The Thaddeus McCotter 2012 presidential campaign began when McCotter
filed papers on July 1, 2011, to run for the Republican Party's 2012
nomination for President of the United States. He officially announced
his candidacy the next day at a rock festival near Detroit. McCotter, a
congressman from Michigan since 2003, was first mentioned as a potential
candidate on an April 2011 episode of the Fox News show Red Eye. During
his campaign, he focused on reform of government and Wall Street.
Commentators noted that McCotter's lack of name recognition hindered his
chances; he regularly received less than one percent support in
Republican presidential preference polls. Following a last-place finish
in the Ames Straw Poll and the lack of any invitation to presidential
debates, he dropped his candidacy on September 22, 2011, and endorsed
Mitt Romney. He resigned from Congress in July 2012 amid a fraud
investigation surrounding his congressional re-election campaign.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaddeus_McCotter_2012_presidential_campaign>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1927:
Putting Pants on Philip, the first official film featuring the
comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putting_Pants_on_Philip>
1967:
Cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first
successful human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur
Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard>
1979:
As per the results of a two-day referendum, the current
Constitution of Iran was adopted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Iranian_constitutional_referendum>
1990:
Mary Robinson was inaugurated as the first female President of
Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Mary_Robinson>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
worthwhileness:
The condition or extent of being worthwhile.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/worthwhileness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It's extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut,
with dull ears, with dormant thoughts. Perhaps it's just as well; and it
may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable
majority so supportable and so welcome. Nevertheless, there can be but
few of us who had never known one of these rare moments of awakening
when we see, hear, understand ever so much — everything — in a flash
— before we fall back again into our agreeable somnolence.
--Lord Jim
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_Jim>
Ernest Roberts (21 February 1868 – 2 December 1913) was a Labor
member of the South Australian House of Assembly, and then the
Australian House of Representatives. Roberts emigrated to Australia from
the UK and worked in Port Pirie, South Australia, where he was a member
of its town council. In 1896, aged 28, he became the youngest person
elected to the House of Assembly and quickly gained a reputation for his
oratory. He served in South Africa twice during the Second Boer War,
rising to the rank of captain. During his second period of service his
term in the South Australian parliament expired. After returning home,
he was the editor of a political newspaper before being elected to the
House of Assembly again in 1905. He was elected to the federal House of
Representatives in a by-election in 1908 and was appointed as an
honorary minister in 1911. After a fiery parliamentary debate on
2 December 1913, Roberts collapsed and died, aged 45. His state funeral
was attended by around 6,000 people.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Roberts_%28Australian_politician%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1943:
World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on
Allied ships in Bari, Italy, sinking twenty-eight vessels and releasing
one ship's secret cargo of mustard gas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari>
1956:
Cuban Revolution: The yacht Granma, carrying Fidel Castro, Che
Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement, reached the
shores of Cuba.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_of_the_Granma>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto took office as Prime Minister of Pakistan,
becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
2001:
Less than two months after disclosing accounting violations,
the Texas-based energy firm Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
evaporating nearly $11 billion in shareholder wealth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
computer literacy:
(computing) The ability to operate a personal computer, including its
associated hardware and software (but not necessarily to understand the
underlying electronics or a programming language).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/computer_literacy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is the individual who can and does make a difference even in
this increasingly populous, complex world of ours. The individual can
make things happen. It is the individual who can bring a tear to my eye
and then cause me to take pen in hand. It is the individual who has
acted or tried to act who will not only force a decision but also have a
hand in shaping it. Whether acting in the legal, governmental, or
private realm, one concerned and dedicated person can meaningfully
affect what some consider an uncaring world. So give freely of yourself
always to your family, your friends, your community, and your country.
The world will pay you back many times over.
--Sandra Day O'Connor
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor>
Florence Petty (1 December 1870 – 18 November 1948) was a Scottish
social worker, cookery writer and broadcaster. During the 1900s she
undertook social work in the deprived area of Somers Town in North
London, demonstrating for working-class women how to cook inexpensive
and nutritious foods. Much of the instruction was done in their homes.
She published cookery-related works aimed at those also involved in
social work, and a cookery book and pamphlet aimed at the public. From
1914 until the mid-1940s she toured Britain giving lecture-
demonstrations of cost-efficient and nutritious ways to cook, including
dealing with food shortages during the First World War. In the late
1920s and early 1930s, she was a BBC broadcaster on food and budgeting.
Petty worked until she was in her seventies. She is considered to be a
pioneer of social work innovations. Her approach to teaching the use of
cheap nutritious food was a precursor to the method adopted by the
Ministry of Food during the Second World War.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Petty>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1988:
Five armed men hijacked a bus carrying thirty schoolchildren
and a teacher in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz, Russia), and were later
given an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft and ransom for the release of the
hostages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Ordzhonikidze_bus_hijacking>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rime:
1. (transitive)
2. To cover (something) with rime (noun sense 1 or sense 3.1) or
(loosely) hoar frost.
3. (figurative) To cover (something) with a thin coating or film; to
coat.
4. (intransitive) Sometimes followed by up: of a thing: to become
covered with rime or (loosely) hoar frost.
5. Archaic in the form rimes: originally, any frozen dew forming a white
deposit on exposed surfaces; hoar frost (sense 1).
6. (figurative)
7. A film or slimy coating.
8. White hair as an indication of old age.
9. (meteorology)
10. Ice formed by the rapid freezing of cold water droplets of fog on to
a cold surface.
11. A coating or sheet of ice so formed.
12. (Britain, regional) A cold fog or mist. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rime>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.
--Henry Kissinger
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger>
British logistics supported the Anglo-Canadian forces in the Western
Allied invasion of Germany, the final campaign of the Second World War
in Europe. By this time, the 21st Army Group was highly experienced,
professional and proficient. Mechanisation and materiel were used to
maximum effect to conserve manpower. The First Canadian Army was
reunited by the return of divisions from Italy. The army roadheads were
mainly supplied by rail; fuel was brought by tankers and the Operation
Pluto pipeline. Thousands of guns and millions of rounds of ammunition
were used in Operation Veritable, the advance to the Rhine; and
Operation Plunder, the Rhine crossing, which also featured an airborne
operation. Engineers soon had bridges in operation. During April 1945,
the 21st Army Group advanced across northern Germany to reach the Elbe
and then the Baltic Sea. On 4 May, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery
took the surrender of the German forces in front of the 21st Army Group.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invas…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1934:
Flying Scotsman became the first steam locomotive officially to
exceed 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman>
1961:
Following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Burmese diplomat
U Thant was elected as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant>
1999:
A series of protests by anti-globalization activists against
the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 in Seattle
forced the cancellation of the opening ceremonies.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ceilidh:
1. An informal social gathering, especially one where traditional Irish
or Scottish folk music is played, with dancing and storytelling.
2. (dance) Short for ceilidh dance.
3. To attend a ceilidh (noun sense 1).
4. (dance) To dance a ceilidh dance.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ceilidh>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Surely one of the best rules in conversation is, never to say a
thing which any of the company can reasonably wish we had rather left
unsaid; nor can there anything be well more contrary to the ends for
which people meet together, than to part unsatisfied with each other or
themselves.
--Jonathan Swift
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift>
Revolutionary Girl Utena is a 1997 Japanese anime television series
created by Be-Papas, a production group formed by director Kunihiko
Ikuhara. The series follows Utena Tenjou, a teenaged girl drawn into a
sword dueling tournament to win the hand of a mysterious girl who
possesses the "power to revolutionize the world". Ikuhara was a director
on the television anime adaptation of Sailor Moon, and conceived Utena
in response to a lack of creative control in directing an adapted work.
Utena has been described as a deconstruction and subversion of fairy
tales and the magical-girl genre, making use of avant-garde and
surrealist elements to comment on themes of gender, sexuality, and
coming of age. The series received domestic and international critical
acclaim, particularly for its treatment of LGBT themes and subject
material, and has influenced subsequent animated works. In 1999,
Adolescence of Utena was released as a follow-up film to the series.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Girl_Utena>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1810:
Napoleonic Wars: British troops rendezvoused at Grand Baie to
launch an invasion of Isle de France, now known as Mauritius.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Isle_de_France>
1963:
Five minutes after taking off from Montréal–Dorval, Trans-
Canada Air Lines Flight 831 crashed in bad weather, killing all 118
people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Canada_Air_Lines_Flight_831>
1972:
Atari announced the release of 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:
In resolution 67/19, the United Nations General Assembly voted
to accord the status of a non-member observer state to Palestine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_resolution_67…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
precipitant:
1. Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty,
impulsive, rash.
2. Of a fall: straight downwards; headlong.
3. (chiefly figurative) Acting, happening, or moving quickly; fast,
rapid, swift; also, abrupt, sudden, unexpected.
4. (chemistry) That causes precipitation (“formation of a heavier solid
in a lighter liquid as a result of a chemical reaction”).
5. (archaic) Synonym of precipitantly (“in a precipitant or headlong
manner; with foolish or rash haste”)
6. Something which causes or hastens the occurrence of an act or event;
specifically (chiefly psychology), something which brings about a mental
or physiological condition.
7. (chemistry) A substance that, when added to a solution, causes a
dissolved substance to form a precipitate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/precipitant>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes
people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
--Rosalynn Carter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rosalynn_Carter>
Ulf Merbold (born 1941) is a German physicist and astronaut. After
growing up in East Germany, he studied physics at the University of
Stuttgart in West Germany. In 1977, he applied to become one of the
first astronauts of the European Space Agency (ESA), and started
astronaut training with NASA in 1978. On November 28, 1983, Merbold
became the first West German in space and the first non-American to fly
on a NASA spacecraft when he flew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia as a
payload specialist of the STS-9 mission. He participated in two further
space flights, the STS-42 NASA mission in 1992 and a Euromir mission to
the Russian space station Mir in 1994. In total, he spent 49 days in
space, where most of his work was related to performing experiments in
materials science and the life sciences. Merbold also provided ground
support for other ESA missions and served as head of the German
Aerospace Center's astronaut office. He worked for ESA until his
retirement in 2004.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulf_Merbold>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The Chicago Times-Herald race, the first automobile race in the
U.S., was held in Chicago.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Times-Herald_race>
1903:
SS Petriana struck a reef near Point Nepean, leading to
Australia's first major oil spill and a debate over the White Australia
policy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Petriana>
1966:
In a military coup, Michel Micombero abolished the Burundian
monarchy and declared the country a republic with himself as president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Micombero>
2016:
LaMia Flight 2933 crashed near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71
people, many of whom were players from Chapecoense Football Club.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaMia_Flight_2933>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gateleg:
(furniture, also attributive) A table leg, set into a frame in the form
of a gate, that may be swung back to allow a leaf of the tabletop to
hang down.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gateleg>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The dreamers are the saviours of the world. As the visible world
is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins
and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their
solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let
their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as the
realities which it shall one day see and know.
--James Allen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Allen>
Art Deco architecture in New York City flourished during the 1920s and
1930s, and is found in governmental, residential, and commercial
buildings, from towering skyscrapers to modest middle-class housing and
municipal buildings, across all five boroughs. The style broke with
traditional architectural conventions and was characterized by
verticality, ornamentation, and new building materials. It was
influenced by worldwide decorative arts trends, the rise of
mechanization, and New York City's 1916 Zoning Resolution, which favored
the setback feature in many buildings. The Great Depression and changing
tastes pushed the style to more subdued applications as it spread in the
1930s, before falling out of fashion after World War II. Among New
York's most recognizable skyscrapers are the Chrysler Building
(pictured) and the Empire State Building, both Art Deco skyscrapers.
Many of these buildings are protected by historic preservation laws,
while others have been lost to new development or neglect.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco_architecture_of_New_York_City>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1856:
William III unilaterally revised the constitution of
Luxembourg, greatly expanding his powers as grand duke.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourg_coup_of_1856>
1950:
Korean War: The Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched
multiple attacks against United Nations forces, beginning the Battle of
Chosin Reservoir.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chosin_Reservoir>
1963:
President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the "Let Us Continue"
speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress five days after the
assassination of John F. Kennedy, in which he advocated for civil-rights
legislation and national cohesion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Us_Continue>
2009:
Lady Gaga performed the first concert of The Monster Ball Tour,
which became the highest-grossing tour in history for a debut headlining
artist.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monster_Ball_Tour>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
square peg in a round hole:
(idiomatic) Someone or something that does not fit well or at all in a
certain setting; a misfit; hence, someone or something that will not
succeed in an endeavour, except possibly with much effort and force.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/square_peg_in_a_round_hole>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what
truth is, has no style at all. He lives only in what is.
--Bruce Lee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee>
Angeline Quinto (born November 26, 1989) is a Filipino singer and
actress. Her career began after winning the talent show Star Power in
2011. She signed with Star Music and collaborated with producer Jonathan
Manalo to record material for her self-titled debut album. Its single
"Patuloy ang Pangarap" helped Quinto rise to prominence, earning her an
Aliw Award for Best New Artist and a Star Award for Song of the Year.
She played the female lead in the romantic film Born to Love You (2012)
and the comedy drama series Kahit Konting Pagtingin (2013), winning a
Golden Screen Award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actress for the
latter. She received further acclaim for collaborations with filmmaker
Joel Lamangan in the ensemble comedy That Thing Called Tanga Na (2016)
and the comedy drama Foolish Love (2017). Quinto's music is noted for
its themes about heartbreak and empowerment, with her songs featured as
soundtracks of numerous films and television series. (This article is
part of a featured topic: Overview of Angeline Quinto.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Overview_of_Angelin…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1851:
The French navy bombarded Salé, Morocco, damaging the city's
infrastructure and its Great Mosque.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Sal%C3%A9>
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/Jilava_massacre>
1942:
Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman,
premiered at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City to coincide with the
Allied invasion of French North Africa and the capture of Casablanca.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_%28film%29>
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:
by right:
1. According to what is right, or what one is legally or morally
entitled to; justly, properly, rightfully.
2. (obsolete) In reality; correctly, to tell the truth, truthfully.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/by_right>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must not think, "Well, we have all the truth, we understand
the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge." The
truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing light.
--Ellen G. White
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ellen_G._White>
Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty is a non-fiction book about
micronations and their legal status within international law. It is
written by the Australian lawyers and legal academics Harry Hobbs
(pictured) and George Williams, both of whom specialise in international
law. Written from an academic perspective, it is one of few works on
micronational movements. The book concerns the definition of statehood,
the place of micronations within international law, the motivations
people have for declaring them, the micronational community, and the
ways by which such entities mimic sovereign states. It was published by
Cambridge University Press as an ebook on 23 December 2021, and in
hardcover and paperback formats in January 2022. The work's legal and
non-dismissive academic approach to micronations garnered positive
reviews. Hobbs and Williams also authored How to Rule Your Own Country:
The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations for a broader audience,
published later in 2022.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronations_and_the_Search_for_Sovereignty>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1491:
Reconquista: The Granada War was effectively brought to an end
with the signing of the Treaty of Granada between Castile-Aragon and the
Emirate of Granada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada_War>
1885:
Banff National Park, the oldest national park in Canada, was
established as the Banff Hot Springs Reserve.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banff_National_Park>
1951:
The left-wing Japanese novelist Wataru Kaji disappeared,
leading to a government inquiry in which CIA involvement was
investigated; Kaji stated he was kidnapped and held against his will by
intelligence officers, which the United States denied.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_activities_in_Japan>
2013:
English-Irish boy band One Direction released their third
studio album Midnight Memories which debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 and became the best-selling album of 2013.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Memories>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
sport one's oak:
(intransitive, originally and chiefly Britain, university slang, dated)
To close one's door (originally the outer door of one's set of rooms in
a college) as an indication that visitors are not welcome.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sport_one%27s_oak>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
As we look to the future, we have to end this cycle of violence
in the Middle East. We need to renew our resolve to pursue this two-
state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can one day live side by
side — in a two states solution — with equal measure of freedom and
dignity, two states for two people; and it’s more important now than
ever. Hamas unleashed this terrorist attack because they fear nothing
more than Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace. You
know, to continue down the path of terror and violence and killing and
war is to give Hamas what they seek. And we can't do that. … Over the
coming days I'll remain engaged with leaders throughout the Middle East
as we all work together to build a better future for the region — a
future where this kind of violence is unthinkable; a future all children
in the region — every child — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Israeli,
Palestinian, Arab — grow up knowing only peace.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>
Ormond Beatty (1815–1890) was an American educator and academic
administrator who was the seventh president of Centre College in
Danville, Kentucky. An 1835 graduate of Centre, Beatty became a
professor soon after, following a year of studies at Yale University. He
taught chemistry, natural philosophy, mathematics, metaphysics, biblical
history, and church history over the course of his career. He was
president pro tempore following the resignation of William L.
Breckinridge in 1868 and was unanimously elected president by the board
of trustees in 1870. He was Centre's first president who was not a
Christian minister, and he led the school until his resignation in 1888.
He taught for two additional years at the request of the board before
his death. In religious affairs, he served as a ruling elder in the
First and Second Presbyterian Churches in Danville, as a commissioner to
three Presbyterian Church General Assemblies, and as a trustee of the
Danville Theological Seminary.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormond_Beatty>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1922:
Irish Civil War: Irish nationalist author Erskine Childers was
executed by the Irish Free State for illegally carrying a semi-automatic
pistol.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erskine_Childers_%28author%29>
1925:
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre opened on Broadway, New York, with a
production of the musical The Mayflowers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_O%27Neill_Theatre>
1941:
The Holocaust: The Theresienstadt Ghetto was founded as a
waystation to Nazi extermination camps and a "retirement settlement" for
elderly and prominent Jews to mislead their communities about the Final
Solution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresienstadt_Ghetto>
1974:
A group of paleoanthropologists led by Donald Johanson
discovered a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton in
Ethiopia, nicknaming it Lucy after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky
with Diamonds".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus_afarensis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wampum:
1. (uncountable) Small cylindrical beads made from polished shells
(especially white ones) which have been strung together, formerly used
by Native American peoples of eastern North America for various purposes
including as jewellery and money, and for record-keeping; (countable,
archaic) one such bead.
2. (uncountable, slang) Money.
3. (countable, obsolete) Short for wampum snake (“the common kingsnake
or eastern kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wampum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How can anyone be interested in war? — that glorious pursuit of
annihilation with its ceremonious bellowings and trumpetings over the
mangling of human bones and muscles and organs and eyes, its
inconceivable agonies which could have been prevented by a few well-
chosen, reasonable words. How, why, did this unnecessary business begin?
Why does anyone want to read about it — this redundant human madness
which men accept as inevitable?
--Margaret Caroline Anderson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Caroline_Anderson>