Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864–1945) was a prelate of the Church of England
who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of
Canterbury (1928–1942). He was a parish priest in Leeds and
Portsmouth, and a suffragan Bishop of Stepney, before his surprise
appointment as Archbishop of York. A controversial speech in the House
of Lords in 1908, against the Lords' proposal to reject David Lloyd
George's 1909 "People's Budget", marked him as a radical, although he
soon discarded this reputation. After the First World War he promoted
church unity, and supported the failed attempt to revise the Book of
Common Prayer. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1930s Lang
condemned European fascism and anti-semitism. However, he later
supported the appeasement policies of the British government, as
necessary for the preservation of world peace. During the abdication
crisis of 1936, he took a strong moral stance, his public comments being
widely condemned as uncharitable towards the ex-king. After retiring in
1942 Lang considered himself a failure, believing he had achieved
little. Others have praised his qualities of industry, efficiency, and
commitment to his calling.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Gordon_Lang>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
610:
Heraclius was crowned Byzantine Emperor, having personally
beheaded the previous emperor Phocas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclius>
1869:
During construction of the Hennepin Island tunnel in St.
Anthony, Minnesota (now Minneapolis), U.S., the Mississippi River broke
through the tunnel's limestone ceiling, nearly destroying Saint Anthony
Falls.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_Island_tunnel>
1903:
Samuel Griffith became the first Chief Justice of Australia,
while Edmund Barton and Richard O'Connor became the first Puisne
Justices of the High Court of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_O%27Connor_(politician)>
1962:
Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._No_(film)>
2011:
Two Chinese cargo ships were attacked on a stretch of the
Mekong River in the Golden Triangle area of Southeast Asia, and their
crews murdered.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_River_massacre>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
keen:
1. […] (transitive) To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
2. (transitive) To mourn.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/keen>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order!
Putting things in order always means getting other people under your
control.
--Denis Diderot
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Denis_Diderot>