Burnt Candlemas was a failed invasion of Scotland in early 1356 by an
English army commanded by King Edward III (pictured), and was the last
campaign of the Second War of Scottish Independence. Tensions on the
Anglo-Scottish border led to a military build-up in 1355. In September a
nine-month truce was agreed, and most of the English left. A few days
later the Scots invaded and devastated Northumberland. In early
November, the Scots escaladed the walls of Berwick-on-Tweed, captured
the town and laid siege to its castle. The English army retook the town
and marched on Edinburgh, leaving a trail of devastation 50 to 60 miles
(80 to 100 km) wide. The Scots refused battle and practised a scorched
earth policy, removing or destroying all food in their own territory.
The English burnt Edinburgh and thoroughly despoiled Lothian. Edward's
army was supplied by sea, but a winter storm scattered his fleet,
forcing the English to withdraw. In 1357 a permanent peace was agreed,
largely on English terms.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_Candlemas>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1659:
Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first
bottle of South African wine (vineyard pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_wine>
1913:
New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the world's largest
train station by number of platforms, opened immediately after midnight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Central_Terminal>
1942:
The first act of the Norwegian resistance movement took place
with the bombing of Oslo East Station by the Osvald Group to protest the
inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osvald_Group>
2009:
Omid, Iran's first domestically made satellite, was
successfully launched from Semnan Space Center.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omid>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Imbolc:
(Britain, Ireland) A Gaelic and Wiccan festival celebrated on 1 or 2
February which marks the beginning of spring.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Imbolc>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time
and energy on other things that require my attention. I've done a lot
of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions.
And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches,
fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's
best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and
committed athletes.
--Tom Brady
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Brady>
SMS Oldenburg was the fourth Helgoland-class battleship of the Imperial
German Navy. Built between 1909 and 1912 at the Schichau-Werke shipyard
in Danzig, Oldenburg was assigned to I Battle Squadron of the High Seas
Fleet for most of her career, including World War I. Oldenburg
participated in all of the major fleet operations during the conflict
against the British Grand Fleet, including the Battle of Jutland on
31 May and 1 June 1916, the largest naval battle of the war. The ship
also saw action in the Baltic Sea against the Imperial Russian Navy.
After the German collapse in November 1918, most of the High Seas Fleet
was interned and then scuttled in Scapa Flow during the peace
negotiations. The four Helgoland-class ships remained in Germany but
were ceded to the Allied powers as war reparations; Oldenburg was given
to Japan, which sold the vessel to a British ship-breaking firm in 1920.
She was scrapped in Dordrecht in 1921. (This article is part of a
featured topic: Battleships of Germany.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Battleships_of_Germ…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1662:
Sino-Dutch conflicts: The Dutch East India Company's rule in
Taiwan ended after a siege by the Ming loyalist Koxinga, who established
the Kingdom of Tungning on the island.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Zeelandia>
1942:
Voice of America, the official external radio and television
service of the United States federal government, began broadcasting with
programs aimed at Axis-controlled areas during World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America>
1972:
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, became the first
settlement in the country to be granted city status since independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur>
2012:
Following an Egyptian Premier League match in Port Said, Al
Masry fans rioted and violently attacked Al Ahly supporters, resulting
in 74 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Said_Stadium_riot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
inexorable:
1. Impossible to prevent or stop; inevitable.
2. Unable to be persuaded; relentless; unrelenting.
3. Adamant; severe.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inexorable>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false
patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality
is in the air we breathe.
--Langston Hughes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes>
Benedetto Pistrucci (1783–1855) was an Italian gem-engraver, medallist
and coin engraver, probably best known for his design of Saint George
and the Dragon for the British sovereign coin. Born in Rome, he became
prominent as a cameo carver. In 1815, he moved to Britain, where he
would live for most of the rest of his life. His talent brought him to
the attention of William Wellesley-Pole, Master of the Mint. Pole
engaged Pistrucci to design new coinage, including the sovereign, which
was first issued in 1817 to mixed reactions. In 1819 he was commissioned
to create the Waterloo Medal, a huge piece some 5.3 inches (130 mm) in
diameter that the British government planned to award to the generals
and national leaders who had defeated Napoleon. He took thirty years to
complete the design, but because of the coin's great size it could not
be struck. After Pistrucci's death, the George and Dragon design was
restored to the sovereign coin, and is still used today.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetto_Pistrucci>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1835:
Richard Lawrence became the first person to attempt to
assassinate a sitting US president when he failed to kill Andrew Jackson
at the US Capitol (assassination attempt pictured) and was subdued by
the crowd.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lawrence_%28failed_assassin%29>
1939:
In a speech to the Reichstag, German leader Adolf Hitler
threatened the "annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_prophecy>
1959:
On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish
ocean liner Hans Hedtoft hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of all 95
passengers and crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft>
1972:
The Troubles: On Bloody Sunday, members of the British
Parachute Regiment shot 26 civil-rights protesters in Derry, Northern
Ireland, killing at least 13 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281972%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dehort:
(transitive, rare or obsolete) To dissuade.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dehort>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The moral consciousness of the world must recognize the
importance of removing injustices and well-founded grievances; but at
the same time it must be aroused to the cardinal necessity of honoring
sanctity of treaties, of respecting the rightsand liberties of others,
and of putting an end to acts of international aggression.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>
A Beautiful Crime is a 2020 crime fiction novel by the American writer
and editor Christopher Bollen (pictured). It was first published in the
United States by Harper on January 28, 2020. The story, which is set in
Venice, centers on boyfriends Nick and Clay, who sell an inherited
collection of forged silver antiques to a wealthy acquaintance from
Clay's past. Their deception quickly leads to more serious crimes, as
Clay attempts to sell an expensive property that he does not fully own
and Nick murders a silver appraiser who threatened to expose their sale
of forgeries. The novel explores the overtourism and depopulation of
Venice, and the intersection of greed, moral ambiguity, and social
inequality. Critics praised Bollen's depictions of Venice and the
relationships between the characters but disagreed on the effectiveness
of the narrative's pace. A Beautiful Crime has drawn comparisons to
novels by Patricia Highsmith, particularly The Talented Mr. Ripley
(1955).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Beautiful_Crime>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Indian Wars: The U.S. Army led by Patrick Edward
Connor massacred Chief Bear Hunter and Shoshone forces at the Bear River
Massacre in present-day Franklin County, Idaho.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_River_Massacre>
1911:
Mexican Revolution: The Magonista rebellion began when Mexican
Liberal Party troops captured the town of Mexicali.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magonista_rebellion_of_1911>
1959:
The first Melodifestivalen, an annual Swedish music competition
that determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song
Contest, was held in Stockholm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodifestivalen>
2017:
A lone gunman carried out a mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec
City, Canada, killing six people and injuring nineteen others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_City_mosque_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Rafflesian:
1. Of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman
known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
2. (Singapore) Of or relating to an educational institution named after
Sir Stamford Raffles.
3. (Singapore) A current or former student of an educational institution
named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rafflesian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A life of kindness is the primary meaning of divine worship.
--Emanuel Swedenborg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emanuel_Swedenborg>
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986,
killing all seven crew members aboard. Challenger disintegrated over the
Atlantic Ocean, off Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 a.m. EST
(16:39 UTC), 73 seconds into its flight. The disaster was caused by the
failure of the two O-ring seals in a joint in the Space Shuttle's right
solid rocket booster in record-low temperatures. Several crew members
are known to have survived the initial breakup of the spacecraft, but
the impact of the crew compartment at terminal velocity with the ocean
surface was too violent to be survivable, and the orbiter had no escape
system. President Ronald Reagan created the Rogers Commission to
investigate the accident; it criticized NASA's organizational culture
and decision-making processes that had contributed to the accident.
There was a 32-month hiatus in the Space Shuttle program. To replace
Challenger, the construction of Endeavour was approved in 1987, and the
new orbiter first flew in 1992.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1547:
Nine-year-old Edward VI, the first English monarch to be
raised as a Protestant, became king.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VI>
1813:
English author Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice was
published, using material from an unpublished manuscript originally
written between 1796 and 1797.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice>
1922:
The largest recorded snowstorm in the history of Washington,
D.C., collapsed the Knickerbocker Theatre (damage pictured), killing 98
people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Theatre_%28Washington,_D.C.%29>
1984:
Tropical Storm Domoina made landfall in southern Mozambique,
causing some of the most severe flooding recorded in the region.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Domoina>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
caliginous:
(archaic or literary) Dark, obscure; murky.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caliginous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Peace demands of Nature the recognition of human rights;
discrimination is contrary to Nature and to the enemy of peace.
--José Martí
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD>
The Ba Congress was a meeting of representatives of the Chetnik movement
led by Draža Mihailović (pictured) between 25 and 28 January 1944 in
the village of Ba in German-occupied Serbia during World War II. The
congress advanced a political alternative to the communist-led Anti-
Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) of the
Yugoslav Partisans. In December 1943, the major Allied powers had
decided to provide their exclusive support to the Partisans and withdraw
support from the Chetniks, as they had concluded that the Chetniks were
more interested in collaborating with the Axis powers against the
Partisans than fighting the Axis. The congress denounced the decisions
of the AVNOJ, re-asserted its full support for the Yugoslav government-
in-exile and opposition to the Axis, and proposed a Serb-centric vision
for the political and socio-economic future of Yugoslavia. However, with
the Allied policy change, nothing could be done to improve the position
of the movement.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Congress>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1820:
A Russian expedition led by naval officers Fabian Gottlieb von
Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev made the first sighting of the coast
of Antarctica.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica>
1945:
The Soviet Red Army liberated about 7,000 prisoners left behind
by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp (entrance pictured), in
present-day Oświęcim, Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp>
1974:
Brisbane, Australia, was flooded when the Brisbane River broke
its banks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood>
2003:
The first selections for the United States National Recording
Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Recording_Registry>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kaddish:
(Judaism) A Jewish prayer of praise to God recited during services, and
specifically when mourning the death of a close relative.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kaddish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of
war. Unfortunately limits — attempts to limit war have always failed.
The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately
use whatever weapon it has available.
--Hyman G. Rickover
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover>
The Australian Air Corps (AAC) was a temporary military formation that
existed in the interval between the disbandment of the Australian Flying
Corps (AFC) of World War I and the establishment of the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) in March 1921. Raised in January 1920, the
AAC was commanded by Major William Anderson, a former AFC pilot. Many
members of the AAC were also from the AFC and went on to join the RAAF.
Although part of the Australian Army, the AAC was overseen by a board of
senior officers that included members of the Royal Australian Navy. The
primary purpose of the corps was to maintain assets of the Central
Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria, but it also undertook several
pioneering activities: AAC personnel set an Australian altitude record
that stood for a decade, made the first non-stop flight between Sydney
and Melbourne, and took the country's initial steps in the field of
aviation medicine. The RAAF inherited Point Cook and most of its initial
equipment from the AAC.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Air_Corps>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1700:
An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 9.0 occurred off
the Pacific Northwest coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese
records of tsunamis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700_Cascadia_earthquake>
1905:
The 3,107-carat (621 g; 1.37 lb) Cullinan Diamond, the
largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, was discovered at the
Premier Mine in Gauteng, South Africa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinan_Diamond>
1952:
Spontaneous anti-British riots erupted in Cairo following the
killings of 50 Egyptian auxiliary police officers the previous day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_fire>
1972:
JAT Flight 367 exploded in mid-air over Czechoslovakia; the
only survivor of the 28 on board, flight attendant Vesna Vulović, fell
10,160 m (33,330 ft), setting the record for surviving the highest
fall without a parachute.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
emu:
1. (obsolete) A cassowary (genus Casuarius).
2. A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius
novaehollandiae.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emu>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Twenty-five years ago I couldn't walk down the street without
being recognized. Now I can put a cap on, walk anywhere and no one pays
me any attention. They don't ask me about my movies and they don't ask
me about my salad dressing because they don't know who I am. Am I happy
about this? You bet.
--Paul Newman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Newman>
The Symphony No. 4 in G major by Gustav Mahler was composed from 1899
to 1900, incorporating a song that he wrote in 1892. That song, "Das
himmlische Leben", presents a child's vision of heaven and is sung by a
soprano in the symphony's fourth and final movement. The Fourth Symphony
was both smaller in orchestration and shorter in length than Mahler's
earlier symphonies. The premiere was performed in Munich on 25 November
1901 by the Kaim Orchestra conducted by the composer. It was met with
negative audience and critical reception over the work's confusing
intentions and perceived inferiority to the Second Symphony. The work
received its American and British premieres in 1904 and 1905,
respectively. After Mahler's death, the symphony continued to receive
performances under conductors such as Willem Mengelberg and Bruno
Walter. Its first recording was a 1930 Japanese rendition conducted by
Hidemaro Konoye that was also the first electrical recording of any
Mahler symphony.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._4_%28Mahler%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
Thomas Hardy founded the London Corresponding Society to seek a
"radical reform of parliament", later influencing the reform movements
of early-19th-century England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Corresponding_Society>
1917:
Serving as an armed merchant cruiser, HMS Laurentic (depicted
in merchant service) was sunk by German mines off the northern coast of
Ireland, resulting in 354 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Laurentic_%281908%29>
1967:
South Vietnamese junta leader Nguyễn Cao Kỳ fired rival
Nguyễn Hữu Có while the latter was overseas on a diplomatic visit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_H%E1%BB%AFu_C%C3%B3>
1995:
A team of Norwegian and American scientists launched a Black
Brant XII sounding rocket, which was mistaken for a Trident missile by
Russian forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_rocket_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Burns night:
An event held on the evening of 25th January in celebration of the
Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (born on that day in 1759),
usually involving Scottish foods and recitals of his poetry.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Burns_night>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Here on this ring of grass we have sat together, bound by the
tremendous power of some inner compulsion. The trees wave, the clouds
pass. The time approaches when these soliloquies shall be shared. We
shall not always give out a sound like a beaten gong as one sensation
strikes and then another. Children, our lives have been gongs striking;
clamour and boasting; cries of despair; blows on the nape of the neck in
gardens.
--Virginia Woolf
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf>
The New York Stock Exchange Building is the headquarters of the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE). It is composed of two connected structures in
Lower Manhattan, New York City. One part, the original structure at
18 Broad Street, was designed in the Classical Revival style by George
B. Post; the other is a 23-story office annex at 11 Wall Street,
designed by Trowbridge & Livingston in a similar style. The NYSE had
occupied the site on Broad Street since 1865 but had to expand its
previous building several times, and so the structure at 18 Broad
Street was erected between 1901 and 1903. Within two decades, the new
building had become overcrowded, and the annex at 11 Wall Street was
added between 1920 and 1922. The original structure's colonnade is an
icon of the NYSE; behind it is the main trading floor, a 72-foot-tall
(22 m) rectangular space. The building was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1978 and a city landmark by the New York City
Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1985.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Stock_Exchange_Building>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1857:
The University of Calcutta, the first modern university in the
Indian subcontinent, was established.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Calcutta>
1915:
First World War: British ships of the Grand Fleet intercepted
and surprised a German High Seas Fleet squadron in the North Sea,
sinking a cruiser and damaging several other vessels.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dogger_Bank_%281915%29>
1966:
Air India Flight 101, en route to London from Bombay, crashed
into Mont Blanc in Switzerland, killing all 117 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India_Flight_101>
1989:
American serial killer Ted Bundy was executed by electric
chair in Florida for the murders of 30 young women.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brumous:
(literary) Foggy or misty; wintry.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brumous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I turned on the news to the Third World War, Opened up the paper
to World War IV. Just when I thought it was safe to be bored, Trouble
waiting to happen.
--Warren Zevon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Warren_Zevon>
Archaeoindris fontoynontii is a gorilla-sized extinct giant lemur, the
largest primate known from Madagascar. This sloth lemur was related to
the extinct Palaeopropithecus and became extinct around 350 BCE. It was
first described by Herbert F. Standing in 1909 based on subfossil jaw
fragments, although a complete skull was later found. Only six bones
from the lower skeleton have been located. The skeleton was massive and
the arms were longer than the legs, but no hand or foot bones are known.
Size estimates range as high as 244.1 kilograms (538.1 pounds), but
regression analyses predict a mass of 160 kg (350 lb). Misattributions
and limited remains have resulted in differing opinions about how this
lemur moved. Its skeleton suggests it was a climber that also travelled
on the ground. Its diet was mostly leaves, and its former habitat, a mix
of woodlands and savanna, is now mainly grassland. When humans arrived
on Madagascar, it was still extant but vulnerable to hunting and habitat
loss.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeoindris>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1849:
Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College in
New York, making her the first woman to receive a medical degree in the
United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Blackwell>
1909:
Two men committed an armed robbery in Tottenham, London, and
led police on a two-hour chase, partially by tram, that ended in the
perpetrators' suicides.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tottenham_Outrage>
1942:
World War II: Japan began an invasion of the island of New
Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rabaul_%281942%29>
2002:
American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later
murdered by al-Qaeda agents in Karachi, Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Pearl>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gigot:
1. A leg of lamb or mutton.
2. (fashion) Short for gigot sleeve (“a type of sleeve shaped like a leg
of mutton”).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gigot>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Beauty is nothing other than the promise of happiness.
--Stendhal
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stendhal>