Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett (1883–1962) was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his skill as a speaker. Born in Ulverston, Lancashire, he initially trained to be a Methodist preacher, and attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge to study theology and history with that in mind. He became President of the Cambridge Union, and after switching to law graduated in 1910. He was called to the Bar in 1913 and developed a reputation as a barrister able to defend people with almost watertight criminal cases against them, such as in the second of the Brighton trunk murders and the Blazing Car murder. He sat as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Nottingham East for two Parliaments in the 1920s, and was described as "the Lord Chancellor that never was". In 1941, he became a judge of the High Court, and later served as the alternate British judge in the Nuremberg Trials. Unhappy with his time in the High Court, he accepted a position in the Court of Appeal in 1950, but after finding he enjoyed it even less, retired in 1956 when he had served long enough to draw a pension. Following his retirement he was made a hereditary peer, and spoke regularly in the House of Lords. After speaking there in 1962 he collapsed at home, and following a failed operation died aged 78.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
394:
Forces of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I defeated Eugenius, the usurper of the Western Roman Empire, at the Battle of the Frigidus near modern-day Vipava, Slovenia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I
1955:
An overwhelming Turkish mob attacked ethnic Greeks in Istanbul, killing over 13 people, wounding over thirty others, and damaging over 5,000 Greek-owned homes and businesses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pogrom
1963:
The Krulak Mendenhall mission, led by U.S. Marine Corps Major General Victor Krulak and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Joseph Mendenhall, was launched by the Kennedy administration to assess the progress of the Vietnam War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krulak_Mendenhall_mission
1970:
Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked four jet aircraft en route from Europe to New York City, landing two of them at Dawson's Field in Zerqa, Jordan, and one plane in Beirut, Lebanon. The fourth hijacking was successfully foiled. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson%27s_Field_hijackings
2000:
The Millennium Summit, a meeting of world leaders to discuss the role of the United Nations in the turn of the 21st century, opened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Summit
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
pastiche (n): 1. A work of drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist, often satirically. 2. A musical medley, typically quoting other works. 3. An incongruous mixture; a hodgepodge http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pastiche
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog to see the sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has certain relationships to the wolf the shepherd may have forgotten. --Robert M. Pirsig http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_M._Pirsig