Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization in eastern North Africa,
concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now
the modern nation of Egypt. The civilization began around 3150 BC with
the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first
pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history
occurred in a series of stable periods, known as kingdoms, separated by
periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. After
the end of the last kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization
of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during which
Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. The civilization
of ancient Egypt thrived from its ability to adapt to the conditions of
the Nile River Valley. With resources to spare, the administration
sponsored the early development of an independent writing system, the
organization of collective construction and agricultural projects,
trade with surrounding regions, and a military that defeated foreign
enemies and asserted Egyptian dominance. Egypt left a lasting legacy:
art and architecture were copied and antiquities paraded around the
world, and monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of tourists
and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and
excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific
investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of
its cultural legacy for Egypt and the world.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1314:
In the decisive battle in the First War of Scottish Independence,
Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce defeated English troops under
Edward II near Bannockburn, Scotland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bannockburn>
1880:
"O Canada", today the national anthem of Canada, was first performed in
Quebec City, Quebec, during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada>
1894:
Italian anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio fatally shot Marie François
Sadi Carnot , President of the French Third Republic, after Carnot
delivered a speech at a public banquet in Lyon, France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Fran%C3%A7ois_Sadi_Carnot>
1948:
Cold War: The Soviet Union blocked access to the American, British, and
French sectors of Berlin, cutting off all rail and road routes going
into Soviet-controlled territory in Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade>
1994:
A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress based at Fairchild Air
Force Base in Spokane County, Washington, USA crashed, killing all four
crew members, and providing a case study on the importance of
compliance with safety regulations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Fairchild_Air_Force_Base_B-52_crash>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
boggle (v):
1. To to be bewildered, dumbfounded, or confused.
2. To confuse or mystify; overwhelm
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/boggle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
All I do is done in love; all I suffer, I suffer in the sweetness of
love.
--John of the Cross
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross>