Haruna was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I
and World War II. Designed by the British naval engineer George
Thurston, she was a battlecruiser of the Kongō class, among the most
heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Named after Mount Haruna,
she was laid down in 1912 and commissioned in 1915. Beginning in 1926,
she was rebuilt as a battleship, strengthening her armor and improving
her speed and power. In 1933, her superstructure was completely rebuilt,
her speed was increased, and she was equipped with launch catapults for
floatplanes. Now fast enough to accompany Japan's growing carrier fleet,
Haruna was reclassified as a fast battleship. During the Second Sino-
Japanese War, Haruna transported Japanese troops to mainland China. On
the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, she sailed as part of
the Southern Force in preparation for the Battle of Singapore. Haruna
fought in almost every major naval action of the Pacific Theater,
including the Battle of Midway, the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of
the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In 1945, Haruna was
transferred to Kure Naval Base, where she was sunk by aircraft of Task
Force 38.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Haruna>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a
ship (pictured), flying from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in
Hampton Roads, Virginia, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely>
1940:
Second World War: Coventry Cathedral and much of the city
centre of Coventry, England, were destroyed by the German Luftwaffe
during the Coventry Blitz.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz>
1984:
Cesar Climaco, mayor of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, was
assassinated by an unknown gunman.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Climaco>
2003:
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L.
Rabinowitz discovered the trans-Neptunian object 90377 Sedna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna>
2010:
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers'
Championship after winning the final race of the season to become the
youngest Formula One champion ever.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Vettel>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
minyan:
The minimum number of ten adult Jews required for a communal religious
service.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/minyan>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Most of us seldom take the trouble to think. It is a troublesome
and fatiguing process and often leads to uncomfortable conclusions. But
crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that
they force us to think.
--Jawaharlal Nehru
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru>