The tree swallow is a migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae. Found
in the Americas, it was first described in 1807 by French ornithologist
Louis Vieillot as Hirundo bicolor. It has since been moved to the
genus Tachycineta, where its phylogenetic placement is in debate. It
has glossy blue-green upperparts, with the exception of the blackish
wings and tail, and white underparts. The bill is black, the eyes are
dark brown, and the legs and feet are pale brown. The tree swallow
breeds in the US and Canada. It winters in the West Indies and from the
southern US coasts to Panama and the northwestern coast of South
America. It nests in isolated pairs or loose groups, in both natural and
artificial cavities. Breeding can start as soon as early May (although
this date is advancing because of climate change), and can end as late
as July. The species is generally socially monogamous, with high levels
of extra-pair paternity. An aerial insectivore, the tree swallow forages
alone and in groups.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_swallow>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1762:
Seven Years' War: The Battle of Manila concluded with a British
victory over Spain, leading to a short British occupation of Manila.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_%281762%29>
1934:
Catalonia's autonomous government declared a general strike, an
armed insurgency, and the establishment of the Catalan State in reaction
to the inclusion of conservatives in the republican regime of Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_State_%281934%29>
1998:
University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was attacked and
fatally wounded for being gay near Laramie, Wyoming, U.S., dying six
days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard>
2010:
Instagram (current logo pictured) released the initial version
of its mobile application for iOS devices.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
virtuous circle:
A situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future
problem easier to solve than the original one.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/virtuous_circle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by
individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the
unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal. Â
--David Brin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Brin>
The Malagasy mountain mouse (Monticolomys koopmani) is a small mouse-
like rodent of the family Nesomyidae. Found in the highlands of eastern
Madagascar (map pictured), it is dark brown on the upperparts and dark
gray below. It has small, rounded, densely haired ears and broad feet
with well-developed pads. The long tail lacks a tuft at the tip. The
skull is delicate and lacks crests and ridges on its roof. First
collected in 1929, the Malagasy mountain mouse was not formally
described until 1996, but it is now known to have a broad distribution.
Active during the night in trees and on the ground, the species occurs
in both montane forest and human-disturbed grasslands, and feeds on
fruits and seeds. Although habitat destruction may pose a threat, it is
classified as a species of least concern. Monticolomys means "mountain-
dwelling mouse", and koopmani honors Karl Koopman for his contributions
to mammalian systematics.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_mountain_mouse>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1918:
An ammunition plant in Sayreville, New Jersey, U.S., exploded,
killing around 100 people and destroying more than 300 buildings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._A._Gillespie_Company_Shell_Loading_Plant_e…>
1957:
Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1 (replica pictured), the first
artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched by an R-7 rocket
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1>
1958:
The current Constitution of France was signed into law,
establishing the French Fifth Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Fifth_Republic>
2010:
The dam holding a waste reservoir in western Hungary collapsed,
freeing one million m3 (1,300,000 yd3) of red mud, which flooded nearby
communities and killed ten people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajka_alumina_plant_accident>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wasm:
(humorous) A doctrine, ideology, rule, or theory that is no longer
current or fashionable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wasm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment
of its criminals. Â
--Rutherford B. Hayes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes>
Ray Lindwall was a key member of the Australian cricket team that toured
England in 1948. Lindwall (3 October 1921 – 23 June 1996) played as a
right-arm opening fast bowler and right-handed batsman in the lower
middle-order. The Australians, who went undefeated in their 34 matches,
were called The Invincibles. Lindwall and Keith Miller formed
Australia's first-choice fast-bowling duo, regarded as one of the best
of all time, and captain Don Bradman typically used them in short bursts
with the new ball. The pair subdued England's leading batsmen for much
of the summer. Lindwall was a capable batsman who made two Test
centuries during his career, and he featured in several rearguard
actions that boosted Australia's scores during the tour. He was one of
two leading wicket-takers in the Tests (with 27), and had the best
bowling average (19.62) and strike rate. Lindwall was chosen as one of
the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Lindwall_with_the_Australian_cricket_team…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1951:
The First Battle of Maryang-san, widely regarded as one of the
Australian Army's greatest accomplishments during the Korean War, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Maryang-san>
1962:
Mercury-Atlas 8, the fifth United States manned space mission,
was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_8>
1991:
Nadine Gordimer became the first South African to win the Nobel
Prize in Literature.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer>
2008:
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, establishing
the Troubled Asset Relief Program, commonly referred to as a bailout of
the U.S. financial system, was enacted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Asset_Relief_Program>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
balconic:
(rare) Of or pertaining to balconies.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/balconic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Christ himself, who preached the life of love, was yet as lonely
as any man that ever lived. Yet I could not say that he was mistaken
because he preached the life of love and fellowship, and lived and died
in loneliness; nor would I dare assert his way was wrong because a
billion men have since professed his way and never followed it. Â
--Thomas Wolfe
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Wolfe>
North Cascades National Park is a US national park in the state of
Washington, established October 2, 1968. Covering more than 500,000
acres (200,000Â ha), it features the rugged mountain peaks of the North
Cascades Range, the most expansive glacial system in the contiguous
United States, and vast forests with the highest degree of flora
biodiversity of any US national park. It is bisected by the Skagit
River, which flows through Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The
region was first settled by Paleo-Indian Native Americans; when white
explorers and fur trappers arrived, Skagit tribes lived there. In the
1920s several dams were built in the Skagit River valley to generate
hydroelectric power. The park has one of the earliest and longest-
lasting research programs dedicated to studying climate change, focusing
on glacial retreat. With almost all of the park protected as wilderness,
there are few structures, roads or other improvements. Heavy snows and a
high risk of avalanches severely limit visitation in the winter.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cascades_National_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1835:
Mexican dragoons dispatched to disarm settlers at Gonzales,
Mexican Texas, encountered stiff resistance from a Texian militia in the
Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gonzales>
1928:
Spanish priest JosemarÃa Escrivá founded Opus Dei (logo
pictured), a worldwide organization of the Catholic Church.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_Dei>
1941:
World War II: Nazi German forces began Operation Typhoon, an
all-out offensive to begin the three-month-long Battle of Moscow.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Moscow>
1990:
A hijacked airliner collided with two other planes while
attempting to land at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China,
resulting in a total of 128 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Guangzhou_Baiyun_airport_collisions>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Chanakya:
(India) A shrewd politician or, in general, a cunning person; a
Machiavelli.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chanakya>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 In childhood we live under the brightness of immortality —
heaven is as near and actual as seaside. Behind the complicated details
of the world stand the simplicities: God is good, the grown-up man or
woman knows the answer to every question, there is such a thing as
truth, and justice is as measured and faultless as a clock. Our heroes
are simple: they are brave, they tell the truth, they are good swordsmen
and they are never in the long run really defeated. That is why no later
books satisfy us like those which were read to us in childhood — for
those promised a world of great simplicity of which we knew the rules,
but the later books are complicated and contradictory with experience;
they are formed out of our own disappointing memories… Â
--Graham Greene
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Graham_Greene>
Duncan Edwards (1 October 1936 – 21 February 1958) was an English
footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national
team. He played 151 matches as one of the Busby Babes, the young United
team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s. Born in
Woodside, Dudley, Worcestershire, Edwards signed for Manchester United
as a teenager and went on to become the youngest player to play in the
Football League First Division. As the youngest England player since
the Second World War, he played 18 times for his country at top level.
In a professional career of less than five years he helped United win
two Football League championships and two FA Charity Shields, and
reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. He was one of eight United
players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster; he survived
initially but succumbed to his injuries in hospital two weeks later.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Edwards>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1891:
Stanford University, founded by railroad magnate and California
Governor Leland Stanford and his wife Jane on their former farm lands in
Palo Alto, California, officially opened with 559 students and free
tuition.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University>
1918:
First World War: British and Arab troops captured Damascus from
the Ottoman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Damascus_%281918%29>
1998:
Europol was founded, when the Europol Convention signed by all
of its member states came into force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europol>
2005:
Terrorist suicide bombs exploded at two sites in Bali,
Indonesia, killing twenty people and injuring over 120 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Bali_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ageful:
1. Aged, elderly, old.
2. (rare) Eternal, everlasting.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ageful>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Ultimately, the basic issue is whether America will provide
global leadership that springs from the unity and the integrity of the
American people, or whether extremist doctrines, the manipulation of the
truth, will define America's role in the world. At stake is nothing
less than our nation's soul. … But I am not discouraged. I really am
not. I do not despair for our country. I never do. I believe, as I
always have, the essential decency and compassion and common sense of
the American people will prevail. Â
--Jimmy Carter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter>
Myst IV: Revelation is the fourth installment in the Myst series,
developed by the French video game publisher Ubisoft. First released on
September 28, 2004, it uses pre-rendered graphics and digital video, as
in Myst III: Exile, but adds real-time 3D effects. The player is sent to
question the sons and recover the daughter of Atrus, a man who creates
links to other worlds by writing special linking books (illustration
shown). Development of Revelation lasted more than three years,
requiring as many as eighty Ubisoft employees. The original score was
written by Exile's composer, Jack Wall. Musician Peter Gabriel lent his
voice and a song to the audio. Overall, reception to the game was
positive; reviewers lauded the visuals, sound, and puzzles, but some
took issue with the control scheme. Revelation is the last game in the
Myst series to use both pre-rendered backgrounds and full-motion video.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst_IV:_Revelation>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1821:
The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire from
Spain was drafted in the National Palace in Mexico City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Mexican_Em…>
1924:
A team of U.S. Army Air Service aviators landed in Seattle,
Washington, to complete the first aerial circumnavigation of the world
(one of the aircraft pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation>
1978:
Pope John Paul I died only 33 days after his papal election due
to an apparent myocardial infarction, resulting in the first year of
three popes since 1605.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I>
2008:
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket achieved orbit on its fourth attempt
to become the first successful liquid-propelled orbital launch vehicle
developed with private funding.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_1>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
supernumerary:
1. Greater in number than.
2. Beyond the prescribed or standard amount or number; excess, extra.
3. (biology, specifically) Of an organ or structure: additional to what
is normally present.
4. Beyond what is necessary; redundant.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/supernumerary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 There is always more goodness in the world than there appears to
be, because goodness is of its very nature modest and retiring. Â
--Evelyn Beatrice Hall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Evelyn_Beatrice_Hall>