Artur Phleps (29 November 1881 – 21 September 1944) was an Austro-
Hungarian, Romanian and Nazi officer who was an SS-Obergruppenführer
und General der Waffen-SS in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was
an Austro-Hungarian Army officer before and during World War I. During
the interwar period, he joined the Romanian Army and became an adviser
to King Carol. After he spoke out against the government, he was made
to leave the army. In 1941 he joined the Waffen-SS. He saw action on the
Eastern Front before raising two Waffen-SS mountain divisions and one
corps in occupied Yugoslavia. Units under his command committed many
crimes against the civilian population of the Independent State of
Croatia. This became controversial when his onetime translator, Kurt
Waldheim, successfully ran for the Austrian presidency in the 1980s. In
addition to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Phleps was awarded the
German Cross in Gold, and, posthumously, was awarded the Oak Leaves to
his Knight's Cross.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Phleps>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York
(depicted) broke out during the British occupation of New York City,
destroying up to 1,000 buildings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_New_York_%281776%29>
1918:
World War I: The Battle of Nazareth ended with the British
Empire victorious over the Ottomans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nazareth>
1958:
The first section of Interstate 80 in Iowa opened in the Des
Moines metropolitan area.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_80_in_Iowa>
2001:
Several British Muslim youths in Peterborough, England,
murdered 17-year-old Ross Parker, leading to debate over whether the
British media failed to cover racially-motivated crimes with white
victims.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Ross_Parker>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
repose:
1. (uncountable) Temporary cessation from activity to rest and recover,
especially in the form of sleep; rest; (countable) an instance of this;
a break, a rest; a sleep.
2. (by extension, Christianity)
3. (uncountable) Of the Virgin Mary: death; also assumption into heaven.
4. (countable, Eastern Orthodoxy) The festival honouring the assumption
of the Virgin Mary into heaven, celebrated on August 15.
5. (uncountable) The state of being peacefully inactive or relaxed, or
being free from disturbances or worries; calmness, ease, peace,
quietness.
6. (uncountable) Calmness of the mind or temperament; composure.
7. (uncountable) Of the face, a muscle, etc.: the state of being relaxed
and not in tension.
8. (uncountable) The state of lying still and unmoving; calmness,
tranquillity; (countable) an instance of this.
9. (uncountable, archaic) Relief or respite from something exhausting or
unpleasant; (countable) an instance of this.
10. (uncountable, archaic) Confidence, faith, or trust in something.
11. (uncountable, architecture, art) The arrangement of elements of an
artwork, a building, etc., that is restful and soothing to a viewer;
harmony.
12. (uncountable, chiefly chemistry) The state of leaving something
alone or untouched; (countable) an instance of this.
13. (uncountable, engineering, physics) Chiefly in the form point of
repose, position of repose, etc.: absence of motion; equilibrium;
(countable) a position where an object is not moving and at rest.
14. (uncountable, chiefly geology) Of a natural phenomenon, especially
the eruption of a volcano: the state of temporary cessation of activity;
dormancy, quiescence.
15. (obsolete)
16. (countable) A piece of furniture on which one can rest, especially a
couch or sofa.
17. (countable) A place of rest.
18. (painting, uncountable) The technique of including in a painting an
area or areas which are dark, indistinct, or soft in tone so that other
areas are more prominent, or so that a viewer can rest they eyes when
looking at them; (countable) such an area of a painting. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/repose>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It's coming to America first The cradle of the best and of the
worst It's here they got the range And the machinery for change And
it's here they got the spiritual thirst It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say That the heart has got to open In a
fundamental way Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
--Leonard Cohen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>
Addie Viola Smith (1893–1975) was an American attorney who served as
the U.S. trade commissioner to Shanghai from 1928 to 1939, the first
female Foreign Service officer in the U.S. Foreign Service to work under
the Commerce Department, and the first woman to serve as trade
commissioner. A native of Stockton, California, Smith moved to
Washington, D.C., in 1917. While working for the United States
Department of Labor, she attended the Washington College of Law part-
time, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1920. She joined the Foreign
Service in October that year. Posted to Beijing as a clerk, she was
promoted to assistant trade commissioner in Shanghai in 1922, and to
trade commissioner in 1928. She later held roles in the U.S. government,
world organizations, and the United Nations. Smith met her life partner,
Eleanor Mary Hinder, in 1926; they moved to Hinder's native Australia in
1957, where stone seats are dedicated to them at the E. G. Waterhouse
National Camellia Gardens.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addie_Viola_Smith>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
The French Army achieved its first major victory of the War of
the First Coalition at the Battle of Valmy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Valmy>
1967:
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, announced the
story of Xenu in a taped lecture sent to all Scientologists.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu>
1997:
Hurricane Erika, the strongest and longest-lasting hurricane of
the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season, dissipated after causing flooding
and power outages throughout Puerto Rico.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Erika_%281997%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
foliate:
1. Of or relating to leaves.
2. Shaped like or otherwise resembling a leaf; leaflike.
3. (geometry) Of a curve: having two infinite branches with a common
asymptote, and a leaf-shaped loop.
4. (botany)
5. Of a plant: having leaves.
6. Of a leaf: having a (certain number of) leaflets.
7. (geology) Synonym of foliated (“of a rock: having a structure of thin
layers”)
8. (obsolete) In the form of a foil or thin sheet.
9. (transitive)
10. To add numbers to (a folio or leaf, or all the folios or leaves, of
a book); also, to add numbers to the folios or leaves of (a book); to
folio, to page, to paginate.
11. To spread (glass) with a thin coat of mercury and tin, or other
substances forming a foil, to create a mirror; to foil, to silver.
12. (architecture) To decorate (an architectural feature, as an arch or
window) with foils (“small arcs in the traceries of arches, windows,
etc.”).
13. (obsolete) To beat (metal) into a foil or thin sheet.
14. (intransitive)
15. To split into layers or leaves.
16. (botany) Of a plant: to produce leaves.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foliate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Don’t fool yourself that you are going to have it all. You are
not. Psychologically, having it all is not even a valid concept. The
marvelous thing about human beings is that we are perpetually reaching
for the stars. The more we have, the more we want. And for this reason,
we never have it all.
--Joyce Brothers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers>
During their 1894–95 season, New Brompton F.C. (known as Gillingham
F.C. since 1912) competed in the Southern Football League Division Two.
The club had been formed a year earlier but in the inaugural season
played only friendly matches and games in the qualifying rounds of the
FA Cup and FA Amateur Cup. In 1894, New Brompton turned professional and
joined the newly formed Southern League. The team dominated Division Two
of the new league, winning all but one of their matches, and gained
promotion to Division One by winning an end-of-season "test match"
against Swindon Town, who had finished bottom of the higher division.
New Brompton also entered the FA Cup, reaching the third qualifying
round. The team played 15 competitive matches, winning 13, drawing none,
and losing two. Arthur Rule was the team's top goalscorer for the
season. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home, the Athletic
Ground, was approximately 8,000 for the visit of Chatham in the FA Cup.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1894%E2%80%9395_New_Brompton_F.C._season>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
Near La Salette-Fallavaux in southeastern France, shepherd
children Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud reported a Marian
apparition, now known as Our Lady of La Salette (statue pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_La_Salette>
1940:
World War II: Polish resistance leader Witold Pilecki allowed
himself to be captured by German forces and sent to Auschwitz to gather
intelligence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Pilecki>
1970:
The first Glastonbury Festival was held at Michael Eavis's farm
in Glastonbury, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Festival>
1995:
Industrial Society and Its Future, the manifesto of American
domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, was published in The Washington Post
almost three months after it was submitted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
avast:
1. Hold fast!; cease!; stop!
2. (slang) In imitation of pirates: listen!; pay attention!
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/avast>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
One of our faults is to believe that evil is somewhere else and
inherent in another nation. My book was to say you think that now the
war is over and an evil thing destroyed, you are safe because you are
naturally kind and decent. But I know why the thing rose in Germany. I
know it could it could happen in any country. It could happen here.
--William Golding
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Golding>
The Girl Who Lived in the Tree is the 32nd collection by British fashion
designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2008 season. The
primary inspirations were British culture and national symbols,
particularly the British monarchy, as well as the clothing of India
during the British Raj. It was presented through the narrative of a
fairy tale about a feral girl who lived in a tree before falling in love
with a prince and descending to become a princess. The collection's
runway show was staged on 29 February 2008 at the Palais Omnisports de
Paris-Bercy in Paris. Forty-two looks were featured in two phases:
during the first the ensembles were all in black and white, with most
having a slim, tailored silhouette; those from the second were richly
coloured, with luxurious materials and embellishments (examples
pictured). Critical response was positive, and in retrospect it is
regarded as one of McQueen's best collections. Garments from the
collection are held by various museums.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Who_Lived_in_the_Tree>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1809:
The second Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (interior pictured),
opened in London after the original was destroyed by fire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Ballet_and_Opera>
1875:
The Indianola hurricane dissipated over Mississippi after
killing around eight hundred people in Texas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1875_Indianola_hurricane>
1961:
An aircraft crashed near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia, resulting
in the deaths of 16 people, including United Nations secretary-general
Dag Hammarskjöld.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transair_Sweden_Flight_001>
1981:
While posing as an aristocrat, Belgian serial killer Nestor
Pirotte murdered an antiques dealer in Brussels, for which crime he was
sentenced to death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor_Pirotte>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cryptomnesia:
(chiefly psychology, uncountable) The phenomenon of the reappearance of
a long-forgotten memory as if it were a new experience; (countable) an
instance of this.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cryptomnesia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been
considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it
offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power
of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first
instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.
--Joseph Story
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Story>
Sir Frederick "Boy" Browning (1896–1965) was a British Army general
who has been called the "father of the British airborne forces". He was
also an Olympic bobsleigh competitor, and the husband of author Daphne
du Maurier. Educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College,
Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1915 and
served on the Western Front in the First World War. During the Second
World War, Browning commanded the I Airborne Corps in Operation Market
Garden in September 1944. During the planning for this operation, he
was alleged to have said: "I think we might be going a bridge too far."
In December 1944 he became chief of staff of Admiral Lord Mountbatten's
South East Asia Command. After the war Browning was comptroller and
treasurer to Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. After she
ascended to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II in 1952, Browning became
treasurer in the Office of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Browning>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1382:
Following Louis I's death without a male heir, his daughter
Mary was crowned with the title of King of Hungary.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Hungary>
1859:
Disgruntled with the legal and political structures of the
United States, Joshua Norton distributed letters to various newspapers
in San Francisco proclaiming himself to be Emperor Norton.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton>
1894:
John Hyrum Koyle, a controversial Mormon bishop, began
excavating the Dream Mine, which he believed would provide financial
support to members of the LDS Church.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Mine>
1914:
Andrew Fisher, who in his previous term as premier oversaw a
period of reform unmatched in the Commonwealth until the 1940s, became
Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Fisher>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spavin:
1. (farriery, veterinary medicine)
2. A bony swelling which develops in a horse's leg where the shank and
splint bone meet, caused by inflammation of the cartilage connecting
those bones; also, a similar swelling caused by inflammation of the hock
bones.
3. A disease of horses caused by this bony swelling (sense 1.1).
4. (by extension) A similar disease causing a person's leg to be lame.
5. (farriery, veterinary medicine) To cause (a horse or its leg) to have
spavin (noun sense 1.2).
6. (figurative) To impair or injure (someone or something). [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spavin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The job of the writer is to kiss no ass, no matter how big and
holy and white and tempting and powerful.
--Ken Kesey
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Kesey>
Al-Mustaʿlī biʾllāh (15/16 September 1074 – 1101) was the ninth
Fatimid caliph and the nineteenth imam of Musta'li Ismailism. He became
caliph through the machinations of his brother-in-law al-Afdal
Shahanshah. In response, his oldest brother, Nizar, revolted in
Alexandria; his defeat and execution split the Isma'ili movement. Al-
Musta'li remained subordinate to al-Afdal, who was the de facto ruler of
the Fatimid Caliphate. The Caliphate's territory in Egypt experienced
good government and prosperity, but the Fatimids suffered setbacks in
Syria, where they faced the advance of the Seljuk Turks. Al-Afdal
recovered the port city of Tyre and recaptured Jerusalem in the turmoil
caused by the arrival of the First Crusade. Despite Fatimid attempts to
make common cause with the Crusaders against the Seljuks, the Crusaders
advanced south and captured Jerusalem in July 1099 and defeated the
Fatimid army at the Battle of Ascalon. Al-Musta'li died in 1101 and was
succeeded by his son al-Amir.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Musta%27li>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1830:
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&M;), the first
locomotive-hauled railway to connect two major cities, opened with the
Duke of Wellington in attendance.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_of_the_Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railw…>
1954:
The scene in The Seven Year Itch of Marilyn Monroe standing in
a white dress over a subway grate was filmed by Billy Wilder.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_dress_of_Marilyn_Monroe>
2013:
The Belarusian serial killer Ivan Kulesh murdered two
saleswomen in Lida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Kulesh>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deoligarchization:
(politics) The act or process of reversing oligarchization, that is, the
act or process of democratization by lessening the political power of
oligarchs or removing them from influential positions.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deoligarchization>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is given so profusely as advice.
--François de La Rochefoucauld
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_La_Rochefoucauld>
Sir Charles William Fremantle (1834–1914) was a British official who
served for 26 years as deputy master of the Royal Mint, and for most of
that time as its executive head. Educated at Eton College, he served as
private secretary to several officials, latterly Benjamin Disraeli,
including while Disraeli was prime minister in 1868. Disraeli appointed
him as deputy to Thomas Graham, the master of the Mint. Graham died in
September 1869, and the Treasury decided the mastership should go to
the chancellor of the exchequer of the day, with the deputy master the
head of the Royal Mint. Fremantle began work to modernise the antiquated
Royal Mint. Fremantle sought to beautify the coinage and, believing the
Mint's engraver, Leonard Charles Wyon, not up to the task, sought to do
so by resurrecting classic coin designs, like Benedetto Pistrucci's
depiction of Saint George and the Dragon for the sovereign. In 1894, at
the age of sixty, Fremantle retired from the Royal Mint.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_William_Fremantle>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
919:
Viking activity in the British Isles: A coalition of native
Irish, led by Niall Glúndub, failed in their attempt to drive the
Vikings of the Uí Ímair from Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Islandbridge>
1863:
American Civil War: The Little Rock campaign ended with the
Union Army capturing Little Rock, Arkansas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_campaign>
1914:
HMAS AE1, the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine, was
lost at sea; its wreck was not found until 2017.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_AE1>
1989:
Typhoon Sarah dissipated after causing extensive damage along
an erratic path across the Western Pacific, killing 71 in Taiwan, the
Philippines, and the Gotō Islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Sarah_%281989%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
set out one's stall:
1. To make publicly clear one's position with reference to a particular
idea or philosophy, or what one can do.
2. To decide to do something.
3. To do something which creates a favourable impression.
4. (sports, originally cricket) To (decide to) play (especially to
defend) in a determined manner.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/set_out_one%27s_stall>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The great difficulty of all schemes for leagues of nations and
the like has been to find an effective sanction against nations
determined to break the peace. I will not now discuss at length the
difficulties of joint armed action, but every one who has studied the
question knows they are very great. It may be, however, that a league of
nations, properly furnished with machinery to enforce the financial,
commercial, and economic isolation of any nation determined to force its
will upon the world by mere violence, would be a real safeguard for the
peace of the world.
--Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Cecil,_1st_Viscount_Cecil_of_Chelwood>
An attempted coup took place on September 13, 1964, in South Vietnam
against the ruling military junta, led by Nguyễn Khánh (pictured). In
the preceding month, Khánh had tried to improve his leadership by
declaring a state of emergency, provoking protests and riots. He made
concessions to the protesters and removed military officials linked to
former President Ngo Dinh Diem, including Lâm Văn Phát and Dương
Văn Đức. They responded with a coup, broadcasting their promise to
revive Diem's policies. Khánh evaded capture and rallied allies while
the U.S. continued their support for his rule. Khánh forced Phát and
Đức to capitulate the next morning and various coup leaders appeared
at a media conference where they denied that a coup had taken place. To
maintain power, Khánh tried to court support from Buddhist activists,
who supported negotiations to end the Vietnam War. As the Americans were
strongly opposed to such policies, relations with Khánh became
strained.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1964_South_Vietnamese_coup_attempt>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1567:
The siege of Inabayama Castle, the final battle in Oda
Nobunaga's campaign to conquer Mino Province, began; it culminated in a
decisive victory for Nobunaga.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Inabayama_Castle>
1848:
An explosion drove an iron rod through the head of railroad
foreman Phineas Gage; his survival and recovery influenced 19th-century
discussion of psychology and neuroscience.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage>
1919:
The Boston police strike ended after four days of rule by the
state militia, the deaths of nine people, and accusations that striking
officers were "agents of Lenin".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_police_strike>
2005:
A software bug caused a simulated pandemic in the online video
game World of Warcraft, serving as a model for epidemiologists to
understand how human interaction influences disease outbreaks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupted_Blood_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
twit:
1. (transitive)
2. To blame or reproach (someone), especially in a good-natured or
teasing manner; also, to ridicule or tease (someone).
3. (archaic) To criticize or disapprove of (something), especially in a
good-natured or teasing manner.
4. (computing) To ignore or kill file (a user on a bulletin board
system).
5. (obsolete) Followed by it: to speak or write (something) in a
taunting or teasing manner.
6. (intransitive)
7. To blame or reproach, especially in a good-natured or teasing manner.
8. (obsolete except British, dialectal) To be indiscreet; to gossip.
9. A jibe, reproach, or taunt, especially one made in a good-natured or
teasing manner.
10. (informal) An annoying or foolish person.
11. (British, dialectal, archaic) A person who chatters or gossips
inanely; a chatterer, a gossip or gossiper; also, a person who divulges
private information about others or is indiscreet; a tattletale. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/twit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here,
Earth sure looks like a perfect world.
--Jared Isaacman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jared_Isaacman>
Tropical Storm Hanna was the ninth tropical cyclone and eighth named
storm of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. Hanna formed through the
complex interaction of a surface trough, a tropical wave, and an upper-
level low pressure system. Initially designated a tropical depression,
it attained tropical storm status and a peak intensity of 1,001 mbar
(29.6 inHg), with winds of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). Hanna crossed
southeastern Louisiana, and made a second landfall along the
Alabama–Mississippi border. On Dauphin Island, Alabama, the storm
caused coastal flooding which closed roads and forced the evacuation of
residents. Florida received high wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and strong
surf that resulted in the deaths of three swimmers. 20,000 homes in the
state lost electricity. In Georgia, significant flooding occurred. Crop
damage was extensive, and about 335 structures were damaged by the
flooding. The storm caused a total of about $20 million USD in damage.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Hanna_%282002%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
The English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning (both pictured) married in secret to avoid their disapproving
families before moving to Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning>
1933:
Hungarian-American physicist Leo Szilard conceived of the idea
of the nuclear chain reaction while waiting for a traffic light in
Bloomsbury, London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard>
1948:
The People's Liberation Army launched the Liaoshen campaign,
the first of the three major military campaigns during the late stage of
the Chinese Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaoshen_campaign>
1995:
Hurricane Ismael formed off the southwest coast of Mexico; it
went on to kill over a hundred people in the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ismael>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
historiaster:
(derogatory, archaic, rare) An inferior historian.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/historiaster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Truth would quickly cease to be stranger than fiction, once we
got used to it.
--H. L. Mencken
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken>
John Rolph (1793–1870) was a physician, lawyer, and political figure.
He immigrated to Upper Canada in 1813 and practised law and medicine
concurrently. In 1824, Rolph was elected to the Parliament of Upper
Canada. He was elected as an alderman to Toronto's first city council
but resigned after his council colleagues did not select him as the
city's mayor. When the Upper Canada Rebellion began in 1837, Rolph did
not join the rebels even though he agreed to support them. Instead, the
Lieutenant Governor appointed him as his emissary to deliver the
government's truce offer. After the rebellion, Rolph fled to the US and
focused on his medical career. The Canadian government granted him
amnesty and he returned to Canada in 1843, later creating a new medical
institution in Toronto called the Rolph School. In 1851 he was elected
to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, but resigned
three years later. He retired in 1870 and died later that year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rolph>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1978:
British medical photographer Janet Parker became the last
recorded person to die from smallpox, leading to a debate on whether the
virus should be preserved.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_smallpox_outbreak_in_the_United_Kingdom>
1995:
Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station
Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to Earth after
approximately 75 days in space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir_EO-19>
2001:
al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners to carry out a
series of terrorist attacks (one pictured) against targets in New York
City and the area of Washington, D.C., killing 2,977 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
demur:
1. (intransitive)
2. Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be
reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
3. (law) To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for
the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of
whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party,
it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence
whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed
further”).
4. (obsolete) To endure, to last.
5. (obsolete) To linger, to tarry.
6. (obsolete) To remain, to stay.
7. (obsolete) To suspend judgment or proceedings because of a difficulty
or doubt; to put off the conclusion or determination of a matter; to
delay, to hesitate, to pause.
8. (obsolete, rare) To have doubts; to be doubtful.
9. (obsolete, figurative) Followed by upon: to be captivated or fixated;
to dwell on, to linger.
10. (transitive)
11. (rare) To object or take exception to (something).
12. (obsolete) To cause delay to (someone or something); to put off.
13. (obsolete) To have doubts or hesitate about (something).
14. An act of objecting or taking exception; a scruple; also, an
exception taken or objection to something.
15. (obsolete)
16. An act of continuing; a continuance.
17. An act of lingering or tarrying.
18. An act of remaining or staying; a residence, a stay.
19. A state of having doubts; a hesitation, a pause.
20. (law) Synonym of demurrer (“a motion by a party to a legal action
for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of
whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party,
it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence
whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed
further”)
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demur>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in
our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies
before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this
day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just
in our world.
--George W. Bush
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush>