The 70th Infantry Division of the British Army fought during the Western
Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 10 October 1941 the 6th
Infantry Division was re-created as the 70th in an attempt to deceive
Axis intelligence concerning the strength of the British military in the
Middle East. At the Siege of Tobruk, the division relieved the mainly
Australian garrison, which had been defending the port for almost seven
months. Under daily aerial and artillery attacks, the division defended
the port and conducted nightly offensive patrols against German and
Italian positions. Two men from attached units were awarded the Victoria
Cross for their actions there during Operation Crusader. The division
was withdrawn to Egypt for refitting at the end of 1941, then placed in
reserve. It was transferred to India when Japan entered the war, where
it was considered the most experienced and best-trained British
formation available in Asia, until its disbandment in November 1943.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/70th_Infantry_Division_%28United_Kingdom%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, the
largest moon of the planet Neptune.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28moon%29>
1911:
The Xinhai Revolution began with the Wuchang Uprising, marking
the beginning of the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the establishment
of the Republic of China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising>
1943:
World War II: The Kenpeitai, the military police arm of the
Imperial Japanese Army, arrested and tortured 57 civilians and civilian
internees on suspicion of their involvement in a raid on Singapore
Harbour during Operation Jaywick.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Tenth_incident>
1963:
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all test
detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted underground,
came into effect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
ferrule:
1. A band or cap (usually metal) placed around a shaft to reinforce it
or to prevent splitting.
2. (specifically, climbing) The metal spike at the end of the shaft of
an ice axe.
3. A band holding parts of an object together.
4. A bushing for securing a pipe joint.
5. A metal sleeve placed inside a gutter at the top.
6. (billiards) The plastic band attaching the tip to the cue.
7. (painting) The pinched metal band which holds the bristles of a
paintbrush to the shaft.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ferrule>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The good die young — but not always. The wicked prevail — but
not consistently. I am confused by life, and I feel safe within the
confines of the theatre. O'Neil's dramas are slapstick farces, Albee's
riddles are simple explanations, Pinter's threatening and threatened
anti-heroes are innocent babes — next to life and the living. I cry
out for order and find it only in art.
--Helen Hayes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Hayes>