Paragraph 175 (known formally as §175 StGB) was a provision of the
German Criminal Code from May 15, 1871 to March 10, 1994, which made
male homosexuality a crime. The statute was amended numerous times.
Nazi Germany greatly exacerbated its severity in 1935. East Germany
reverted to the old version of the law in 1950, limited its effect to
sex with youths under 18 in 1968, and abolished it entirely in 1988.
West Germany retained the Nazi-era statute until 1969, when it was
limited to "qualified cases"; it was further attenuated in 1973 and
finally revoked entirely after German reunification in 1994. In some
of its forms, the law also addressed bestiality.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph_175
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1851:
First YMCA in North America established in Montreal, Quebec
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA)
1888:
Herman Hollerith installed his computing device at the United States
War Department
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Hollerith)
1987:
First Intifada began in the Gaza Strip and West Bank
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Intifada)
1990:
Lech Wałęsa became the first directly elected president of Poland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Walesa)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one; I hope some day
you'll join us, and the world will live as one." -- John Lennon
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Lennon)
A bishōjo game or girl game is a type of Japanese video game centered on
interactions with attractive anime girls. Although nearly all bishōjo games
involve romantic or sex appeal of some kind, they may or may not be
pornographic. Bishōjo games are a uniquely Japanese phenomenon: they have
virtually no parallel in the American or European video game industries.
They form a sizeable fraction of the Japanese market: the most popular have
sold over a million copies, and they make up the majority of offline PC
games in Japan. Nevertheless, because of real or perceived cultural
differences, few have been translated and no major mass-market release has
yet been attempted outside of East Asia. Thus bishōjo games remain by far
the least known of the major video game genres outside of Japan. Notable
subgenres of bishōjo games are ren'ai games (often called "dating sims")
and H games (often called "hentai games").
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishojo_game
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of Immaculate Conception, which holds
that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception)
1980:
Mark David Chapman killed former Beatle John Lennon.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon)
1991:
Leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine met to dissolve the Soviet Union and
establish the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union)
1993:
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law by U.S.
President Bill Clinton.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Oh, if a man tried to take his time on earth and prove before he died what
one man's life could be worth, I wonder what would happen to this world?"
-- Harry Chapin
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Chapin)
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture originally
designed by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Today, any building
which adheres to the rules of architecture to which Palladio subscribed is
described as Palladian. This architectural style can be traced as it spread
from the early 16th century in the Veneto, across Europe to buildings
designed by Thomas Jefferson in North America in the late 18th century. The
built and published works of Palladio follow the rules of the Roman
architect Vitruvius and his later disciples, such as Leone Battista Alberti
who all adhered to the classical Roman principles of architecture, as
opposed to the rich ornamentation of the Renaissance. Buildings which are
truly Palladian are rare, and all in Italy. They include Villa Capra and
Villa Foscari and many churches in the Veneto. To explain fully the term
Palladian as used outside of Italy one must first understand true Palladian
as designed by the master architect
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladian_architecture
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1732:
The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Opera_House)
1941:
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor provoked the United States to become a
combatant in World War II.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/attack_on_Pearl_Harbor)
1965:
Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras simultaneously lifted mutual
excommunications that had been in place since 1054
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic-Orthodox_Joint_declaration_of_1965)
1972:
Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, was launched.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or
architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself." -- Samuel
Butler
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Butler)
The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine known exposed
formations, all visible in Zion National Park in Utah, United States, and
representing about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation.
Part of the Grand Staircase, the formations exposed in the Zion and Kolob
area were deposited in several different environments that range from warm
shallow seas, streams, and lakes to large deserts and dry near-shore
environments. Subsequent uplift of the Colorado Plateaus exposed these
sediments to erosion by swifter streams that preferentially cut through
weaker rocks and jointed formations. Much later, lava flows and cinder
cones covered parts of the Zion area. Zion National Park is situated on an
elevated plateau that consists of sedimentary formations that dip very
gently to the east. This means that the oldest strata are exposed along the
Virgin River in the Zion Canyon part of the park and the youngest are
exposed in the Kolob Canyons section. The plateau is bounded on the east by
the Sevier Fault Zone, and on the west by the Hurricane Fault Zone.
Weathering and erosion along north-trending faults and fractures influence
the pattern of landscape features associated with canyons in this
stream-incised plateau region.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/geology_of_the_Zion_and_Kolob_canyons_area
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1768:
The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%E6dia_Britannica)
1922:
The Irish Free State came into existence, one year after the signing of the
Anglo-Irish Treaty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Free_State)
1957:
The Project Vanguard attempt to launch the United States's first satellite
was thwarted by a launchpad explosion.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Vanguard)
1989:
Marc Lépine killed 14 women in the École Polytechnique Massacre in
Montreal, leading to Canadian gun control laws.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C9cole_Polytechnique_Massacre)
1992:
The Babri Mosque was destroyed by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and
associated groups, believing it was built on the birthplace of Rama.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babri_Mosque)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"To be a catalyst is the ambition most appropriate for those who see the
world as being in constant change, and who, without thinking that they can
control it, wish to influence its direction." -- Theodore Zeldin
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Zeldin)
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day
Switzerland. The Eidgenossenschaft of the Swiss, as the confederacy
was called, began as an alliance between the communities of the
valleys in the central Alps to facilitate the management of common
interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the
important trade routes through the mountains. In the late Middle
Ages, this region belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, and because of
its strategic importance the Hohenstaufen emperors had granted it
reichsfrei status in the early 13th century. As reichsfrei regions,
the cantons (or regions) of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were under
the direct authority of the emperor without any intermediate liege
lords and thus were relatively autonomous. With the rise of the
Habsburg dynasty, the kings and dukes of Habsburg sought to extend
their influence over this region and to bring it under their rule,
and as a consequence, a conflict ensued between the Habsburgs and
these mountain communities who tried to defend their privileged
status as reichsfrei regions. The three founding cantons were joined
in the early 14th century by the city states of Lucerne, Z�rich,
and Berne, and they managed to defeat Habsburg armies on several
occasions.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Swiss_Confederacy
Today's selected anniversaries:
1492 - Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on
the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniola)
1560 - Francis II of France died and was succeeded by Charles IX of
France.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II_of_France)
1848 - California Gold Rush: In a message before Congress, U.S.
President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had
been discovered in northern California.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush)
1979 - Sonia Johnson was formally excommunicated by the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints for her outspoken criticism of the
church concerning the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Johnson)
Wikiquote of the day:
"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?
and even if one of them suddenly pressed me against his heart, I
would perish in the embrace of his stronger existence. For beauty
is nothing but the beginning of terror which we are barely able to
endure and are awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Each single angel is terrifying." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke)
The marginated tortoise is the largest European tortoise, reaching a
weight of up to 5 kg (11 pounds) and a length of 35 cm (14 inches).
Its shell is oblong and has a notable thickness around the middle of
the body. The posterior end of the shell has a saw-like formation,
flanged outward like a bell. The carapace of adult specimens is
almost completely black, with yellow highlights. The ventral shell is
lighter coloured and has pairs of triangular markings with the points
facing the rear of the animal. The front sides of the limbs are
covered with large scales. In old female specimens, the rear flaps of
the underside of the plastron are somewhat moveable. The tail is
notable for a lengthwise marking and for an undivided carapace over
the tail. Males have a longer tail, which is thicker at the base than
the females. Their underside is more strongly indented. Males are
also often larger than the females. The females lay their
hard-shelled spherical eggs in the soil in May and June.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marginated_tortoise
Today's selected anniversaries:
1674 Father Jacques Marquette founded a mission on the shores of Lake
Michigan to minister to the Illinois Indians (the mission later
grew into Chicago, Illinois).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Marquette)
1829 In the face of fierce opposition, British Lord William Bentinck
carried a regulation declaring that all who abetted suttee in
India were guilty of culpable homicide.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suttee)
1952 Great Smog of 1952: A "killer fog" descended on London ("Smog"
for "smoke" and "fog" became a word).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_1952)
1991 Pan Am Airways ended operations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_World_Airways)
Wikiquote of the day:
"The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is
the greatest and only safety in a sane society." ~ Emma Goldman
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman)
India is a large multicultural country in South Asia, with a
population of over one billion. The Indian economy is the fourth
largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity and is the
world's second-fastest growing economy. India is also the second most
populous country in the world, and the world's largest democracy.
India has grown significantly, in terms of both population and
strategic importance, in the last 20 years. It has also emerged as an
important regional power, with one of the world's largest militaries
and a declared nuclear weapons capability. Strategically located in
Asia, constituting most of the Indian subcontinent, India straddles
many busy trade routes. It shares its borders with Pakistan, the
People's Republic of China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and
Afghanistan. Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia are the nearby
island nations in the Indian Ocean. Home to some of the most ancient
civilizations in the world, India was formally ruled by the British
for almost 90 years before gaining independence in 1947.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
Today's selected anniversaries:
1901 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech to the House
of Representatives asking Congress to curb the power of trusts
"within reasonable limits".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt)
1904 - The Jovian moon Himalia was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine
at Lick Observatory.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_%28moon%29)
1967 - A team headed by Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in
Cape Town, South Africa, performed the first heart transplant on
a human, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_transplant)
1984 - The Bhopal gas tragedy resulted in more than 2000 killed and
between 150,000 and 600,000 injured in the Indian city of Bhopal.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_Disaster)
Wikiquote of the day:
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the
overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence
of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a
willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may
prevail." ~ Helen Keller
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Keller)
Richard Feynman was one of the most influential American physicists
of the 20th century, expanding greatly the theory of quantum
electrodynamics. As well as being an inspiring lecturer and amateur
musician, he helped in the development of the atomic bomb and was
later a member of the panel which investigated the Space Shuttle
Challenger disaster. For his work on quantum electrodynamics, Feynman
was one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1965,
along with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman
Today's selected anniversaries:
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned as Emperor of the French at
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Bonaparte)
1915 Albert Einstein published the general theory of relativity.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein)
1942 Led by Enrico Fermi, a Manhattan Project team at the University
of Chicago initiated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain
reaction
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project)
1961 Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared that he is a Marxist-Leninist
and that Cuba was going to adopt Communism.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro)
Wikiquote of the day:
"Ooh, with a little luck-- December will be magic again." ~ Kate Bush
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the
Western Front in World War II. It was intended that the German army
would split the Allied line in half, capture Antwerp, sweep north and
encircle and destroy four Allied armies, thus forcing them to
negotiate for peace. Although unsuccessful, it nevertheless tied down
huge amounts of Allied resources, and a slow response to the
resulting gap in their lines erased months from their timetable. An
alternative analysis is that the offensive allowed the Allies to
severely deplete the cream of German army outside the defenses of the
West Wall and in poor supply state, greatly easing the assault on
Germany afterward. In numerical terms, it is the largest battle the
United States Army has ever fought.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge
Today's selected anniversaries:
1640 John IV was declared King of Portugal, resulting in a war with
Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_IV_of_Portugal)
1822 Pedro I was crowned the first Emperor of Brazil.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil)
1955 Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white man and was
arrested for violating Montgomery, Alabama's racial segregation
laws.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks)
1990 Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France met
40 meters beneath the English Channel seabed, establishing the
first ground connection between the island of Great Britain and
the mainland of Europe since the last ice age.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel)
Wikiquote of the day:
"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." ~
William James
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_James)
The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was a high-performance version of the
S-Class luxury sedan. Built on its own assembly line by Daimler-Benz
AG (now DaimlerChrysler) in Stuttgart and based on the long-wheelbase
version of the "W116" chassis introduced in 1973, the 6.9, as it was
generally referred to in the company's own literature to separate it
from the regular 450SEL, was first shown to the motoring press at the
Geneva Auto Show in 1974 and produced between 1975 and 1981 in
extremely limited numbers. It was billed as the flagship of the
Mercedes-Benz car line and the successor to Mercedes-Benz's original
high-performance sedan, the 300SEL 6.3. The 6.9 also has the
distinction of being among the first vehicles ever with optional
anti-lock brakes, first introduced by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch in 1978.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes%2dBenz_450SEL_6.9
Today's selected anniversaries:
1939 Soviet forces invaded Finland, starting the Winter War, but were
stalled at the Mannerheim Line.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War)
1954 In Sylacauga, Alabama, a meteorite hit Elizabeth Hodges, bruising
her thigh, in the only unequivocally known case of a human being
hit by a space rock.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite)
1979 Rock band Pink Floyd released the mega-selling rock opera The Wall.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall)
1999 Tens of thousands converged to protest the World Trade Organization
at their meeting in Seattle.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization)
Wikiquote of the day:
"Find the good -- and praise it." ~ Alex Haley
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alex_Haley)