John Leak (c. 1892 – 1972) was an Australian recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in battle that could be
awarded at that time to a member of the Australian armed forces. Leak
enlisted in early 1915, and served with the 9th Battalion during the
Gallipoli campaign. Along with his unit, he transferred to the Western
Front, where he participated in the Battle of Pozières in July 1916.
For his actions on 23 July during this battle he was awarded the
Victoria Cross. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of Mouquet Farm
in August. Suffering from the effects of his service, Leak was convicted
of desertion in November 1917, but his sentence was ultimately
suspended. In early March 1918 he was gassed, and saw no further combat
before the Armistice of 11 November 1918. He returned to Australia and
was discharged in 1919. After various jobs, Leak settled in South
Australia in 1937 and died in 1972.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leak>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
The Eastbourne manslaughter trial began, which later became an
important legal precedent in the United Kingdom for discussions of
corporal punishment in schools.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastbourne_manslaughter>
1940:
Sumner Welles, U.S. Under Secretary of State, issued a
declaration that the U.S. government would not recognize the Soviet
Union's annexation of the Baltic states.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welles_Declaration>
1968:
A shootout between police and a Black Power group began in
Cleveland, Ohio, sparking three days of rioting.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenville_shootout>
1995:
Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th
century, was independently discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and
Thomas Bopp.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
churchical:
1. (Christianity, informal) Pertaining to or characteristic of church;
ecclesiastical.
2. (chiefly Jamaican, music) Belonging to a style of Reggae music that
reflects a spiritual sensibility.
3. (chiefly Jamaican, Rastafari) Pertaining to the strain of Rastafarian
culture that emphasizes a traditional theocracy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/churchical>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are no vital and significant forms of art; there is only
art, and precious little of that.
--Raymond Chandler
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler>