Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale (1626–1698), was a prominent
figure amongst 17th-century English and Scottish nobility, known for her
beauty, influence and involvement in the politics and arts of her time.
Born Elizabeth Murray, she was raised in court circles during the years
leading up to the English Civil War and received a well-rounded
education from her parents. She had eleven children by her first
husband, Lionel Tollemache, five of whom survived to adulthood. Upon her
father's death she inherited Ham House – her childhood home – as
well as his titles, becoming Countess of Dysart and Lady Huntingtower.
During the Interregnum, she was involved with efforts to restore the
monarchy. After Lionel's death she married John Maitland, a close
advisor to Charles II, bringing her into the heart of politics. She
later became Duchess of Lauderdale. During their marriage, they
substantially remodelled Ham House, filling it with luxury furnishings
and artwork. Elizabeth died there in 1698.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Maitland,_Duchess_of_Lauderdale>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1851:
As part of celebrations marking the separation of Victoria from
New South Wales, the inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia
began at the Launceston Racecourse in Tasmania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen%27s_Land_v_Port_Phillip,_1851>
1976:
The Frente de Liberación Homosexual made their final public
appearance, shortly before the group's dissolution due to political
repression after the 1976 Argentine coup d'état.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frente_de_Liberaci%C3%B3n_Homosexual>
2001:
The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions
of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kournikova_%28computer_virus%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
mojibake:
(computing) Corrupt characters or letters, especially resulting from
being displayed or transferred through an inappropriate character set or
encoding.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mojibake>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Luckdragons are among the strangest animals in Fantastica.…
Luckdragons are creatures of air, warmth, and pure joy. Despite their
great size, they are as light as a summer cloud, and consequently need
no wings for flying. They swim in the air of heaven as fish swim in
water. Seen from the earth, they look like slow lightning flashes. The
most amazing thing about them is their song. Their voice sounds like the
golden note of a large bell, and when they speak softly the bell seems
to be ringing in the distance. Anyone who has heard this sound will
remember it as long as he lives and tell his grandchildren about it.
--The Neverending Story
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Neverending_Story>