Joaquim José Inácio, Viscount of Inhaúma, (1808–1869) was a naval officer, politician and monarchist of the Empire of Brazil. After Brazilian independence in 1822, he enlisted in the armada (navy) and participated in the subduing of secessionist rebellions, including the Confederation of the Equator. He helped quell a military mutiny in 1831 and saw action in the Sabinada rebellion (1837–1838) and the Ragamuffin War (1840–1844). In 1849 he was given command of the fleet that was instrumental in subduing the Praieira revolt, the last rebellion in imperial Brazil. Inhaúma entered politics in 1861 as a member of the Conservative Party, serving first as navy minister and then as agriculture minister; the first professional firefighter corps in Brazil was formed during his tenure. In late 1866 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet engaged in the Paraguayan War, and achieved the rank of admiral. Although historical works have not given much coverage to Inhaúma, some historians regard him among the greatest of the Brazilian navy officers.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquim_Jos%C3%A9_In%C3%A1cio,_Viscount_of_Inha%C3%BAma
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1822:
USS Alligator engaged three piratical schooners off the coast of Cuba in one of the West Indies anti-piracy operations of the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_9_November_1822
1914:
World War I: In the Cocos Islands, the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney sank SMS Emden, the last active Central Powers warship in the Indian Ocean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cocos
1938:
Kristallnacht began as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed and ransacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria, resulting in at least 90 deaths and the deportation of over 30,000 others to concentration camps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht
1989:
Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced the immediate opening of the inner German border, causing the fall of Berlin Wall that night. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_German_border
2016:
A tram derailed in Croydon, United Kingdom, killing seven people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Croydon_tram_derailment
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
whatchamacallit: (slang) A metasyntactic term used for any object the actual name of which the speaker does not know or cannot remember; a doodad, gizmo, thingamajig, thingy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whatchamacallit
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We on Earth have just awakened to the great oceans of space and time from which we have emerged. We are the legacy of 15 billion years of cosmic evolution. We have a choice: We can enhance life and come to know the universe that made us, or we can squander our 15 billion-year heritage in meaningless self-destruction. What happens in the first second of the next cosmic year depends on what we do, here and now, with our intelligence and our knowledge of the cosmos. --Carl Sagan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan