Turtles are reptiles characterized by a shell developed mainly from
their ribs. The shell consists of two parts: the domed carapace on the
back, and the flatter plastron on the belly. There are 360 living and
recently extinct turtle species, including land-dwelling tortoises and
freshwater terrapins. They are found on most continents, some islands
and, in the case of sea turtles, much of the ocean. Their closest living
relatives are crocodilians and birds. Turtles are ectotherms or "cold-
blooded", meaning that their internal temperature varies with their
direct environment. They are generally opportunistic omnivores and
mainly feed with limited movements. Turtles lay their eggs on land; sea
turtles migrate long distances to lay their eggs on a favored beach.
Turtles have appeared in myths and folktales. Some species are widely
kept as pets. Turtles have been hunted for their meat and shells, and
for use in traditional medicine. Many species are threatened due to
habitat destruction.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1706:
War of the Spanish Succession: The Grand Alliance armies routed
the Franco-Spanish-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramillies>
1873:
The North-West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and
assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Mounted_Police>
1934:
During a strike against the Electric Auto-Lite company in
Toledo, Ohio, U.S., a mob of nearly 10,000 began a riot and a five-day
running battle with the Ohio National Guard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Lite_strike>
2008:
The International Court of Justice awarded the Middle Rocks to
Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, resolving a 29-year-old
territorial dispute in the Singapore Strait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedra_Branca_dispute>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
pall:
1. (transitive) To make vapid or insipid; to make lifeless or
spiritless; to dull, to weaken.
2. (intransitive) To become dull, insipid, tasteless, or vapid; to lose
life, spirit, strength, or taste.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pall>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
From every standpoint the world of humanity is undergoing a re-
formation. The laws of former governments and civilizations are in
process of revision, scientific ideas and theories are developing and
advancing to meet a new range of phenomena, invention and discovery are
penetrating hitherto unknown fields revealing new wonders and hidden
secrets of the material universe; industries have vastly wider scope and
production; everywhere the world of mankind is in the throes of
evolutionary activity indicating the passing of the old conditions and
advent of the new age of re-formation. Old trees yield no fruitage; old
ideas and methods are obsolete and worthless now. Old standards of
ethics, moral codes and methods of living in the past will not suffice
for the present age of advancement and progress.
--`Abdu'l-Bahá
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/%60Abdu%27l-Bah%C3%A1>