Hurricane Dog was the most intense hurricane in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane
season. The fourth named storm of the season, Dog developed on August 30 to
the east of Antigua, and after passing through the northern Lesser Antilles
turned to the north and intensified into a Category 5 hurricane. Dog reached
its peak intensity of 185 mph (295 km/h) over the open Atlantic, and after
weakening passed within 200 miles (320 km) of Cape Cod before becoming
extratropical on September 12. Hurricane Dog caused extensive damage to the
Leeward Islands, and was considered the most severe hurricane on record in
Antigua. Many buildings were destroyed or severely damaged on the island,
with thousands left homeless just weeks after Hurricane Baker had caused
serious damage on the island. In the United States, the hurricane caused
moderate coastal damage, including damaging several boats and causing 11
offshore drownings. Strong winds caused widespread power outages across
southeastern New England. Damage across its path totaled about $3 million
(1950 USD, $25.7 million 2007 USD).
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Dog_%281950%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
661:
The Rashidun Caliphate effectively ended with the death of Ali, the final
Sunni Rashidun and first Shia Imam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali>
1343:
Pope Clement VI issued the papal bull Unigenitus to justify the power of the
pope and the use of indulgences.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VI>
1888:
Two weeks after a group of over thirty explorers and scientists met in
Washington, D.C. to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of
geographical knowledge," the National Geographic Society, publisher of the
National Geographic Magazine, was incorporated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic_Society>
1909:
The Young Liberals of Norway, the youth league of the Norwegian political
party Venstre was founded, today advocating a more liberal version of the
mother party's social liberalist ideology.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Liberals_of_Norway>
1918:
The first hostilities in the Finnish Civil War began when White Guards
attacked attacked trains carrying a large shipment of weapons from
Bolshevist Russia to the Red Guards.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Civil_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
circumnavigate (v):
1. To travel completely around somewhere or something, especially by sail.
2. To circumvent or bypass
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/circumnavigate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a
Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare.
Visit either you like: they're both mad."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad.
You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." --Lewis
Carroll
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll>
Banksia ericifolia is a species of woody shrub of the Proteaceae family
native to Australia; it occurs in two separate regions of Central and
Northern New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range. Well known for
its orange or red autumn inflorescences, which contrast with its green
fine-leaved heath-like foliage, it is generally encountered as a medium to
large shrub that can reach 6 m (20 ft) high and wide, though is usually half
that size. In exposed heathlands and coastal areas it is more often 1–2 m
(3–7 ft). Banksia ericifolia was one of the original Banksia species
collected by Joseph Banks around Botany Bay in 1770 and was named by Carl
Linnaeus the Younger, son of Carolus Linnaeus, in 1782. Banksia ericifolia
has been widely grown in Australian gardens on the east coast for many years
as well as being used to a limited extent in the cut flower industry.
Compact dwarf cultivars such as Banksia'' 'Little Eric' have become more
popular in recent years with the trend toward smaller gardens.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_ericifolia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1500:
Spanish navigator, explorer, and conquistador Vicente Yáñez Pinzón reached
the north coast of what today is Brazil.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Y%C3%A1%C3%B1ez_Pinz%C3%B3n>
1788:
The British First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, landed at Sydney
Cove, establishing the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Phillip>
1808:
Governor of New South Wales William Bligh was deposed by the New South Wales
Corps in the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's
recorded history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Rebellion>
1950:
Indian independence movement: India officially became a republic under a new
constitution, with Rajendra Prasad as its first president.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Prasad>
1983:
The spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3 was first released, becoming the IBM
Personal Computer's first "killer application".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3>
2001:
A 7.7 Mw earthquake struck Gujarat, India, killing more than 20,000 people,
injuring 167,000 others, and destroying about one million homes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Gujarat_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
eager beaver (n):
One (especially a child) who is very excited or enthusiastic to begin a task
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eager_beaver>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Prometheus, I have no Titan's might,
Yet I, too, must each dusk renew my heart,
For daytime's vulture talons tear apart
The tender alcoves built by love at night. --Philip José Farmer
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer>
Adolfo Farsari (1841–1898) was an Italian photographer based in Yokohama,
Japan. Following a brief military career, including service in the American
Civil War, he became a successful entrepreneur and commercial photographer.
His photographic work was highly regarded, particularly his hand-coloured
portraits and landscapes, which he sold mostly to foreign residents and
visitors to the country. Farsari's images were widely distributed, presented
or mentioned in books and periodicals, and sometimes recreated by artists in
other media; they shaped foreign perceptions of the people and places of
Japan and to some degree affected how Japanese saw themselves and their
country. His studio – the last notable foreign-owned studio in Japan – was
one of the country's largest and most prolific commercial photographic
firms. Largely due to Farsari's exacting technical standards and his
entrepreneurial abilities it had a significant influence on the development
of photography in Japan.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Farsari>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1327:
Fourteen-year old Edward III became King of England, but the country was
ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_III_of_England>
1554:
Jesuit missionaries José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega established a
mission at São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga, which grew to become São
Paulo, Brazil.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo>
1755:
Russian Empress Elizabeth issued a decree ordering the establishment of what
is now Lomonosov Moscow State University (main building pictured), today the
largest university in Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomonosov_Moscow_State_University>
1919:
The Paris Peace Conference, convened to build a lasting peace after World
War I, approved the proposal to create the League of Nations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations>
1924:
The first Winter Olympic Games opened at the foot of Mont Blanc in Chamonix,
Haute-Savoie, France, attracting more than 200 athletes from 16 nations,
competing in 16 events.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games>
2006:
Three independent observing campaigns announced the discovery of
OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, a super-Earth extrasolar planet 21,500 ± 3,300 light
years away from Earth near the center of the Milky Way.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
statutory (adj):
Of, relating to, enacted or regulated by a written law
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/statutory>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If forty million people say a foolish thing it does not become a wise one,
but the wise man is foolish to give them the lie. --W. Somerset Maugham
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/W._Somerset_Maugham>
SS Ohioan was a cargo ship built in 1914 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship
Company. During World War I she was taken over by the United States Navy and
commissioned as USS Ohioan (ID-3280). When the Panama canal was temporarily
closed by landslides in late 1915, Ohioan sailed via the Straits of Magellan
until the canal reopened in mid 1916. During World War I, USS Ohioan carried
cargo, animals, and a limited number of passengers to France, and returned
over 8,000 American troops after the Armistice, including the highly
decorated American soldier Alvin York. After Ohioan's naval service ended in
1919, she was returned to her original owners. Ohioan's post-war career was
relatively uneventful until 8 October 1936, when she ran aground near Seal
Rock at the Golden Gate, the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Attempts to free
the ship were unsuccessful and, because of the close proximity of the wreck
to San Francisco, the grounded Ohioan drew large crowds to watch salvage
operations. Angelo J. Rossi, the mayor of San Francisco, toured the wreck on
19 October. Ohioan's hulk caught fire in March 1937, and the wreck broke
into two pieces in a storm in December. As late as 1939, some of Ohioan's
rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ohioan_(1914)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ohioan_%281914%29>
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
41:
Roman Emperor Caligula was brutally murdered by Cassius Chaerea and the
disgruntled Praetorian Guards. Caligula's uncle Claudius was proclaimed
emperor in his place.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula)
1639:
The Fundamental Orders, the first written constitution in North American
history, was adopted in Connecticut.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_Orders_of_Connecticut)
1848:
James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California,
leading to the California Gold Rush.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush)
1857:
The University of Calcutta, the first modern university in the Indian
subcontinent, was established in Calcutta, India.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Calcutta)
1984:
The first Apple Macintosh, today known as the Macintosh 128K, went on sale,
becoming the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a
mouse and a graphical user interface rather than a command line interface.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
overstate (v) To exaggerate; to state or claim too much.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overstate)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail
into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain
alive. --Edith Wharton
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton)
Susianna Kentikian (born 1987) is a German professional boxer. She was born
in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, but she left the country with her family at the
age of five due to the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Kentikian has lived in Hamburg
since 1996 and began boxing when she was twelve years old. Following a
successful amateur career, she turned professional in 2005 when she signed
with the Hamburg boxing promoter Spotlight Boxing. Kentikian won her first
world championship fight in February 2007, and she is the current World
Boxing Association (WBA) and Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF)
world flyweight champion. Kentikian is undefeated, having won 16 of her 23
professional fights by knockout. Since 2007, the German television station
ProSieben has broadcast her fights live. Kentikian has gained minor
celebrity status in Germany, and she hopes to reach popularity similar to
the retired German female boxing star Regina Halmich.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susianna_Kentikian
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1368:
Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor,
initiating Ming Dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty)
1656:
Under the pseudonym Louis de Montalte, French mathematician, physicist, and
religious philosopher Blaise Pascal published the first of his Lettres
provinciales, attacking the Jesuits and their use of casuistic reasoning.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettres_provinciales)
1912:
Twelve nations signed the International Opium Convention, the first
international drug control treaty, to regulate the production and
distribution of opiates.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Opium_Convention)
1968:
USS Pueblo was seized by North Korean forces, who claimed that it had
violated their territorial waters while spying.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_%28AGER-2%29>
)
2001:
Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident: Seven people attempted to set
themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square on the eve of Chinese New Year, an
act that many people claim was staged by the Communist Party of China to
frame Falun Gong and escalate the persecution.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_self-immolation_incident)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
googol (num) The number 10100; written as 1 followed by 100 zeros.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/googol)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Almost all our misfortunes in life come from the wrong notions we have about
the things that happen to us. To know men thoroughly, to judge events
sanely, is, therefore, a great step towards happiness. --Stendhal
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stendhal)
Lost: Missing Pieces are thirteen video clips ranging in length from one to
four minutes that aired during the hiatus between the third and fourth
seasons of the television show Lost, from which the series is spun off. They
generally became available to Verizon Wireless users on Mondays from
November 2007 to January 2008 and were uploaded onto the American
Broadcasting Company's website a week later for free streaming. These
"mobisodes" were shot in Honolulu, Hawaii and produced by the same crew with
the same cast as the television series; thus, all content is considered to
be canonical. Lost's writer-producers originally proposed the mobisodes as a
self-contained story that would focus on two previously unseen characters of
the Lost fictional universe. These characters would be played by actors who
were not part of the Screen Actors Guild; however the entertainment guild
refused to support such a project. After months of unsuccessful negotiating,
the series was seemingly shelved by ABC. In June 2007, it was announced that
the mobisodes, which would be renamed Lost: Missing Pieces, would star the
regular characters of Lost in thirteen short video clips unrelated to each
other. Twelve scenes were newly shot; one was a deleted scene from the
television series. Lost: Missing Pieces received minimal media attention and
critical reviews were mixed. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award in
2008.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost:_Missing_Pieces
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
565:
Justinian the Great deposed Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople, after he
refused the Byzantine Emperor's order to adopt the tenets of the
Aphthartodocetae, a sect of Monophysites.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Rome)
1863:
The January Uprising, the longest Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian uprising
against the Russian Empire, broke out, originally as a spontaneous protest
by young Poles against conscription into the Russian Army.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Uprising)
1879:
Anglo-Zulu War: In the greatest British military defeat at the hands of
native forces in history, Zulu forces of King Cetshwayo fought to a pyrrhic
victory at the Battle of Isandlwana in Isandlwana, South Africa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Isandlwana)
1901:
After holding the title Prince of Wales for six decades, King Edward VII
ascended to the British throne, replacing Queen Victoria whose death ended
her reign that lasted 63 years and seven months, longer than any other
British monarch.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom)
1973:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark case Roe v.
Wade, striking down laws restricting abortion during the first six to seven
months of pregnancy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
genuflect (v) To bend the knee, as in servitude or worship; grovel.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genuflect)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So, we'll go no more a roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest. --George Gordon, Lord Byron
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_Byron)
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related
families of wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved
from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130
million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. Today,
more than 12,000 species are classified with upper estimates of about 14,000
species. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and a
distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist. Ants form
colonies that range in size from a few tens of predatory individuals living
in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy
large territories and consist of millions of individuals that are mostly
sterile females forming castes of "workers", "soldiers", or other
specialised groups. Ant colonies also have some fertile males called
"drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". Ants have
colonised almost every landmass on Earth. Ants dominate most ecosystems, and
form 15–20% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Their success has been
attributed to their social organisation, ability to modify their habitats,
tap resources and defend themselves.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
304:
Saint Agnes was executed for refusing the prefect Sempronius' wish for her
to marry his son. She is today the patron saint of girls, chastity, virgins,
and others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Rome)
1919:
The First Dáil Éireann first convened at the Mansion House in Dublin,
adopting a Declaration of Independence calling for a new sovereign state:
the Irish Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Ireland)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%28Ireland%29>
)
1948:
The Flag of Quebec, featuring a white cross and four fleurs-de-lis on a blue
field, was adopted and flown for the first time over the Quebec Parliament
Building in Quebec City.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Quebec)
1968:
Vietnam War: The Vietnam People's Army attacked Khe Sanh Combat Base, a U.S.
Marines outpost in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, starting the Battle of
Khe Sanh.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh)
2008:
Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever
one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since
9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2008_stock_market_downturn)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bastion (n) 1. A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.
2. A well-fortified position; a stronghold or citadel.
3. (figurative) A person, or group, who strongly defends
some principle.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bastion)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened,
there must be war. It is painful enough to discover with what unconcern they
speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen
enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils. --Stonewall
Jackson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson)
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16,
1790. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is
bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the
other sides. The District has a resident population of 591,833; however, due
to commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one
million during the workweek. Article One of the United States Constitution
provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the
permanent national capital. The centers of all three branches of the federal
government of the United States are located in the District, as are many of
the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C. hosts 173 foreign
embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the
Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO). The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington,
D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance than
residents of the states.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1320:
After reuniting Poland, Władysław the Short was crowned king in Kraków.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_I_the_Elbow-high)
1839:
Chilean troops decisively defeated the forces of the Peru-Bolivian
Confederation at the Battle of Yungay in the Ancash Region of Peru,
effectively ending the War of the Confederation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yungay)
1892:
The first official basketball game was played at the YMCA in Springfield,
Massachusetts, USA.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball)
1921:
The first Turkish Constitution was ratified by the Grand National Assembly,
making fundamental changes in Turkey by enshrining the principle of national
sovereignty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Constitution_of_1921)
1942:
World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of
Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials decided the "Final Solution to the
Jewish Question", accelerating The Holocaust.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rational (adj) 1. Reasonable; not absurd, foolish, emotional, or
fanciful.
2. Capable of reasoning.
3. (arithmetic) Capable of being expressed as the
ratio of two integers.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rational)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I love child things because there's so much mystery when you're a child.
When you're a child, something as simple as a tree doesn't make sense. You
see it in the distance and it looks small, but as you go closer, it seems to
grow -- you haven't got a handle on the rules when you're a child. We think
we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experienced
is a narrowing of the imagination. --David Lynch
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Lynch)
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 –1849) was an American poet, short-story writer,
editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic
Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one
of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered
the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with
contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first
well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone,
resulting in a financially difficult life and career. In January 1845, Poe
published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. His wife died of
tuberculosis two years later. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in
Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown and has been attributed to
alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide,
tuberculosis, and other agents. Poe and his works influenced literature in
the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields,
such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear throughout
popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his
homes are dedicated museums today.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1764:
English radical and politician John Wilkes was expelled from the British
Parliament and declared an outlaw for seditious libel.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes)
1817:
An army of over 5,400 soldiers led by General José de San Martín crossed the
Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru from Spanish rule.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_de_San_Martín<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn>
)
1839:
The Royal Marines landed at Aden to occupy the territory and stop attacks by
pirates against the British East India Company's shipping to India. The city
in present-day Yemen remained under British control until 1967.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden)
1935:
In Chicago, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first briefs, a new style of men's
undergarment.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undergarment)
1977:
Iva Toguri, allegedly a Tokyo Rose, a generic name given by Allied forces
during World War II to approximately twenty English-speaking female
broadcasters of Japanese propaganda, was granted a full pardon by U.S.
President Gerald Ford.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D'Aquino<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D%27Aquino>
)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
belittle (v) To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important
than it actually is.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/belittle)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
>From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring —
>From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd — I lov'd alone.
--Edgar Allan Poe
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe)
Jack the Ripper conspiracy theories seek to explain a series of murders in
the East End of London in 1888 that were blamed on an unidentified assailant
known as "Jack the Ripper". Since then, the identity of the killer has been
hotly debated. Over a hundred suspects have been proposed, including Prince
Albert Victor, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales and the grandson of
Queen Victoria. The theory that Albert Victor was the Ripper was brought to
public attention in 1970 by elderly British physician Dr. T. E. A. Stowell,
who argued that Albert Victor committed the murders after being driven mad
by syphilis. Subsequently, conspiracy theorists have elaborated on the
supposed involvement of Albert Victor in the murders. Rather than implicate
Albert Victor directly, they claim that he secretly married and had a
daughter with a Catholic shop assistant, and that Queen Victoria, British
Prime Minister Lord Salisbury, his freemason friends, and the London
Metropolitan Police conspired to murder anyone aware of Albert Victor's
supposed child. Many facts contradict this theory and its originator, Joseph
Gorman (also known as Joseph Sickert), later retracted the story and
admitted to the press that it was a hoax.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper_conspiracy_theories
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1486:
Elizabeth of York married Henry VII of England, becoming Queen consort.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York)
1535:
Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Ciudad de los Reyes, present-day
Lima, Peru, as the capital of the lands he conquered for the Spanish Crown.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lima)
1871:
A number of independent German states unified into the German Empire, with
Prussian King Wilhelm I being proclaimed as its first Emperor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_German_Emperor)
1915:
Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu issued the Twenty-One Demands to the
Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-One_Demands)
1977:
The mysterious Legionnaires' disease was found to be caused by a novel
bacterium now known as Legionella.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionellosis)
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
virgule (n) The diagonal slash character: / .
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/virgule)
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to
succeed. --Charles de Montesquieu
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_de_Montesquieu)