CSS General Earl Van Dorn was a cottonclad warship used by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Purchased for Confederate service in New Orleans in early 1862 to serve with the River Defense Fleet, she was converted into a cottonclad warship by installing an iron-covered framework of timbers on her bow that served as a ram, and protecting her machinery with timber bulkheads packed with cotton. A sidewheel steamer, she was 182 feet (55 m) long and was armed with a single 32-pounder cannon on the bow. Initially assigned to defend the Mississippi River, she arrived at Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1862. On May 10, she fought with the River Defense Fleet against the Union navy in the Battle of Plum Point Bend (pictured), where she rammed and sank USS Mound City. After withdrawing up the Yazoo River to Liverpool Landing, Mississippi, General Earl Van Dorn, along with two other warships, was burnt to prevent her capture by approaching Union vessels. (Full article...).
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_General_Earl_Van_Dorn
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1971:
Idi Amin seized power from Ugandan president Milton Obote in a coup d'état, beginning eight years of military rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Ugandan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
1995:
A team of Norwegian and American scientists launched a Black Brant XII sounding rocket, which was mistaken by Russian forces for a Trident missile. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_rocket_incident
2006:
Three independent observing campaigns announced the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, a super-Earth 21,500 ± 3,300 light-years away from Earth near the center of the Milky Way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb
2011:
Arab Spring: The Egyptian revolution began with protests on the "Day of Anger", eventually leading to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Egyptian_revolution_of_2011
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
stravaig: 1. (transitive) To stroll or wander aimlessly on (a road, etc.); to ramble. 2. (intransitive) 3. To stroll or wander; to ramble, to roam. 4. (figurative) Of a river, road, etc.: to meander, to wind. 5. (chiefly Ireland, Northern England, Scotland) An act of strolling or wandering aimlessly; a ramble, a stroll, a wander. 6. About Word of the Day 7. Nominate a word 8. Leave feedback https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stravaig
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Old Madame du Deffand and her friends talked for fifty years without stopping. And of it all, what remains? Perhaps three witty sayings. --Orlando: A Biography https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Orlando:_A_Biography