Lettuce is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. First cultivated by
the ancient Egyptians, it was converted from a weed into a plant grown
for its leaves. The Greeks and Romans gave it the name "lactuca", from
which the modern "lettuce" derives. Varieties developed in Europe in the
16th through 18th centuries can still be found in gardens today. The
consumption of lettuce has now spread throughout the world. Lettuce is
most often used for salads, but is sometimes seen in other kinds of
food. It is a good source of vitamin A and potassium and a minor source
of several other vitamins and nutrients. Despite its beneficial
properties, lettuce can become contaminated with disease-causing
bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Lettuce has also gathered
religious and medicinal significance.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1687:
The Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed during an armed
conflict between the Venetians under Francesco Morosini and Ottoman
forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon>
1917:
First World War: The Battle of Polygon Wood, part of the Third
Battle of Ypres, began near Ypres, Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Polygon_Wood>
1933:
As gangster Machine Gun Kelly surrendered to the FBI, he
supposedly shouted out, "Don't shoot, G-Men ('government men')!",
which
became a nickname for FBI agents.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Gun_Kelly>
1983:
Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov averted a possible
worldwide nuclear war by deliberately certifying what otherwise appeared
to be an impending attack by the United States as a false alarm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident>
2008:
Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy became the first person to
fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
exanimate:
1. Lifeless, not or no longer living.
2. Spiritless, dispirited.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exanimate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Right action is freedom From past and future also. For most of us, this
is the aim Never here to be realised; Who are only undefeated Because we
have gone on trying; We, content at the last If our temporal reversion
nourish (Not too far from the yew-tree) The life of significant soil.
in
--The Four Quartets
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Four_Quartets>