Verpa bohemica is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family,
commonly known as the "early morel" or the "wrinkled thimble-cap". The
species was first described in the scientific literature by the Czech
physician and mycologist Julius Vincenz von Krombholz in 1828; bohemica
refers to Bohemia (now a part of the Czech Republic) where Krombholz
originally collected the species. The mushroom has a pale yellow or
brown thimble-shaped cap that has a surface wrinkled and ribbed with
brain-like convolutions. The cap hangs from the top of a lighter-
colored, brittle stem that measures up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long. It is
one of several species known informally as a "false morel". In the
field, the mushroom is reliably distinguished from the true morels on
the basis of cap attachment: V. bohemica has a cap that hangs
completely free from the stem. Although widely considered edible,
consumption is generally not advised due to reports of poisoning in
susceptible individuals. Poisoning symptoms include gastrointestinal
upset and lack of muscular coordination. V. bohemica is found in
northern North America, Europe, and Asia. It fruits in early spring,
growing on the ground in woods following the snowmelt.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verpa_bohemica>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named as the
provisional president of the Confederate States of America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis>
1913:
A group of meteors was visible across much of the eastern
seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude
that the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the
Earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_procession_of_February_9,_1913>
1943:
World War II: Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure, ending
the Guadalcanal Campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied
forces fighting Japan in the Pacific War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign>
1976:
The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of
the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian
Air Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force>
2001:
The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally collided
with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima
Fishery High School.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehime_Maru_and_USS_Greeneville_collision>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
set the Thames on fire:
(idiomatic) To achieve something amazing; to do something which brings
great public acclaim.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/set_the_Thames_on_fire>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna
is born of a furnace of doubt.
--Fyodor Dostoyevsky
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoyevsky>
La Stazione is an Italian restaurant and former train station in the
village of New Paltz in Ulster County, New York. The building was the
first of two railroad stations constructed in the town of New Paltz, and
it is the only former Wallkill Valley Railroad station standing at its
original location. Built in 1870, it burned down in 1907 and was rebuilt
later that year (pictured). The rise of the automobile caused the
railroad to end passenger service in 1937; by 1959 the station was
completely closed and sold off. It was then used by a variety of
businesses and organizations, including a public-access television
station. Freight service along the Wallkill Valley line continued until
1977, when the corridor was shut to regular rail traffic. The building
was in such a state of disrepair by the 1980s that it was almost
demolished, and the nearby tracks were torn up and sold for scrap by
1984. However, the station avoided demolition and was renovated in 1988,
becoming a restaurant in 1999. The adjacent rail corridor was also
rehabilitated, and opened as a public walkway, the Wallkill Valley Rail
Trail. La Stazione was expanded in 2003 and served as the setting for a
scene in a 2008 mob film.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Stazione>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1587:
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle for
her involvement in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I
of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots>
1855:
A series of mysteriously hoof-like marks known as the Devil's
Footprints appeared in the snow in Devon, England, and continued
throughout the countryside for over 100 miles (160 km).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Footprints>
1879:
Enraged by a controversial umpiring decision, cricket
spectators rioted and attacked the England cricket team during a match
in Sydney, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Riot_of_1879>
1968:
Local police in Orangeburg, South Carolina, fired into a crowd
of people who were protesting segregation, killing three and injuring
twenty-seven others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_massacre>
1979:
Denis Sassou Nguesso was chosen as the new President of the
Republic of the Congo after Joachim Yhombi-Opango was forced from power.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Sassou_Nguesso>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nunatak:
A mountain top or rocky element of a ridge that is surrounded by glacial
ice but is not covered by ice; a peak protruding from the surface ice
sheet.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nunatak>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An unimaginative person can neither be reverent nor kind.
--John Ruskin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Ruskin>
"Confirmed Dead" is the second episode of the fourth season and 74th
episode overall of the drama television series Lost. It marks the first
appearance of main characters Miles Straume (played by Ken Leung) and
Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader, pictured) and supporting character Frank
Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). The actors were given fake scenes when auditioning
to limit the leak of spoilers and each actor influenced their
character's development. Mader's and Fahey's appearances were different
from the writers' original visions of Charlotte and Frank—the writers
changed the characters to suit them. The narrative begins 91 days after
the crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 on a tropical island somewhere
in the South Pacific Ocean. Flashbacks introduce four people from an
offshore freighter who land on the island. The episode, which first
aired in America and Canada on February 7, 2008, was written by Drew
Goddard and Brian K. Vaughan and directed by Stephen Williams. It was
watched by seventeen million Americans and received generally positive
critical reception as reviewers praised the introduction of the new
characters.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmed_Dead>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
457:
Leo I was crowned Byzantine emperor, and went on to rule for
nearly 20 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_I_the_Thracian>
1914:
The film Kid Auto Races at Venice, featuring the first
appearance of comedy actor Charlie Chaplin's character "The Tramp"
(pictured), was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin>
1943:
World War II: Japan successfully withdrew its troops from
Guadalcanal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke>
1999:
Abdullah II became the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan following the death of his father King Hussein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_II_of_Jordan>
2009:
A series of 400 individual bushfires ignited across the
Australian state of Victoria on Black Saturday, eventually resulting in
173 total deaths, the highest ever loss of life from a bushfire in
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conlanger:
Someone who creates constructed languages (conlangs).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conlanger>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The men who learn endurance, are they who call the whole world brother.
--Charles Dickens
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens>
The Huia, which became extinct in the early 20th century, was the
largest species of New Zealand wattlebird. It belonged to a family found
only in New Zealand, one so ancient that no relation is found elsewhere.
Already rare before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, it was confined to
some mountain ranges in the south east of the North Island. It had deep
metallic, bluish-black plumage with a greenish iridescence on the upper
surface, especially about the head. It was remarkable for having the
most pronounced sexual dimorphism in bill shape of any species of bird
in the world. The female's beak was long, thin and arched downward,
while the male's was short and stout. The last confirmed sighting was in
1907. Its extinction had two main causes: overhunting to procure Huia
skins for mounted specimens for museums and private collectors, and
widespread deforestation by European settlers to create agricultural
pasture. The Huia is one of New Zealand's best known extinct birds
because of its bill shape, its sheer beauty and special place in Māori
culture and oral tradition. Māori regarded the bird as tapu (sacred),
and the wearing of its skin or feathers was reserved for people of high
status.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1820:
Sponsored by the American Colonization Society, the first
African American emigrants departed New York to establish a settlement
in present-day Liberia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Liberia>
1833:
Otto became the first modern King of Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_of_Greece>
1862:
Union forces earned one of their first important victories in
the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Henry in western Tennessee.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Henry>
1958:
British European Airways Flight 609, carrying the Manchester
United football club, a number of their fans and journalists covering
the team, crashed while attempting to take off from Munich-Riem Airport
in Munich, West Germany, killing eight players and 15 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_air_disaster>
2000:
Second Chechen War: Russia captured Grozny, the capital of
Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen government into exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grozny_(1999%E2%80%932000)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
galactagogue:
A substance that induces lactation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/galactagogue>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give
clearer light as to what is best to be done.
--Aaron Burr
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr>
There have been tanks in the Spanish Army since French FT-17s were
delivered in 1919. These were used in the Rif War and participated in
the first amphibious landing with tanks. In 1925, the Spanish Army began
to produce its own tank, based on the FT-17, but it was never put into
mass production. During the Spanish Civil War, the two opposing armies
received many tanks from foreign powers. The war proved inconclusive in
regards to the proof of mechanized warfare, despite attempts by foreign
advisers and soldiers to use newly devised theories. Afterwards, Spain
began to manufacture a light tank, known as the Verdeja, but the project
was a failure. In 1953, the United States agreed to supply tanks
including the M48 Patton (pictured) but after a dispute about the
tanks' use Spain began to look elsewhere for further tanks, including
the AMX-30E. Renewed plans for a Spanish tank (the Lince program) failed
due to financial problems; instead Spain modernized the AMX-30Es and
procured American M60 Patton tanks. In 1994, Spain began negotiating
with Germany to purchase the Leopard 2, procuring 108 Leopard 2A4s and
building 219 Leopard 2Es in Spain; these are still in use.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanks_in_the_Spanish_Army>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1869:
Prospectors in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia, discovered the
largest alluvial gold nugget ever found, known as the "Welcome Stranger"
(memorial pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_Stranger>
1909:
Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced the creation of
Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite>
1963:
The European Court of Justice's ruling in Van Gend en Loos v
Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen established the principle of
direct effect, one of the basic tenets of European Union law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Gend_en_Loos_v_Nederlandse_Administratie_…>
1985:
The mayors of Rome and Carthage signed a peace treaty to
ceremonially end the Third Punic War, 2,131 years after the conflict had
ended.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Punic_War>
2004:
The Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front captured
Gonaïves, Haiti, starting a coup d'état against the government of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Haitian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
comestible:
Suitable to be eaten; edible.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/comestible>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its
vulnerable reserves of air and soil; all committed, for our safety, to
its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care,
the work and the love we give our fragile craft.
--Adlai Stevenson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson>
Lady Saigō (1552–89) was the first consort and trusted confidant of
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who unified Japan at the end of the
16th century and then ruled as Shogun. One of her four children became
the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. During her relationship
with Ieyasu, Lady Saigō influenced his philosophies, choice of allies,
and policies as he rose to power, and she thus had an indirect effect on
the architecture of the Tokugawa shogunate. Although less is known of
her than some other figures of the era, she is generally regarded as the
"power behind the throne". Her contributions were considered so
significant that she was posthumously inducted to the Senior First Rank
of the Imperial Court, the highest honor that the Emperor of Japan could
confer. A devout Buddhist, she donated money to temples in Suruga
province, where she resided as the consort of Ieyasu, first in Hamamatsu
Castle and later in Sunpu Castle. She also established a charitable
organization that assisted visually impaired women with no other means
of support. Lady Saigō died at a fairly young age, under somewhat
mysterious circumstances. Although murder was suspected, no culprit was
identified.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Saig%C5%8D>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1169:
A strong earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sicily, causing
an estimated 15,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1169_Sicily_earthquake>
1859:
German scholar Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the
Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century uncial manuscript of the Greek Bible, in
Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus>
1974:
American newspaper heiress and socialite Patty Hearst was
kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, which she later joined in
one of the most well-known cases of Stockholm syndrome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst>
2002:
Cancer Research UK, the world's largest independent cancer
research charity, was formed from the merger of two competing cancer
charities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_Research_UK>
2006:
A stampede at the PhilSports Stadium in Pasig City, Metro
Manila in the Philippines, killed 78 people and injured about 400.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhilSports_Stadium_stampede>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blemish:
1. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
2. A moral defect; a character flaw.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blemish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I know myself as mortal, but this raises the question: "What is I?" Am I
an individual, or am I an evolving life stream composed of countless
selves? … As one identity, I was born in AD 1902. But as AD twentieth-
century man, I am billions of years old. The life I consider as myself
has existed though past eons with unbroken continuity. Individuals are
custodians of the life stream — temporal manifestations of far greater
being, forming from and returning to their essence like so many dreams.
--Charles Lindbergh
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh>
The green children of Woolpit is the name given to two children who
reportedly appeared in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England, some
time in the 12th century. They were of generally normal appearance
except for the green colour of their skin. They spoke in an unknown
language, and the only food they would eat at first was green beans.
Eventually they lost their green pallor, but the boy was sickly and died
soon after baptism. After learning English, the girl explained that they
had come from an underground world whose inhabitants are green. The only
near-contemporary accounts are contained in Ralph of Coggeshall's
Chronicum Anglicanum and William of Newburgh's Historia rerum
Anglicarum, written in about 1189 and 1220 respectively. Between then
and their rediscovery in the mid-19th century, the green children seem
to surface only in Bishop Francis Godwin's fantastical The Man in the
Moone. The story also provided the inspiration for The Green Child, the
only novel written by the English anarchist poet and critic Herbert
Read. The main explanations of the story are that it is a typical folk
tale describing an imaginary encounter with the inhabitants of another
world, or it is a garbled account of a historical event.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_children_of_Woolpit>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1207:
Terra Mariana, comprising present-day Estonia and Latvia, was
established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Mariana>
1848:
The Mexican–American War ended with the signing of the Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which gave 1.36 million square kilometres
(530,000 sq mi) of Mexican territory known as the Mexican Cession to
the United States in exchange for US$15 million.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo>
1920:
The signing of the Treaty of Tartu ended the Estonian War of
Independence, with Russia agreeing to recognize the independence of
Estonia and renounce in perpetuity all rights to that territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_War_of_Independence>
1982:
The Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama in order to quell a
revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing about 7,000–25,000 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_massacre>
2009:
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe devalued the Zimbabwean dollar
(banknote pictured) for the third and final time, making Z$1 trillion
now only Z$1 of the new currency.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwean_dollar>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
amerce:
(transitive) To impose a fine on; to fine.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amerce>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I'm a god — I'm not the God. I don't think. in
--Groundhog Day
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_(film)>
Drymoreomys is a genus of rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini, from the
Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The single species, D. albimaculatus, is
known only from the states of São Paulo and Santa Catarina and was not
named until 2011. It lives in the humid forest on the eastern slopes of
the Serra do Mar and perhaps reproduces year-round. Although its range
is relatively large and includes some protected areas, it is patchy and
threatened, and the discoverers recommend that the animal be considered
"Near Threatened" on the IUCN Red List. Within Oryzomyini, Drymoreomys
appears to be most closely related to Eremoryzomys from the Andes of
Peru, a biogeographically unusual relationship. With a body mass of
44–64 g (1.6–2.3 oz), Drymoreomys is a medium-sized rodent with
long fur that is orange to reddish-buff above and grayish with several
white patches below. The pads on the hindfeet are very well developed
and there is brown fur on the upper sides of the feet. The tail is brown
above and below. The front part of the skull is relatively long and the
ridges on the braincase are weak. The palate is short, with its back
margin between the third molars. Several traits of the genitals are not
seen in any other oryzomyine.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drymoreomys>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1801:
John Marshall became the fourth Chief Justice of the United
States; his court opinions would help lay the basis for American
constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a coequal branch of
government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marshall>
1900:
Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of a series of major disturbances
in North Borneo, was shot dead in Tambunan, but his followers did not
give up for five more years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mat_Salleh_Rebellion>
1943:
World War II: American and Australian forces stopped a Japanese
advance in the Battle of Wau during the New Guinea campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wau>
1958:
Explorer 1 (pictured), the United States' first satellite, was
launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and became the first spacecraft
to detect the Van Allen radiation belt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1>
2007:
Suspects were arrested in Birmingham, UK, accused of plotting
to kidnap, and eventually behead, a Muslim British soldier serving in
Iraq.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_plot_to_behead_a_British_Muslim_soldier>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
smaragdine:
Having the colour of emeralds.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/smaragdine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Everything is literally entangled, it can all be communicated with and
affected "at a distance" because there is no distance, only a simulation
of apparent separation which our limited consciousness feeds us second
by second at 11 bits. The "telepathy" which brings people together is no
more or less supernatural or unlikely than the "telepathy" which brings
two of your fingers together when you think about it. Patience,
participation and constant close observation of what's going on, on the
inside and on the outside will soon make you a fine sorcerer, if that's
what you want to be.
--Grant Morrison
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grant_Morrison>
Bastion is an action role-playing video game produced by independent
developer Supergiant Games. In the game, the player controls "the Kid"
as he moves through floating, fantasy-themed environments collecting
special shards of rock to power a structure, the Bastion, in the wake of
an apocalyptic event. It features a dynamic voiceover from a narrator,
and is presented as a two-dimensional game with an isometric camera and
a hand-painted, colorful art style. The game debuted at the September
2010 Penny Arcade Expo, and it went on to be nominated for awards at the
2011 Independent Games Festival and win awards at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo prior to release in July 2011. During 2011, the game
sold more than 500,000 copies, 200,000 of which were for the Xbox Live
Arcade. It was widely praised by reviewers, primarily for its story, art
direction, narration, and music, although opinions were mixed on the
depth of the gameplay. Bastion has won many nominations and awards since
its release, including several for best downloadable game and best
music. The soundtrack was produced and composed by Darren Korb, and a
soundtrack album was made available for sale in August 2011.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_(video_game)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1018:
The German–Polish War ended with the signing of the Peace of
Bautzen between Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor and the Piast ruler of
Poland Bolesław I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Bautzen>
1858:
The Hallé, the United Kingdom's oldest extant symphony
orchestra, and the fourth oldest in the world, held their first concert
in Manchester.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hall%C3%A9>
1945:
World War II: In one of the largest losses of life in a single
sinking in maritime history, the Soviet submarine S-13 sank the Wilhelm
Gustloff carrying German soldiers and refugees evacuating from East
Prussia, killing at least 9,400 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff>
1948:
Nathuram Godse fatally shot Mahatma Gandhi (pictured), the
political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence
movement, at Birla House in Delhi.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi>
1982:
Richard Skrenta's "Elk Cloner" became the first known computer
virus found "in the wild". It infected Apple II computers via floppy
disk.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Cloner>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mignon:
Small and cute; pretty in a delicate way; dainty.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mignon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science is like literature, a continuing dialog among diverse and
conflicting voices, no one ever wholly right or wholly wrong, but a
steady conversation forever provisional and personal and living.
--Gregory Benford
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gregory_Benford>
The dreadnought was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th
century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's Dreadnought, had such
an impact when launched in 1906 that similar subsequent battleships were
referred to as "dreadnoughts". Her design had two revolutionary
features: an "all-big-gun" armament scheme and steam turbine propulsion.
As dreadnoughts became a crucial symbol of national power, the arrival
of these new warships renewed the naval arms race, principally between
the United Kingdom and Germany but reflected worldwide, including South
America (a Brazilian Minas Geraes-class battleship pictured). The
concept of an all-big-gun ship had been in development for several years
before Dreadnought's construction. The Imperial Japanese Navy had begun
work on an all-big-gun battleship in 1904, but finished the ship as a
semi-dreadnought; the United States Navy was also building all-big-gun
battleships. Technical development continued rapidly through the
dreadnought era and within ten years, new battleships outclassed
Dreadnought herself. Most of the original dreadnoughts were scrapped
after the end of World War I under the terms of the Washington Naval
Treaty. Large dreadnought fleets only fought once, at the Battle of
Jutland.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
904:
Sergius III (pictured), whose pontificate was marked with feudal
violence and disorder in central Italy, came out of retirement to take
over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_III>
1863:
Indian Wars in North America: The United States Army led by
Patrick Edward Connor massacred Chief Bear Hunter and forces of the
Shoshone at the Bear River Massacre in present day Franklin County,
Idaho.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_River_Massacre>
1943:
World War II: The Battle of Rennell Island, the last major
naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial
Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rennell_Island>
1991:
Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground
engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khafji>
2009:
The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt ruled that people who
did not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions are
also eligible to receive government identity documents.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_identification_card_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
obviate:
(transitive) To bypass a requirement or make it unnecessary.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/obviate>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Angels never attack, as infernal spirits do. Angels only ward off and
defend.
--Emanuel Swedenborg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emanuel_Swedenborg>