Terry Fox (1958–1981) was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete and cancer
research activist. He was a distance runner and basketball player, and
continued both pursuits after his right leg was amputated upon being
diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 1977. His experiences in chemotherapy
inspired Fox to attempt the Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run, in
the hopes of raising C$1 for every person in the country for cancer
research. He began on April 12, 1980, at St. John's, Newfoundland, and
ran west for 143 days and 5,373 kilometres – the equivalent of a
marathon a day – until forced to stop near Thunder Bay, Ontario, after
cancer returned in his lungs. Fox captivated the country; he was named
Newsmaker of the Year in both 1980 and 1981, and was the youngest
person ever named a Companion of the Order of Canada. His run and
subsequent battle with the disease united the nation and led to
millions of dollars in donations. He inspired the Terry Fox Run, held
in over 60 countries and the world's largest one-day fundraiser for
cancer research; over $500 million has been raised in his name.
Considered a national hero, many buildings, roads and parks have been
named in his honour across Canada.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: British troops engaged American forces at
the first Battle of Saratoga in New York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga>
1796:
George Washington's Farewell Address was published in many American
newspapers, warning citizens, among others, about the dangers of
political factionalism and to avoid permanent alliances with other
foreign powers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_Farewell_Address>
1944:
Finland and the Soviet Union signed the Moscow Armistice to end the
Continuation War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War>
1964:
An armed revolt by Montagnards serving in the Army of the Republic of
Vietnam against the rule of Nguyen Khanh led to the deaths of 70 ethnic
Vietnamese soldiers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen_Khanh>
1985:
An 8.1 ML earthquake struck Mexico City, killing at least nine thousand
people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake>
1991:
Ötzi the Iceman, a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about
3300 BC, was discovered by two German tourists.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi_the_Iceman>
1995:
The Manifesto of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski was published in The
Washington Post and The New York Times, almost three months after it
was submitted.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Kaczynski>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
epitome (n):
1. The embodiment or encapsulation (of something).
2. A representative example.
3. The height; the best
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/epitome>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The soul of man is larger than the sky,
Deeper than ocean, or the abysmal dark
Of the unfathomed center.
Like that ark,
Which in its sacred hold uplifted high,
O'er the drowned hills, the
human family,
And stock reserved of every living kind,
So, in the compass of the
single mind,
The seeds and pregnant forms in essence lie,
That make all worlds.
--Hartley Coleridge
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hartley_Coleridge>