Percy Fender (1892–1985) was an English cricketer who played 13 Tests
and captained Surrey between 1921 and 1931. An all-rounder, he was a
belligerent middle-order batsman who bowled mainly leg spin and
completed the cricketer's double seven times. In 1914, he was named one
of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year, and in 1920 hit the fastest recorded
first-class century, reaching three figures in 35 minutes (which remains
a record in 2013). In county cricket, he was an effective performer with
bat and ball, and a forceful though occasionally controversial leader;
contemporaries judged him the best captain in England. From 1921, he
played occasionally in Tests for England but was never particularly
successful. Despite press promptings, he was never appointed Test
captain, and his England career was effectively ended by a clash with
the influential Lord Harris in 1924. Further disagreements with the
Surrey committee over his approach and tactics led to his replacement as
county captain in 1932 and the end of his career in 1935. Cartoonists
enjoyed caricaturing his distinctive appearance, but he was also well
known outside cricket for his presence in society.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Fender>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1830:
U.S. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act
into law, authorizing him to negotiate with Native Americans for their
removal from their ancestral homelands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act>
1936:
English mathematician Alan Turing introduced the Turing machine
(model pictured), a basic abstract symbol-manipulating device that can
simulate the logic of any computer algorithm.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing>
1940:
World War II: On the same day that Belgium surrendered to
Germany, Allied forces gained their first major victory on land when
they recaptured Narvik, Norway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Narvik>
1977:
A fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky,
US, killed 165 patrons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Supper_Club_fire>
2003:
As a result of criticism of his conduct, Peter Hollingworth
resigned from his post as Governor-General of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hollingworth>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
crown molding:
(finish carpentry, interior decorating) A molding at the edge of a room
between ceiling and wall.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crown_molding>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I feel that in my own life anything I have done of possible worth
has happened in spite of my gross, worldly self. I have been no more
than the vessel used to convey ideas above my intellectual capacities.
When people praise passages I have written, more often than not I can
genuinely say, "Did I write that?" I don't think this is due to my
having a bad memory, because I have almost total recall of trivialities.
I see it as evidence of the part the supernatural plays in lives which
would otherwise remain earthbound.
--Patrick White
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_White>