Operation Ke was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces
from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands during World War II. All
attempts by the Japanese army to recapture Henderson Field, the only
airfield on the island being used by Allied aircraft, had been repulsed
with heavy losses. Japanese ground forces had been reduced from 36,000
to 11,000 through starvation, disease, and battle casualties. Attempting
to reinforce and resupply the ground forces on the island, Japanese
naval forces were also suffering heavy losses of troops and matériel,
including a submarine sunk in late January (wreckage pictured). The main
withdrawal was carried out on the nights of 1, 4, and 7 February by
destroyers. The Japanese evacuated 10,652 men from Guadalcanal, of whom
600 died during the withdrawal. On 9 February, Allied forces realized
that the Japanese were gone and declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the
six-month campaign for control of the island.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1841:
Raja Muda Hashim, uncle of the Sultan of Brunei, granted
Sarawak to British adventurer James Brooke.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sarawak>
1903:
Alfred Deakin became the second Prime Minister of Australia,
succeeding Edmund Barton who left office to become a founding Justice of
the High Court of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Deakin>
1964:
The Warren Commission released its report to the U.S.
president, concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the
assassination of John F. Kennedy. The report was made public three days
later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Commission>
1975:
Dougal Haston and Doug Scott on the Southwest Face expedition
became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by
ascending one of its faces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_British_Mount_Everest_Southwest_Face_expedition>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
gamboge:
1. One of several species of trees of the genus Garcinia found in South
and Southeastern Asia, especially Garcinia xanthochymus.
2. The resin of the gamboge tree; a preparation of the resin used as a
pigment or for medicinal purposes.
3. A deep yellow colour. gamboge colour:
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gamboge>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whenever you feel like criticizing any one... just remember that
all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.
--F. Scott Fitzgerald
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald>