The small-toothed sportive lemur is a primate species in the family
Lepilemuridae that—like all lemurs—is endemic to Madagascar. The
species lives in dense rainforest in southeastern Madagascar, and can be
found in two national parks, Ranomafana and Andringitra. Described in
1894, it is difficult to visually distinguish from the weasel sportive
lemur. Phylogenetic studies support its species status and suggest that
it is the only eastern Malagasy sportive lemur that is more closely
related to western than to other eastern species. It weighs between 0.9
and 1.2 kg (2.0 and 2.6 lb) and measures 55 to 64 cm (22 to 25 in)
from head to tail. Its fur is mostly reddish-brown or chestnut color,
with a dark stripe running from its head down its back. Its underside
and neck are lighter in color. Like other sportive lemurs, it is
nocturnal, sleeping in concealed tangles of vegetation and tree holes.
It is solitary and eats leaves, fruits, and flowers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small-toothed_sportive_lemur>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1340:
Hundred Years' War: The English fleet commanded by Edward III
almost totally destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of Sluys.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sluys>
1571:
Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi established a
council to govern the city of Manila (Manila Cathedral pictured), now
the capital of the Philippines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila>
1943:
An attempt by white U.S. Army military police to arrest black
servicemen at a pub in Bamber Bridge, England, turned into a firefight,
leaving one dead and seven injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bamber_Bridge>
1973:
A fire of unknown origin broke out at the UpStairs Lounge, a
gay bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., causing 32 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UpStairs_Lounge_arson_attack>
2010:
Julia Gillard assumed office as the first female Prime Minister
of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Exhibit A:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Exhibit_A>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When, O crowned Jesus; when, O loving Saviour; when, O patient
and just Judge — when wilt Thou come forth from Thy hiding, and change
tears to smiles, and groans to joys? When shall that choral song burst
forth, sweeping through the air, and circling about Thy throne, which
shall proclaim the redemption of the world to the Lord God?
--Henry Ward Beecher
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Ward_Beecher>
The equestrian statue of Edward Horner stands inside St Andrew's Church
in the village of Mells in Somerset, south-western England. The
sculpture was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and executed
by the equestrian painter and war artist Alfred Munnings. It is a
memorial to Edward Horner, who died of wounds in the First World War.
Edward Horner was the only surviving son and heir of Sir John and Lady
Frances Horner of Mells Manor and a member of an extended upper-class
social group known as the Coterie, many of whom were killed in the war.
Lutyens was a friend of the Horner family, having designed buildings and
structures for them since the beginning of the 20th century. For
Horner's memorial, Lutyens designed the plinth himself, and engaged
Munnings for the latter's first public work of sculpture. The statue is
a bronze of a cavalry officer on horseback, bare-headed, with his helmet
and sword on the horse's saddle.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue_of_Edward_Horner>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1280:
Reconquista: Troops of the Emirate of Granada defeated those of
the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of León in the Battle of
Moclín.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mocl%C3%ADn_(1280)>
1594:
Anglo-Spanish War: During the Action of Faial, an English
attempt to capture a Portuguese carrack, reputedly one of the richest
ever to set sail from the Indies, caused it to explode with all the
treasure lost.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_Faial>
1894:
Led by French historian Pierre de Coubertin, an international
congress at the Sorbonne in Paris founded the International Olympic
Committee to reinstate the ancient Olympic Games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin>
1982:
Chinese American Vincent Chin died after being beaten into a
coma in Highland Park, Michigan, U.S., by two automotive workers who
were angry about the success of Japanese auto companies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Vincent_Chin>
2013:
A group of militants stormed a high-altitude mountaineering
base camp in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, and killed 11 people; 10
climbers and one local guide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Nanga_Parbat_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
catheter:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catheter>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through
honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am
grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have
helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny. I leave this life
with no regrets. It was a wonderful life — full and complete with the
great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to
leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I
intended.
--Charles Krauthammer
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Krauthammer>
Dilophosaurus was one of the earliest large predatory dinosaurs, living
in what is now North America during the Early Jurassic, about
193 million years ago. The genus name means "two-crested lizard". It
was smaller than some later theropods, about 7 meters (23 ft) in
length, with a weight of about 400 kilograms (880 lb). It had a pair of
plate-shaped crests on its skull, and the upper jaw had a gap below the
nostril. The teeth were long, curved, and thin. The arms were powerful,
and the hands had four fingers. Dilophosaurus was active and bipedal,
and may have hunted large animals, though it could also have fed on
smaller animals and fish. The function of the crests is unknown; they
were too weak for battle, but may have been used in visual display.
Dilophosaurus was featured in the movie Jurassic Park, in which it was
given the fictional abilities to spit venom and expand a cowl on its
neck. It has been designated as the state dinosaur of Connecticut.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilophosaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1593:
Ottoman forces were crushingly defeated by the Habsburgs at
Sisak (now in Croatia), triggering the Long War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sisak>
1813:
War of 1812: After learning of a forthcoming American attack,
Laura Secord set out on a 30 km (19 mi) journey from Queenston,
Ontario, Upper Canada, on foot to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Secord>
1948:
Over 800 West Indian immigrants disembarked the British
troopship HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury, England, becoming known as
the "Windrush generation".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Empire_Windrush>
1986:
Argentine footballer Diego Maradona scored both the "Hand of
God goal" and the "Goal of the Century" against England during the
quarter-final match of the FIFA World Cup.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_v_England_(1986_FIFA_World_Cup)>
2002:
An earthquake measuring 6.5 Mw struck a region of northwestern
Iran, killing at least 261 people and injuring 1,300 others, and
eventually causing widespread public anger due to the slow official
response.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Bou%27in-Zahra_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fiendishly:
1. Extremely, very.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fiendishly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One sole God; One sole ruler, — his Law; One sole interpreter
of that law — Humanity.
--Giuseppe Mazzini
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Mazzini>
Two Andrea Doria-class dreadnought battleships were built for the Royal
Italian Navy. Completed during World War I, Andrea Doria (pictured) and
Caio Duilio displayed incremental improvements over the preceding Conte
di Cavour class. Like the earlier ships, they were armed with a main
battery of thirteen 305-millimeter (12.0 in) guns. The two ships were
based in southern Italy during World War I to help contain the Austro-
Hungarian Navy surface fleet in the Adriatic, but neither vessel saw
combat during the conflict. After the war, they cruised the
Mediterranean and were involved in several international incidents,
including at Corfu in 1923. In 1940, when Italy was engaged in World War
II, they were moored when the British launched a carrier strike on the
Italian fleet. In the resulting Battle of Taranto, Caio Duilio was hit
by a torpedo and forced to beach to avoid sinking.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Doria-class_battleship>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1734:
A black slave known as Marie-Joseph Angélique, having been
convicted of setting the fire that destroyed much of Montreal, was
tortured and then hanged in New France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Joseph_Ang%C3%A9lique>
1854:
Crimean War: During the first Battle of Bomarsund, Irish sailor
Charles Davis Lucas threw an artillery shell off his ship before it
exploded, earning him the first Victoria Cross.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Davis_Lucas>
1898:
In a bloodless event during the Spanish–American War, the
United States captured Guam from Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Guam>
1948:
The Manchester Baby (replica pictured), the world's first
stored-program computer, ran its first computer program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Baby>
1963:
Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was elected as Pope
Paul VI.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_VI>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
melomaniac:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/melomaniac>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My personal attitude toward atheists is the same attitude that I
have toward Christians, and would be governed by a very orthodox text:
"By their fruits shall ye know them." I wouldn't judge a man by the
presuppositions of his life, but only by the fruits of his life. And the
fruits — the relevant fruits — are, I'd say, a sense of charity, a
sense of proportion, a sense of justice. And whether the man is an
atheist or a Christian, I would judge him by his fruits, and I have
therefore many agnostic friends.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr>
King's Highway 61 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario that forms part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour.
The 61-kilometre (38 mi) route extends from a junction at Highway 11,
Highway 17 and the Harbour Expressway in Thunder Bay south to a bridge
over the Pigeon River, where it crosses into the United States and
becomes Minnesota State Highway 61. The roads on either side of the
river were completed in 1916, but there was no bridge to connect them.
Funding for a bridge over the international crossing at the Pigeon River
required federal approval from both governments, but local civic groups
in Port Arthur and Duluth expected that the process would be too slow,
and built it without approval. The bridge was opened by a travelling
motorcade in August 1917, permitting travel between Ontario and
Minnesota. To the surprise of the civic groups, Canadian and American
highway officials attending the opening announced federal funding to
cover the bridge costs.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_61>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
Flavius Aetius, with the help of Roman foederati, defeated
Attila in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, and halted the invasion
of Gaul by the Huns and their allies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Catalaunian_Plains>
1837:
Victoria succeeded to the British throne, starting a reign that
lasted for more than 63 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria>
1921:
Workers at the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in the city of
Madras, India, began a four-month strike.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1921_Buckingham_and_Carnatic_Mills_strike>
1943:
Rioting between blacks and whites began on Belle Isle, Detroit,
Michigan, and continued for three days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_Detroit_race_riot>
1975:
The film Jaws was released, becoming the prototypical summer
blockbuster and establishing the modern Hollywood business model.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
barcarole:
1. (music) A piece of music composed in imitation of such a song.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/barcarole>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a Judge's chamber can
believe in an unprejudiced point of view.
--Lillian Hellman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lillian_Hellman>
Wally Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class
cricketer, primarily a middle-order batsman, who played for
Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as
a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of
England. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him in his obituary as
one of the four best batsmen in the history of cricket. In a Test career
spanning 85 matches, he scored 7,249 runs and took 83 wickets. Hammond
captained England in 20 of those Tests, winning 4, losing 3, and drawing
13. His career aggregate of runs was the highest in Test cricket until
surpassed by Colin Cowdrey in 1970; his total of 22 Test centuries
remained an English record until Alastair Cook surpassed it in December
2012. Overall, he scored 50,551 runs and 167 centuries in first-class
cricket games, respectively the seventh and third highest totals by a
first-class cricketer.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Hammond>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1800:
War of the Second Coalition: General Jean Victor Marie Moreau
led French forces to victory in the Battle of Höchstädt, opening the
Danube passageway to Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_H%C3%B6chst%C3%A4dt_(1800)>
1816:
The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, rival fur-
trading companies, engaged in a violent confrontation in present-day
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Seven_Oaks>
1953:
Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed as spies who
passed U.S. nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg>
1970:
The Patent Cooperation Treaty, an international law treaty, was
signed, providing a unified procedure for filing patent applications to
protect inventions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_Cooperation_Treaty>
2005:
Only six race cars competed in the United States Grand Prix at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, after all the
Michelin-shod entrants were withdrawn due to safety concerns.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_United_States_Grand_Prix>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shrithe:
1. (intransitive) To go about, to roam, to wander.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shrithe>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis
of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
--Blaise Pascal
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal>
A Waterloo Medal was designed by sculptor Benedetto Pistrucci.
Commemorating the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815), the medal was
commissioned by the British Government in 1819 on the instructions of
George IV while Prince Regent; copies were to be presented to the
victorious generals and to leaders of Britain's allies. The Prince
Regent and William Wellesley-Pole, Master of the Mint, had been
impressed by Pistrucci's models, and gave him the commission. Pistrucci
fell from grace at the Royal Mint in 1823 by insisting on his own
designs and refusing to copy another designer's work, and he likely
concluded he would be sacked when the medal was finished. He delayed
completion until 1849, when he submitted the matrices to the Mint. As
most of the intended recipients had died by then, and relations with
France had improved, the medals were never struck, though modern-day
editions have been made for sale to collectors. Pistrucci's designs have
been greatly praised by numismatic writers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Medal_(Pistrucci)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
618:
Li Yuan declared himself to be emperor of a new Chinese dynasty
known as Tang, which lasted for three centuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty>
1178:
Five Canterbury monks observed what was possibly the formation
of the Giordano Bruno crater, a small lunar impact crater on the far
side of the Moon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno_(crater)>
1812:
The United States declared war against the United Kingdom for a
combination of various reasons, officially beginning the War of 1812.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812>
1954:
Carlos Castillo Armas led a CIA-sponsored invasion force across
the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup
d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1994:
The Troubles: Ulster Volunteer Force members attacked a crowded
bar in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland, with assault rifles, killing
six.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughinisland_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
zongzi:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zongzi>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Raised as a Roman Catholic, I internalized the social values of
that faith and still hold most of them, even though its theology no
longer persuades me. I have no quarrel with what anyone else subscribes
to; everyone deals with these things in his own way, and I have no
truths to impart. All I require of a religion is that it be tolerant of
those who do not agree with it. I know a priest whose eyes twinkle when
he says, “You go about God’s work in your way, and I’ll go about
it in His.”
--Roger Ebert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert>
"all things" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the
American science fiction television series The X-Files. Written and
directed by lead actress Gillian Anderson (pictured), it is unconnected
to the wider mythology of The X-Files and functions as a monster-of-the-
week story. The series centers on special agents Fox Mulder (David
Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, who work on cases linked to the paranormal called
X-Files. In this episode, a series of coincidences lead Scully to Dr.
Daniel Waterston (Nicolas Surovy), a married man with whom she had an
affair while at medical school. After Waterston slips into a coma,
Scully puts aside her skepticism and seeks out alternative treatment to
save him. Viewer response was generally positive, but the episode
received mixed reviews, and many critics faulted the characterization of
Scully. The cast and crew helped Anderson adjust to her directorial
debut—the first time a woman directed an episode of The X-Files.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_things>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1397:
The three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were joined
into the Kalmar Union, a personal union under Erik of Pomerania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmar_Union>
1579:
Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day
California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Albion>
1843:
New Zealand Wars: An armed posse of Europeans set out from
Nelson to arrest Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha and clashed with Māori,
resulting in 26 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wairau_Affray>
1940:
Second World War: Britain's worst maritime disaster occurred
when at least 3,000 people were killed as a result of the troopship
RMS Lancastria's sinking by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria>
2015:
A white supremacist committed a mass shooting at the Emanuel
African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina,
killing nine people during a prayer service (memorial service pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_church_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pleasing fungus beetle:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pleasing_fungus_beetle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Most men are difficult to buy presents for. Last year I gave up
and handed my father a hundred dollars and said, "Just buy yourself
something that will make your life easier." He went out and bought a
gift for my mother.
--Rita Rudner
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rita_Rudner>
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan, is a former factory
where the Ford Motor Company first produced the Model T, the car
credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United
States. Built in 1904, it was the company's second production center,
after the Mack Avenue Plant. Early experiments using a moving assembly
line to make cars were also conducted at the Piquette Avenue Plant, and
it was the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one
day. Ford used the factory until its production lines were transferred
in 1910 to the Highland Park Plant. Studebaker bought the factory in
1911, using it to assemble cars until 1933. The building was sold in
1936, and passed through a series of owners before becoming a museum in
2001; its exhibits primarily focus on the beginning of the American
automotive industry. The Piquette Avenue Plant was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 2006.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Piquette_Avenue_Plant>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1755:
After a two-week siege, the French commander of Fort
Beauséjour surrendered to the British, marking the end of Father Le
Loutre's War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Beaus%C3%A9jour>
1883:
More than 180 out of 1,100 children died in the Victoria Hall
stampede in Sunderland, England, when they ran down the stairs to
collect gifts after a variety show.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Hall_stampede>
1904:
Irish author James Joyce began his relationship with Nora
Barnacle, and subsequently used the date to set the actions for his 1922
novel Ulysses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce>
1960:
The thriller/horror film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
and based on a novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(1960_film)>
2012:
Liu Yang became the first Chinese woman in space, as a member
of the Shenzhou 9 crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Yang_(astronaut)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
winsome:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/winsome>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is accidental in the universe — this is one of my Laws
of Physics — except the entire universe itself, which is Pure
Accident, pure divinity.
--Joyce Carol Oates
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Carol_Oates>
Happy Chandler (1898–1991) was the 44th Governor of Kentucky
(1935–1939), a member of the U.S. Senate, the Commissioner of
Baseball, and the 49th Governor of Kentucky (1955–1959). In his first
term as governor, he oversaw the repeal of the sales tax, replacing the
lost revenue with new excise taxes and the state's first income tax, and
helped improve the state's education and transportation systems. He
resigned as governor so his successor could appoint him to the Senate. A
fiscal conservative and disciple of Virginia's Harry F. Byrd, Chandler
opposed parts of Roosevelt's New Deal and openly disagreed with the
president's decision to prioritize European operations in World War II
over the Pacific War. In 1945, he resigned his Senate seat to become the
Commissioner of Baseball, succeeding Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He
approved Jackie Robinson's contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers,
initiating the integration of Major League Baseball.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Chandler>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1520:
Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Exsurge Domine to censure
propositions from Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses and threaten him
with excommunication.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exsurge_Domine>
1815:
The Duchess of Richmond held a ball in Brussels, Belgium, that
was described as "the most famous ball in history".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_of_Richmond%27s_ball>
1919:
After nearly 16 hours, the Vickers Vimy flown by John Alcock
and Arthur Whitten Brown crash-landed in County Galway, Ireland, to
complete the first non-stop transatlantic flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight_of_Alcock_and_Brown>
1978:
King Hussein of Jordan married American Lisa Halaby, who became
known as Queen Noor of Jordan (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Noor_of_Jordan>
2012:
Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk a tightrope
stretched directly over Niagara Falls.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Wallenda>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
coquina:
1. (geology) A soft form of limestone made of fragments of shells,
sometimes used as a building or road paving material.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coquina>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to
believe as a Jew, a Protestant, or non-believer, or as anything else you
choose. We know that the price of seeking to force our beliefs on
others is that they might some day force theirs on us. This freedom is
the fundamental strength of our unique experiment in government. In the
complex interplay of forces and considerations that go into the making
of our laws and policies, its preservation must be a pervasive and
dominant concern.
--Mario Cuomo
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mario_Cuomo>