Rudolf Wolters (1903–1983) was a German architect and government
official, known for his longtime association with fellow architect and
Third Reich official Albert Speer. The two formed a friendship while
students in the 1920s. In 1937, Speer hired him as a department head,
and Wolters soon took major responsibility for Hitler's scheme to
reconstruct Berlin on a massive scale. When Speer became Minister of
Armaments and War Production in 1942, Wolters moved to his department,
remaining his close associate. After Speer's indictment and
imprisonment for war crimes, Wolters stood by him loyally. In addition
to receiving and organizing Speer's clandestine notes from Spandau
Prison, which later served as the basis of his best-selling books of
memoirs, Wolters quietly raised money for Speer. These funds were used
to support Speer's family and for other purposes, according to
directions which Wolters received from his former superior. Following
Speer's release in 1966, their friendship gradually deteriorated, until
the two men became so embittered that Wolters allowed papers
demonstrating Speer's knowledge of the persecution of the Jews to
become public.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Wolters>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
455:
Following the death of Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III, the
Vandals led by King Gaiseric sacked Rome, looting treasure from the
city and taking Empress Licinia Eudoxia and her daughters hostage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandals>
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>
1924:
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into
law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the
territorial limits of the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act_of_1924>
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>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
over the top (adj):
Excessive; exaggerated; outrageous
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/over_the_top>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The capacity to produce social chaos is the last resort of desperate
people.
--Cornel West
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cornel_West>
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low
pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds
and flooding rain. The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic
origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical
regions of the globe, and their formation in Maritime Tropical air
masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with
counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise
rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. While tropical cyclones can
produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they are also
able to produce high waves and damaging storm surge as well as spawning
tornadoes. They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their
strength if they move over land. This is the reason coastal regions can
receive significant damage from a tropical cyclone, while inland
regions are relatively safe from receiving strong winds. Heavy rains,
however, can produce significant flooding inland, and storm surges can
produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40Â kilometres (25Â mi) from the
coastline. Although their effects on human populations can be
devastating, tropical cyclones can also relieve drought conditions.
They also carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it
toward temperate latitudes, which makes them an important part of the
global atmospheric circulation mechanism. As a result, tropical
cyclones help to maintain equilibrium in the Earth's troposphere, and
to maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide. It is
not possible to artificially induce the dissipation of these systems
with current technology.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1794:
The Glorious First of June, the first and largest fleet action of the
naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First
French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, was fought.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_First_of_June>
1813:
War of 1812: Mortally wounded during a battle against the Royal Navy
frigate HMS Shannon, American naval commander James Lawrence of the USS
Chesapeake ordered his crew to "Don't give up the ship!", today a
popular battle cry.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_USS_Chesapeake>
1831:
British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross successfully led
the first expedition to reach the North Magnetic Pole.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clark_Ross>
1943:
Eight German Junkers Ju 88s shot down British Overseas Airways
Corporation Flight 777 over the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Spain
and France, killing actor Leslie Howard and several other notable
passengers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_777>
2001:
Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal killed King Birendra and several members
of the Shah royal family in a shooting spree at the Narayanhity Royal
Palace in Kathmandu.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepalese_royal_massacre>
2005:
In their first national referendum in over two hundred years, Dutch
voters rejected the ratification of the proposed Constitution of the
European Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_European_Constitution_referendum%2C_2005>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gallivant (v):
1. To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan.
2. (obsolete) To flirt, to romance
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gallivant>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.
--Carl von Clausewitz
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz>
SMSÂ Von der Tann was the first battlecruiser built for the German
Kaiserliche Marine, as well as Germany's first major turbine-powered
warship. At the time of her construction, Von der Tann was the fastest
dreadnought-type warship afloat, capable of reaching speeds of more
than 27Â knots. Built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg, Von der Tann was one
of the workhorses of the High Seas Fleet I Scouting Group. Von der Tann
was designed in response to the British Invincible-class battlecruiser.
While the German design had slightly lighter guns—28 cm (11 in), as
opposed to the 30.5 cm (12 in) mounted on the British ships—Von der
Tann was faster and significantly better-armoured. She set the
precedent that German battlecruisers carried much heavier armour than
their British equivalents, albeit at the cost of smaller guns. The ship
participated in a number of fleet actions during the First World War,
including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, where she destroyed the
British battlecruiser HMSÂ Indefatigable within the first few minutes of
the engagement. Von der Tann was hit several times by large-calibre
shells during the battle, but the damage was quickly repaired and the
ship returned to the fleet in two months. Following the end of the war
in 1918, Von der Tann, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was
interned at Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate
of the fleet. The ship met her end when the fleet was scuttled in 1919
to prevent them falling into British hands. The wreck of Von der Tann
was raised in 1930, and scrapped at Rosyth from 1931 to 1934.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Von_der_Tann>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1279 BC:
According to estimations believed by most Egyptologists today, Ramesses
II became Pharaoh of Egypt.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II>
1223:
Mongol invasions: Mongol forces defeated a combined army of Kiev,
Galich, and the Cumans on the banks of the Kalchik River in present-day
Ukraine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River>
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.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys>
1889:
The South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, failed,
unleashing a torrent of 18.1 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons)
of water that killed over 2,200 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood>
1977:
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed, a major U.S. oil
pipeline connecting oil fields in northern Alaska to a sea port where
the oil can be shipped to the Lower 48 states for refining.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System>
1997:
The Confederation Bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of
Northumberland Strait officially opened, forming a 12.9-kilometre
(8Â mi) 'fixed link' between Prince Edward Island and the Canadian
mainland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_Bridge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
implicit (adj):
1. Implied indirectly, without being directly expressed.
2. Contained in the essential nature of something but not openly
shown.
3. Having no reservations or doubts; unquestioning or unconditional
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/implicit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Be composed — be at ease with me — I am Walt Whitman, liberal and lusty
as Nature,
Not till the sun excludes you do I exclude you,
Not till the waters
refuse to glisten for you and the leaves to rustle for you, do my words
refuse to glisten and rustle for you.
--Walt Whitman
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman>
U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono, The
Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.. The band formed in 1976 when
the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. By the
mid-1980s, the band had become a top international act, noted for their
anthemic sound, Bono's impassioned vocals, and The Edge's textural
guitar playing. Their success as a live act was greater than their
success at selling records until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree
elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars," according to
Rolling Stone. U2 responded to the dance and alternative rock
revolutions and their own sense of musical stagnation by reinventing
themselves with their 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo
TV Tour. Similar experimentation continued for the rest of the 1990s.
Since 2000, U2 have pursued a more conventional rock sound that retains
the influence of their previous musical explorations. U2 have sold more
than 145 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more
than any other band. In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone
magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of
all time. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they
have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
Armenian rebels were defeated by forces of the Sassanid Empire on the
Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan, but were eventually guaranteed religious
freedom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Avarayr>
1828:
Kaspar Hauser , a foundling with suspected ties to the Royal House of
Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser>
1896:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, representing twelve stocks from
various American industries, was first published by journalist Charles
Dow as a stock market index.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average>
1918:
The Democratic Republic of Georgia was proclaimed following the breakup
of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Georgia>
1972:
U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow, concluding the first round
of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks>
2008:
An earthquake measuring about 6.3 Mw struck near the Indonesian city of
Yogyakarta on the southern side of the island of Java, killing at least
5,700 people, injuring at least 36,000, and leaving at least 1.5
million homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2006_Java_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
balustrade (n):
(architecture) A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open
parapet, as along the edge of a balcony
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/balustrade>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Thunder only happens when it's raining.
Players only love you when they're playing.
Say... Women... they
will come and they will go.
When the rain washes you clean... you'll know.
--Stevie Nicks
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stevie_Nicks>
The United States Military Academy is a four year coeducational federal
service academy located at West Point, New York. Established in 1802,
USMA is the oldest of the United States' five service academies. The
entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of
historic sites, buildings, and monuments. Candidates for admission must
both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually
from a congressman. Students are officers-in-training and are referred
to as cadets. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in
exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation.
Approximately 1,000 cadets graduate each spring and are commissioned as
second lieutenants. The academic program grants a bachelor of science
degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad
academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory
participation in competitive athletics. Cadets are required to adhere
to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that "a cadet will not lie,
cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do". Its alumni are
collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line" and its ranks include
two Presidents of the United States, numerous famous generals, and
seventy-four Medal of Honor recipients.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1521:
The Diet of Worms declared Protestant Reformer Martin Luther an outlaw
and a heretic, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther>
1946:
Abdullah bin Husayn , Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was
proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan>
1961:
During a speech to a Joint Session of the United States Congress, U.S.
President John F. Kennedy announced his support for the Apollo space
program, with "the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on
the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program>
1977:
Star Wars, a science fantasy film written and directed by George Lucas,
was released, becoming one of the most successful films of all time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV%3A_A_New_Hope>
2000:
Israel withdrew its army from most of Lebanese territory, 22 years
after its first invasion in 1978.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Lebanon_conflict_%281982%E2%80%932000%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chagrin (n):
Distress of mind caused by a failure of aims or plans, by mistakes, or
by want of appreciation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chagrin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it,
slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows
where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
--Douglas Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams>