The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate. It belongs to
Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. Like all lemurs, it is endemic
to Madagascar, living in the gallery forests and spiny scrubland in the
southern regions of the island. It is omnivorous, diurnal and highly
social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. Communities are
matriarchal, a trait common among lemurs. Like other lemurs, this
species relies strongly on its sense of smell and marks its territory
with scent glands. As one of the most vocal primates, the ring-tailed
lemur utilizes numerous vocalizations such as alarm calls. Experiments
have shown that, despite the lack of a large brain, the ring-tailed
lemur can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations
and preferentially select tools based on functional qualities. Despite
being listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and suffering from
habitat destruction, the ring-tailed lemur reproduces readily in
captivity and is the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide, numbering
more than 2000 individuals. It typically lives 16 to 19 years in the
wild and 27 years in captivity.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_lemur>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
238:
Because of his advanced age, Gordian I was proclaimed Roman Emperor
along with his son Gordian II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_I>
1765:
The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, requiring that
many printed materials in the Thirteen Colonies in British America
carry a tax stamp .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765>
1920:
A pogrom in Shusha, Nagorno-Karabagh, by Azeris destroyed the
Armenian-populated portions of the town.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shusha_pogrom>
1933:
The Holocaust: The construction of the first Nazi concentration camp at
Dachau was completed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp>
1963:
Please Please Me, the first album recorded by The Beatles, was
released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Please_Me>
2006:
The remaining three Christian Peacemaker Teams hostages were rescued
from their Iraqi captors by a multinational force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Peacemaker_hostage_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
perfusion (n):
(medicine) The introduction of a drug or nutrients through the
bloodstream in order to reach an internal organ or tissues
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perfusion>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
88px67px54px
The Night has a thousand eyes,
And the Day but one;
Yet the light of
the bright world dies
With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart
but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.
--Francis William Bourdillon
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_William_Bourdillon>
The buildings of Nuffield College, one of the colleges of the
University of Oxford, are to the west of the city centre of Oxford,
England, on the former site of the largely disused basin of the Oxford
Canal. Nuffield College was founded in 1937 after a donation to the
university by the car manufacturer Lord Nuffield. He rejected the
initial designs of the architect Austen Harrison, which were heavily
influenced by Mediterranean architecture, describing them as
"un-English". Harrison then aimed for "something on the lines of
Cotswold domestic architecture", as Nuffield wanted. The college was
built to the revised plans between 1949 and 1960. During construction,
the tower, about 150 feet (46 m) tall, was redesigned to hold the
college's library. Reaction to the architecture has been largely
unfavourable. It has been described as "Oxford's biggest monument to
barren reaction" and "a hodge-podge from the start". However, the
architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner thought that the tower
helped the Oxford skyline and predicted that it would "one day be
loved". The writer Simon Jenkins doubted Pevsner's prediction, though,
saying that "vegetation" was the "best hope" for the tower, and for the
rest of the college too.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buildings_of_Nuffield_College%2C_Oxford>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1556:
Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, one of the founders of
Anglicanism, was burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for heresy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer>
1909:
The remains of the Báb, one of three central figures of the Bahá'í
Faith, were interred by `Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa, present-day Israel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1b>
1943:
Second World War: Wehrmacht officer Rudolf Christoph von Gersdorff
attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bombing, but had to
abort the plan at the last minute.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Christoph_Freiherr_von_Gersdorff>
2002:
British schoolgirl Amanda Dowler was abducted on her way home from
Heathside School in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Amanda_Dowler>
2006:
A man using a hammer smashed the statue of Phra Phrom in the Erawan
Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, and was subsequently beaten to death by
bystanders.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erawan_Shrine>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
itchy trigger finger (n):
(idiomatic) A tendency to act in haste or without consideration
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/itchy_trigger_finger>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's
dew-pearl'd;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;</br>God's in His
heaven —
All's right with the world!
--Robert Browning
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Browning>
95px|Tom Derrick
Tom Derrick (1914–1945) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria
Cross (VC) during the Second World War. He was awarded the VC for his
assault on a heavily defended Japanese position at Sattelberg, New
Guinea, in November 1943. During the engagement, he scaled a cliff face
while under heavy fire and silenced seven machine-gun posts, before
leading his platoon in a charge that destroyed a further three. Derrick
enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in July 1941, joining
the 2/48th Battalion. He was posted to the Middle East, where he took
part in the Siege of Tobruk, was recommended for the Military Medal and
promoted to corporal. Later, at El Alamein, Derrick was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal for knocking out three German machine-gun
posts, destroying two tanks, and capturing a hundred prisoners. He
returned to Australia with his battalion in February 1943, and
subsequently served in the South West Pacific Theatre where he fought
in the battle to capture Lae. A year later, he returned to Australia
for officer cadet training and was commissioned lieutenant in November
1944. During the Battle of Tarakan on 23 May 1945, he was hit by five
bullets from a Japanese machine gun. Derrick died from his wounds the
next day. (more...)
Recently featured: Tom Swift – "Abyssinia, Henry" – Ernest Shackleton
Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Derrick>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
235:
Maximinus Thrax succeeded to the throne of the Roman Empire, the first
of the so-called barracks emperors who gained power by virtue of his
command of the army.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximinus_Thrax>
1600:
Five advisers to Polish–Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa were publicly
executed, effectively ending his reign.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6ping_Bloodbath>
1815:
After escaping from exile in Elba, Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris,
officially beginning his "Hundred Days" rule.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days>
1852:
American author Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was first
published, profoundly affecting attitudes toward African Americans and
slavery in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin>
2006:
Cyclone Larry made landfall in Far North Queensland, eventually causing
nearly AU$1 billion in total damage and destroying over 80 percent of
Australia's banana crop.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Larry>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
forethoughtful (adj):
Having or full of forethought; provident; proactive; visionary
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forethoughtful>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
88px 55px 77px 55px 58px
When we dead awaken. ... We see that we have never lived.
--Henrik Ibsen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrik_Ibsen>
95px|Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle (1910), the first Tom Swift book
Tom Swift is the name of the central character in five series of
books, first appearing in 1910, totaling over 100 volumes, of American
juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science,
invention and technology. The character was created by Edward
Stratemeyer. His adventures have been written by a number of different
ghostwriters over the years. Most of the books are published under the
collective pseudonym Victor Appleton. The 33 volumes of the second
series use the pseudonym Victor Appleton II. The character first
appeared in 1910. New titles have been published as recently as 2007.
Most of the various series focus on Tom’s inventions, a number of which
anticipated actual inventions. The character has been presented in
different ways over the years. In general, the books portray science
and technology as wholly beneficial in their effects, and the role of
the inventor in society is treated as admirable and heroic. Translated
into a number of languages, the books have sold over 30 million copies
worldwide. Tom Swift has also been the subject of a board game and a
television show. Development of a feature film based on the series was
announced in 2008. (more...)
Recently featured: "Abyssinia, Henry" – Ernest Shackleton – Conan the
Barbarian
Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
Charles IV of Spain abdicated in favour of his son, Ferdinand VII.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain>
1863:
American Civil War: On her maiden voyage from Scotland, where she was
built, the Confederate States Navy steamer Georgiana, reputed to be one
of the most powerful in the fleet, was damaged and sunk in the
Charleston, South Carolina, harbor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Georgiana>
1921:
Irish War of Independence: About 1,300 British troops attempted to
encircle about 100 IRA volunteers at Crossbarry in County Cork.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossbarry_Ambush>
1941:
The Tuskegee Airmen , the first all-African American unit of the United
States Army Air Corps, was activated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen>
1990:
Ethnic clashes between Romanians and Hungarians took place in Târgu
Mureş, Romania, leaving several dead and hundreds injured.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_clashes_of_T%C3%A2rgu_Mure%C8%99>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vaguery (n):
1. (uncountable) Vagueness, the condition of being vague.
2. (countable) A vagueness, a thing which is vague, an example of
vagueness.
3. (countable, in the plural) An eggcorn for vagaries
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vaguery>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
55px
Reason is Life's sole arbiter, the magic Laby'rinth's single clue:
Worlds lie above, beyond its ken; what crosses it can ne'er be true.
--Richard Francis Burton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton>
"Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television
series, and the final episode of the series' third season. First aired
on March 18, 1975, and written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell,
the highly rated episode was most notable for its shocking and
unexpected ending. The plot of the episode centers on the honorable
discharge and subsequent departure of the 4077th MASH's commander,
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (played by McLean Stevenson). The highly
controversial ending to the episode, which has since been referenced
and parodied many times, prompted an estimated 1,000-plus letters to
series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from
both CBS and 20th Century Fox. After the production of this episode,
both Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, who played the character of Trapper
John McIntyre, left the series to pursue other interests. These
combined departures and their subsequent replacements signaled the
beginning of a major shift in focus of the M*A*S*H series as a whole.
(more...)
Recently featured: Ernest Shackleton – Conan the Barbarian –
Liverpool F.C.
Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia%2C_Henry>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1229:
Sixth Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II crowned himself King of
Jerusalem, although his wife Yolande had died, leaving their infant son
Conrad as the rightful heir.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1314:
King Philip IV of France had Jacques de Molay , the last Grand Masters
of the Knights Templar, burned at the stake.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Molay>
1892:
Canadian Governor General Lord Stanley of Preston pledged to donate
what would become the Stanley Cup, today the oldest professional sports
trophy in North America, as an award for Canada's top-ranking amateur
ice hockey club.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cup>
1906:
Romanian inventor Traian Vuia became the first person to fly a
heavier-than-air craft with an unassisted takeoff.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traian_Vuia>
2005:
As per a court order, the feeding tube of Terri Schiavo, an American
woman who suffered brain damage, was removed at the request of her
husband, fueling a worldwide debate on euthanasia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tribology (n):
(physics, engineering) The science and technology of friction,
lubrication, and wear
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.
Courage was mine, and I had mystery;
Wisdom was mine, and I had
mastery;
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are
not walled.
--Wilfred Owen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilfred_Owen>
110px|Shackleton as a young man
Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish polar explorer, one
of the principal figures of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on
Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, from which
he was sent home early on health grounds. Determined to make amends for
this perceived personal failure, he returned to Antarctica in 1907 as
leader of the Nimrod Expedition. In January 1909 he and three
companions made a southern march which established a record Farthest
South latitude at 88° 23′ S, 190 km from the South Pole. For this
achievement, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return
home. After the race to the South Pole ended in 1912 with Roald
Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to what he said
was the one remaining great object of Antarctic journeying—the crossing
of the continent from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made
preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition,
1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance,
became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore
parties could be landed. There followed a sequence of exploits, and an
ultimate escape with no lives lost, that would eventually assure
Shackleton's heroic status. (more...)
Recently featured: Conan the Barbarian – Liverpool F.C. – Ultima
Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The British Army garrison in Boston,
Massachusetts, withdrew from the city, ending the 11-month Siege of
Boston.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Boston>
1950:
The synthesis of californium, a radioactive transuranium element, was
announced.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/californium>
1963:
The most recent eruption of Mount Agung on Bali, Indonesia, killed
approximately 1,500 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Agung>
1988:
Eritrean War of Independence: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front
encircled a Soviet–Ethiopian force and gained a decisive victory in the
Battle of Afabet.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Afabet>
2000:
Over 700 followers of the Ugandan sect Movement for the Restoration of
the Ten Commandments of God perished in a fire and a series of
poisonings and killings, considered either a cult suicide or an
orchestrated mass murder by its leaders.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_the_Restoration_of_the_Ten_Comman…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
greenwash (n):
A false or misleading picture of environmental friendliness used to
conceal or obscure damaging activities
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greenwash>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
42px
That truth-is-stranger-than-fiction factor keeps getting jacked up on
us on a fairly regular, maybe even exponential, basis. I think that's
something peculiar to our time. I don't think our grandparents had to
live with that.
--William Gibson
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson>
80px|Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured in 1984) held the title role in
Conan.
Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 fantasy film. It is based on the
stories by Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer of the 1930s, about
the adventures of the eponymous character in a fictional pre-historic
world of dark magic and savagery. The film adaptation was written and
directed by John Milius, and produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis and
Buzz Feitshans. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured) and
James Earl Jones, and tells the story of a young barbarian
(Schwarzenegger) who seeks vengeance for the death of his parents.
Filming took place in Spain over five months, in the regions around
Madrid and Almería. Conan grossed more than $68 million at box-offices
around the world, though the revenue fell short of the level that would
qualify the film as a blockbuster. Academics and critics interpreted
the film as advancing the themes of fascism or individualism, with the
fascist angle featured in most of the criticisms of the film. Critics
also negatively reviewed Schwarzenegger's acting and the film's violent
scenes. Despite the criticisms, Conan was popular with young male
audiences, and the film brought Schwarzenegger worldwide recognition.
The film spawned a sequel, Conan The Destroyer in 1984, and a remake in
2011. (more...)
Recently featured: Liverpool F.C. – Ultima Underworld: The Stygian
Abyss – Titan
Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Barbarian_%281982_film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1243:
Following their successful siege of Montségur, French royal forces
burned about 210 Cathar Perfecti and unrepentant credentes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/siege_of_Monts%C3%A9gur>
1322:
Despenser War: A royalist army defeated troops loyal to Thomas, Earl of
Lancaster, in the Battle of Boroughbridge, which allowed King Edward II
of England to hold on to power for another five years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Boroughbridge>
1872:
In the first-ever final of the FA Cup, today the oldest association
football competition in the world, Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal
Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_FA_Cup_Final>
1968:
Vietnam War: American soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in
the Sơn Mỹ village in the Sơn Tịnh district of South Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre>
1978:
Former Prime Minister of Italy Aldo Moro was kidnapped in Rome by
Mario Moretti and the Red Brigades.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Aldo_Moro>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
damnify (v):
(law) To cause injuries or loss to
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/damnify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
11px
182px
One can start from the perspective of a religious naturalist
or from the perspective of the world religions and arrive at the same
place: a moral imperative that this Earth and its creatures be
respected and cherished.
--Ursula Goodenough
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ursula_Goodenough>
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person role-playing
video game released in March 1992 for IBM PC compatible systems running
DOS. Set in the fantasy world of the Ultima series, it was developed by
Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios). The protagonist has
to find and rescue a baron's kidnapped daughter from an underground
cave system that contains the remnants of a failed utopian
civilization. It introduced many technological innovations and has been
hailed as the first first-person perspective role-playing game with 3D
computer graphics. Although it was not an immediate commercial success,
the effects of critical acclaim and word of mouth caused sales to reach
nearly 500,000. The game has been highly influential. It is said to
have inspired "all 3D RPG titles from Morrowind to World of Warcraft",
and the designers of BioShock, Tomb Raider and other major 3D games
have cited it as an inspiration for their own work. It resulted in one
sequel, 1993's Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_Underworld%3A_The_Stygian_Abyss>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1489:
Queen of Cyprus Catherine Cornaro was forced to abdicate and sell the
administration of the island to the Republic of Venice.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Cornaro>
1794:
American inventor Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, the first ever
machine that quickly and easily separated cotton fibers from their
seedpods.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cotton_gin>
1910:
Oil prospectors in Kern County, California, drilled into a pressurized
oil deposit, resulting in the largest accidental oil spill in history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Gusher>
1931:
Alam Ara, the first Indian film with sound, was released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alam_Ara>
1991:
The "Birmingham Six", wrongly convicted of the 1974 Birmingham pub
bombings in England, were released after sixteen years in prison.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Six>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
annis Domini (adv):
(of multiple years or of a date range) Taking place a specifed number
of years following the assumed birth of Jesus Christ
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/annis_Domini>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a
crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample a kingdom down.
--Arthur O'Shaughnessy
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_O%27Shaughnessy>
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known
to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for
which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found.
Discovered on 25 March 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens,
Titan is the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn. Frequently described
as a planet-like moon, it is the second-largest natural satellite in
the Solar System, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede, and it is larger by
volume than the smallest planet, Mercury. Titan itself is primarily
composed of water ice and rocky material. Its dense, opaque atmosphere
meant that little was known of the surface features or conditions until
the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2004. Although mountains and several
possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, its surface is relatively
smooth and few impact craters have been discovered. Owing to the
existence of stable bodies of surface liquids and its thick
nitrogen-based atmosphere, Titan has been cited as a possible host for
microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic
environment rich in complex organic chemistry.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
624:
History of Islam: Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeated the
Quraysh of Mecca in Badr, present-day Saudi Arabia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Badr>
1845:
German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, one of the most
popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time, was
first played in Leipzig.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_%28Mendelssohn%29>
1943:
The Holocaust: Nazi troops began liquidating the Jewish Ghetto in
Kraków, Poland, sending about 8,000 Jews deemed able to work to the
Plaszow labor camp , with the rest either killed or sent to Auschwitz.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_Ghetto>
1964:
American Kitty Genovese was murdered, reportedly in view of neighbors
who did nothing to help her, prompting research into the bystander
effect.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese>
1996:
In the deadliest attack on children in the history of the United
Kingdom, a spree killer murdered sixteen children and a teacher at a
primary school in Dunblane, Scotland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hamiform (adj):
Curved at the extremity, shaped like a hook
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hamiform>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe the root of all happiness on this earth to lie in the
realization of a spiritual life with a consciousness of something wider
than materialism; in the capacity to live in a world that makes you
unselfish because you are not overanxious about your own comic
fallibilities; that gives you tranquility without complacency because
you believe in something so much larger than yourself.
--Hugh Walpole
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hugh_Walpole>
The birth control movement in the United States was a social reform
campaign from 1914 to the 1940s that increased the availability of
contraception through education and legalization. The movement was
started by Emma Goldman, Mary Dennett, and Margaret Sanger, who were
concerned about the hardships that childbirth and self-induced
abortions brought to low-income women. In 1916, Sanger opened the
first birth control clinic in the US, but it was immediately shut down
by police. A major turning point for the movement came during World
War I, when many US servicemen were diagnosed with venereal diseases,
leading to an anti-venereal disease campaign that treated contraception
as a matter of public health. Sanger successfully opened a second
birth control clinic in 1923. Legal victories in the 1930s continued
to weaken anti-contraception laws and in 1937 the American Medical
Association adopted contraception as a core component of medical school
curriculums. In 1942, the Planned Parenthood organization was formed,
creating a nationwide network of birth control clinics.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control_movement_in_the_United_States>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1870:
The Bulgarian Exarchate, the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the other Orthodox
churches in the 1950s, was established by the firman of Sultan
Abdülâziz of the Ottoman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Exarchate>
1881:
Andrew Watson made his debut with the Scotland national football team
and became the world's first black international football player.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Watson_%28footballer%29>
1912:
Juliette Gordon Low founded a youth organization for girls that grew
into the Girl Scouts of the USA.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Scouts_of_the_USA>
1934:
Supported by the Estonian Army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup d'état,
beginning the Era of Silence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts>
1952:
British diplomat Hastings Ismay was appointed as the first Secretary
General of NATO.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay%2C_1st_Baron_Ismay>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
zombie out (v):
(informal) Become like a zombie in being listless, vacant, and
unresponsive
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zombie_out>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
All is well, practice kindness, heaven is nigh.
--Jack Kerouac
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac>