Clements Markham (1830–1916) was a British geographer, explorer and writer. He was secretary of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) between 1863 and 1888, and later served as the Society's president for a further 12 years. In the latter capacity he was mainly responsible for organising the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901–04, and for launching the polar career of Robert Falcon Scott. The main achievement of Markham's RGS presidency was the revival at the end of the 19th century of British interest in Antarctic exploration, after a 50-year interval. All his life Markham was a constant traveller and a prolific writer, his works including histories, travel accounts and biographies. He authored many papers and reports for the RGS, and did much editing and translation work for the Hakluyt Society, of which he also became president. He received public and academic honours, and was recognised as a major influence on the discipline of geography, although it was acknowledged that much of his work was based on enthusiasm rather than scholarship. Among the geographical features bearing his name is Antarctica's Mount Markham, named for him by Scott in 1902.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1656:
Led by King Charles X Gustav, the armies of Sweden and Brandenburg defeated the forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth near Warsaw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_%281656%29
1927:
Five-year-old Michael became King of Romania upon the death of his grandfather Ferdinand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_of_Romania
1944:
Adolf Hitler survived an assassination attempt by German Resistance member Claus von Stauffenberg, who hid a bomb inside a briefcase during a conference at the Wolfsschanze military headquarters in East Prussia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_July_plot
1951:
Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated while visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan
1969:
The Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon six-and-a-half hours later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11
2005:
The Civil Marriage Act received its Royal Assent, legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Marriage_Act
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
vitiate (v): 1. To spoil, make faulty; to reduce the value, quality, or effectiveness of something. 2. To debase or morally corrupt. 3. (archaic) To violate, to rape http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vitiate
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Houston: Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed. --Neil Armstrong http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong