The Sweet Track is an ancient causeway in the Somerset Levels, England.
It was built in 3807 or 3806Â BC and has been claimed to be the oldest
road in the world. It is now known that the Sweet Track was largely
built over the course of an earlier structure, the Post Track. The track
extended across the marsh between what was then an island at Westhay,
although much of the marsh has now been drained, and a ridge of high
ground at Shapwick, a distance close to 2,000 metres (6,600Â ft). The
track is one of a network that once crossed the Somerset Levels.
Construction was of crossed wooden poles which were driven into the
waterlogged soil to support a walkway that consisted mainly of planks of
oak, laid end-to-end. The track was only used for a period of around 10
years and was then abandoned, probably due to rising water levels.
Following its discovery in 1970, most of the track has been left in its
original location, with active conservation measures taken, including a
water pumping and distribution system to maintain the wood in its damp
condition. Some of the track is stored at the British Museum and a
reconstruction of a section was built at the Peat Moors Centre near
Glastonbury.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Track>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1839:
Qing government official Lin Zexu catalysed the First Opium War
after ordering the destruction of nearly 1.2 million kg (2.6 million
lbs) of opium in Humen, China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Zexu>
1937:
Nearly six months after Edward, Duke of Windsor, abdicated the
British throne, he married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a
private ceremony near Tours, France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson>
1943:
Off-duty US sailors fought with Mexican American youths in Los
Angeles, spawning the Zoot Suit Riots.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_Suit_Riots>
1968:
American artist Andy Warhol and two others were shot and
wounded at his New York City studio "The Factory" by radical feminist
Valerie Solanas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol>
1973:
At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-flight
and disintegrated, killing the six members of the crew and eight
bystanders on the ground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Paris_Air_Show_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
guardian angel:
A spirit believed to protect and to guide a particular person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/guardian_angel>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It might be crazy to expect a high government official to speak the
truth. It might be crazy to believe that government policy will be
something more than the handmaiden of the most powerful interests. It
might be crazy to argue that we should preserve a tradition that has
been part of our tradition for most of our history — free culture. If
this is crazy, then let there be more crazies. Soon.
--Lawrence Lessig
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lessig>
Elizabeth II (born 1926) is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign
states known as the Commonwealth realms, head of the 54-member
Commonwealth of Nations, and head of state of the Crown Dependencies and
British Overseas Territories. Her father, George VI, acceded to the
throne in 1936 on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. She began
public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the
Auxiliary Territorial Service. On George VI's death in 1952, she became
Head of the Commonwealth and Queen of seven independent Commonwealth
countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her coronation service in 1953 was the
first to be televised. Since her accession, the number of her realms has
varied as territories gained independence and some realms became
republics. In 1947 she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with
whom she has four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Her reign
of 60 years is the second-longest for a British monarch; only Queen
Victoria has reigned longer. Elizabeth's Silver and Golden Jubilees were
celebrated in 1977 and 2002; her Diamond Jubilee is being celebrated
during 2012.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
As part of the Pan-Slavism movement, the Prague Slavic Congress
began in Prague, one of the few times that voices from all Slav
populations of Europe were heard in one place.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Slavic_Congress,_1848>
1866:
Fenian raids: The Battle of Ridgeway, the first to be fought
only by Canadian troops and led exclusively by Canadian officers, took
place in Ontario.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ridgeway>
1886:
Grover Cleveland became the only U.S. President to marry in the
White House when he wed Frances Folsom (wedding pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Folsom_Cleveland_Preston>
1967:
German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a
protest in West Berlin against the visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah
of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant group Movement 2 June.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_2_June>
2010:
A lone gunman went on a shooting spree in Cumbria, England,
killing 12 and injuring 11 others before committing suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
superannuate:
1. (transitive) To retire or put out of use due to age.
2. (intransitive) To become obsolete or antiquated.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/superannuate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When Nature gives a gorgeous rose, Or yields the simplest fern, She
writes this motto on the leaves, — "To whom it may concern!" And so it
is the poet comes And revels in her bowers, And, — though another hold
the land, Is owner of the flowers.
--John Godfrey Saxe
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Godfrey_Saxe>
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in
Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It lies
along the course of the River Irk and the Rochdale Canal, on undulating
land in the foothills of the Pennines. During the Middle Ages,
Chadderton was chiefly distinguished by its two mansions, Foxdenton Hall
and Chadderton Hall, and by the prestigious families who occupied them.
Its early history is marked by its status as a manorial township, with
its own line of lords and overlords. Farming was the main industry of
the area, with locals supplementing their incomes by hand-loom woollen
weaving in the domestic system. Chadderton's urbanisation and expansion
largely coincided with developments in textile manufacture during the
Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era. A late 19th-century
factory-building boom transformed Chadderton from a rural township into
a major mill town and the second most populous urban district in the
United Kingdom. Although Chadderton's industries declined during the
mid-20th century, the town continued to grow as a result of
suburbanisation and urban renewal. The legacy of the town's industrial
past remains visible in its landscape of red-brick cotton mills, now
used as warehouses or distribution centres.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chadderton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
455:
Emperor Petronius Maximus of the Western Roman Empire was stoned
to death by an angry mob after only 78 days upon the throne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronius_Maximus>
1669:
Citing poor eyesight, English naval administrator and Member of
Parliament Samuel Pepys recorded his last entry in his diary, one of the
most important primary sources for the English Restoration period.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys>
1916:
The German Kaiserliche Marine and British Royal Navy clashed in
the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the First World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jutland>
1921:
A large-scale race riot began in Tulsa, Oklahoma, US, in which
the wealthiest African-American community in the United States, the
Greenwood District, was destroyed by fire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot>
1941:
The United Kingdom completed its re-occupation of Iraq,
returning 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Iraqi_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
omnishambles:
(UK, chiefly politics) A situation that is bad or mismanaged in every
way.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/omnishambles>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Magnifying and applying come I, Outbidding at the start the old cautious
hucksters, Taking myself the exact dimensions of Jehovah, Lithographing
Kronos, Zeus his son, and Hercules his grandson, Buying drafts of
Osiris, Isis, Belus, Brahma, Buddha, In my portfolio placing Manito
loose, Allah on a leaf, the crucifix engraved, With Odin and the
hideous-faced Mexitli and every idol and image, Taking them all for what
they are worth and not a cent more, Admitting they were alive and did
the work of their days, (They bore mites as for unfledg'd birds who have
now to rise and fly and sing for themselves,) Accepting the rough deific
sketches to fill out better in myself, bestowing them freely on each man
and woman I see… in
--Song of Myself
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leaves_of_Grass#Song_of_Myself_.281855.3B_188…>
Louis Slotin (1910–1946) was a Canadian physicist and chemist who took
part in the Manhattan Project, the secret U.S. program during World
War II that developed the atomic bomb. As part of the Manhattan
Project, Slotin performed experiments with uranium and plutonium cores
to determine their critical mass values. During World War II, Slotin
continued his research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. On 21 May
1946, Slotin accidentally began a fission reaction, which released a
burst of hard radiation. He was rushed to a hospital, and died of
radiation sickness nine days later on 30 May, the second victim of a
criticality accident in history. Slotin was hailed as a hero by the
United States government for reacting quickly enough to prevent the
deaths of his colleagues due to the accident he caused. The accident and
its aftermath have been dramatized in fictional accounts.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1814:
The War of the Sixth Coalition ended with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris, which deposed Napoleon and restored Louis XVIII to the
French throne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1814)>
1899:
Female Old West outlaw Pearl Hart performed one of the last
recorded stagecoach robberies 30 miles (48Â km) southeast of Globe,
Arizona.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Hart>
1925:
Shanghai Municipal Police officers opened fire on Chinese
protesters in the city's International Settlement, giving rise to a
major labor and anti-imperialist movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Thirtieth_Movement>
1959:
The Auckland Harbour Bridge, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland
with Northcote in the former North Shore City, New Zealand, was
officially opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Harbour_Bridge>
1972:
Members of the Japanese Red Army carried out the Lod Airport
massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel, on behalf of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, killing over 20 people and injuring almost 80
others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lod_Airport_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
have Van Gogh's ear for music:
(humorous) To be tone-deaf.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/have_Van_Gogh%27s_ear_for_music>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even the most wretched individual of our present society could not exist
and develop without the cumulative social efforts of countless
generations. Thus the individual, his freedom and reason, are the
products of society, and not vice versa: society is not the product of
individuals comprising it; and the higher, the more fully the individual
is developed, the greater his freedom — and the more he is the product
of society, the more does he receive from society and the greater his
debt to it.
--Mikhail Bakunin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin>
The Timor Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) is the military body responsible
for the defence of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February
2001 and currently comprises two small infantry battalions, a small
Naval Component and several supporting units. The F-FDTL's primary role
is to protect East Timor from external threats. It also has an internal
security role, which overlaps with that of the Policia Nacional de Timor
Leste. This has led to tensions between the services, which have been
exacerbated by poor morale and indiscipline within the F-FDTL. The
F-FDTL's problems came to a head in 2006 when almost half the force was
dismissed following protests over discrimination and poor conditions.
The dismissal contributed to a general collapse of both the F-FDTL and
PNTL in May, and forced the government to request foreign peacekeepers
to restore security. The F-FDTL is currently being rebuilt with foreign
assistance and has drawn up a long-term force development plan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timor_Leste_Defence_Force>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1867:
By the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, signed by Franz Joseph I
of Austria and a Hungarian delegation led by Ferenc Deák, the Dual
Monarchy of Austria-Hungary was established.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Compromise_of_1867>
1914:
The ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the Saint
Lawrence River after colliding with the Storstad, killing 1,012 on
board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Ireland>
1942:
Bing Crosby recorded his version of the song "White Christmas",
which went on to become the best-selling single of all time, with over
50 million copies sold.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas>
1954:
The first annual Bilderberg Group meeting of leaders from
European countries and the United States took place in Oosterbeek,
Netherlands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group>
1985:
A wall at Brussels' Heysel Stadium collapsed under the pressure
of football fans escaping a riot before the European Cup Final between
Liverpool and Juventus, killing 39 people and injuring over 600 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heysel_Stadium_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apothegm:
A short, witty, instructive saying; an aphorism or maxim.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apothegm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have investigated the dust-heaps of humanity, and found a treasure in
all of them. I have found that humanity is not incidentally engaged, but
eternally and systematically engaged, in throwing gold into the gutter
and diamonds into the sea.
--G. K. Chesterton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton>
"The Last Temptation of Krust" is the 15th episode of The Simpsons'
ninth season, and first aired on February 22, 1998. Bart convinces
Krusty the Clown to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno
(pictured), but Krusty's old material does not go over well with the
audience, and he receives bad reviews. After Krusty goes on a drinking
binge, Bart and Jay Leno bathe him in the Simpsons' house, and Krusty
decides to announce his retirement. At Krusty's retirement press
conference, the audience finds his tirade against modern comedy
hysterical, and he returns to comedy with a new style where he complains
about commercialism. He later agrees to a deal with marketing executives
in return for a new "Canyonero" – a spoof on sport utility vehicles,
and markets products during his next comedy appearance. The episode ends
with an extended Canyonero sequence, with a background song sung by Hank
Williams, Jr. The writing staff initially had trouble getting Krusty's
offensive bad jokes through network censors, but convinced them this was
simply a way to emphasize his old and dated comedic material. The
episode was highlighted by USA Today in a review of the season's
episodes, and received positive reviews in The Washington Times, the
Evening Herald, and in books on The Simpsons.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Krust>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
English Civil War: Royalist troops allegedly slaughtered up to
1,600 people during their storm and capture of the Town of Bolton.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Massacre>
1892:
Aided by a group of professors from the University of
California, Berkeley and Stanford University, preservationist John Muir
founded the environmental organization Sierra Club in San Francisco.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir>
1975:
Sixteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos,
establishing the Economic Community of West African States to promote
economic integration.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States>
1987:
West German aviator Mathias Rust flew his Cessna 172 through
the supposedly impregnable Soviet air defense system and landed in Red
Square, Moscow.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathias_Rust>
2003:
As a result of criticism of his conduct, Peter Hollingworth
resigned from his post as Governor-General of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hollingworth>
2010:
A train derailment and collision in the Paschim Medinipur
district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 141
passengers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnaneswari_Express_train_derailment>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
crown molding:
(finish carpentry, interior decorating) A molding at the edge of a room
between ceiling and wall.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crown_molding>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why is it that one can look at a lion or a planet or an owl or at
someone’s finger as long as one pleases, but looking into the eyes of
another person is, if prolonged past a second, a perilous affair?
--Walker Percy
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walker_Percy>
The Draped Bust dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1795
to 1803, and again throughout the 19th century. The designer is
unknown, though the distinction is usually credited to artist Gilbert
Stuart. The model is also unknown, though Ann Willing Bingham has been
suggested. In October 1795, newly appointed Mint Director Elias Boudinot
ordered that the legal fineness of .892 (89.2%) silver be used for the
dollar rather than the unauthorized fineness of .900 (90%) silver that
had been used since the denomination was first minted in 1794. Due
largely to a decrease in the amount of silver deposited at the
Philadelphia Mint, coinage of silver dollars declined throughout the end
of the 18th century. In 1804, coinage of silver dollars was halted, and
officially ended in 1806 by order of Secretary of State James Madison.
In 1834, silver dollar production was temporarily restarted to supply a
diplomatic mission to Asia with a special set of proof coins. Officials
mistakenly believed that dollars had last been minted with the date
1804, prompting them to use that date rather than the date in which the
coins were actually struck. A limited number of 1804 dollars were struck
by the Mint in later years, and they remain rare and valuable.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draped_Bust_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
946:
King Edmund I of England was murdered by a thief whom he
personally attacked while celebrating St Augustine's Mass Day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_I>
1637:
Pequot War: An allied Puritan and Mohegan force attacked a
fortified Pequot village in the Connecticut Colony, killing 500.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_massacre>
1822:
The deadliest fire in Norwegian history took place at a church
in Grue, Norway, with at least 113Â deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grue_Church_fire>
1828:
Kaspar Hauser (pictured), a foundling with suspected ties to
the Royal House of Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg,
Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser>
2008:
Severe flooding began in eastern and southern China that
ultimately caused 148 deaths and forced the evacuation of 1.3 million
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_South_China_floods>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
eyrie:
1. A bird of prey's nest.
2. Any high and remote but commanding place.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eyrie>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why is it the Mongols of this world always tell us they're defending us
against the Mongols?
--Edward Whittemore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Whittemore>
Hurricane John was the eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane, and
fifth major hurricane of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. Hurricane
John developed on August 28 from a tropical wave to the south of Mexico.
Favorable conditions allowed the storm to intensify quickly, and it
attained peak winds of 135Â mph (215Â km/h) on August 30. Eyewall
replacement cycles and land interaction with western Mexico weakened the
hurricane, and John made landfall on southeastern Baja California Sur
with winds of 110Â mph (180Â km/h) on September 1. It slowly weakened as
it moved northwestward through the Baja California peninsula, and
dissipated on September 4. The hurricane threatened large portions of
the western coastline of Mexico, resulting in the evacuation of tens of
thousands of people. In coastal portions of western Mexico, strong winds
downed trees, while heavy rain resulted in mudslides. Hurricane John
caused moderate damage on the Baja California peninsula, including the
destruction of more than 200Â houses and thousands of flimsy shacks. The
hurricane killed five people in Mexico, and damage totaled $663Â million
(2006Â MXN, $60.8Â million 2006Â USD).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_John_(2006)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1878:
Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster
featured) opened at the Opera Comique in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.M.S._Pinafore>
1946:
Abdullah bin Husayn, Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was
proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan>
1962:
The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, the last overnight
steamboat service in the United States, went out of business.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Steam_Packet_Company>
1979:
Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school, and
later became the first missing child to have his picture featured on
milk cartons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Etan_Patz>
2009:
North Korea conducted a nuclear test and several other missile
tests that were widely condemned by the international community and led
to sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_North_Korean_nuclear_test>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
masterly inactivity:
A policy of deliberate inactivity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/masterly_inactivity>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The less government we have, the better, — the fewer laws, and the
less confided power. The antidote to this abuse of formal Government,
is, the influence of private character, the growth of the Individual.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson>
Miss Meyers (1949 – March 1963) was a chestnut-colored American
Quarter Horse racehorse and broodmare. Her sire was American Quarter
Horse Association (AQHA) Hall of Fame member Leo, and her dam was Star's
Lou. Miss Meyers raced from 1952 until 1955 and started 59 times. She
was also the 1953 World Champion Quarter Running Horse. In her career
she won $28,725 (equivalent to about $249,000 as of 2012) on the
racetrack as well as 17 races. As a broodmare, she produced the first
AQHA Supreme Champion, Kid Meyers, with AQHA Hall of Fame member Three
Bars, a Thoroughbred. Miss Myers was the mother of three other foals and
was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Meyers>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1883:
New York City opened the Brooklyn Bridge – the longest
suspension bridge in the world at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge>
1930:
English aviatrix Amy Johnson landed in Darwin, Northern
Territory, becoming the first woman to successfully fly from England to
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Johnson>
1941:
Second World War: The German battleship Bismarck sank the
British battlecruiser HMSÂ Hood in eleven minutes at the Battle of the
Denmark Strait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Denmark_Strait>
1962:
Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the
Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Carpenter>
2006:
An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary film about former United
States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about
global warming, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shylock:
(intransitive, US) To lend money at exorbitant rates of interest.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shylock>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life consists not simply in what heredity and environment do to us but
in what we make out of what they do to us.
--Harry Emerson Fosdick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Emerson_Fosdick>