Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician who played 18 Test matches before the Second World War. Although his Test record was modest, he helped to establish a uniquely West Indian style of aggressive play. He served as Trinidad's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and in 1969 became the UK's first black peer. His early experiences of race discrimination affected him profoundly, and in later life he was influential in the passing of the 1965 Race Relations Act in Britain. Born in Trinidad, Constantine toured England with the West Indies cricket teams in 1923 and 1928 before signing as a professional with the Lancashire League club Nelson. He played for the club between 1929 and 1938, while continuing to appear in Test cricket for the West Indies; he lived mainly in England for the rest of his life. After qualifying as a barrister in 1954, Constantine returned to Trinidad, entered politics and served in the Trinidad government as minister of communications. In 1961 he was appointed Trinidad's High Commissioner in the UK, serving until 1964 and remaining in London thereafter. In his final years, he served on the Race Relations Board, the Sports Council and the Board of Governors of the BBC.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learie_Constantine
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1410:
The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald, the decisive engagement of the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grunwald
1799:
French soldiers uncovered the Rosetta Stone in Fort Julien, near the Egyptian port city of Rashid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone
1870:
Manitoba and the Northwest Territories were established following the transfer of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company to Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territories
1916:
William Boeing incorporated the Pacific Aero Products Company, which was later renamed Boeing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing
1966:
Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam began Operation Hastings to push the North Vietnamese out of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hastings
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
outdoorsy: 1. (informal) Associated with the outdoors, or suited to outdoor life. 2. (informal) Fond of the outdoors. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/outdoorsy
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
In the fields with which we are concerned knowledge exists only in lightning flashes. The text is the thunder rolling long afterwards. --Walter Benjamin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin