna. The date and cause of extinction for the
Mascarene parrot are unclear; it is probable that the species became
extinct prior to 1800, and may have become extinct in the wild even
earlier.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarene_parrot>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1914:
World War I: The Royal Navy dreadnought HMS Audacious was sunk
by a mine, but its loss was kept secret for four years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Audacious_%281912%29>
1946:
Inter-religious riots, in which Hindu mobs targeted Muslim
families, began in the Indian state of Bihar, resulting in anywhere
between 2,000 and 30,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_Bihar_riots>
1958:
General Ayub Khan deposed Iskander Mirza to become the second
President of Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayub_Khan_%28President_of_Pakistan%29>
2004:
The Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals
to win the World Series, breaking the so-called "Curse of the Bambino".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_World_Series>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fruitless:
1. Bearing no fruit; barren.
2. (figuratively) Unproductive, useless.
3. (figuratively, archaic) Of a person: unable to have children; barren,
infertile.
4. (rare) Of a diet, etc.: without fruit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fruitless>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All of us, no matter from what land our parents came, no matter
in what way we may severally worship our Creator, must stand shoulder to
shoulder in a united America for the elimination of race and religious
prejudice. We must stand for a reign of equal justice to both big and
small.
--Theodore Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt>