Ba Cut (1923–1956) was a military commander of the Hòa Hảo religious
sect, which operated from the Mekong Delta and controlled various parts
of southern Vietnam during the 1940s and early 1950s. Ba Cụt and his
forces fought the Vietnamese National Army, the Việt Minh, and the Cao
Đài religious movement from 1943 until his capture in 1956. Known for
his idiosyncrasies, he was regarded as an erratic and cruel leader who
fought with little ideological purpose. His sobriquet came from the
self-amputation of a finger as part of a vow during his teenage years
to defeat the French colonial forces; he later swore not to cut his
hair until the communist Việt Minh were defeated. Ba Cụt frequently
made alliances with various Vietnamese factions and the French. He
invariably accepted the material support offered in return for his
cooperation, and then broke the agreement—nevertheless, the French made
deals with him on five occasions. In mid-1955, the tide turned against
the various sects, as Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm of the State of
Vietnam and his VNA began to consolidate their grip on the south. Ba
Cụt and his allies were driven into the jungle, and their position was
threatened by government offensives. After almost a year of fighting,
Ba Cụt was captured. He was sentenced to death and publicly beheaded in
Cần Thơ.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Cut>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1192:
Third Crusade: Conrad of Montferrat, the elected King of Jerusalem, was
fatally stabbed by members of the Hashshashin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_of_Montferrat>
1789:
About 1,300 miles west of Tahiti, near Tonga, Fletcher Christian, the
master's mate on board the Royal Navy ship HMAV Bounty, led a mutiny
against the ship's commander William Bligh.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh>
1920:
The Soviet Union established the Azerbaijan SSR after the government of
the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic surrendered to the invading
Bolsheviks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Democratic_Republic>
1952:
The Treaty of San Francisco entered into force, ending the occupation
of Japan by the former Allied Powers of World War II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Francisco>
2008:
The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, at the time the
world's highest residence above ground-level at 1,389 feet (423 m),
held its full service grand opening.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_International_Hotel_and_Tower_%28Chicago%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
crenellation (n):
A pattern along the top of a parapet (fortified wall), most often in
the form of multiple, regular, rectangular spaces in the top of the
wall, through which arrows or other weaponry may be shot
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crenellation>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Too much magic could wrap time and space around itself, and that wasn't
good news for the kind of person who had grown used to things like
effects following things like causes.
--Terry Pratchett
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett>