Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands
group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about
68 kilometres (42 mi) long, and varies from 3 to 6 km (2–3.75 mi) in
width. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast
skies. The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut
people, but has had no permanent population since 1832. It was included
in the Alaska Purchase of 1867, and has since been part of the United
States. During World War II, it was used as an airfield by US forces in
the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Amchitka was selected by the United
States Atomic Energy Commission to be the site for underground
detonations of nuclear weapons. Three such tests were carried out: Long
Shot, an 80 kiloton blast in 1965; Milrow, a 1 megaton blast in 1969;
and Cannikin in 1971 – at "under 5 megatons", the largest underground
test ever conducted by the United States. The tests were highly
controversial, with environmental groups fearing that the Cannikin
explosion, in particular, would cause severe earthquakes and tsunamis.
Amchitka is no longer used for nuclear testing, although it is
monitored for the leakage of radioactive materials.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amchitka>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1191:
Third Crusade: Forces under Richard I of England defeated Ayyubid
troops under Saladin in Arsuf, present-day Israel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arsuf>
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée forced the Russians to
withdraw at the Battle of Borodino.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino>
1901:
With Peking occupied by foreign troops from the Eight-Nation Alliance,
Qing China was forced to sign the Boxer Protocol, an unequal treaty
ending the Boxer Rebellion.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Protocol>
1940:
World War II: The German Luftwaffe changed their strategy in the Battle
of Britain and began bombing London and other British cities and towns
for over 50 consecutive nights.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz>
1979:
The cable television network ESPN made its debut, broadcasting and
producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN>
1986:
Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church
in South Africa.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
catawampus (adj):
1. Out of alignment, crooked, cater-corner.
2. Fierce, destructive
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catawampus>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The more bombers, the less room for doves of peace.
--Nikita Khrushchev
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev>