Daniel Lambert (1770–1809) was a gaol keeper and animal breeder from
Leicester, England, famous for his unusually large size. He was a keen
sportsman and extremely strong, on one occasion fighting a bear in the
streets of Leicester. He was an expert in sporting animals, widely
respected for his expertise on dogs, horses and fighting cocks. In 1805
the gaol of which Lambert was keeper closed. By this time he weighed
50 stone (700 lb; 320 kg), and had become the heaviest authenticated
person in recorded history up to that time. Unemployed and sensitive
about his bulk, he became a recluse. Poverty forced Lambert to put
himself on exhibition to raise money, and in April 1806 he moved to
London, charging spectators to enter his apartments to meet him.
Visitors were impressed by his intelligence and personality, and
visiting him became highly fashionable. After a few months, Lambert
returned wealthy to Leicester and soon began making short fundraising
tours. In June 1809 he died suddenly in Stamford. At the time of his
death he weighed 52 stone 11 lb (739 lb; 335 kg). It took 20 men almost
half an hour to drag his casket into the trench in the burial ground at
St Martin's Church. Though no longer the heaviest person in history,
Daniel Lambert remains a popular character in Leicester.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lambert>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1869:
American outlaw Jesse James committed his first confirmed bank robbery
in Gallatin, Missouri.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_James>
1936:
Australian cricketer Jack Fingleton became the first player to score
centuries in four consecutive Test innings.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Fingleton>
1941:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy made its surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, intending to neutralize the United States
Pacific Fleet from influencing the war Japan was planning to wage in
Southeast Asia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor>
1949:
Chinese Civil War: The government of the Republic of China relocated
from Mainland China to Taipei on the island of Taiwan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei>
2007:
A crane barge that had broken free from a tugboat crashed into an oil
tanker near Daesan, South Korea, causing the country's worst-ever oil
spill.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Korea_oil_spill>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
animadversion (n):
A criticism; a critical remark
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/animadversion>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. You
learn the delivery of a part only before an audience.
--Willa Cather
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Willa_Cather>