Ian Fleming (1908–1964) was an English author, journalist and Naval
Intelligence Officer, best known for his James Bond series of spy
novels. While working in British Naval Intelligence during the Second
World War, Fleming was involved in the planning stages of intelligence
and military operations, and his wartime service and subsequent career
as a journalist provided much of the background, detail and depth of the
James Bond novels. Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in
1952. It was a success, and eleven Bond novels and two short-story
collections followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels revolved around
James Bond, an officer in the British Secret Service. The Bond stories
rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time,
having sold over 100 million copies. Fleming's creation has appeared in
film twenty-four times, portrayed by seven actors, and the latest screen
incarnation, Skyfall, is due to premiere in London on 23 October 2012.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
502:
Pope Symmachus (pictured), who had been accused of various
crimes, had all charges dropped by a synod, ending the schism of
Antipope Laurentius.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Symmachus>
1942:
World War II: Japanese forces began their ill-fated attempt to
recapture Henderson Field from the Americans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Henderson_Field>
1972:
Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker, a US bombing campaign
against North Vietnam in response to its Easter Offensive, ended after
five months.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker>
1989:
A massive explosion and fire ripped through the Phillips 66
Houston Chemical Complex, killing 23 employees and injuring 314 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Disaster_of_1989>
2002:
Chechen separatists seized a crowded theater in Moscow, taking
approximately 700 patrons and performers hostage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
palatal:
1. (anatomy) Pertaining to the palate.
2. (dentistry, not comparable) Of an upper tooth, on the side facing the
palate.
3. (phonetics) Articulated at the hard palate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/palatal>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
In the end, science offers us the only way out of politics. And if we
allow science to become politicized, then we are lost. We will enter the
Internet version of the dark ages, an era of shifting fears and wild
prejudices, transmitted to people who don't know any better.
--Michael Crichton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton>