Albert Ball (1896–1917) was an English fighter pilot during the First
World War. At the time of his death he was, with 44 victories, the
United Kingdom's leading flying ace. Raised in Nottingham, Ball was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1914. He transferred to
the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) the following year, and gained his pilot's
wings in January 1916. He then joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France,
flying reconnaissance missions before being posted in May to No. 11
Squadron, a fighter unit. From then until his return to England on leave
in October, he accrued many aerial victories, earning two Distinguished
Service Orders and the Military Cross. He was the first British ace to
become a popular hero. After a period on home establishment, Ball was
posted to No. 56 Squadron, which was sent to the Western Front in April
1917. He crashed to his death in a field in France on 7 May, sparking a
wave of national mourning and posthumous recognition, which included the
award of the Victoria Cross for his actions during his final tour of
duty. His most renowned enemy, Manfred von Richthofen, remarked upon
hearing of Ball's death that he was "by far the best English flying
man".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ball>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide
was launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for
transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Adelaide_(1864)>
1895:
Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver,
refined as a lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical
Society.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov>
1940:
A debate in the British House of Commons began, and culminated
in the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston
Churchill several days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_Debate>
1960:
Cold War: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his
country was holding American pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy
plane was shot down over the Soviet Union six days earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident>
2009:
Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the
home of a former New Zealand Army member who shot at officers during the
routine execution of a search warrant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Napier_shootings>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
sequela:
(pathology) A disease or condition which is caused by an earlier disease
or problem.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sequela>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
All the great utterances of man have to be judged not by the
letter but by the spirit — the spirit which unfolds itself with the
growth of life in history.
--Rabindranath Tagore
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore>