The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. Chesil Beach connects it to the mainland, and the A354 road bridge connects it to Weymouth, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The population of Portland is almost 13,000. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Its name is used for one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of North American and Australian towns. Portland limestone is still quarried here, and is used in British architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. The large, deep artificial harbour on Portland's northern shore was a Royal Navy base during World War I and World War II; the Navy and NATO trained in its waters until the 1990s. The harbour is a small civilian port and popular recreation area; the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will host the sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Portland
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1590:
Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the abbey church at Holyrood Palace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark
1865:
The International Telecommunication Union, an international organization that standardizes and regulates international radio and telecommunications, was founded as the International Telegraph Union in Paris. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union
1900:
Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking in South Africa was lifted after 217 days, a decisive victory for the British against the Boers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mafeking
1943:
World War II: Royal Air Force Dam Busters successfully deployed bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
1954:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
practicum (n): 1. A college course designed to give a student supervised practical knowledge of a subject previously studied theoretically.
2. A science exam in which students are questioned about specimens or other objects placed in front of them http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practicum
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe, in spite of all, in truth's victory. I believe in the momentous value, hereafter inviolable, of those few truly fraternal men in all the countries of the world, who, in the oscillation of national egoisms let loose, stand up and stand out, steadfast as the glorious statues of Right and Duty. --Henri Barbusse http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse