Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. A heavy
metal with a density exceeding that of most common materials, it is
malleable and has a low melting point for a metal. Chemically, it is a
relatively unreactive post-transition metal. Lead was known to
prehistoric people. A principal ore of lead, galena, often bears silver;
interest in silver sparked lead extraction and use in ancient Rome. Lead
production declined after the fall of Rome and did not reach comparable
levels until the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays, global production of
lead is about ten million tonnes annually. Its high density, low melting
point, high malleability, relative inertness to oxidation, relative
abundance, and low cost have resulted in its extensive use in
construction, plumbing, batteries, bullets and shot, weights, solders,
pewters, fusible alloys, and radiation shielding. In the late 19th
century, lead was recognized as highly toxic, and since then it has been
phased out for many uses. A neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues
and bones, it can damage the nervous system and cause brain and blood
disorders.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1810:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeated the Royal Navy,
preventing them from taking the harbour of Grand Port on Île de la
Passe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grand_Port>
1893:
The Sea Islands hurricane made landfall near Savannah, Georgia,
U.S., causing at least 1,000 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1893_Sea_Islands_hurricane>
1927:
Five Canadian women filed a petition to ask the Supreme Court
of Canada, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North
America Act, 1867, include female persons," to which the court
eventually replied that it does not.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_(Canada)>
1942:
Nazi troops and the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police began
systematically executing more than 14,000 people, mostly Jews, in and
around Sarny in occupied Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarny_Massacre>
2013:
Religious violence between Hindus and Muslims erupted in
Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, leaving 62 people dead.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Muzaffarnagar_riots>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chthonic:
Dwelling within or under the earth.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chthonic>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Development and diversity depend on independent initiatives and
competition. When everyone thinks alike not much gets thought.
--Johan Norberg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johan_Norberg>