"One Tree Hill" is a song by rock band U2 and the ninth track on their
1987 album The Joshua Tree. It was written in memory of Greg Carroll, a
Māori the band met in 1984 who later befriended lead singer Bono and
served as a roadie for the group. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a
motorcycle accident in Dublin. Following the funeral in Carroll's native
country of New Zealand, Bono wrote the lyrics to the song, which he
dedicated to Carroll; the title comes from an Auckland hill (pictured)
that Bono remembered from his 1984 visit to New Zealand. In
March 1988, the song was released as the fourth single from The Joshua
Tree in New Zealand and Australia, charting at number one on the New
Zealand singles chart. The lyrics reflect Bono's thoughts at the funeral
and pay homage to Chilean activist Victor Jara. The vocals were recorded
in a single take, as Bono felt incapable of singing them a second time.
U2 delayed performing the song on the Joshua Tree Tour in 1987 due to
Bono's emotional state. After its live debut on the tour's third leg and
an enthusiastic reaction from audiences, the song was played
occasionally for the rest of the tour.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Tree_Hill_(song)>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1483:
The first mass in the Sistine Chapel (interior pictured) in the
Vatican City was celebrated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel>
1902:
Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark were crowned King and Queen
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_of_Denmark>
1971:
The Troubles: British authorities began arresting and interning
(without trial) people accused of being republican paramilitary members.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Demetrius>
1988:
Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los
Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial player transactions in
ice hockey history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky>
2001:
Fifteen people were killed and 130 others were wounded when a
suicide bomber detonated his bomb at a Sbarro pizza restaurant in
Jerusalem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sbarro_restaurant_suicide_bombing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
pankration:
An Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling,
introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pankration>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
What magical trick makes us intelligent? The trick is that there
is no trick. The power of intelligence stems from our vast diversity,
not from any single, perfect principle.
--Marvin Minsky
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marvin_Minsky>