Over the Edge was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced
by the World Wrestling Federation, which took place on May 23, 1999, at
the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The show's seven matches
showcased prominent WWF wrestlers, who acted out the franchise's
stories in and out of the ring; however, the wrestling industry mostly
remembered the show for the accidental death of wrestler Owen Hart. In
the main event, The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin in a singles match
(with Shane McMahon as the guest referee) to win the WWF Championship.
Owen Hart was scheduled to face The Godfather for the WWF
Intercontinental Championship during the event. Hart was to make a
superhero-like ring entrance, which would have seen him descend from
the arena rafters into the ring. He was, however, released prematurely
when the harness line malfunctioned, and fell more than 70Â feet (21Â m)
into the ring and died. Criticism later arose over the WWF's decision
to continue the show after Hart's accident. In court, the Hart family
sued the organization, contending that poor planning of the dangerous
stunt caused Owen's death. The WWF settled the case.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Edge_%281999%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1430:
Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of Compiègne.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Compi%C3%A8gne>
1498:
Girolamo Savonarola of Florence was executed for heresy, uttering
prophecies, sedition, and other crimes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girolamo_Savonarola>
1706:
War of the Spanish Succession: Led by the Duke of Marlborough, the
allied forces of England, the Dutch Republic, and Denmark defeated the
Franco-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-day Belgium.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramillies>
1844:
At a meeting at his house in Shiraz, Iran, that lasted from the
previous night to dawn, Siyyid `AlÃ-Muhammad ShÃrázà proclaimed that he
was "the Báb", after a Shi`a religious concept, marking the beginning
of the Bábà movement, the forerunner of the Bahá'à Faith.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bism>
1934:
American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and
killed by police on a desolate road near their hideout in Bienville
Parish, Louisiana.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde>
1949:
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany came into effect as
the de facto constitution of West Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_for_the_Federal_Republic_of_Germany>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kiosk (n):
A small enclosed structure, open on one side or with a window, used as
a booth to sell newspapers, cigarettes, etc
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kiosk>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Genius will live and thrive without training, but it does not the less
reward the watering–pot and pruning–knife.
--Margaret Fuller
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Fuller>
Lawrence Sullivan Ross (1838–1898) was the 19th Governor of Texas, a
Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a
president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. As a
teenager, Ross attended Baylor University and Florence Wesleyan
University. After graduation Ross became a Texas Ranger, and in 1860
led troops in the Battle of Pease River, where he rescued Cynthia Ann
Parker, who had been captured by the Comanches as a child. When Texas
joined the Confederacy, Ross joined the Confederate States Army. He
participated in 135Â battles and skirmishes and became one of the
youngest Confederate generals. Following the Civil War, Ross briefly
served as sheriff of McLennan County before resigning to participate in
the 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention. With the exception of a
two-year term as a state senator, Ross spent the next decade focused on
his farm and ranch concerns. In 1887, he became the 19th governor of
Texas. During his two terms, he oversaw the dedication of the new Texas
State Capitol, resolved the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, and became the only
Texas governor to call a special session to deal with a treasury
surplus. Days after leaving office, Ross became president of the
Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. After his death, the
Texas legislature created Sul Ross State University in his honor.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Sullivan_Ross>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1455:
Forces led by Richard, Duke of York and Richard, Earl of Warwick
captured Lancastrian King Henry VI of England, beginning the Wars of
the Roses with a Yorkist victory in the First Battle of St Albans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_St_Albans>
1809:
War of the Fifth Coalition: Austrian forces under Archduke Charles
prevented Napoleon I and his French troops from crossing the Danube
near Vienna at the Battle of Aspern-Essling.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aspern-Essling>
1826:
HMS Beagle departed on its first voyage from Plymouth for a
hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of
South America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle>
1960:
The Great Chilean Earthquake, measuring 9.5 Mw, devastated Valdivia,
Chile, and generated destructive tsunamis that reached Hawaii the
following day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake>
1964:
During a speech at the University of Michigan, U.S. President Lyndon B.
Johnson presented the goals of his Great Society domestic social
reforms to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society>
1980:
Pac-Man, an arcade game that became virtually synonymous with video
games and an icon of 1980s popular culture, made its debut in Japan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
esoteric (adj):
1. Understood only by a chosen few or an enlightened inner circle.
2. Having to do with concepts that are highly theoretical and without
obvious practical application.
3. Confidential; private
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/esoteric>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly
recognizes genius.
--Arthur Conan Doyle
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle>
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in
World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army,
Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth
Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of
Stalingrad, and was aimed at destroying German forces in and around
Stalingrad. The Red Army took advantage of the fact that German forces
in the southern Soviet Union were overstretched, using weaker Romanian
and Italian armies to guard their flanks. At 07:20 (Moscow time) on 19
November 1942 Soviet forces on the northern flank of the Axis forces at
Stalingrad began their offensive; forces in the south began on 20
November. Although Romanian units were able to repel the first attacks,
by the end of 20 November the Third and Fourth Romanian armies were in
headlong retreat, as the Red Army bypassed several German infantry
divisions. By late 22 November Soviet forces linked up at the town of
Kalach, encircling some 290,000 men east of the Don River. Instead of
attempting a breakout operation, German dictator Adolf Hitler instead
decided to keep Axis forces in Stalingrad and resupply them by air. In
the meantime, Soviet and German commanders began to plan their next
movements.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Uranus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
325:
The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the
Christian Church, was formally opened in present-day Iznik, Turkey to
resolve disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of
Jesus in relationship to God the Father.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea>
1293:
Sancho IV, King of Castile and León, established what is now the
Complutense University of Madrid, today one of the top public
universities in Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madrid>
1570:
The first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by cartographer
Abraham Ortelius, was issued.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Ortelius>
1873:
Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis were granted
a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim
overalls, paving the way for their business Levi Strauss & Co. to start
manufacturing their first line of blue jeans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss_%26_Co.>
1927:
By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty
of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged
to become Saudi Arabia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Saud_of_Saudi_Arabia>
2002:
East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the twenty-first
century after Indonesia relinquished control of the territory.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
voluble (adj):
1. Fluent; having a ready flow of speech; garrulous or loquacious.
2. Easily rolling or turning.
3. (botany) Twisting and turning like a
vine
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/voluble>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it
is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing
generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those
who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the
opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is
almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier
impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.
--John Stuart Mill
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill>
Styracosaurus was a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the
Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage), about 76.5 to 75.0 million years
ago. It had four to six long horns extending from its neck frill, a
smaller horn on each of its cheeks, and a single horn protruding from
its nose, which may have reached dimensions of around 60Â centimeters
(2Â ft) long and 15Â centimeters (6Â in) wide. The function or functions
of the horns and frills have been the subject of debate for many years.
Styracosaurus was a large dinosaur, reaching lengths of 5.5Â meters
(18Â ft) and weighing nearly 3Â tons. It stood about 1.8Â meters (6Â ft)
tall. Styracosaurus possessed four short legs and a bulky body. Its
tail was rather short. It also had a beak and flat cheek teeth,
indicating that its diet was herbivorous. Like other ceratopsians, this
dinosaur may have been a herd animal, traveling in large groups, as
suggested by bonebeds. Named by Lawrence Lambe in 1913, Styracosaurus
is a member of the Centrosaurinae. Two species, S. albertensis and S.
ovatus are currently assigned to Styracosaurus. Other species assigned
to the genus have since been reassigned elsewhere.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styracosaurus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson,
upholding the legality of racial segregation in public transportation
under the "Separate but equal" doctrine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson>
1944:
World War II: Polish forces under Lieutenant General Władysław Anders
captured Monte Cassino, Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino>
1948:
The first session of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China
convened in Nanking.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Yuan_of_the_Republic_of_China>
1980:
The stratovolcano Mount St. Helens erupted , killing 57 people in
southern Washington State, reducing hundreds of square miles to
wasteland, and causing over a billion U.S. dollars in damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nip in the bud (v):
1. To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from
forming.
2. (idiomatic) To stop something at an early stage
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nip_in_the_bud>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To save the world requires faith and courage: faith in reason, and
courage to proclaim what reason shows to be true.
--Bertrand Russell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell>
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6Â kilometres (4Â mi)
long by 2.4Â kilometres (1.5Â mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland
is 8Â kilometres (5Â mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the
southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. Chesil Beach
connects it to the mainland, and the A354 road bridge connects it to
Weymouth, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The
population of Portland is almost 13,000. Portland is a central part of
the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon
coast, important for its geology and landforms. Its name is used for
one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of
North American and Australian towns. Portland limestone is still
quarried here, and is used in British architecture, including St Paul's
Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. The large, deep artificial harbour on
Portland's northern shore was a Royal Navy base during World War I and
World War II; the Navy and NATO trained in its waters until the 1990s.
The harbour is a small civilian port and popular recreation area; the
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will host the sailing
events for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Portland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1590:
Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the abbey
church at Holyrood Palace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark>
1865:
The International Telecommunication Union, an international
organization that standardizes and regulates international radio and
telecommunications, was founded as the International Telegraph Union in
Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union>
1900:
Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking in South Africa was lifted after
217 days, a decisive victory for the British against the Boers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mafeking>
1943:
World War II: Royal Air Force Dam Busters successfully deployed
bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise>
1954:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of
Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because
"separate educational facilities are inherently unequal".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
practicum (n):
1. A college course designed to give a student supervised practical
knowledge of a subject previously studied theoretically.
2. A science exam in which students are questioned about specimens or
other objects placed in front of them
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practicum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe, in spite of all, in truth's victory. I believe in the
momentous value, hereafter inviolable, of those few truly fraternal men
in all the countries of the world, who, in the oscillation of national
egoisms let loose, stand up and stand out, steadfast as the glorious
statues of Right and Duty.
--Henri Barbusse
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platform video game published
and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.
The game was released in North America and Japan in May 2006, and in
Australia and Europe in June 2006. It is the first original
side-scrolling platform game starring Mario since Super Mario Land 2: 6
Golden Coins in 1992, and it is the first game to be a part of the main
Mario series of video games since Super Mario Sunshine in 2002. The
game's story is similar to those of other side-scrolling Mario games.
New Super Mario Bros. follows the titular Mario as he fights his way
through Bowser's henchmen to rescue Princess Peach. Mario has access to
several power-ups that help him complete his quest, including the Super
Mushroom, the Fire Flower, and the Starman, each giving him unique
abilities. While traveling to eight worlds with ten levels in each,
Mario must defeat Bowser Jr. and Bowser before finally saving Princess
Peach. Reviews were generally favorable towards the game, which
received an aggregated score of 89% from Metacritic. Praise focused on
improvements made to the Mario franchise, while criticism targeted the
game's simplicity. New Super Mario Bros. received several honors,
including Game of the Month awards from Game Informer and Electronic
Gaming Monthly, and Editors' Choice Awards from IGN and GameSpot. In
Japan, the game broke the record for the best-selling debut for a
Nintendo DS game. Overall, the game has sold 17.63 million copies
worldwide.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Super_Mario_Bros.>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1204:
Fourth Crusade: Count Baldwin IX of Flanders was crowned the first
Latin Emperor in Constantinople.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_I_of_Constantinople>
1811:
Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese
troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south of
Badajoz, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albuera>
1877:
President Patrice de Mac-Mahon dismissed Jules Simon and installed
Albert, Duc de Broglie as Prime Minister, triggering a political crisis
in the French Third Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_May_1877_crisis>
1929:
The first ceremony of the Academy Awards were held at the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award>
1975:
Based on the results of a referendum held about one month earlier,
Sikkim abolished its monarchy and was annexed by India, becoming its
22nd state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikkim>
2003:
In the deadliest terrorist attack in Morocco's history, a series of
suicide bombings in Casablanca killed 33 civilians and 12 out of the 14
bombers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Casablanca_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
draconian (adj):
1. Very severe, oppressive or strict.
2. (in fiction) Of or resembling a dragon
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/draconian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.
--Marcus Aurelius
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius>
Street newspapers are newspapers or magazines that are sold by homeless
or poor individuals and are produced mainly to support these
populations. Most such newspapers primarily provide coverage about
homelessness and poverty-related issues, and seek to strengthen social
networks within homeless communities. Street papers aim to give these
individuals both employment opportunities and a voice in their
community. In addition to being sold by homeless individuals, many
papers are partially produced and written by them. Several publications
by charity, religious, and labor organizations tried to draw attention
to the homeless in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but street
newspapers only became common after the founding of New York City's
Street News in 1989. Similar papers are now published in over 30
countries, with most located in the United States and Western Europe.
They are supported by governments, charities, and coalitions such as
the International Network of Street Papers and the North American
Street Newspaper Association. Although street newspapers have
multiplied, many still face challenges, including funding shortages,
unreliable staff and difficulty in generating interest and maintaining
an audience.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_newspaper>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1607:
An expedition led by Edward Maria Wingfield, Christopher Newport, and
John Smith established the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia, the first
permanent English settlement in North America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown_Settlement>
1796:
English scientist Edward Jenner began testing cowpox as a vaccine for
protection against smallpox.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner>
1804:
The Lewis and Clark Expedition led by explorers Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark left Camp Dubois near present-day Hartford, Illinois, and
began the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and
back.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition>
1943:
World War II: The Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was attacked and
sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, killing 268
people aboard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AHS_Centaur>
1948:
David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence
at the present-day Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, officially
establishing a new Jewish state in parts of the former British Mandate
of Palestine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%28Israel%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
grue (adj):
1. (philosophy) Of an object, green when first observed before a
specified time or blue when first observed after that time.
2. (linguistics) A term sometimes used as a translation of the word
used for both "green" and "blue" in certain languages, such as Welsh,
that do not distinguish between the two colors
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grue>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Errors now almost universally exist, and must be overcome solely by the
force of reason; and as reason, to effect the most beneficial purposes,
makes her advance by slow degrees, and progressively substantiates one
truth of high import after another, it will be evident, to minds of
comprehensive and accurate thought, that by these and similar
compromises alone can success be rationally expected in practice. For
such compromises bring truth and error before the public; and whenever
they are fairly exhibited together, truth must ultimately prevail.
--Robert Owen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Owen>