Russell T Davies (born 1963) is a Welsh television producer and
screenwriter notable for the 2005 revival of the classic British science
fiction series Doctor Who. Born in Swansea, Davies joined the BBC's
children's department on a part-time basis in 1985 and eventually wrote
two series for the network, Dark Season and Century Falls. As a
freelance writer in the mid-1990s, Davies' early scripts explored
concepts of religion and sexuality among various backdrops: Springhill
was a soap drama about a Catholic family in contemporary Liverpool; The
Grand explored society's opinion of contemporary subjects during the
interwar period; and Queer as Folk, his first prolific series, recreated
his experiences in the Manchester gay scene. Works during the 2000s
include Bob & Rose, which portrayed a gay man who fell in love with a
woman, The Second Coming, which focused on the second coming and deicide
of Jesus Christ, and Casanova, an adaptation of the Venetian lover's
complete memoirs. Davies became the executive producer of the revived
Doctor Who series in 2005 and oversaw a surge in popularity that led to
the production of two spin-off series: Torchwood and The Sarah Jane
Adventures.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_T_Davies>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1522:
Italian War of 1521–1526: The combined forces of Spain and
the Papal States defeated a French and Venetian army at the Battle of
Bicocca.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bicocca>
1667:
John Milton, blind and impoverished, sold the copyright of
Paradise Lost for £10.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milton>
1777:
American Revolutionary War: British Army regulars defeated
Patriot militias in the Battle of Ridgefield, galvanizing resistance in
the Connecticut Colony.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ridgefield>
1810:
Ludwig van Beethoven composed his "Bagatelle No. 25 in A
minor", better known as "Für Elise", one of his most popular
compositions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCr_Elise>
1865:
An explosion destroyed the steamboat SS Sultana (drawing
pictured) on the Mississippi River, killing an estimated 1,800 of the
2,400 passengers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sultana>
1967:
The Expo 67 world's fair opened in Montreal, with 62 nations
and more than 50 million visitors ultimately attending.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67>
1993:
Members of the Zambia national football team were killed in a
plane crash en route to play a 1994 World Cup qualifying match against
Senegal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Zambia_national_football_team_air_disaster>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
vates:
A poet or bard who is divinely inspired.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vates>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit
political convenience.
--Coretta Scott King
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King>