The Indian roller is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is 30–34 cm
(12–13 in) long with a wingspan of 65–74 cm (26–29 in) and
weighs 166–176 g (5.9–6.2 oz). The face and throat are pinkish,
the head and back are brown, and the rump is blue. The brightly
contrasting light and dark blue markings on the wings and tail are
prominent in flight. The sexes appear similar. It occurs widely from
West Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Often found perched on roadside
trees and wires, it is common in open grassland and scrub forest
habitats, and has adapted well to human-modified landscapes. It mainly
feeds on insects, especially beetles. The species is best known for the
aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. Adult males and
females form pair bonds, raising the young together. The female lays
three to five eggs in a cavity or crevice, lined with a mat of straw or
feathers. It is the state bird of three Indian states.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_roller>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
French Revolution: Due to an overwhelming fear that foreign
armies would attack Paris and prisoners would revolt, revolutionaries
began the summary execution of more than a thousand prisoners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Massacres>
1885:
White miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, attacked Chinese-
American immigrants, killing at least 28 Chinese miners and causing
approximately $150,000 in property damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Springs_massacre>
1945:
On the deck of the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay,
representatives from the Empire of Japan and the Allied powers signed
the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, formally ending World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Instrument_of_Surrender>
2011:
Bad weather caused a Chilean Air Force aircraft to crash into
the Pacific Ocean, killing all 21 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Chilean_Air_Force_C-212_crash>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Olympiad:
1. (Ancient Greece, sports, historical)
2. A period of four (or sometimes five) years by which the ancient
Greeks reckoned time, being the interval from one celebration of the
Olympic Games to another, beginning with the victory of Coroebus of Elis
in the foot race which took place in 776 B.C.E.
3. Synonym of Olympic Games (“a celebration of the ancient Olympic
Games”)
4. (by extension)
5. (sports) A period of four years between occurrences of the modern
Olympic Games.
6. (sports) Synonym of Olympic Games (“an occurrence of the modern
Olympic Games”)
7. Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a competition or series of
competitions involving an academic discipline (such as mathematics or
science), game (such as chess), or sport.
8. An occasion where some activity is participated in excessively or to
a high level of achievement.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Olympiad>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some day you will know for yourself that it is almost as true to
say that one recovers from all things as that there is nothing which
does not leave its scar.
--Paul Bourget
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Bourget>