On 1 February 1800, a battle took place between the American frigate
USS Constellation and the French frigate La Vengeance, ending in the
American ship forcing her French opponent to flee. The Quasi-War (an
undeclared war) had begun between the two countries in 1798 due to
French seizures of American merchantmen. As part of an effort to deter
French attacks, an American naval squadron was dispatched to the Lesser
Antilles under Commodore Thomas Truxtun (pictured). Learning that
regular French naval forces were in the region, Truxton set out in his
flagship Constellation and sailed to Guadeloupe to engage them. On 1
February 1800, while nearing the French colony, Constellation met
François Marie Pitot's frigate La Vengeance. Although Pitot attempted
to flee, his frigate was drawn into a heavy engagement. The French
frigate struck her colors (surrendered) twice but Constellation was
unable to take her as a prize. Eventually La Vengeance escaped to
Curaçao, though only after sustaining severe casualties and damage.
Truxton's ship also suffered heavy damage and was forced to sail to
Jamaica for repairs before returning home to a hero's welcome.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_vs_La_Vengeance>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1709:
Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued by English
captain Woodes Rogers and the crew of the Duke after spending four years
as a castaway on an uninhabited island in the Juan Fernández
archipelago, providing the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson
Crusoe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodes_Rogers>
1814:
The most destructive eruption of the Mayon Volcano occurred,
killing over 2,000 people on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayon_Volcano>
1957:
Invented by German mechanical engineer Felix Wankel, the first
working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at
the research and development department of German manufacturer NSU
Motorenwerke AG.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine>
1978:
After having served 42 days in prison for the sexual assault of
a 13-year-old girl, Polish film director Roman Polanski skipped bail and
fled the United States to France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski>
2004:
During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Janet
Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake in what was later
referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction", resulting in an immediate
crackdown and widespread debate on perceived indecency in U.S.
broadcasting.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXVIII_halftime_show_controversy>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
cascabel:
1. A small, round, hot variety of chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, which
rattles when dry.
2. A knob at the end of a cannon, cast onto the gunbarrel, to which ropes
are attached in order to control recoil.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cascabel>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Dissidents should be paid 13 months' salary for a year, otherwise
our mindless unanimity will bring us to an even more hopeless state of
stagnation. It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking
when the situation is critical: At such moments every new word and fresh
thought is more precious than gold. Indeed, people must not be deprived
of the right to think their own thoughts.
--Boris Yeltsin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Yeltsin>