Harold Larwood (1904–1995) was a professional cricketer for
Nottinghamshire and England between 1924 and 1938. A right-arm fast
bowler, he was considered by many commentators to be the finest bowler
of his generation. He was the main exponent of the bowling style known
as "bodyline", developed under the guidance of England's combative
captain Douglas Jardine as a response to the domination of Australia's
leading batsman, Don Bradman. The tactic was used with considerable
success in the 1932–33 Test series, but the Australians' description
of the method as "unsportsmanlike" soured cricketing relations between
the two countries. Larwood refused to apologise for his bowling, as he
was carrying out his captain's instructions, and never played for
England again. In retirement after the Second World War, he and his
family emigrated to Australia, where he was warmly welcomed, in contrast
to his cricketing days. He paid several subsequent visits to England,
and was honoured at his old county ground, Trent Bridge, where a stand
was named after him. In 1993 he was appointed a Member of the Order of
the British Empire (MBE), in delayed recognition of his services to
cricket.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Larwood>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a
ship (pictured), flying from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in
Hampton Roads, Virginia, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely>
1941:
Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous
day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (91) sank as she was
being towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(91)>
1970:
Southern Airways Flight 932, chartered by the Marshall
University football team, crashed into a hill near Ceredo, West
Virginia, US, killing all 75 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Airways_Flight_932>
1984:
Cesar Climaco, mayor of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, was
assassinated by an unknown gunman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Climaco>
2010:
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers'
Championship after winning the final race of the season to become the
youngest Formula One champion ever.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Vettel>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
minyan:
The minimum number of ten adult Jews required for a communal religious
service.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/minyan>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him,
so Voltaire said … Perhaps that is true, and indeed the mind of man
has always been fashioning some such mental image or conception which
grew with the mind's growth. But there is something also in the reverse
proposition: even if God exist, it may be desirable not to look up to
Him or to rely upon Him. Too much dependence on supernatural forces may
lead, and has often led, to loss of self-reliance in man, and to a
blunting of his capacity and creative ability. And yet some faith seems
necessary in things of the spirit which are beyond the scope of our
physical world, some reliance on moral, spiritual, and idealistic
conceptions, or else we have no anchorage, no objectives or purpose in
life. Whether we believe in God or not, it is impossible not to believe
in something, whether we call it a creative life-giving force, or vital
energy inherent in matter which gives it its capacity for self-movement
and change and growth, or by some other name, something that is as real,
though elusive, as life is real when contrasted with death.
--Jawaharlal Nehru
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru>