The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Canada. The ten-day event attracts over one million visitors per year and features a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions. The first Stampede was held in 1912, organized by American promoter Guy Weadick and supported by four area ranchers as a celebration of their lifestyle. A second Stampede was held in 1919 and it became an annual event in 1923 when it merged with the Calgary Industrial Exhibition. It is one of Canada's largest festivals and has become synonymous with Calgary's identity. It is a significant tourist attraction for the city which takes on a party atmosphere: businesses decorate their buildings in cowboy and western themes and hundreds of community events are held throughout the city. The Stampede is one of the premier events on the professional rodeo and chuckwagon circuits. Both are televised nationally in Canada and offer one of the largest prize funds in each sport. Some events, particularly chuckwagon racing, are controversial and have become the target of international criticism by animal welfare groups.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1560:
Scotland and England signed the Treaty of Edinburgh to formally conclude the Siege of Leith and replace the Scottish–French Auld Alliance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Edinburgh
1887:
King Kalākaua of Hawai'i was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority as well as disfranchising all Asians, most native Hawaiians, and the poor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1887_Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii
1962:
The United States conducted the Sedan nuclear test as part of Operation Plowshare, a program to investigate the use of nuclear explosions for civilian purposes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan_(nuclear_test)
1989:
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad member carried out a suicide attack by hijacking a bus and forcing it into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim, Israel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv_Jerusalem_bus_405_suicide_attack
1997:
The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of unrest began in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_nationalist_riots_in_Northern_Ireland
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Higgs boson: (physics) A hypothetical elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model; a boson with zero spin, it is thought to give mass to other particles. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Higgs_boson
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend. --George W. Bush https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush