Robert Marshall (1901–1939) was an American forester, writer and
wilderness activist. He developed a love for the outdoors during his
childhood and became one of the first Adirondack Forty-Sixers. He also
traveled to the Alaskan wilderness and wrote numerous publications,
including the 1933 bestselling book Arctic Village. A scientist with a
Doctor of Philosophy in plant physiology, Marshall became independently
wealthy after the death of his father. He held two significant public
posts during his life: chief of forestry in the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, from 1933 to 1937, and head of recreation management in the
Forest Service, from 1937 to 1939. Defining wilderness as a social as
well as an environmental ideal, Marshall was the first to suggest a
formal, national organization dedicated to the preservation of primeval
land. In 1935 he became one of the principal founders of The Wilderness
Society. Marshall died of heart failure at the age of 38. Today,
Marshall is considered largely responsible for the wilderness
preservation movement. Several landmarks and areas, including The Bob
Marshall Wilderness in Montana and Mount Marshall in the Adirondacks,
were named in his honor.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marshall_%28wilderness_activist%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
366:
The Alamanni, an alliance of west Germanic tribes, crossed the frozen
Rhine in large numbers to invade the Roman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamanni>
533:
Mercurius became Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a regnal name
upon elevation to the papacy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_II>
1944:
World War II: The United States and Australia successfully landed
13,000 troops on Papua New Guinea in an attempt to cut off a Japanese
retreat.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/landing_at_Saidor>
1949:
Luis Muñoz Marín became the first democratically elected Governor of
Puerto Rico.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Mu%C3%B1oz_Mar%C3%ADn>
1991:
Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., thus
becoming the first African American woman to lead a major American
city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Pratt_Kelly>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
contumelious (adj):
Rudely contemptuous; showing contumely; insolent or disdainful
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contumelious>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and
reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything,
no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The
wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more
solid the evidence will have to be.
--Isaac Asimov
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov>