Peter Jones (1802–1856) was an Ojibwa Methodist minister, translator,
chief and author from Burlington Heights, Upper Canada. Jones converted
to Methodism at age 21 after attending a camp-meeting with his half
sister. As a bilingual and bicultural preacher, he enabled the
Methodists to make significant inroads with the Mississaugas and
Iroquois of Upper Canada, both by translating hymns and biblical texts
in Ojibwe and Mohawk and preaching to Indians who did not understand
English. Beyond his preaching to the Indians of Upper Canada, he was an
excellent fundraiser for the Canadian Methodists, and toured the United
States and Great Britain giving sermons and speeches. Jones drew
audiences of thousands, filling many of the buildings he spoke in, but
came to resent the role, believing the audiences came to see
Kahkewāquonāby, the exotic Indian, not Peter Jones, the good Christian
he had worked so hard to become. Jones was also a political leader. In
1825, he wrote the Indian Department; his letter was the first the
department had ever received from an Indian. This brought him into
contact with Superintendent of the Indian Department James Givins and
influential Bishop John Strachan, with whom he arranged the funding and
support of the Credit Mission.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jones_%28missionary%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1794:
To protect American merchant ships from Barbary pirates, the United
States Congress passed the Naval Act to establish a naval force of six
frigates, which eventually became the United States Navy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy>
1851:
Explorer Lafayette Bunnell and other members of the Mariposa Battalion
became the non-indigenous discoverers of California's Yosemite Valley .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley>
1977:
Two Boeing 747 airliners collided on a foggy runway at Los Rodeos
Airport on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people and
resulting in the worst aircraft accident in aviation history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster>
1998:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug sildenafil,
better known by the trade name Viagra, for use as a treatment for
erectile dysfunction, the first pill to be approved for this condition
in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sildenafil>
2002:
A suicide bomber killed about 30 Israeli civilians and injured about
140 others at the Park Hotel in Netanya, triggering Operation Defensive
Shield, a large-scale counter-terrorist Israeli military incursion into
the West Bank, two days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
daub (v):
To apply something to a surface in hasty or crude strokes
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/daub>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At this point in history when all things which concern man and the
structure and elements of history itself are suddenly revealed to us in
a new light, it behooves us in our scientific thinking to become
masters of the situation, for it is not inconceivable that sooner than
we suspect, as has often been the case before in history, this vision
may disappear, the opportunity may be lost, and the world will once
again present a static, uniform, and inflexible countenance.
--Karl Mannheim
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Mannheim>
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is located on the
Indo-China border connecting the Indian state of Sikkim with the Tibet
Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The pass, at 4,310
m (14,140 ft) above mean sea level, forms part of an offshoot of the
ancient Silk Road. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in
Tibetan. It is also spelled Ntula, Natu La, Nathula, or Natula. Nathu
La is one of the three trading border posts between China and India;
the other two are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh (or
Lipulech) in Uttarakhand. Sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian
War, it was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade
agreements. The opening of the pass is expected to bolster the economy
of the region and play a key role in the growing Sino-Indian trade.
Currently, agreements between the two nations limit trade across the
pass to the export of 29 types of goods from India and import of 15
from the Chinese side. The opening also shortens the travel distance to
important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the region.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1027:
Pope John XIX crowned Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1484:
William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, printed his
translation of Aesop's Fables.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop%27s_Fables>
1636:
Utrecht University, one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands
and one of the largest in Europe, was established.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht_University>
1971:
After the Pakistan Army attempted to curb the Bengali nationalist
movement in Operation Searchlight, East Pakistan declared its
independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh , starting the Bangladesh
Liberation War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Searchlight>
1975:
The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament
treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons, entered
into force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention>
1999:
The Melissa computer worm was released, infecting e-mail systems around
the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_%28computer_worm%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conterminous (adj):
1. Meeting end-to-end or at the ends.
2. (of geographical regions) Adjoining; sharing a boundary.
3. Having
the same scope, range of meaning, or extent in time
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conterminous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't
think that's what we're really seeking. I think what we're seeking is
an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the
purely physical plane will have resonance within our own innermost
being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.
That's what it's all finally about.
--Joseph Campbell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell>
The Hellingly Hospital Railway was a light railway owned and operated
by East Sussex County Council, used to deliver coal and passengers to
Hellingly Hospital, a psychiatric hospital near Hailsham, via a spur
from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway’s Cuckoo Line at
Hellingly railway station. The railway was constructed in 1899 and
opened to passengers on 20 July 1903, following its electrification in
1902. After the railway grouping of 1923, passenger numbers declined so
significantly that the hospital authorities no longer considered
passenger usage of the line to be economical, and the service was
withdrawn. The railway closed to freight in 1959, following the
hospital's decision to convert its coal boilers to oil, which rendered
the railway unnecessary. The route took a mostly direct path from a
junction immediately south of Hellingly Station to Hellingly Hospital,
past sidings known as Farm Siding and Park House Siding respectively,
used as stopping places to load and unload produce and supplies from
outbuildings of the hospital. Much of the railway has since been
converted to footpath, and many of the buildings formerly served by the
line are now abandoned.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellingly_Hospital_Railway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1306:
Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at Scone near Perth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I_of_Scotland>
1409:
The Council of Pisa, an unrecognized ecumenical conference of the Roman
Catholic Church held in Pisa that attempted to end the Western Schism,
opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Pisa>
1634:
Lord Baltimore, his younger brother Leonard Calvert, and a group of
Catholic settlers founded the English colony of Maryland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Maryland>
1655:
Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan , the largest
natural satellite of the planet Saturn.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29>
1802:
France and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Amiens, temporarily
ending the hostilities between the two during the French Revolutionary
Wars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amiens>
1807:
The Slave Trade Act became law, abolishing the slave trade in the
British Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_Trade_Act_1807>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
incendiary (adj):
1. Capable of causing fire.
2. Intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion
3. Inflammatory,
emotionally charged
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/incendiary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Political rights do not exist because they have been legally set down
on a piece of paper, but only when they have become the ingrown habit
of a people, and when any attempt to impair them will meet with the
violent resistance of the populace. Where this is not the case, there
is no help in any parliamentary Opposition or any Platonic appeals to
the constitution. One compels respect from others when he knows how to
defend his dignity as a human being.
--Rudolf Rocker
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rudolf_Rocker>
Operation Varsity was a joint American–British airborne operation that
took place in March 1945, towards the end of World War II. It was
planned to aid the British 21st Army Group, under Field Marshal Bernard
Montgomery, in securing a foothold across the River Rhine in western
Germany by landing two airborne divisions on the eastern bank of the
Rhine near the towns of Hamminkeln and Wesel. The operation involved
two airborne divisions from US XVIII Airborne Corps: the British 6th
Airborne Division and the US 17th Airborne Division. Despite some
errors by the airborne forces, the operation was an overall success,
with both divisions landing and capturing a number of bridges across
the Rhine and securing several towns which could have been used by the
enemy to delay the advance of the British ground forces. The two
divisions incurred more than 2,000 casualties, but captured
approximately 3,000 German soldiers in the process. The operation was
the last large–scale Allied airborne operation of World War II, and was
the largest in history.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Varsity>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1603:
King James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne of England and Ireland,
becoming James I of England and unifying the crowns of the three
kingdoms for the first time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_England>
1882:
German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tuberculosis>
1934:
The United States Government passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act,
establishing the Commonwealth of the Philippines, a ten-year
transitional government in preparation for full Philippine independence
and sovereignty.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_the_Philippines>
1976:
Dirty War: President Isabel Perón of Argentina was kidnapped and
deposed in a bloodless coup d'état.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Mart%C3%ADnez_de_Per%C3%B3n>
1989:
The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million U.S. gallons of
oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the most
devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill>
1999:
Kosovo War: NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia, marking the
first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NATO_bombing_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Y…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rogation (n):
A deeply serious and somber prayer or entreaty
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rogation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I do not want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or
freedom for a few.
--William Morris
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Morris>
Proserpine is a verse drama written for children by the Romantic
writers Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary wrote the blank
verse drama and Percy contributed two lyric poems. Composed in 1820
while the Shelleys were living in Italy, it is often considered a
partner to the Shelleys' play Midas. Proserpine was first published in
the London periodical The Winter's Wreath in 1832. The drama is based
on Ovid's tale of the abduction of Proserpine by Pluto, which itself
was based on the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. Mary Shelley's
version focuses on the female characters. In a largely feminist
retelling from Ceres's point of view, Shelley emphasises the separation
of mother and daughter and the strength offered by a community of
women. Ceres represents life and love, and Pluto represents death and
violence. The genres of the text also reflect gender debates of the
time. Proserpine is part of a female literary tradition which, as
feminist literary critic Susan Gubar describes it, has used the story
of Ceres and Proserpine to "re-define, to re-affirm and to celebrate
female consciousness itself". However, the play has been both neglected
and marginalised by critics.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proserpine_%28play%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolution: Patrick Henry made his "Give me liberty or give
me death" speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, urging the
legislature to take military action against the British Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_me_liberty_or_give_me_death>
1868:
Governor of California Henry Huntly Haight signed a law establishing
the University of California, today a public university system that is
considered a model for public institutions across the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California>
1933:
The German Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, essentially giving German
Chancellor Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers by granting him and the
Cabinet the authority to enact laws without the participation of the
Reichstag.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933>
1940:
Pakistan Movement: During its three-day general session, the Muslim
League drafted the Lahore Resolution, calling for greater autonomy in
British India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Resolution>
1996:
Lee Teng-hui was elected President of the Republic of China in the
first direct presidential election in Taiwan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui>
2007:
Iranian military personnel seized 15 British Royal Navy personnel from
HMS Cornwall, claiming that the British ship sailed into Iran's
territorial waters.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Iranian_seizure_of_Royal_Navy_personnel>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
furlough (n):
(US) A leave of absence or vacation, especially one granted to a member
of the armed forces, or to a prisoner
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furlough>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the
evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even
the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye
more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
--Jesus
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jesus>
Bezhin Meadow is a 1937 Soviet film, directed by Sergei Eisenstein,
which is renowned for having been suppressed and believed destroyed
before its completion. It tells the story of a young farm boy whose
father attempts to betray the government for political reasons by
sabotaging the year's harvest, the son's efforts to stop his own father
to protect the Soviet state, and culminates in the boy's murder and a
social uprising. The film draws its title from a story by Ivan
Turgenev, but is based on the life of Pavlik Morozov, a young Russian
boy who became a political martyr following his death in 1932, after he
denounced his father to Soviet government authorities and subsequently
died at the hands of his family. Commissioned by a Communist youth
group, the film's production ran from 1935 to 1937, until it was halted
by the central Soviet government for alleged artistic, social, and
political failures in the film's content. Some, however, blamed the
failure of Bezhin Meadow on government interference and policies,
extending all the way to Joseph Stalin himself. Bezhin Meadow was long
thought lost in the wake of World War II bombings. In the 1960s,
however, cuttings and partial prints of the film were found; from
these, a reconstruction of Bezhin Meadow, based on the original script,
was undertaken. In spite of the failure of Bezhin Meadow, Eisenstein
would rebound to win Soviet acclaim and awards, and become artistic
director of a major film studio.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezhin_Meadow>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
238:
Because of his advanced age, both Gordian I and his son Gordian II were
proclaimed Roman Emperors.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_I>
1622:
The Powhatan Confederacy under Chief Opchanacanough killed almost 350
English settlers around Jamestown, a third of the Colony of Virginia's
population.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_massacre_of_1622>
1765:
The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, requiring that
many printed materials in the Thirteen Colonies in British North
America carry a tax stamp, adding fuel to the growing separatist
movement in the area.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765>
1849:
First Italian War of Independence: After capturing the fortress town of
Mortara, forces led by Austrian General Joseph Radetzky von Radetz
routed Sardinian troops at the Battle of Novara.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Novara_%281849%29>
1945:
Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan, and Yemen
founded the Arab League, a regional organization that facilitates
political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed
to promote the interests of the Arab world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
protean (adj):
Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/protean>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Music and silence... combine strongly because music is done with
silence, and silence is full of music.
--Marcel Marceau
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marcel_Marceau>
The first-move advantage in chess refers to the inherent advantage of
the player (called White) who makes the first move in chess. Chess
players and theorists generally agree that White begins the game with
some advantage. Statistics compiled since 1851 support this view,
showing that White consistently wins slightly more often than Black,
usually scoring between 53 and 56 percent. Chess players and
theoreticians have debated whether, given perfect play by both sides,
the game should end in a win for White or a draw. Since at least 1889,
when World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz addressed the issue, the
overwhelming consensus has been that a game of chess should end in a
draw with best play. However, a few notable players have argued that
White's advantage may be sufficient to win: Weaver Adams and Vsevolod
Rauzer claimed that White is winning after the first move 1.e4, while
Hans Berliner argued that 1.d4 may win for White. It is possible that
computers will eventually resolve the debate by determining the correct
outcome of a perfectly played game of chess. Since 1988, chess
theorists have challenged previously well-established views about
White's advantage. Grandmaster András Adorján wrote a series of
successful books on the theme that "Black is OK!", arguing that the
general perception that White has an advantage is founded more in
psychology than reality.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-move_advantage_in_chess>
_______________________________
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>
1800:
Pius VII was crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made
of papier-mâché.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VII>
1804:
The Napoleonic code, the French civil code established under Napoleon,
entered into force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_code>
1960:
Police in Sharpeville, South Africa opened fire on a group of unarmed
black demonstrators who were protesting pass laws, killing almost 70
people and wounding about 180 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre>
1989:
An article in Sports Illustrated alleged that Pete Rose, the Manager of
the Cincinnati Reds, was involved in baseball gambling.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hematophagy (n):
The practice, of some animals, of feeding on blood
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hematophagy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst
forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder
and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous
change! But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity.
To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be miraculous and
the perpetual exercise of God's power seems less wonderful than its
withdrawal would be.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow>
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester,
England. In 2007, the population of the Manchester local government
district was estimated to be 458,100, whilst the surrounding
Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester had an estimated population
of 2,562,200. Forming part of the English Core Cities Group, often
described as the second city of the UK, and the "Capital of the North",
Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education
and commerce. In a poll of British business leaders published in 2006,
Manchester was regarded as the best place in the UK to locate a
business. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and
among its other sporting connections are its two Premier League
football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United. Historically,
most of the city was a part of Lancashire, with areas south of the
River Mersey being in Cheshire. Manchester was the world's first
industrialised city and played a central role during the Industrial
Revolution. Manchester City Centre is now on a tentative list of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites, mainly due to the network of canals and mills
constructed during its 19th-century development.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
After escaping from his 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, and further intensifying the sectional
conflict leading to the American Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin>
1883:
Eleven countries signed the Paris Convention for the Protection of
Industrial Property, one of the first intellectual property treaties.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Industr…>
1987:
The antiretroviral drug zidovudine (AZT) became the first antiviral
medication approved for use against HIV and AIDS.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zidovudine>
1995:
The Aum Shinrikyo sect carried out a poison gas attack on the Tokyo
Subway, killing 12 people and injuring thousands of others with sarin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bluster (v):
1. To speak or protest loudly.
2. To blow in strong or sudden gusts
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bluster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and
discovery, it is that, in the long run — and often in the short one —
the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.
--Arthur C. Clarke
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke>
Gyromitra esculenta is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra,
widely distributed across Europe and North America and one of several
species of fungi known as false morels. It normally sprouts in sandy
soils under coniferous trees, in spring and early summer. The fruiting
body, or mushroom, is an irregular brain-shaped cap dark brown in
colour which can reach 10 cm (4 in) high and 15 cm (6 in) wide, perched
on a stout white stipe up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high. Although potentially
fatal if eaten raw, Gyromitra esculenta is a popular delicacy in
Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the upper Great Lakes region of North
America. It may be sold fresh in Finland, but it must be accompanied by
warnings and instructions on correct preparation. It is eaten in
omelettes, soups, or sautéed in Finnish cuisine. Once popular in the
Pyrenees, it is now prohibited from sale for consumption in Spain.
Although it is still commonly consumed after parboiling, recent
evidence suggests that even this procedure may not make the fungus
entirely safe; thus raising concerns of risk even when prepared
properly. When consumed, the false morel's principal active agent,
gyromitrin, is metabolized into the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine.
The toxin affects the liver, central nervous system, and sometimes the
kidneys.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyromitra_esculenta>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
The Song Dynasty in Imperial China ended with a victory by the Yuan
Dynasty at the Battle of Yamen off the coast of Xinhui, Guangdong
Province.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yamen>
1687:
The search for the mouth of the Mississippi River led by French
explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ended with a mutiny
and his murder in present-day Texas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9-Robert_Cavelier%2C_Sieur_de_La_Salle>
1945:
World War II: A single Japanese aircraft hit the American aircraft
carrier USS Franklin , killing over 700 of her crew and crippling the
ship.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Franklin_%28CV-13%29>
1978:
In response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the United Nations
called on Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and
established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_425>
1982:
Argentine forces led by Alfredo Astiz occupied South Georgia,
precipitating the Falklands War against the United Kingdom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mandarin (n):
1. (historical) A high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire.
2. A pedantic or elitist bureaucrat
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mandarin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Do what thy manhood bids thee do, from none but self expect applause;
He noblest lives and noblest dies who makes and keeps his self-made
laws.
--Richard Francis Burton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton>
Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many calculations
are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large
problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved
concurrently. There are several different forms of parallel computing:
bit-level-, instruction-level-, data-, and task parallelism. As power
consumption by computers has become a concern in recent years, parallel
computing has become the dominant paradigm in computer architecture,
mainly in the form of multicore processors. Parallel computers can be
roughly classified according to the level at which the hardware
supports parallelism—with multi-core and multi-processor computers
having multiple processing elements within a single machine, while
clusters, MPPs, and grids use multiple computers to work on the same
task. Parallel computer programs are more difficult to write than
sequential ones, because concurrency introduces several new classes of
potential software bugs, of which race conditions are the most common.
Communication and synchronization between the different subtasks are
typically one of the greatest obstacles to getting good parallel
program performance. The speed-up of a program as a result of
parallelization is given by Amdahl's law.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_computing>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1229:
Sixth Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II crowned himself King of
Jerusalem, although his wife Queen Yolande of Jerusalem had died,
leaving their infant son Conrad as the rightful heir.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1871:
French President Adolphe Thiers ordered the evacuation of Paris after
an uprising broke out as the result of France's defeat in the
Franco–Prussian War, leading to the establishment of the Paris Commune
government.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune>
1892:
Canadian Governor General Frederick 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>
1915:
World War I: In one of the largest naval battles in the Gallipoli
Campaign, a joint British and French operation to capture
Constantinople, the defences of the Ottoman Empire sunk three Allied
battleships and severely damaged three others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_Campaign>
1965:
Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov donned a space suit and ventured outside the
Voskhod 2 spacecraft, becoming the first person to walk in space.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voskhod_2>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
clairvoyant (adj):
1. Of, or relating to clairvoyance.
2. Able to see things that cannot be perceived by the normal
senses.
3. Able to foresee the future
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clairvoyant>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause,
while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.
--Wilhelm Stekel
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Stekel>