Pyxis is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. The name
comes from Pyxis Nautica, Latin for a mariner's compass (as opposed to a
draftsman's compass, represented by the constellation Circinus).
Introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century, Pyxis is
counted among the 88 modern constellations. In the 19th century,
astronomer John Herschel suggested renaming Pyxis to Malus, the mast,
since it appears near the old constellation of the ship Argo Navis, but
the suggestion was not followed. Pyxis is completely visible from
latitudes south of 53 degrees north, with its best evening-sky
visibility in February and March. The plane of the Milky Way passes
through it. Its three brightest stars—Alpha, Beta and Gamma
Pyxidis—are in a rough line; the brightest of these is Alpha
(magnitude 3.68), a blue-white star around 22,000 times as luminous as
the Sun. Near Alpha is T Pyxidis, a recurrent nova that has flared up to
magnitude 7 every few decades. Three star systems have planets, all
discovered by Doppler spectroscopy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
303:
Roman emperor Diocletian's first "Edict against the Christians"
was published, beginning the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most
severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution>
1809:
After standing only 15 years, London's Drury Lane theatre, the
third building of that name, burned down (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal,_Drury_Lane>
1826:
The Treaty of Yandabo was signed, ending the First Anglo-
Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in the history of
British India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo>
1868:
Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. President to be impeached.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson>
1943:
World War II: The Battle of Kasserine Pass, the first major
engagement between American and Axis forces in Africa, ended with the
Allied forces suffering heavy losses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kasserine_Pass>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
stochastically:
In a stochastic manner; by means of a process involving a randomly
determined sequence of events.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stochastically>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man is innately a creature of love … love is the most powerful
force in the universe, and eventually — it's a very slow process —
it will conquer.
--Dennis Weaver
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dennis_Weaver>
A Cure for Pokeritis is an American short silent film starring John
Bunny and Flora Finch (pictured), released on February 23, 1912. A
domestic comedy, it depicts a woman who stops her husband's gambling
habit by having her cousin stage a fake police raid on his weekly poker
game. It was one of many shorts produced by Vitagraph Studios, whose
popularity made Bunny and Finch early film stars. Although its style of
humor is dated, it is a historically important representative of its
period and genre. The film was an early example of efforts to move
beyond the conventions of stage plays: during the police raid, action
took place in both the foreground and the background, with the actors
moving between them. This cinematography technique improved the realism
and pacing of the scene. A Cure for Pokeritis may be the first depiction
of poker in film. Like Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's Dogs Playing Poker
paintings, it reflects the early 20th-century perception of the game as
a male-dominated social vice.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cure_for_Pokeritis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
American Revolutionary War: Prussian military officer Friedrich
Wilhelm von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge as a volunteer for the
Continental Army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_von_Steuben>
1854:
Britain signed the Orange River Convention to formally
recognise the independence of the Orange Free State in the present-day
Free State Province, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Free_State>
1944:
In response to an insurgency in Chechnya, the Soviet Union
began the forced deportation of native Chechen and Ingush of North
Caucasus to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Chechens_and_Ingush>
1987:
Light from SN 1987A (remnant pictured), a supernova in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, reached the Earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1987A>
2008:
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber crashed on the runway shortly after
takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in the most expensive crash
in U.S. Air Force history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Andersen_Air_Force_Base_B-2_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gunzel:
1. (Australia) A railway or tram enthusiast; particularly (formerly
derogatory) one who is overly enthusiastic or foolish.
2. (Australia, by extension) An enthusiast or geek with a specific
interest. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gunzel>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
"What is the greatest surprise you have found about life?” a
university student asked me several years ago. "Its brevity" I replied
without hesitation. … Time moves so quickly, and no matter who we are
or what we have done, the time will come when our lives will be over. As
Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent
me. Night is coming, when no one can work" . … Life is short, and
every day is a gift from God.
--Billy Graham
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Billy_Graham>
Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians (c. 870 – 918), ruled Mercia in the
English Midlands from 911 until her death. The oldest daughter of King
Alfred the Great of Wessex, she married Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians,
who ruled western Mercia when the eastern part was occupied by the
Vikings. After her husband's death, she ruled Mercia and played a
leading role in recovering southern England from the Vikings in
cooperation with her brother, King Edward the Elder. She fortified many
towns, sent an army to capture Derby, and secured the surrender of
Leicester without a fight. The Viking leaders of York offered her their
loyalty, but she died before she could take up the offer. Her daughter
Ælfwynn briefly ruled Mercia, but was seized by Edward, who took her
into Wessex and brought Mercia under his direct rule. Historians
disagree whether Mercia was an independent kingdom under Æthelred and
Æthelflæd, but they agree that Æthelflæd played an important part in
ending Viking rule in England. As a rare English warrior queen, and a
successful one, she has captivated Medieval and modern writers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelfl%C3%A6d>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1316:
The forces of the infante Ferdinand of Majorca fought against
those loyal to Princess Matilda of Hainaut in the Battle of Picotin on
the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Picotin>
1876:
The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, named
after philanthropist Johns Hopkins, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_University>
1921:
After White Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-
Sternberg drove the Chinese out of Mongolia, the Bogd Khan was
reinstalled as emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_von_Ungern-Sternberg>
1957:
The President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem survived a Viet
Cong assassination attempt by a gunman in Buôn Ma Thuột.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem>
2002:
Jonas Savimbi, leader of the Angolan anti-Communist rebel and
political party UNITA, was killed in a battle with Angolan government
troops.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Savimbi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
avoid like the plague:
(simile, idiomatic) To evade or shun, if at all possible.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/avoid_like_the_plague>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain
(what I consider the most enviable of all titles) the character of an
honest man.
--George Washington
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Washington>
The North Ronaldsay is a breed of domestic sheep from the northernmost
island of Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. It belongs to the
Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds, and has evolved
without much cross-breeding with modern breeds. It is a smaller sheep
than most, with the rams (males) horned and ewes (females) mostly
hornless. It was formerly kept primarily for wool, but now the two
largest flocks are feral, one on North Ronaldsay and another on the
Orkney island of Linga Holm. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the
breed as "vulnerable", with fewer than 600 registered breeding females
in the United Kingdom. The sheep on North Ronaldsay are confined to the
shoreline by a 1.8 m tall (6 ft) dry-stone wall, which completely
encircles the island. The wall was built originally to protect the
shoreline and keep the sheep inside it, but when seaweed farming on the
shore became uneconomical, the sheep were banished outside the wall to
protect the fields and crofts inside. Because of their restricted
environment, the sheep evolved to subsist almost entirely on seaweed.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ronaldsay_sheep>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1543:
Led by the Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos, the combined army of
Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeated a Muslim army led by Imam Ahmad
ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wayna_Daga>
1862:
American Civil War: The Confederate Army began an attempt to
gain control of the Southwest with a major victory in the Battle of
Valverde.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Valverde>
1919:
Bavarian socialist Kurt Eisner, who had organized the German
Revolution that overthrew the Wittelsbach monarchy and established
Bavaria as a republic, was assassinated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Eisner>
1958:
British artist Gerald Holtom unveiled a logo for the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament that became internationally recognised as the
peace sign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_symbols>
1965:
Black nationalist Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a
speech in New York City's Audubon Ballroom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
isogloss:
(sociolinguistics, geography) A line on a map indicating the
geographical boundaries of a linguistic feature.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/isogloss>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I belong to no nation, no civilization, no society, no race, but
to the Divine. I obey no master, no rules, no law, no social convention,
but the Divine. To Him I have surrendered all, will, life and self; for
Him I am ready to give all my blood, drop by drop, if such is His will,
with complete joy, and nothing in his service can be sacrifice, for all
is perfect delight.
--Mirra Alfassa
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa>
Maxinquaye is the debut album by English rapper and producer Tricky
(pictured), released on 20 February 1995. By the time he recorded the
album, Tricky had grown frustrated with his limited role in the group
Massive Attack and had discovered vocalist Martina Topley-Bird, who he
felt would offer another dimension to his lyrics. He signed a solo
contract with 4th & B'way Records in 1993 and recorded Maxinquaye the
following year primarily at his home studio in London with Topley-Bird
as the predominant vocalist. The record's groove-oriented and low-tempo
sound incorporates elements from hip hop, soul, rock, ambient techno,
reggae, and experimental music. The songs explore themes of cultural
decline, dysfunctional sexual relationships, fear of intimacy, and
recreational drug use. In writing them, Tricky drew on his experiences
in the British drug culture and the influence of his late mother Maxine
Quaye, after whom the album is titled. The album has sold 500,000 copies
worldwide and has ranked frequently on greatest-album lists, being
viewed as a significant influence on electronica, underground, and
British hip hop.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxinquaye>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1816:
Italian composer Gioachino Rossini's opera buffa The Barber of
Seville was hissed at by the audience during its debut at the Teatro
Argentina in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Barber_of_Seville>
1846:
Polish insurgents led an uprising in the Free City of Kraków
to incite a fight for national independence that was put down by the
Austrian Empire nine days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_uprising>
1864:
American Civil War: The Union suffered one of its bloodiest
losses at the Battle of Olustee near Lake City, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Olustee>
1943:
A fissure opened in a cornfield in the Mexican state of
Michoacán and turned into the cinder cone volcano Parícutin, which
continued to erupt for nine years, growing 424 m (1,391 ft).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin>
1988:
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to secede from
Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagorno-Karabakh_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
down but not out:
Temporarily incapacitated but not permanently defeated.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/down_but_not_out>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You just never know. You drift along, year after year, presuming
certain values to be fixed; like being able to drive on a public
thoroughfare without somebody trying to murder you. You came to depend
on that sort of thing. Then something occurs and all bets are off. One
shocking incident and all the years of logic and acceptance are
displaced and, suddenly, the jungle is in front of you again. Man, part
animal, part angel.
--Richard Matheson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson>
Dungeon Siege is an action role-playing game developed by Gas Powered
Games and published by Microsoft for Windows (2002) and by Destineer for
MacOS (2003). Set in the pseudo-medieval kingdom of Ehb, the high
fantasy game follows a young farmer and his companions as they journey
to defeat an invading force. Instead of manually controlling characters,
the player sets their overall tactics, weapons and magic usage. Chris
Taylor and Jacob McMahon aimed for a role-playing game stripped of the
typical genre elements they found slow or frustrating, including all
loading screens, to keep the player focused on the action. Development
took over four years, often with 12- to 14-hour workdays. The game is
listed by review aggregator Metacritic as the third-highest rated
computer role-playing game of 2002. Critics praised the graphics and
seamless world, as well as the fun and accessible gameplay, but were
dismissive of the plot. The game sold over 1.7 million copies. An
expansion pack, Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, was released in 2003,
followed by Dungeon Siege II (2005), Dungeon Siege III (2011), and other
titles.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Siege>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1600:
The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina exploded in the largest
volcanic explosion in South America in historical times.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaynaputina>
1811:
Peninsular War: An outnumbered French force under Édouard
Mortier routed and nearly destroyed the Spanish at the Battle of the
Gebora near Badajoz, Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gebora>
1910:
Old Trafford, a football stadium in Greater Manchester,
England, hosted its first match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Trafford>
1948:
The Southeast Asian Youth Conference, which is believed to have
inspired armed communist rebellions in different Asian countries, opened
in Calcutta, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_of_Youth_and_Students_of_Southeast…>
1999:
U.S. President Bill Clinton issued a posthumous pardon to Henry
Ossian Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point, who
had been accused of embezzlement in 1881.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ossian_Flipper>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nearest and dearest:
(idiomatic) One's closest and most intimate family members, friends,
etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nearest_and_dearest>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So vast, without any question, is the divine handiwork of the most
excellent Almighty.
--Nicolaus Copernicus
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus>
Lazarus Aaronson (18 February 1895 – 9 December 1966) was a British
poet and a lecturer in economics. As a young man, he belonged to a group
of Jewish friends who are today known as the Whitechapel Boys, many of
whom later achieved fame as writers and artists. His diction and verbal
energy have been compared to those of his more renowned and innovative
Whitechapel friend, Isaac Rosenberg. Reviewers have traced influences in
Aaronson's poetry from the English poet John Keats and from Hebrew poets
such as Shaul Tchernichovsky and Zalman Shneur. Aaronson lived most of
his life in London and spent much of his working life as a lecturer in
economics at the City of London College. In his twenties, he converted
to Christianity; a large part of his poetry focused on his conversion
and spiritual identity as a Jew and an Englishman. He published three
collections of poetry: Christ in the Synagogue (1930), Poems (1933), and
The Homeward Journey and Other Poems (1946). Although he did not achieve
widespread recognition, Aaronson gained a cult following of dedicated
readers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_Aaronson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1268:
A coalition of Russian medieval states defeated the Livonian
Brothers of the Sword at the Battle of Wesenberg near present-day
Rakvere, Estonia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wesenberg_(1268)>
1873:
Vasil Levski, the national hero of Bulgaria, was executed in
Sofia by Ottoman authorities for his efforts to establish an independent
Bulgarian republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasil_Levski>
1932:
The Empire of Japan established Manchukuo, a puppet state in
northeastern China during the Sino-Japanese War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo>
1943:
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, delivered the
"total war speech" to motivate the German people when the tide of World
War II was turning against Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech>
2013:
Eight gunmen stole approximately US$50,000,000 worth of
diamonds from a Swiss-bound aircraft at Brussels Airport, Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Airport_diamond_heist>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nepoticide:
1. (countable, uncountable) The killing of one's own nephew.
2. (countable) One who kills his or her own nephew.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nepoticide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The essence of our God is obscure. It ripens continuously; perhaps
victory is strenghened with our every valorous deed, but perhaps even
all these agonizing struggles toward deliverance and victory are
inferior to the nature of divinity. Whatever it might be, we fight on
without certainty, and our virtue, uncertain of any rewards, acquires a
profound nobility.
--Nikos Kazantzakis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis>
Isabelle Eberhardt (17 February 1877 – 21 October 1904) was a Swiss
explorer and writer. As a teenager, she published short stories under a
male pseudonym. She became interested in North Africa, and was
considered a proficient writer on the region despite learning about it
only through correspondence. Eberhardt moved to Algeria in 1897, where
she converted to Islam, dressed as an Arabic man and adopted a male
name. Her unorthodox behaviour made her an outcast to European settlers
and the French administration. Her acceptance by the Qadiriyya, an
Islamic order, convinced the French that she was a spy or an agitator.
In 1901 she survived an assassination attempt and was ordered to leave
Algeria, but was allowed to return the following year after marrying her
long-time partner, an Algerian soldier. In 1904, aged 27, she was killed
by a flash flood in Aïn Sefra. Her manuscripts were collected and
published posthumously, receiving critical acclaim. Streets were named
after her in Béchar and Algiers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelle_Eberhardt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1621:
Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the
Plymouth Colony militia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Standish>
1814:
War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon led a French army to a
crushing victory in the Battle of Mormant, nearly destroying a Russian
division.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mormant>
1913:
In the U.S. National Guard's 69th Regiment Armory in New York
City, the Armory Show opened (poster pictured), introducing Americans to
avant-garde and modern art.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armory_Show>
1978:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a
bomb at the La Mon restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing
twelve people and injuring thirty others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mon_restaurant_bombing>
2011:
Arab Spring: Bahrain security forces launched a pre-dawn raid
on protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, killing four of them,
and in Libya, a "Day of Rage" took place with protests across the
country against the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Civil_War_(2011)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
QWERTY:
Denoting a standard layout of keys on a keyboard for typing, in which
the leftmost keys of the top lettered row are Q-W-E-R-T-Y.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/QWERTY>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Diverse living things represent diverse divinities and diverse
powers, which, besides the absolute being they possess, obtain the being
communicated to all things according to their capacity and measure.
Whence all of God is in all things (although not totally, but in some
more abundantly and in others less) … Just as Divinity descends in a
certain manner, to the extent that one communicates with Nature, so one
ascends to Divinity through Nature, just as by means of a life
resplendent in natural things one rises to the life that presides over
them.
--Giordano Bruno
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno>
"Space Seed" is an episode of the American science fiction television
series Star Trek. First broadcast by NBC on February 16, 1967, it was
written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels.
Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain
James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the starship USS
Enterprise. In the episode, they encounter a sleeper ship holding
selectively bred superhumans from Earth's past. Khan Noonien Singh
(Ricardo Montalbán) attempts to take control of Enterprise with the
help of Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue). Montalbán, the casting director's
first choice, described the role as "wonderful". The script changed many
times during preproduction, in part to reduce costs, but the special
sets and shots using starship miniatures took the show over budget.
Although the episode did not win its time slot on its first run, it has
been named one of the best of the series by Cinefantastique, IGN, and
other publications. The 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan serves
as a sequel to "Space Seed", and plot elements from both were used in
the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Seed>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1249:
Louis IX of France dispatched André de Longjumeau as his
ambassador to the Mongol Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_de_Longjumeau>
1804:
United States Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a raid to
destroy the captured USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, denying her use to the
Barbary States in the First Barbary War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Philadelphia_(1799)>
1918:
The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence,
proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania>
1943:
World War II: Norwegian commandos destroyed a factory to
prevent the German nuclear weapon project from acquiring heavy water.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_heavy_water_sabotage>
1996:
Two trains collided in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S., killing
11 people and leading to the creation of comprehensive federal rules for
passenger car design.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Maryland_train_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Shih Tzu:
A small dog breed which originated in China; a dog of that breed.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Shih_Tzu>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight
— it's the size of the fight in the dog.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower>
Fantastic (1952–1980) was an American digest-size fantasy and science
fiction magazine, founded by Ziff Davis as a fantasy companion to
Amazing Stories. Within a few years sales fell, and Howard Browne, the
first editor, was forced to switch the focus to science fiction rather
than fantasy. At the end of the 1950s Cele Goldsmith took over from Paul
W. Fairman as editor of both Fantastic and Amazing, bringing in many new
writers and making the magazines, in the words of one science fiction
historian, the "best-looking and brightest" in the field. She helped to
nurture the early careers of writers such as Roger Zelazny and Ursula K.
Le Guin, but was unable to increase circulation. In 1965 the magazines
were sold to Sol Cohen, who hired Joseph Wrzos as editor and switched to
a reprint-only policy. This was financially successful, but brought
Cohen into conflict with the newly formed Science Fiction Writers of
America. After Ted White became editor in 1968, the reprints were phased
out. White worked hard to make the magazine successful; his budget for
fiction was low, but he was occasionally able to find good stories from
well-known writers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_(magazine)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1823:
James McBrien made the first official discovery of gold in
Australia at Fish River in New South Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes>
1900:
Second Boer War: British cavalry under Major-General John
French defeated Boer forces to end a 124-day siege of Kimberley,
present-day South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kimberley>
1965:
Canada adopted the Maple Leaf flag, replacing the Canadian Red
Ensign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada>
1976:
The current Constitution of Cuba, providing for a system of
government and law based on those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc
countries, was adopted by a national referendum.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Cuba>
2012:
A fire at the National Penitentiary at Comayagua, Honduras,
killed 361 people, making it the deadliest prison fire ever.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comayagua_prison_fire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Homer nods:
Alternative form of even Homer nods (“not even the most vigilant and
expert are immune to error”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Homer_nods>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
One half of the people of this Nation today are utterly powerless
to blot from the statute books an unjust law, or to write there a new
and just one.
--Susan B. Anthony
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony>