Scouting is a worldwide youth movement aiming to develop young people
physically, mentally and spiritually, so that they may play
constructive roles in society. Scouting began in 1907 when R.S.S.
Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first
Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island, England. Baden-Powell wrote
the principles of Scouting in Scouting for Boys, based on his earlier
military books, with influence and support of Seton of the Woodcraft
Indians, Smith of the Boys' Brigade, and his publisher Pearson. During
the first half of the 20th century, the movement grew to encompass
three major age groups for boys (Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Rover Scout)
and for girls (Brownie Guide, Girl Guide and Girl Scout, Ranger
Guide). The movement employs the Scout method, a program of non-formal
education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including
camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1819:
Stamford Raffles founded Singapore, a new trading post for the British
East India Company.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Raffles)
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)
1922:
France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States signed
the Washington Naval Treaty to limit naval armaments.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Naval_Treaty)
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)
1959:
Jack Kilby filed the patent for the first integrated circuit.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like
to live as big as I can. -- Babe Ruth
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth)
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. It was
widely regarded as the world's best tank when the Soviet Union entered
the Second World War, and although its armour and armament were
surpassed by later WWII tanks, it is credited as the war's most
effective, efficient and influential design. First produced at the
KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), it was the mainstay of
Soviet armoured forces throughout World War II, and widely exported
afterwards. It was the most-produced tank of the war, and the second
most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/55
series. The T-34 was still in service with twenty-seven countries as
late as 1996.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1859:
Constantin von Tischendorf found the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century
uncial manuscript of the New Testament, in a monastery at the foot of
Mount Sinai in Egypt.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus)
1862:
Bacardi, one of the world's largest rum producers, was founded as a
small distillery in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacardi)
1899:
The Philippine-American War broke out.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine-American_War)
1945:
Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at the
Yalta Conference.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yalta_Conference)
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 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_(SSN-571))
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
God needeth not the help of a material sword of steel to assist the
sword of the Spirit in the affairs of conscience. -- Roger Williams
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Williams)
Ecclesiastical heraldry is the tradition of heraldry developed by
Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical
heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. It
is most formalized within the Roman Catholic Church, where most
bishops, including the Pope, have a personal coat of arms. Similar
customs are followed by clergy in the Anglican Church, the Lutheran
Church, the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, and the Orthodox Churches.
Institutions such as schools and dioceses bear arms called impersonal
or corporate arms. Ecclesiastical heraldry differs notably from other
heraldry in the use of special symbols around the shield to indicate
rank in a church or denomination. The most prominent of these symbols
is the ecclesiastical hat, commonly the Roman galero or Geneva bonnet.
The color and ornamentation of this hat carry a precise meaning.
Cardinals are famous for the "red hat", but other offices are assigned
a distinctive hat color. The hat is ornamented with tassels in a
quantity commensurate with the office. Other symbols include the
cross, the mitre and the crozier.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiastical_heraldry
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1859:
Constantin von Tischendorf found the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century
uncial manuscript of the New Testament, in a monastery at the foot of
Mount Sinai in Egypt.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus)
1862:
Bacardi, one of the world's largest rum producers, was founded as a
small distillery in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacardi)
1899:
The Philippine-American War broke out.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine-American_War)
1945:
Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at the
Yalta Conference.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yalta_Conference)
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 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_(SSN-571))
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Men weren't really the enemy — they were fellow victims suffering from
an outmoded masculine mystique that made them feel unnecessarily
inadequate when there were no bears to kill. -- Betty Friedan
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Betty_Friedan)
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life in the marine
environment. Whilst seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and
physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the
same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in
similar adaptations. The first seabirds evolved in the Cretaceous, and
modern seabird families emerged in the Paleogene. Seabirds live
longer, breed later and have fewer young than other birds do, but they
invest a great deal of time in those young that they do have. Most
species nest in colonies, which can vary in size from a few dozen
birds to many millions. They are famous for undertaking long annual
migrations, crossing the equator or circumnavigating the Earth in some
cases. They feed both at the ocean's surface and below it, and even
feed on each other. Seabirds can be highly pelagic, coastal, or in
some cases spend a part of the year away from the sea entirely.
Seabirds and humans have a long history together: they have provided
food to hunters, guided fishermen to fishing stocks and led sailors to
land. Many species are currently threatened by human activities, and
conservation efforts are underway.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabird
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
962:
Pope John XII crowned Otto the Great as Holy Roman Emperor, the first
in nearly 40 years.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
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)
1925:
In the 1925 serum run to Nome, medical supplies to combat an outbreak
of diphtheria reached Nome, Alaska on dog sleds, inspiring the annual
Iditarod race across Alaska.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iditarod_(race))
1943:
World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad concluded with 91,000 tired and
starving German soldiers taken captive by the Red Army.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad)
1990:
President F.W. de Klerk declared the end of Apartheid in South Africa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Africa_in_the_apartheid_era)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Well, it's Groundhog Day... again... -- Groundhog Day
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Murray)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 science fantasy film
written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film to be
released in the Star Wars saga, and the first in terms of internal
chronology. The film begins as two Jedi Knights are assigned as
ambassadors to a trade dispute that is threatening the planet Naboo.
When the situation turns violent, the Jedi, along with Padmé Amidala,
the planet's queen, flee Naboo in an attempt to reach the capital
world Coruscant in the hope of finding a peaceful end to the dispute.
Along the way, the ship must stop for repairs on the planet Tatooine.
It is there that the Jedi encounter Anakin Skywalker, a young slave
boy who is unusually strong in the Force. When the group returns to
Naboo, they realize that the situation is much worse than they
thought—the evil Sith have returned. The release of the film on May
19, 1999 came almost 16 years after the previous film in the series,
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The release was accompanied
by extensive media coverage and great anticipation. Despite mixed
reviews by critics, it grossed US$924.3 million worldwide.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_I%3A_The_Phantom_Menace
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1796:
The capital of Upper Canada was moved from Newark to York, which was
deemed to be less vulnerable to attack by the United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada)
1884:
The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary)
1946:
Norwegian politician Trygve Lie was elected the first UN
Secretary-General.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trygve_Lie)
1957:
The first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the
first time.
(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.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I tire so of hearing people say,Let things take their course.Tomorrow
is another day.I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.I cannot live on
tomorrow’s bread. -- Langston Hughes
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes)
Regulamentul Organic was a quasi-constitutional organic law enforced
in 1831-1832 by the Imperial Russian authorities in Moldavia and
Wallachia (the two Danubian Principalities that were to become the
basis of the modern Romanian state). The official onset of a common
Russian protectorate lasting until 1854, and itself officially in
place until 1858, the document signified a partial confirmation of
traditional government (including rule by the hospodars). Conservative
in its scope, it also engendered a period of unprecedented reforms
which provided a setting for the Westernization of local society. The
Regulament offered the two Principalities their first common system of
government.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulamentul_Organic
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1606:
Guy Fawkes was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot
against the English Parliament and King James I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes)
1747:
The London Lock Hospital, the first clinic specialising in the
treatment of venereal diseases, was opened.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Lock_Hospital)
1946:
In Yugoslavia, a new constitution established the six constituent
republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Serbia and Slovenia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia)
1961:
Aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, Ham the Chimp became the first higher
primate to travel in outer space.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_2)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Science is clearly one of the most profound methods that humans have
yet devised for discovering truth, while religion remains the single
greatest force for generating meaning. Truth and meaning, science and
religion; but we still cannot figure out how to get the two of them
together in a fashion that both find acceptable... if some sort of
reconciliation between science and religion is not forthcoming, the
future of humanity is, at best, precarious. -- Ken Wilber
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber)
The New Radicals were an American rock band in the late 1990s,
centered on front man Gregg Alexander, who wrote and produced all of
their songs and was the sole constant member. They released only one
album, 1998's Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, a pop rock album
heavily influenced by the funk, rock and soul of the 1970s,
containing—amongst radio-friendly modern rock tracks and love
songs—strong criticism of Corporate America. The band is best known
for their debut single "You Get What You Give", which became a top 5
hit in the United Kingdom and whose celebrity-dissing lyrics at the
end of the song provided a minor media spectacle. Tired of touring and
promotional interviews, Alexander disbanded the group in mid 1999
before the release of their second single, "Someday We'll Know", to
focus on writing and producing songs for other artists. As a result,
"Someday We'll Know" received little attention in most countries and
the band is widely considered a one-hit wonder.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Radicals
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
King Charles I was beheaded for high treason in front of the
Banqueting House in London during the English Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England)
1826:
The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern
suspension bridge, was opened, connecting the island of Anglesey and
the mainland of Wales.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge)
1930:
The world's first radiosonde, a device attached to weather balloons to
measure various atmospheric parameters, was launched by meteorologist
Pavel Molchanov in Pavlovsk, USSR.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiosonde)
1948:
Nathuram Godse bowed before Mahatma Gandhi, wished him well, then shot
him to death with a Beretta pistol.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi)
1968:
Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces launched the Tết Offensive on Vietnamese
New Year's Day.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands
they must be made brighter in our own. If in other lands the press and
books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our
efforts here to keep them free. If in other lands the eternal truths
of the past are threatened by intolerance we must provide a safe place
for their perpetuation. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt)
The history of saffron cultivation and usage reaches back more than
3,000 years and spans many cultures, continents, and civilisations.
Saffron, a spice derived from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus,
has remained among the world's most costly substances throughout
history. With its bitter taste, hay-like fragrance, and slight
metallic notes, saffron has been used as a seasoning, fragrance, dye,
and medicine. Saffron is native to Southwest Asia, but was first
cultivated in Greece. The wild precursor of domesticated saffron
crocus is Crocus cartwrightianus. Human cultivators bred C.
cartwrightianus specimens by selecting for plants with abnormally long
stigmas. Thus, sometime in late Bronze Age Crete, a mutant form of C.
cartwrightianus, C. sativus, emerged. Saffron was first documented in
a 7th-century BC Assyrian botanical reference compiled under
Ashurbanipal. Since then, documentation of saffron's use over a span
of 4,000 years in the treatment of some ninety illnesses has been
uncovered. Saffron slowly spread throughout much of Eurasia, later
reaching parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_saffron
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1565:
The Deccan sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire in the Battle
of Talikota, ended the last Hindu kingdom in India.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talikota)
1700:
The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake took place off the Pacific coast
of the American Northwest, as evidenced by Japanese records of
tsunamis.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700_Cascadia_earthquake)
1788:
The British First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, landed at
Sydney Cove just outside present-day Sydney, establishing the first
permanent European settlement in Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fleet)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Phillip)
1950:
President Rajendra Prasad succeeded Rajaji the last Governor General
as the head of state of India and the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian
armed forces.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Prasad)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Rajagopalachari)
1983:
The hugely popular spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3 was first released.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The only gold is love,A coin that we have minted from the lightOf
others who have cared for us on EarthAnd who have deposited in us the
powerThat nerves our nerves to seize the burning stars. -- Philip
José Farmer
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer)
Hasekura Tsunenaga was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date
Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai. He led an embassy to Mexico and then
Europe between 1613 and 1620 (called the Keichō Embassy), after which
he returned to Japan. He was the first-ever Japanese official
ambassador to the Americas and arguably Europe, and became the key
protagonist in the first recorded instance of Franco-Japanese
relations. Although Hasekura's embassy created a strong impression in
Europe, it happened at a time when Japan was moving towards the
suppression of Christianity, so that European monarchs such as the
King of Spain ultimately denied the trading agreements Hasekura had
been seeking. Hasekura returned to Japan in 1620 and died of illness a
year later, his embassy seemingly ending with few results in an
increasingly isolationist Japan.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasekura_Tsunenaga
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1327:
Teenaged Edward III was crowned 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)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Mortimer%2C_1st_Earl_of_March)
1554:
Jesuit priests 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/São_Paulo)
1924:
The first Winter Olympic Games opened at the foot of Mont Blanc in
Chamonix, France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games)
1971:
General Idi Amin seized power from President of Uganda Milton Obote,
beginning eight years of military rule.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Obote)
2004:
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed on Mars and rolled into
Eagle crater, a small crater on the Meridiani Planum.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_rover)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
I do not believe they are right who say that the defects of famous men
should be ignored. I think it is better that we should know them.
Then, though we are conscious of having faults as glaring as theirs,
we can believe that that is no hindrance to our achieving also
something of their virtues. -- W. Somerset Maugham
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/W._Somerset_Maugham)
Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India, with a
time offset of UTC+5:30. India does not observe daylight saving time
(DST) or other seasonal adjustments, although DST was used briefly
during the Sino–Indian War of 1962, and the Indo–Pakistani Wars of
1965 and of 1971. In military and aviation time, IST is designated E*
= Echo*. Indian Standard Time is calculated on the basis of 82.5 °E
longitude which is just west of the town of Mirzapur, near Allahabad
in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The longitude difference between
Mirzapur and the United Kingdom's Royal Observatory at Greenwich
translates to an exact time difference of 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Local time is calculated from a clock tower at the Allahabad
Observatory though the official time-keeping devices are entrusted to
the National Physical Laboratory, located in New Delhi.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Standard_Time
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1879:
Zulu forces of King Cetshwayo routed British forces at the Battle of
Isandlwana.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Isandlwana)
1901:
After holding the title Prince of Wales for six decades, King Edward
VII became the second oldest man to ascend to the throne in British
history.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VII_of_the_United_Kingdom)
1905:
Russian Revolution: Peaceful demonstrators led by Father Gapon were
massacred outside the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on Bloody
Sunday.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1905))
1973:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its landmark legal decision in 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)
1980:
Andrei Sakharov, a key architect of the Soviet hydrogen bomb and
winner of the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize, was arrested in Moscow following
his public protests against the Soviet war in Afghanistan and exiled
to Gorky.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a
citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from
other lands, but a continent that joins to them. -- Francis Bacon
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon)