The Marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the
River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989 that
resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer Marchioness,
with about 130 people on board, sank after being hit twice by the
dredger Bowbelle. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch blamed a lack
of lookouts, but it was criticised by the families of the victims for
failing to interview anyone on Marchioness or Bowbelle. A formal inquiry
was finally held in 2000; its report concluded that "The basic cause of
the collision is clear. It was poor lookout on both vessels. Neither
vessel saw the other in time to take action to avoid the collision."
Further criticism was aimed at the owners of both ships, at the
Department for Transport and at the Port of London Authority. The
collision and the subsequent reports led to increased safety measures on
the Thames, and four new lifeboat stations were installed on the river.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchioness_disaster>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
The first Siege of Pensacola came to an end with the British
and Creek abandoning their attempt to capture Pensacola in Spanish
Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Pensacola_%281707%29>
1920:
The American Professional Football Association, a predecessor
of the National Football League, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League>
1988:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed a
bus carrying British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland, killing eight of
them and wounding another twenty-eight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballygawley_bus_bombing>
1989:
The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South
Australia, was completed, becoming the world's longest and fastest
guided busway with buses (example pictured) travelling a total of 12 km
(7.5 mi) at maximum speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
gamin:
(dated, also attributively) A homeless boy; a male street urchin; also
(more generally), a cheeky, street-smart boy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gamin>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The behavioral and cognitive disciplines are leading the way to a
more valid framework for all science. Although the theoretic changes
make little difference in physics, chemistry, molecular biology, and so
on, they are crucial for the behavioral, social, and human sciences.
They don't change the analytic, reductive methodology, just the
interpretations and conclusions.
--Roger Wolcott Sperry
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Wolcott_Sperry>