The Harry F. Sinclair House stands at the corner of East 79th Street and
Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. It was built between 1897 and
1899, designed in a French Renaissance style by C. P. H. Gilbert and
built by foreman Harvey Murdock. It was successively owned by
businessmen Isaac D. Fletcher and Harry F. Sinclair, and then
descendants of Peter Stuyvesant. The Ukrainian Institute of America
acquired the mansion in 1955. It fell into disrepair and was renovated
in the 1990s. The house was added to the National Register of Historic
Places and named a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The building
largely retains its original design, being constructed mainly of brick
faced with limestone ashlar. The northern façade on 79th Street
includes the main entrance and has multiple windows in square recesses
or Gothic arches. The western façade is symmetrical and dominated by a
curved pavilion. The interior has six floors, with a total floorspace of
20,000 square feet (1,900 m2).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_F._Sinclair_House>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1739:
War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force arrived at the
settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main (now in Panama), which it
captured the next day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Bello_%281739%29>
1902:
While discussing how to promote the newspaper L'Auto, sports
journalist Géo Lefèvre came up with the idea of holding a cycling race
that later became known as the Tour de France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France>
1979:
A group of armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid
al-Haram in Mecca, declaring that one of their leaders was the Mahdi,
the prophesied redeemer of Islam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_seizure>
1991:
First Nagorno-Karabakh War: An Azerbaijani military helicopter
carrying a peacekeeping mission team was shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Azerbaijan, disrupting the ongoing peace talks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Azerbaijani_Mil_Mi-8_shootdown>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Nuremberg defense:
1. (ethics, international law, idiomatic) An explanation offered as an
excuse for behaving in a criminal or wrongful manner, claiming that
acted in this way because one was ordered by others (particularly
superiors) to do so.
2. (US law, by extension) An explanation offered as a defense to
criminal or wrongful behavior, claiming that one is justified in not
obeying a governmental order or a domestic law because the order or law
is itself unlawful.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nuremberg_defense>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe the American people — the vast majority — are with
us. I think they see much more clearly what you’ve all been fighting
for your whole lives now. It’s in stark relief. The bad news: We had
a President who appealed to the prejudice. The good news is that he took
the — he ripped the Band-Aid off, made it absolutely clear what’s at
stake. And I think the American people will follow us. But guess what?
Whether they will or not, we have no choice. We have to continue to
fight. God bless you all. May God protect our troops.
--Joe Biden
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden>