U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono, The
Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.. The band formed in 1976 when
the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. By the
mid-1980s, the band had become a top international act, noted for their
anthemic sound, Bono's impassioned vocals, and The Edge's textural
guitar playing. Their success as a live act was greater than their
success at selling records until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree
elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars," according to
Rolling Stone. U2 responded to the dance and alternative rock
revolutions and their own sense of musical stagnation by reinventing
themselves with their 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo
TV Tour. Similar experimentation continued for the rest of the 1990s.
Since 2000, U2 have pursued a more conventional rock sound that retains
the influence of their previous musical explorations. U2 have sold more
than 145 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more
than any other band. In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone
magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of
all time. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they
have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
Armenian rebels were defeated by forces of the Sassanid Empire on the
Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan, but were eventually guaranteed religious
freedom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Avarayr>
1828:
Kaspar Hauser , a foundling with suspected ties to the Royal House of
Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser>
1896:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, representing twelve stocks from
various American industries, was first published by journalist Charles
Dow as a stock market index.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average>
1918:
The Democratic Republic of Georgia was proclaimed following the breakup
of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Georgia>
1972:
U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow, concluding the first round
of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks>
2008:
An earthquake measuring about 6.3 Mw struck near the Indonesian city of
Yogyakarta on the southern side of the island of Java, killing at least
5,700 people, injuring at least 36,000, and leaving at least 1.5
million homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2006_Java_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
balustrade (n):
(architecture) A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open
parapet, as along the edge of a balcony
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/balustrade>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Thunder only happens when it's raining.
Players only love you when they're playing.
Say... Women... they
will come and they will go.
When the rain washes you clean... you'll know.
--Stevie Nicks
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stevie_Nicks>