Christian Bale (born 1974) is an English actor. Known for his
versatility and recurring physical transformations to play his roles,
Bale has been a leading man in films of several genres. Born in Wales,
he had his breakthrough role at age 13 in the war film Empire of the Sun
(1987) and gained wider recognition for his work in the black comedy
American Psycho (2000) and the psychological thriller The Machinist
(2004). Bale played the superhero Batman in Batman Begins (2005) and
reprised the role in the sequels The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark
Knight Rises (2012). He received acclaim for his performance in the
trilogy, which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises. The
recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden
Globe Award for his portrayal of the boxer Dicky Eklund in the
biographical film The Fighter (2010), Bale was listed on Forbes
magazine's list of the highest-paid actors in 2014.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Bale>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1709:
Great Northern War: Swedish forces under Charles XII were
defeated by Russian troops led by Peter the Great at the Battle of
Poltava, effectively ending Sweden's role as a major European power.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava>
1758:
French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at
Fort Carillon on the shore of Lake Champlain in the British colony of
New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carillon>
1947:
Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S.
Army Air Force personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated
that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident>
1962:
Following student protests at Rangoon University, Burmese
general Ne Win ordered the demolition of the historic students' union
building.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_Rangoon_University_protests>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
domestique:
(cycle racing) A cyclist on a cycle racing team whose role is to assist
the team's designated leaders (for example, by riding in front of them
to create a slipstream, or to set the pace), even if at the expense of
their own individual performance.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/domestique>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative
Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a
new prime minister. … I know that there will be many people who are
relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I
want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.
But them's the breaks. … I want to thank you, the British public, for
the immense privilege that you have given me. And I want you to know
that from now on until the new prime minister is in place, your
interests will be served and the government of the country will be
carried on.
--Boris Johnson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Johnson>