The Seri Rambai is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site city and capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a fertility symbol, the subject of legends and prophecy, and the largest bronze gun in Malaysia. The cannon's history in the Malacca Straits began in the early 1600s when Dutch East India Company officers gave it to the Sultan of Johor in return for trading concessions. Less than a decade later, after Johor was destroyed and the sultan captured, the Seri Rambai was taken to Aceh. Near the end of the eighteenth century the cannon was sent to Selangor and mounted next to one of the town's hilltop forts. In 1871 pirates seized a Penang junk, murdered its passengers and crew, and took the stolen vessel to Selangor. The British colonial government responded by burning the town, destroying its forts and confiscating the Seri Rambai. Originally displayed on Penang's Esplanade, the gun was moved in the 1950s to the ramparts at Fort Cornwallis.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seri_Rambai
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
Emperor Bing, the last emperor of the Song dynasty, died during the Battle of Yamen, bringing the dynasty to an end after three centuries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emperors_of_the_Song_dynasty
1911:
Socialist German politician Clara Zetkin established the first International Women's Day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Zetkin
1915:
Pluto was photographed for the first time, 15 years before it was officially discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto
1962:
Highly influential American musician Bob Dylan released his eponymous debut album. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan
2011:
Libyan Civil War: The French Air Force launched Opération Harmattan, beginning foreign military intervention in Libya. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ration_Harmattan
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
in spades: 1. (idiomatic) In large quantities; to a high degree; to excess, without restraint. 2. (idiomatic) Beyond doubt. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_spades
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism. --Earl Warren https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Earl_Warren