The Action of 13 January 1797 was a small naval battle fought between a
French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany
during the French Revolutionary Wars. The action is notable for its outcome:
the frigates successfully outmanoeuvred the much larger French vessel and
drove it on shore in heavy seas, resulting in the death of over 900 of the
1,300 persons aboard. One of the British frigates was also lost in the
engagement, running onto a sandbank after failing to escape a lee shore. The
French ship Droits de l'Homme had been part of the Expédition d'Irlande, a
disastrous attempt by a French expeditionary force to invade Ireland. During
the operation, the French fleet was beset by poor co-ordination and
extremely violent weather, eventually being compelled to return to France
without landing a single soldier ashore. Two British frigates, HMS
Indefatigable and HMS Amazon, had been ordered to patrol the seas off Ushant
in an attempt to intercept the returning French force and sighted Droits de
l'Homme on the afternoon of 13 January. The damage the more nimble British
vessels inflicted on the French ship was so severe that as the winds
increased, the French crew lost control and Droits de l'Homme was swept onto
a sandbar and destroyed.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_13_January_1797>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1819:
British official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah
of Johor, establishing Singapore as a new trading post for the British East
India Company.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_of_modern_Singapore>
1840:
The British and the Māori signed the Treaty of Waitangi, considered as the
founding document of New Zealand.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi>
1934:
In an attempted coup d'état against the French Third Republic, far right
leagues demonstrated on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_February_1934_crisis>
1952:
Elizabeth II ascended to the thrones of the United Kingdom and six other
British Commonwealth countries upon the death of her father, George VI.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II_of_the_United_Kingdom>
1958:
British European Airways Flight 609, carrying the Manchester United football
club, a number of their fans and journalists covering the team, crashed
while attempting to take off from Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West
Germany, killing eight players and 15 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_air_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fortnight (n):
A period of fourteen nights; two weeks
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fortnight>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do
believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the
creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let
us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew
our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those
who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know
where to look. --Ronald Reagan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan>
Tim Duncan (born 1976) is a Virgin Islander American professional basketball
player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). The 6'11" (2.11 m), 260-pound (118 kg) power forward/center is a
four-time NBA champion, a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and
the current captain of the Spurs. He has also won the NBA Most Valuable
Player Award twice, and has been voted into 11 NBA All-Star Games, 11
All-NBA Teams, and 11 All-Defensive Teams. Duncan graduated from college
before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick, and his list of
accomplishments and leadership in the Spurs' NBA title runs in 1999, 2003,
2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the
greatest power forwards in NBA history. Off the court, Duncan is known for
his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy. He holds
an honors degree in psychology and created the Tim Duncan Foundation to
raise general health awareness and fund education and youth sports in
various parts of the United States.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Duncan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
Domnitor Alexander John Cuza merged his two principalities, Wallachia and
Moldavia, to form the United Principalities (now Romania).
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_John_Cuza>
1885:
Leopold II of Belgium established the Congo Free State as his personal
possession in Africa through his organization Association Internationale
Africaine and his private army, the Force Publique.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Free_State>
1924:
Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were
first broadcast by the BBC.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Observatory%2C_Greenwich>
1958:
A hydrogen bomb now known as the Tybee Bomb disappeared off the shores of
Tybee Island, Georgia after it was jettisoned during a practice exercise
when the bomber carrying it collided in midair with a fighter plane.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_B-47_crash>
2004:
The Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front captured Gonaïves, Haiti,
starting the 2004 Haitian rebellion against the government of President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Haitian_rebellion>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mollycoddle (v):
To be overprotective and indulgent toward; to pamper
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mollycoddle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let's talk sense to the American people. Let's tell them the truth, that
there are no gains without pains, that we are now on the eve of great
decisions, not easy decisions, like resistance when you're attacked, but a
long, patient, costly struggle which alone can assure triumph over the great
enemies of man — war, poverty, and tyranny — and the assaults upon human
dignity which are the most grievous consequences of each. --Adlai
Stevenson
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson>
Makemake is the third-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and one
of the two largest Kuiper belt objects (KBO) in the classical KBO
population. Its diameter is roughly three-quarters that of Pluto. Makemake
has no known satellites, which makes it unique among the largest KBOs. Its
extremely low average temperature (about 30 K) means its surface is covered
with methane, ethane and possibly nitrogen ices. Initially known as 2005 FY9
(and later given the minor planet number 136472), it was discovered on March
31, 2005 by a team led by Michael Brown, and announced on July 29, 2005. On
June 11, 2008, the IAU included Makemake in its list of potential candidates
to be given "plutoid" status, a term for dwarf planets beyond the orbit of
Neptune that would place the object alongside Pluto and Eris. Makemake was
formally classified as a plutoid in July 2008.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makemake_%28dwarf_planet%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
960:
Emperor Taizu began his reign in China, initiating the Song Dynasty period
that would eventually last for more than three centuries.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty>
1703:
Forty-six of the Forty-Seven Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) in
Edo, present-day Tokyo, as recompense for avenging the death of their
master, Daimyo of Akō Asano Naganori.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-Seven_Ronin>
1859:
German scholar Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the Codex Sinaiticus,
a 4th century uncial manuscript of the Greek Bible, in Saint Catherine's
Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus>
1957:
USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, logged her 60,000th
nautical mile, matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in
Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_%28SSN-571%29>
2003:
Under a new Constitutional Charter, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was
reconstituted into a loose confederation of Serbia and Montenegro.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
raconteur (n):
A storyteller, especially a person noted for telling stories with skill and
wit
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/raconteur>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Mistakes are part of the game. It's how well you recover from them, that's
the mark of a great player. --Alice Cooper
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper>
The Bone Wars is the name given to a period of intense fossil speculation
and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated
rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. The two
paleontologists used underhanded methods to out-compete the other in the
field, resorting to bribery, theft, and destruction of bones. The scientists
also attacked each other in scientific publications, attempting to ruin the
other's credibility and cut off his funding. Originally colleagues who were
civil to each other, Cope and Marsh became bitter enemies after several
personal slights between them. Their pursuit of bones led them west to rich
bone beds in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. From 1877 to 1892, both
paleontologists used their wealth and influence to finance their own
expeditions and to procure services and fossils from dinosaur hunters. By
the end of the Bone Wars, both men exhausted their funds in fueling their
intense rivalry. Cope and Marsh were financially and socially ruined by
their efforts to disgrace each other, but their contributions to science and
the field of paleontology were massive; the scientists left behind tons of
unopened boxes of fossils on their deaths. The feud between the two men led
to over 142 new species of dinosaurs being discovered and described.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1488:
Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias landed in Mossel Bay, having sailed
around the Cape of Good Hope and the southern tip of Africa.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossel_Bay>
1959:
Hours after appearing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, USA,
American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The
Big Bopper" Richardson were killed when their plane crashed shortly after
taking off from the nearby Mason City Municipal Airport.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died>
1966:
The Soviet spacecraft Luna 9 became the first space probe to land on the
Moon and transmit pictures from the lunar surface to Earth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_9>
1996:
A 7.0 Ms earthquake struck Lijiang City, Yunnan, China, killing at least 200
people and injuring 14,000 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Lijiang_earthquake>
2007:
A large suicide truck bomb exploded in a busy market in Baghdad, Iraq,
killing at least 135 people and injuring 339 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_February_2007_Baghdad_market_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oleaginous (adj):
1. Oily, greasy.
2. (of manner or speech) Falsely or affectedly earnest; persuasively suave
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oleaginous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When war is waged it is for the purpose of safeguarding or increasing one's
capacity to make war. International politics are wholly involved in this
vicious cycle. What is called national prestige consists in behaving always
in such a way as to demoralize other nations by giving them the impression
that, if it comes to war, one would certainly defeat them. What is called
national security is an imaginary state of affairs in which one would retain
the capacity to make war while depriving all other countries of it.
--Simone Weil
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Simone_Weil>
Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American Industrial rock act Nine
Inch Nails, released on April 16, 2007, by Interscope Records. Frontman
Trent Reznor wrote the album's music and lyrics while touring in support of
the group's previous release, With Teeth (2005). In contrast to the
introverted style of songwriting Reznor used on previous records, Year Zero
is a concept album that criticizes contemporary policies of the United
States government by presenting a dystopian vision of the year 2022. The
album is part of a larger Year Zero project which includes a remix album, an
alternate reality game, and a potential television or film project. The Year
Zero alternate reality game expanded upon the album's fictional storyline by
using media such as websites, pre-recorded phone messages, and murals. Year
Zero received very positive reviews, many of which were also favorable
toward the accompanying alternate reality game. The album produced two
singles, "Survivalism" and "Capital G", the latter released as a promotional
single. Disputes arose between Reznor and Universal Music Group, parent
company of Interscope Records, over the overseas pricing of the album.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Zero_%28album%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1536:
An expedition to the New World led by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza
founded what is now Buenos Aires, Argentina.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires>
1709:
Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued after spending four years as a
castaway on an uninhabited island in the Juan Fernández archipelago,
providing the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Selkirk>
1848:
The Mexican–American War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, granting the United States the Mexican Cession.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo>
1922:
The novel Ulysses was first published in its entirety after this material by
author James Joyce first appeared in serialized parts in the American
journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, becoming one of
the most important works of Modernist literature.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_%28novel%29>
1943:
World War II: The Soviet Red Army captured 91,000 tired and starving German
soldiers, ending the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in
human history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cunctation (n):
(obsolete) Delay, hesitation, procrastination
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cunctation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
History, Stephen said, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.
--James Joyce
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Joyce>
Woodes Rogers (c. 1679 – 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer and
later the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of
the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, who was
fictionalized by Daniel Defoe as Robinson Crusoe. Rogers came from an
affluent seafaring family, grew up in Poole and Bristol, and served a marine
apprenticeship to a Bristol sea captain. His father, who held shares in many
ships, died when Rogers was in his mid-twenties, leaving Rogers in control
of the family shipping business. In 1707, Rogers was approached by Captain
William Dampier, who sought support for a privateering voyage against the
Spanish, with whom the British were at war. Rogers led the expedition, which
consisted of two well-armed ships, the Duke and the Duchess, and was the
captain of the Duke. In three years, Rogers and his men went around the
world, capturing several ships in the Pacific Ocean. En route, the
expedition rescued Selkirk, finding him on Juan Fernandez Island on 1
February 1709.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodes_Rogers>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1790:
The Supreme Court of the United States, the highest judicial body in the
United States and the head of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal
government, first convened at the Merchants' Exchange Building in New York
City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States>
1884:
The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary, a 352-page volume that
covered words from A to Ant, was published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary>
1946:
As a result of a compromise between the major powers within the United
Nations, Norwegian politician Trygve Lie was elected as the first UN
Secretary-General.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trygve_Lie>
1957:
Invented by German mechanical engineer Felix Wankel, the first working
prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research
and development department of German manufacturer NSU Motorenwerke AG.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine>
2003:
The NASA Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during reentry into
the Earth's atmosphere on its 28th and final mission, killing all seven crew
members.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
splinter (v):
1. To come apart into long sharp fragments.
2. To cause to break apart into long sharp fragments.
3. (figuratively) To break, or cause to break, into factions
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/splinter>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else
but reason. --Edward Coke
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Coke>
Samuel Johnson was an English author. Beginning as a Grub Street journalist,
he made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist,
moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer.
Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been
described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English
history". His early works include the biography The Life of Richard Savage,
the poems London and The Vanity of Human Wishes, and the play Irene. After
nine years of work, Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was
published in 1755; it had a far-reaching impact on Modern English and has
been described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship".
His later works included essays, an influential annotated edition of William
Shakespeare's plays, and the widely read novel Rasselas. In 1763, he
befriended James Boswell, with whom he later travelled to Scotland; Johnson
described their travels in A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland.
Towards the end of his life, he produced the massive and influential Lives
of the Most Eminent English Poets, a collection of biographies and
evaluations of 17th- and 18th-century poets.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1747:
The London Lock Hospital, the first clinic specialising in the treatment of
venereal diseases, opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Lock_Hospital>
1862:
American telescope-maker and astronomer Alvan Graham Clark first observed
the faint white dwarf companion of Sirius, the brightest star in the night
sky.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius>
1953:
The North Sea flood and its associated storm began hitting the coastlines of
several European countries along the North Sea (Zuid-Beveland in the
Netherlands pictured during the flood), eventually killing more than 2,000
people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953>
1961:
Aboard NASA's Mercury-Redstone 2, Ham the Chimp became the first hominid
launched into outer space.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_the_Chimp>
1971:
The Winter Soldier Investigation, a three-day media event sponsored by the
anti-war organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war
crimes and other atrocities by American forces and their allies during the
Vietnam War, began.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Soldier_Investigation>
2007:
Suspects were arrested in Birmingham, UK, accused of plotting to kidnap and
eventual behead a Muslim British soldier serving in Iraq.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Plot_to_behead_a_British_Muslim_soldier>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dilapidate (v):
1. To fall into ruin or disuse.
2. To cause to become ruined or put into disrepair.
3. To squander or waste
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dilapidate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At this point in history, the most radical, pervasive, and earth-shaking
transformation would occur simply if everybody truly evolved to a mature,
rational, and responsible ego, capable of freely participating in the open
exchange of mutual self-esteem. There is the "edge of history." There would
be a real New Age. --Ken Wilber
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber>
The music of Athens, Georgia includes a wide variety of popular music, and
was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New
Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M.
and The B-52's, and several long-time indie rock groups. Athens hosts the
Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music institutions, as well as prominent
local music media, such as the college radio station WUOG. Much of the
modern Athens music scene is based around students from the large University
of Georgia campus in the city. The University sponsors Western classical
performances and groups specializing in other styles. Athens became a center
for music in the region during the American Civil War, and gained further
fame in the early 20th century with the foundation of the Morton Theatre,
which was a major touring destination for African American performers. The
city's local rock music scene can be traced to the 1970s, with international
attention coming in the following decade when R.E.M. and The B-52's released
best-selling recordings. Athens-based rock bands have performed in a wide
array of styles, and the city has never had a characteristic style of rock;
most of the bands have been united only in their quirky and iconoclastic
image.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/music_of_Athens%2C_Georgia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
English Civil War: King Charles I was beheaded for high treason in front of
the Banqueting House in London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England>
1826:
The Menai Suspension Bridge, connecting the island of Anglesey and the
mainland of Wales, one of the world's first modern suspension bridges,
opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge>
1948:
Nathuram Godse fatally shot Mahatma Gandhi, political and spiritual leader
of India and the Indian independence movement, at Birla House in Delhi.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi>
1968:
Vietnam War: Forces of the Viet Cong and the Vietnam People's Army launched
the Tết Offensive to strike military and civilian command and control
centers throughout South Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive>
1996:
Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake discovered Comet Hyakutake
(pictured), which eventually became one of the closest cometary approaches
to the Earth in the last 200 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hyakutake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mansuetude (n):
(archaic) gentleness, meekness
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mansuetude>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use
them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight for freedom in a
modern civilization.
Faith — in the soundness of democracy in the midst of dictatorships.
Hope — renewed because we know so well the progress we have made.
Charity — in the true spirit of that grand old word. For charity literally
translated from the original means love, the love that understands, that
does not merely share the wealth of the giver, but in true sympathy and
wisdom helps men to help themselves. --Franklin D. Roosevelt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>
Scout Moor Wind Farm is the largest onshore wind farm in England. The wind
farm, which was built for Peel Holdings, is powered by 26 Nordex N80 wind
turbines. It has a total nameplate capacity of 65 MW of electricity,
providing 154,000 MWh per annum, enough to serve the average needs of
40,000 homes. The site occupies 1,347 acres (545 ha) of open moorland
between Edenfield, Rawtenstall and Rochdale, and is split between the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale in northern Greater Manchester and the
Borough of Rossendale in south-eastern Lancashire. The turbines are visible
from as far away as south Manchester, 15-20 miles (24-32 km) away. A protest
group formed to resist the proposed construction, and attracted support from
botanist and environmental campaigner David Bellamy. Despite the opposition,
planning permission was granted in 2005, and construction began in 2007.
Although work on the project was hampered by harsh weather, difficult
terrain and previous mining activity, the wind farm was officially opened on
25 September 2008 after "years of controversy", at a cost of £50 million.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Moor_Wind_Farm>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
904:
Sergius III came out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed
antipope Christopher.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_III>
1845:
The Raven, a narrative poem by American poet Edgar Allan Poe about a talking
raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, was first published in the
New York Evening Mirror.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raven>
1856:
The Victoria Cross was created, originally to recognise acts of valour by
British and Commonwealth military personnel during the Crimean War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross>
1886:
German engine designer and engineer Karl Benz filed a patent for the
Motorwagen, the first purpose-built, gasoline-driven automobile.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Benz>
1944:
World War II: At least 38 people were killed and about a dozen injured when
the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) was
attacked by Soviet partisan units.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koniuchy_massacre>
2002:
In his State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush described
governments he accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass
destruction as an "axis of evil", specifically naming Iran, Iraq, and North
Korea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/axis_of_evil>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
waddle (v):
To walk with short steps, tilting the body from side to side
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/waddle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fear of freedom is strong in us. We call it chaos or anarchy, and the
words are threatening. We live in a true chaos of contradicting authorities,
an age of conformism without community, of proximity without communication.
We could only fear chaos if we imagined that it was unknown to us, but in
fact we know it very well. --Germaine Greer
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Germaine_Greer>
Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état was a coup d'état staged by Jean-Bédel Bokassa,
leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers
against the government of President David Dacko on 31 December 1965 and 1
January 1966. Dacko was aware that Bokassa had made plans to take over his
government, and countered by forming the gendarmerie headed by Jean Izamo.
Bokassa and his men started the coup on New Year's Eve in 1965 by first
capturing Izamo and locking him in a cellar at Camp de Roux. They then
occupied the capital, Bangui, and overpowered the gendarmerie and other
resistance. After midnight, Dacko was arrested and forced to resign from
office and then imprisoned at Camp Kassaï. According to official reports,
eight people died while resisting the coup. Izamo was tortured to death
within a month, but Dacko's life was spared due to foreign intervention.
Soon after the coup, Bokassa dissolved the National Assembly, abolished the
Constitution and issued a number of decrees, banning begging, female
circumcision, and polygamy, among other things. Bokassa initially struggled
to obtain international recognition for his regime, but the new government
eventually obtained recognition from other African nations.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Sylvestre_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1077:
Walk to Canossa: Pope Gregory VII lifted the excommunication of Henry IV
after the Holy Roman Emperor made his trek from Speyer to Canossa Castle to
beg the pope for forgiveness for his actions in the Investiture Controversy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_to_Canossa>
1547:
Nine-year-old Edward VI became the first Protestant ruler of England, during
whose reign Protestantism was established for the first time in the country
with reforms that included the abolition of clerical celibacy and the mass.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VI_of_England>
1754:
Horace Walpole first coined the word "serendipity" in a letter he wrote to a
friend, saying that he derived the term from the Persian fairy tale The
Three Princes of Serendip.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Walpole%2C_4th_Earl_of_Orford>
1813:
The novel Pride and Prejudice by English author Jane Austen was published,
using material from an unpublished manuscript that she originally wrote
between 1796 and 1797.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice>
1855:
A train on the Panama Railway made the world's first transcontinental
crossing, a {{convert|48|mi|adj=on}} trip from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Railway>
1986:
The NASA Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its tenth
mission, killing all seven crew members.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
humdrum (adj):
Lacking variety or excitement; dull; boring
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/humdrum>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his frank hand.
And for the cruel man who pulls out of me
the heart with which I live,
I grow neither nettles nor thorns:
I grow a white rose. --José Martí
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD>