Loihi Seamount is an active undersea volcano located around 35 km
(22 mi) off the southeast coast of the island of Hawaiʻi. It lies on
the flank of Mauna Loa, the largest shield volcano on Earth. Lōʻihi
Seamount is the newest volcano in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain,
a string of volcanoes that stretches over 5,800 km (3,600 mi) northwest
of Lōʻihi and the island of Hawaiʻi. Unlike most active volcanoes in
the Pacific ocean that make up the active plate margins on the Pacific
Ring of Fire, Lōʻihi and the other volcanoes of the Hawaiian-Emperor
seamount chain are hotspot volcanoes and formed well away from the
nearest plate boundary. Lōʻihi began forming around 400,000 years ago
and is expected to begin emerging above sea level about 10,000–100,000
years from now. At its summit, Lōʻihi Seamount stands more than 3,000 m
(10,000 ft) above the seafloor. A diverse microbial community resides
around Lōʻihi's many hydrothermal vents. In the summer of 1996, a swarm
of 4,070 earthquakes was recorded at Lōʻihi. This series included more
earthquakes than any other swarm in Hawaiian history. The volcano has
remained relatively active since the 1996 swarm and is monitored by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States
Geological Survey.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loihi_Seamount>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1345:
Inspecting a new prison without being escorted by his bodyguard,
Byzantine megas doux Alexios Apokaukos was lynched and killed by the
prisoners.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_Apokaukos>
1770:
The Great Barrier Reef first became known to Europeans when the HM
Bark Endeavour, captained by English explorer James Cook, ran aground
there, sustaining considerable damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef>
1938:
The Battle of Wuhan began, lasting four and half months, the longest
and largest battle of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wuhan>
1956:
The six-day Gal Oya riots, the first ethnic riots that targeted the
minority Sri Lankan Tamils in post-independent Sri Lanka, began,
eventually resulting in the deaths of at least 150 people and 100
injuries.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Oya_riots>
1963:
Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burned himself to
death in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists by South
Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem's administration.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
peremptory (adj):
1. Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or
appeal.
2. Positive in opinion or judgment; decided; dogmatic
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/peremptory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is nothing ugly; I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let
the form of an object be what it may, — light, shade, and perspective
will always make it beautiful.
--John Constable
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Constable>
Ashford v Thornton was an 1818 English legal case in the Court of
King's Bench that upheld the right of the defendant, on a private
appeal from an acquittal for murder, to trial by battle. In 1817,
Abraham Thornton was charged with the murder of Mary Ashford. Thornton
met Ashford at a dance, and walked with her from the event. The next
morning, Ashford was found drowned in a pit, with little outward signs
of violence. Although public opinion was heavily against Thornton, the
jury quickly acquitted him, and also found him not guilty of rape.
Mary's brother, William Ashford, launched an appeal, and Thornton was
rearrested. Thornton claimed the right to trial by battle, a medieval
usage which had never been repealed by Parliament. Ashford argued that
the evidence against Thornton was overwhelming, and that he was thus
ineligible to wager battle. The court decided that the evidence against
Thornton was not overwhelming, and that trial by battle was a
permissible option under law; thus Thornton was granted trial by
battle. Ashford declined the offer of battle and Thornton was freed
from custody. Appeals such as Ashford's were abolished by statute the
following year, and with them the right to trial by battle. Thornton
emigrated to the United States, where he died about 1860.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1190:
The Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River
in Anatolia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1838:
More than 25 Australian Aborigines were massacred near Inverell, New
South Wales.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myall_Creek_massacre>
1935:
American physician Bob Smith had his last alcoholic drink, marking the
traditional founding date of Alcoholics Anonymous.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous>
1957:
In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservative Party
led by John Diefenbaker won a plurality of the seats in the Canadian
House of Commons, bringing an end to 22 years of Liberal Party rule.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election%2C_1957>
1965:
The Battle of Dong Xoai, one of the largest battles in the Vietnam War,
began, with the Viet Cong eventually defeating the Army of the Republic
of Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dong_Xoai>
2008:
War in Afghanistan: An airstrike by the United States resulted in the
deaths of eleven paramilitary troops of the Pakistan Army Frontier
Corps and eight Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gora_Prai_airstrike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deltiology (n):
The study and collection of postcards
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deltiology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Most joyful let the Poet be;
It is through him that all men see.
--William Ellery Channing (poet)
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Ellery_Channing_%28poet%29>
Halkett boat refers to two types of lightweight inflatable boat
designed by Lt Peter Halkett during the 1840s. Halkett had long been
interested in the difficulties of travelling in the Canadian Arctic,
and the problems involved in designing boats light enough to be carried
over arduous terrain, but robust enough to be used in extreme weather
conditions. Halkett's first design was a collapsible and inflatable
boat made of rubber-impregnated cloth. When deflated, the hull of the
boat could be worn as a cloak, the oar used as a walking stick, and the
sail as an umbrella. This was followed by a two-man craft that was
small enough to fit into a knapsack, and when deflated served as a
waterproof blanket. Although widely praised by Canadian explorers, the
market for Halkett's designs was limited, and he was unable to persuade
the Royal Navy that they would serve any useful purpose in general
naval service. Efforts to market them as platforms for fishing and duck
shooting failed, and they were commercially unsuccessful. Only a single
Halkett boat, that of Orcadian explorer John Rae, is known to survive
today.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halkett_boat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
68:
Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide after he was deposed by the
Senate.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero>
1815:
The Congress of Vienna ended, redrawing the political map of Europe
after the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna>
1856:
Mormon pioneers began leaving Iowa City, Iowa, and headed west for Salt
Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled
handcarts.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers>
1885:
A peace treaty was signed to end the Sino-French War, with China
eventually giving up Tonkin and Annam, most of present-day Vietnam, to
France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-French_War>
1928:
Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their
Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever
trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nostrum (n):
A medicine or remedy in conventional use which has not been proven to
have any desirable medical effects
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nostrum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking
But now, Heaven knows,
Anything goes.
--Cole Porter
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter>
Portrait of a Lady is a small oil-on-oak panel executed around 1460 by
the Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden. The composition is
built from underlying geometric shapes that form the lines of the
woman's veil, neckline, face and arms, and by the fall of the light
that illuminates her face and headdress. Van der Weyden was preoccupied
by portraiture towards the end of his life and was highly regarded by
later generations of painters for his penetrating evocations of
character. In this work, the woman's humility and reserved demeanour
are conveyed through her fragile physique, lowered eyes and tightly
grasped fingers. She is slender and depicted according to the Gothic
ideal of elongated features, indicated by her narrow shoulders, tightly
pinned hair, long forehead and the elaborate frame set the headdress.
It is the only known portrait of a woman signed by van der Weyden, yet
the sitter's name is not recorded and he did not title the work.
Although van der Weyden did not adhere to the conventions of
idealisation, he generally sought to flatter his sitters. He depicted
his models in highly fashionable clothing, often with rounded—almost
sculpted—facial features, some of which deviated from natural
representation. He adapted his own aesthetic, and his portraits of
women often bear a striking resemblance to each other. Since 1937, the
painting has been held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington,
D.C. It has been described as "famous among all portraits of women of
all schools".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Lady_%28van_der_Weyden%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: British forces defeated the Continental
Army at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, the last major battle fought on
Quebec soil that was part of the American colonists' invasion of
Quebec.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trois-Rivi%C3%A8res>
1783:
Iceland's Laki craters began an eight-month eruption, triggering major
famine and massive fluorine poisoning.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki>
1950:
Thomas Blamey became Australia's first, and currently only, Field
Marshal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey>
1967:
The Israeli Air Force attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS
Liberty in international waters, killing 34 and wounding at least 173.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident>
1995:
Danish-Greenlandic programmer Rasmus Lerdorf released the first public
version of the scripting language PHP for producing dynamic web pages.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
isometric (adj):
1. Of, or exhibiting equality in dimensions.
2. Of, or being a geometric system of three equal axes lying at right
angles to each other.
3. (physiology) Of or involving muscular contraction against
resistance in which the length of the muscle remains the same.
4. (physics, of a thermodynamic process) Taking place at constant
volume as a result of being confined by rigid boundaries
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/isometric>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The scientist has marched in and taken the place of the poet. But one
day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and
remember, it will be a poet, not a scientist.
--Frank Lloyd Wright
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright>
Edwin P. Morrow (1877–1935) served as the 40th Governor of Kentucky
from 1919 to 1923. He was the only Republican elected to this office
between 1907 and 1927. After rendering non-combat service in the
Spanish–American War, Morrow graduated from the University of
Cincinnati Law School in 1902 and opened his practice in Lexington,
Kentucky. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern
District of Kentucky by President William Howard Taft in 1910 and
served until he was removed from office in 1913 by President Woodrow
Wilson. In 1915, he ran for governor against his good friend, Augustus
O. Stanley. Stanley won the election by 471 votes, making the 1915
contest the closest gubernatorial race in the state's history. Morrow
ran for governor again in 1919. He encouraged voters to "Right the
Wrong of 1915" and ran on a progressive platform that included women's
suffrage and quelling racial violence. He charged the Democratic
administration with corruption, citing specific examples, and won the
general election in a landslide. With a friendly legislature in 1920,
he passed much of his agenda into law including an anti-lynching law
and a reorganization of state government. By 1922, Democrats regained
control of the General Assembly, and Morrow was not able to accomplish
much in the second half of his term. Following his term as governor, he
served on the United States Railroad Labor Board and the Railway
Mediation Board.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_P._Morrow>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1494:
A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck Port Royal, Jamaica, killing about 2,000
people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1692_Jamaica_earthquake>
1776:
Virginia statesman Richard Henry Lee presented a resolution to the
Second Continental Congress, which called for the Thirteen Colonies to
declare independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Resolution>
1880:
War of the Pacific: Chilean forces captured Morro de Arica from Peru.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arica>
1981:
The Israeli Air Force attacked and disabled the Osirak nuclear reactor,
assuming it was producing plutonium to further an Iraqi nuclear weapons
program.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera>
1982:
Graceland, Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, opened to the
public.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graceland>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
approbative (adj):
Giving approval; sanctioning
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/approbative>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our earth is round, and, among other things, that means that you and I
can hold completely different points of view and both be right. The
difference of our positions will show stars in your window I cannot
even imagine. Your sky may burn with light, while mine, at the same
moment, spreads beautiful to darkness. Still we must choose how we
separately corner the circling universe of our experience. Once chosen,
our cornering will determine the message of any star and darkness we
encounter.
--June Jordan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/June_Jordan>
Helmut Lent (1918–1944) was a German night fighter ace in World War II
who shot down 110 aircraft, 103 of them at night. Lent claimed his
first aerial victories at the outset of World War II in the invasion of
Poland and over the German Bight. During the invasion of Norway he flew
ground support missions before he was transferred to the newly
established Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1), a night fighter wing. Lent
claimed his first nocturnal aerial victory on 12 May 1941 and on 30
August 1941 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 22
aerial victories—8 daytime and 14 nocturnal aerial victories. His
steady accumulation of aerial victories resulted in regular promotions
and awards. On the night of 15 June 1944, Major Lent was the first
night fighter pilot to claim 100 nocturnal aerial victories, a feat
which earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves,
Swords and Diamonds on 31 July 1944. On 5 October 1944, Lent flew a
Junkers Ju 88 on a routine transit flight from Stade to Nordborchen,
5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Paderborn. On the landing approach one
of the engines cut out, stalling the aircraft. All four members of the
crew were mortally injured. Three men died shortly after the crash and
Lent succumbed to his injuries two days later on 7 October 1944.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Lent>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1523:
Gustav Vasa became King of Sweden, marking the end of the Kalmar Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_I_of_Sweden>
1894:
Colorado Governor Davis Hanson Waite ordered his state militia to
protect and support the miners engaged in the Cripple Creek miners'
strike.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cripple_Creek_miners%27_strike_of_1894>
1944:
World War II: The Invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious military
operation in history, began with Allied troops landing on the beaches
of Normandy in France .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings>
1982:
During the Falklands War, the British Royal Navy Type 42 destroyer
HMS Cardiff engaged and destroyed British Army Gazelle XX377 in a
friendly fire incident.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_British_Army_Gazelle_friendly_fire_incide…>
2004:
During a joint sitting of both houses of the Indian Parliament,
President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam announced that Tamil was made
the first legally recognised classical language of India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
redound (v):
1. To result in, to contribute to (a consequence).
2. To attach, come back, accrue.
3. (obsolete, of liquid) To swell,
surge up
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/redound>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Do your duty, and leave the rest to heaven.
--Pierre Corneille
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pierre_Corneille>
"The Open Boat" is a short story by American author Stephen Crane.
First published in 1897, it was based on Crane's experience of having
survived a shipwreck off the coast of Florida earlier that year while
traveling to Cuba to work as a newspaper correspondent. Crane was
stranded at sea for thirty hours when his ship, the SS Commodore, sank
after hitting a sandbar. He and three other men were forced to navigate
their way to shore in a small boat; one of the men, an oiler named
Billie Higgins, drowned. Crane subsequently adapted his report into
narrative form, and the short story "The Open Boat" was published in
Scribner's Magazine. The story is told from the point of view of an
anonymous correspondent, Crane's fictional doppelgänger, and the action
closely resembles the author's experiences after the shipwreck. A
volume titled The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure was published
in the United States in 1898. Praised for its innovation by
contemporary critics, the story is considered an exemplary work of
literary Naturalism. One of the most frequently discussed works in
Crane's canon, it is notable for its use of imagery, irony, symbolism,
and exploration of themes including survival, solidarity, and the
conflict between man and nature. H. G. Wells considered "The Open Boat"
to be "beyond all question, the crown of all [Crane's] work".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Open_Boat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1257:
Kraków in Poland received city rights.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w>
1862:
As the Treaty of Saigon was signed, ceding parts of southern Vietnam to
France, the guerrilla leader Truong Dinh decided to defy Emperor Tu Duc
of Vietnam and fight on against the Europeans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truong_Dinh>
1968:
Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Sirhan mortally shot U.S. Senator Robert
F. Kennedy inside the kitchen pantry of The Ambassador Hotel in Los
Angeles, an event that has spawned a variety of conspiracy theories.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy>
1989:
An anonymous rebel, later dubbed "Tank Man", achieved widespread
international recognition as a heroic figure during the Tiananmen
Square protests when he was videotaped and photographed in front of a
column of Chinese tanks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man>
1995:
A new phase of matter, the Bose–Einstein condensate, was produced for
the first time by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman at the University of
Colorado at Boulder NIST–JILA lab.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose%E2%80%93Einstein_condensate>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
biotic (adj):
Of, pertaining to, or produced by life or living organisms
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biotic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong.
--John Maynard Keynes
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes>
The Beatles: Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix
Music Systems, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic
Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music
video game series and, like other games in the series, it allows
players to simulate the playing of rock music by using controllers
shaped like musical instruments. The game's soundtrack consists of
45 songs by popular British rock group The Beatles and features virtual
depictions of the band members performing the songs. The game was
released internationally on 9 September 2009, coinciding with the
release of new, remastered compact disc versions of The Beatles albums.
It incorporates many of the gameplay features of the Rock Band series;
however, it is not an expansion pack for the Rock Band series. Gameplay
mechanics differ slightly from previous Rock Band games, including the
addition of a three-part vocal harmony system. The game was developed
with the blessing and critical input of Apple Corps, including former
Beatles members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. George Harrison's
son Dhani helped to bridge discussion between Harmonix and Apple Corps,
while Giles Martin, son of The Beatles' music producer George Martin,
ensured high-quality versions of The Beatles' songs would be available.
The Beatles: Rock Band was well-received by the press, both as a
genuine means of experiencing the music and history of The Beatles and
as a standalone music video game.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%3A_Rock_Band>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1039:
Henry III became Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his father,
Conrad II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1792:
Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver claimed Puget Sound in the Pacific
Northwest for Great Britain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound>
1913:
Emily Davison, an activist for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom,
was fatally injured when she was struck by King George V's horse at the
Epsom Derby.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Davison>
1939:
The German ocean liner MS St. Louis, carrying 963 Jewish refugees
seeking asylum from Nazi persecution, was denied permission to land in
the United States, after already having been turned away from Cuba.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis>
1942:
The Battle of Midway , a major battle in the Pacific Theatre of World
War II, began with a massive Imperial Japanese strike on Midway Atoll.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
traduce (v):
To malign a person or entity by making malicious and false or
defamatory statements
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/traduce>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I recall an old Sufi story of a good man who was granted one wish by
God. The man said he would like to go about doing good without knowing
about it. God granted his wish. And then God decided that it was such a
good idea, he would grant that wish to all human beings.
And so it has been to this day.
--Robert Fulghum
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum>
Cyclone Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian
Sea, and is also the strongest named cyclone in the northern Indian
Ocean. The second named tropical cyclone of the 2007 North Indian Ocean
cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of convection in
the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1. With a favorable upper-level
environment and warm sea surface temperatures, it rapidly intensified
to attain peak winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 3, according to the
India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry
air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made landfall on the
eastern-most tip of Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to
hit the Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the Gulf of
Oman, and dissipated on June 7 after making landfall in southern Iran.
Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare over the Arabian
Sea, as most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate
quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage
(2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst
natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern
coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and
heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and 216 million in
damage (2007 USD).
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Gonu>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
350:
Roman usurper Nepotianus of the Constantinian dynasty proclaimed
himself Roman Emperor, entering Rome with a group of gladiators.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotianus>
1621:
The Dutch West India Company received a charter for a trade monopoly in
the West Indies by the Dutch Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_West_India_Company>
1937:
Months after he abdicated the British throne, Edward, Duke of Windsor
married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony near
Tours, France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom>
1963:
The Buddhist crisis: Soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
attacked protesting Buddhists in Huế, South Vietnam, with liquid
chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised
for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_chemical_attacks>
1992:
The High Court of Australia delivered its decision in the landmark case
Mabo v Queensland, recognising the land rights of the Aborigines.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabo_v_Queensland>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apothecary (n):
A person who makes and provides/sells drugs and/or medicines
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apothecary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only
do little.
--Sydney Smith
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Smith>
Banksia prionotes is a species of shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in
the Proteaceae family. It is native to the southwest of Western
Australia and can reach up to 10 m (30 ft) in height. This species has
serrated, dull green leaves and large, bright flower spikes, initially
white then opening to a bright orange. The tree is a popular garden
plant and also of importance to the cut flower industry. Banksia
prionotes was first described in 1840 by English botanist John Lindley,
probably from material collected by James Drummond the previous year.
There are no recognised varieties, although it has been known to
hybridise with Banksia hookeriana. Widely distributed in south-west
Western Australia, B. prionotes is found from Shark Bay (25° S) in the
north, south as far as Kojonup (33°50′S). It grows exclusively in sandy
soils, and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland.
Pollinated by birds, it provides food for a wide array of vertebrate
and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months. It is an
important source of food for honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and is
critical to their survival in the Avon Wheatbelt region, where it is
the only nectar-producing plant in flower at some times of the year.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_prionotes>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1763:
Pontiac's Rebellion: The local Ojibwe captured Fort Michilimackinac in
present-day Mackinaw City, Michigan after diverting the garrison's
attention with a game of stickball, then chasing a ball into the fort.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Michilimackinac>
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.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Slavic_Congress%2C_1848>
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.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benno_Ohnesorg>
1995:
United States Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady was shot down by a
Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile while patrolling the NATO
no-fly zone over Bosnia in an F-16, but he was able to eject safely and
was then rescued six days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrkonji%C4%87_Grad_incident>
2003:
The Mars Express space probe, the first planetary mission of the
European Space Agency, was launched.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Express>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
interpose (v):
1. To insert something (or oneself) between other things.
2. To interrupt a conversation by introducing a different subject or
making a comment
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/interpose>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Poet's License! — 't is the right,
Within the rule of duty,
To look on all delightful things
Throughout the world of beauty.
To gaze with rapture at the stars
That in the skies are glowing;
To see the gems of perfect dye
That in the woods are growing, —
And more than sage astronomer,
And more than learned florist,
To read the glorious homilies
Of Firmament and Forest.
--John Godfrey Saxe
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Godfrey_Saxe>