The Ba Congress was a meeting of representatives of the Chetnik movement
led by Draža Mihailović (pictured) between 25 and 28 January 1944 in
the village of Ba in German-occupied Serbia during World War II. The
congress advanced a political alternative to the communist-led Anti-
Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) of the
Yugoslav Partisans. In December 1943, the major Allied powers had
decided to provide their exclusive support to the Partisans and withdraw
support from the Chetniks, as they had concluded that the Chetniks were
more interested in collaborating with the Axis powers against the
Partisans than fighting the Axis. The congress denounced the decisions
of the AVNOJ, re-asserted its full support for the Yugoslav government-
in-exile and opposition to the Axis, and proposed a Serb-centric vision
for the political and socio-economic future of Yugoslavia. However, with
the Allied policy change, nothing could be done to improve the position
of the movement.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Congress>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1820:
A Russian expedition led by naval officers Fabian Gottlieb von
Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev made the first sighting of the coast
of Antarctica.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica>
1945:
The Soviet Red Army liberated about 7,000 prisoners left behind
by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp (entrance pictured), in
present-day Oświęcim, Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp>
1974:
Brisbane, Australia, was flooded when the Brisbane River broke
its banks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood>
2003:
The first selections for the United States National Recording
Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Recording_Registry>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
kaddish:
(Judaism) A Jewish prayer of praise to God recited during services, and
specifically when mourning the death of a close relative.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kaddish>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of
war. Unfortunately limits — attempts to limit war have always failed.
The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately
use whatever weapon it has available.
--Hyman G. Rickover
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover>