The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of independent
sovereign states, most of which were once governed by the United
Kingdom and are its former colonies. It was formerly known as the
British Commonwealth and many still call it by that name, either for
historical reasons or to distinguish it from the many other
commonwealths around the world. The Commonwealth is largely an
organisation where countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an
opportunity for close and equal interaction. The primary activities of
the Commonwealth are to create an atmosphere of economic cooperation
between member nations, as well as the promotion of democracy and good
governance in them.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1249:
Louis IX of France dispatched Andrew of Longjumeau as his ambassador
to the Mongols.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_of_Longjumeau)
1804:
Lt. Stephen Decatur led a raid to destroy the captured USS
Philadelphia in Tripoli of the Barbary States, denying her use to the
enemy in the First Barbary War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur)
1857:
Gallaudet University, the world’s only university for hearing-impaired
students, was established in Washington, D.C..
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallaudet_University)
1923:
The burial chamber of Tutankhamun, a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty
of Egypt, was unsealed by Howard Carter.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Carter)
1978:
The first computer bulletin board system, CBBS, was created by Ward
Christensen during a blizzard in Chicago, Illinois.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBBS)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence
stops." -- Henry Adams
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Adams)
The history of Russia is essentially that of its many nationalities,
each with a separate history and complex origins, but bound together
by the thousand-year-old tradition of Russian statehood. From the late
fifteenth century until the early twentieth century, Russia was
constituted as an imperial monarchy ruling a tightly centralized,
contiguous expanse of territories and peoples. The strains of the
World War I led to the collapse of the empire, and eventually gave way
to the creation of the Soviet Union. Despite its façade of federalism,
the Soviet Union remained essentially an empire, held together by the
Communist Party rather than the tsar. Most Russians gave little
thought to any distinction between the two before the late 1980s and
early 1990s. However, as Communist Party rule was collapsing, the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic secured legislation
giving Russian laws priority over Soviet laws and declared its
independence in late 1991, forming today's Russian Federation.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Russia
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1898:
The USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba, killing more than 260
people in a tragedy that precipitated the Spanish-American War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_%28ACR-1%29)
1942:
General Tomoyuki Yamashita led the Japanese forces to capture the
supposed "impregnable fortress" of Singapore.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore)
1971:
The value of a penny in the United Kingdom increased from 1/240 to
1/100 of the pound sterling on Decimal Day.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/penny)
1989:
Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially
announced that all of their troops had already left Afghanistan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union_invasion_of_Afghanistan)
2003:
Millions of people around the world took part in the largest mass
protest movement in history to protest against war in general, and
specifically the military preparations for the impending invasion of
Iraq.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_protests_against_war_on_Iraq)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point
is to discover them." -- Galileo Galilei
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei)
Mary I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from July 6, 1553 (de
jure) or July 19, 1553 (de facto) until her death. Mary, the fourth
and penultimate monarch of the Tudor dynasty, is remembered for her
attempt to return England from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. To
this end, she had almost 300 religious dissenters executed; as a
consequence, she is sometimes known as Bloody Mary, which has since
entered the English language as a synonym for a witch. Her religious
policies, however, were in many cases reversed by her successor,
Elizabeth I.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1876:
Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell each filed a patent for the
telephone.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Gray)
1879:
Chilean forces occupied the Bolivian port of Antofagasta, instigating
the War of the Pacific.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Pacific)
1945:
The RAF Bomber Command began the strategic bombing of Dresden in
Saxony, Germany, resulting in a lethal firestorm which killed tens of
thousands of civilians.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II)
1989:
A fatwa was issued for the execution of Salman Rushdie, the author of
The Satanic Verses, a novel considered "blasphemous against Islam".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie)
1989:
The first satellite in the satellite constellation of the Global
Positioning System was placed into orbit.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is
essential to your own." -- Robert A. Heinlein in Stranger in a Strange
Land
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein)
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern
Utah in the United States. Despite its name, this is not actually a
canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion
along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is
distinctive due to its unique geological structures, called hoodoos,
formed from wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lakebed
sedimentary rocks. The red, orange and white colors of the rocks
provide spectacular views. The canyon area was settled by Mormon
pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who
homesteaded in the area in 1875. The area around Bryce Canyon became a
United States national monument in 1924 and was designated as a
national park in 1928.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Canyon_National_Park
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1689:
Glorious Revolution: Instead of James Francis Edward Stuart the Prince
of Wales acceding to the throne, his sister Mary and her husband
William were proclaimed co-rulers of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_II_of_England)
1880:
Thomas Edison observed the Edison Effect, which later formed the basis
of John Ambrose Fleming's vacuum tube diodes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermionic_emission)
1881:
Hubertine Auclert, a leading French suffragette in Paris, launched the
feminist newspaper La Citoyenne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubertine_Auclert)
1984:
Konstantin Chernenko succeeded the late Yuri Andropov as General
Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Chernenko)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
In this moment, I need to be needed, With this darkness all around me,
I like to be liked, In this emptiness and fear, I want to be wanted,
'Cause I love to be loved, I love to be loved. -- Peter Gabriel --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel)
Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as
the greatest scientist of the 20th century. He proposed the theory of
relativity and also made major contributions to the development of
quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and cosmology. He was
awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the
photoelectric effect and "for his services to Theoretical Physics."
After his general theory of relativity was formulated, Einstein became
world-famous, an unusual achievement for a scientist. In his later
years, his fame exceeded that of any other scientist in history, and
in popular culture, Einstein has become a byword for great
intelligence or even genius. His is also one of the world's most
recognizable faces.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1689:
The Convention Parliament was convened to determine if James II, the
last Catholic king in England, had vacated the throne when he fled to
France in 1688.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England)
1818:
Led by General Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile formally proclaimed its
independence from Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile)
1909:
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of
the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations, was
founded.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP)
1912:
Xuantong Emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, the last Emperor of
China, abdicated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuantong_Emperor)
2001:
NEAR Shoemaker became the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, the
Eros.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we
begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see
more, not less." -- Arthur Miller
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller)
The Economy of the Republic of Ireland is modern, relatively small,
and trade-dependent with growth averaging a robust 10% in 1995–2000.
Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by
industry. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's
robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer
spending and recovery in both construction and business investment.
Rapidly rising inflation (between 4% and 5%) – particularly of house
prices and service charges (utilities, insurance, healthcare, legal
representation, etc.) – is the main economic concern at present.
Dublin, the nation's capital, was ranked 22nd in a worldwide cost of
living survey in 2004
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1873:
King Amadeo I of Spain abdicated, proclaimed at the Cortes that
Spanish people were "ungovernable", and left the country.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeo_of_Spain)
1919:
Friedrich Ebert became the first Reich President of the Weimar
Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ebert)
1929:
The first Lateran treaty was signed, establishing Vatican City as an
independent sovereign state within Italy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City)
1963:
The Beatles began recording for their first album, Please Please Me.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Please_Me)
1979:
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, and eventually
became the Supreme Leader of the Islamic republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"If one knows only what one is told, one does not know enough to be
able to arrive at a well-balanced decision." -- Leó Szilárd
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3_Szil%C3%A1rd)
The Coconut crab is the largest terrestrial arthropod, known for its
ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the
contents. It is sometimes called the "Robber Crab" because some steal
shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. Another
name is the "terrestrial hermit crab," due to the use of shells by
young crabs. Its range includes the Indian and western Pacific ocean.
They differ slightly in color among different islands, ranging from
light violet to deep purple, to brown. Their diet consists primarily
of all kinds of fruits, including coconuts and figs. However, the crab
will eat nearly anything organic, including leaves, rotten fruit,
tortoise eggs, dead animals, and shells of other animals. They cannot
swim and will drown in water.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1258:
Hulagu Khan and the Mongols sacked Baghdad, ending the rule of the
Abbasid caliphate.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad)
1763:
Britain and Spain partitioned New France by the Treaty of Paris, and
decimated the French colonial empire.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_France)
1840:
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha married Queen Victoria of the
United Kingdom at the Chapel Royal.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
1962:
"Rudolf Abel", a Soviet spy arrested by the FBI, was exchanged for
Gary Powers, the pilot of an American spy plane.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilyam_Genrikovich_Fisher)
1996:
Deep Blue the chess-playing computer defeated International
Grandmaster and World Chess Championship Garry Kasparov in a game of
chess for the first time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Be nice to people on your way up, because you're going to meet them
all on your way down." -- Jimmy Durante
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimmy_Durante)
Jonathan Wild is perhaps the most famous criminal of London, if not of
the United Kingdom, in the 18th century, both because of his own
actions and the uses novelists, playwrights, and political satirists
made of them. He invented a scheme which allowed him to run one of the
most successful gangs of thieves of the era, all the while appearing
to be the nation's leading policeman. He manipulated the press and the
nation's fears to become the most loved public figure of the 1720s;
this love turned to hatred when his villany was exposed. After his
death, he became a symbol of naked corruption and hypocrisy.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Wild
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
474:
As the seven-year old Leo II was deemed too young to rule, his father
Zeno was crowned as the co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_%28emperor%29)
1895:
Volleyball was invented at a YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball)
1943:
World War II: Allied forces secured Guadalcanal of the Solomon Islands
from the Imperial Japanese Army, concluding the Battle of Guadalcanal,
a key victory in the Pacific War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guadalcanal)
1950:
Red scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the U.S. State Department
of being filled with Communists.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy)
1960:
Joanne Woodward was honored with the first star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, An everlasting
vision of the everchanging view, A wondrous woven magic in bits of
blue and gold, A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold. --
Carole King --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carole_King)
The Battle of Inchon was a decisive 15-day invasion and battle during
the Korean War. The battle began on September 15, 1950, and ended
around September 28. During the amphibious operation, U.S. Marines
under the command of General Douglas MacArthur secured Inchon and
broke North Korean control of the Pusan region through a series of
landings in enemy territory. The Battle of Inchon ended a string of
victories by the invading North Korean People's Army (NKPA) and began
a counterattack by United Nations forces that led to the recapture of
Seoul. The northern advance ended when China's People's Liberation
Army entered the conflict in support of North Korea, and defeated UN
forces at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Inchon
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1587:
Queen Mary I of Scotland was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on
suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her
cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_Scotland)
1904:
The Russo-Japanese War began with a surprise torpedo attack by the
Japanese on Russian ships near present-day Lüshunkou, China.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War)
1971:
Trading began in NASDAQ, the world's first electronic stock exchange.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ)
1979:
Colonel Denis Sassou-Nguesso was chosen as the new President of the
People’s Republic of the Congo.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Sassou-Nguesso)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is
unaware." -- Martin Buber
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Buber)
Bodyline was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team
for their 1932–33 tour of Australia, specifically to combat the
extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman. It involved
bowlers deliberately aiming the cricket ball at the bodies of batsmen.
This caused several injuries to Australian players and led to
ill-feeling between the countries that rose to diplomatic levels.
Following the 1932–33 series, several authors, including many of the
players involved in it, released books expressing various points of
view about Bodyline. Many argued that it was a scourge on cricket and
must be stamped out, while some claimed not to understand what all the
fuss was about.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyline
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1301:
Edward of Caernarvon, the future King Edward II, became the first
English heir apparent to hold the title as Prince of Wales.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_II_of_England)
1940:
Pinocchio, the Academy Award-winning Disney animated film based on a
story by Carlo Collodi, was first released.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio_%281940_movie%29)
1984:
NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II performed the first untethered
spacewalk using a Manned Maneuvering Unit.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra-vehicular_activity)
1992:
The Maastricht treaty, which led to the formation of the European
Union, was signed in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_treaty)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age
of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was
the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter
of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way— in short, the period was so far like the present period, that
some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for
good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." --
Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens)