The Diary of a Nobody is an English comic novel written by the brothers
George and Weedon Grossmith. Originally serialised in Punch magazine, it
first appeared in book form in 1892. It records daily events in the
lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his family and numerous friends
and acquaintances; most of its humour derives from Pooter's unconscious
and unwarranted sense of his own importance, and the frequency with
which this delusion is punctured by gaffes and minor social
humiliations. The daily routines and modest ambitions described in the
Diary were recognised by contemporary readers, and provided later
generations with glimpses of the past that it became fashionable to
imitate. Before their collaboration the brothers had pursued successful
stage careers, George as the principal comedian in the Gilbert and
Sullivan operas for 12 years; Weedon had earlier trained as an artist
and illustrator. Although the Diary's initial reception was muted, it
grew in popularity and helped to establish a 20th-century genre of
humorous popular fiction based on lower or lower-middle class
aspirations. It has been the subject of several stage and screen
adaptations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Nobody>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1708:
Great Northern War: Russia defeated Sweden at the Battle of
Lesnaya on the Russian–Polish border in present-day Belarus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lesnaya>
1888:
The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., at the time the
world's tallest building, officially opened to the general public.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument>
1913:
The ocean liner SS Volturno caught fire in the middle of a
gale in the North Atlantic, burned, and sank, resulting in about 130
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Volturno_(1906)>
1963:
A landslide displaced large amounts of water from the Vajont
Dam in northern Italy, causing waves and floods that quickly swept away
several villages and killed almost 2,000 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajont_Dam>
1983:
South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan survived an assassination
attempt in Rangoon, Burma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangoon_bombing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
understudy:
1. To study or know a role, so as to be able to replace its normal
performer if required.
2. To act as an understudy (to, for someone).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/understudy>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We announce the birth of a conceptual country, NUTOPIA.
Citizenship of the country can be obtained by declaration of your
awareness of NUTOPIA. NUTOPIA has no land, no boundaries, no passports,
only people. NUTOPIA has no laws other than cosmic. All people of
NUTOPIA are ambassadors of the country. As two ambassadors of NUTOPIA,
we ask for diplomatic immunity and recognition in the United Nations of
our country and our people.
--Yoko Ono
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yoko_Ono>