SS Politician was a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of the Hebridean island of Eriskay (pictured) in February 1941. During the Second World War the ship participated in the Atlantic convoys between the United Kingdom and the United States. She grounded while attempting to rendezvous with a convoy to the north of Scotland. No one was badly injured or killed in the accident. Her cargo included 22,000 cases of malt whisky and £3 million worth of Jamaican banknotes. Much of the whisky was recovered by islanders from across the Hebrides, contrary to marine salvage laws. Because no duty had been paid on the whisky, members of HM Customs and Excise pursued and prosecuted those who had removed the cargo. Customs men undertook raids, arresting many and seizing the boats of those suspected of taking part. The story of the wreck and looting was the basis for the book Whisky Galore; an adaptation was released as a film in 1949 and a remake in 2016.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Politician
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Society_of_Equitable_Pioneers
1923:
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923
1965:
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member states have since signed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_of_All_Forms_of_Racial_Discrimination
1988:
The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
milieu: 1. An environment or setting; a medium. 2. (specifically) A social environment or setting. 3. A group of people with a common point of view; a social class or group. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/milieu
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory. --Gary Zukav https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gary_Zukav