The Fifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series, held at The Oval in London from
14–18 August, was the final Test match in a cricket series between
Australia and England. Australia won the match by an innings and 149
runs to complete a 4–0 series win. It was the last Test in the career
of Australian captain Donald Bradman (pictured), generally regarded as
the best batsman in the history of the sport. After a delayed start due
to inclement weather, the Australian fast bowlers, led by Ray Lindwall,
took all of England's wickets within the first day of the match, England
scoring only 52 runs. When Bradman came out to bat, he received a
standing ovation from the crowd and three cheers from his opponents. He
needed only four runs from his final innings to have a Test batting
average of exactly 100, but he failed to score and was out to the second
ball he faced (bowled by leg spinner Eric Hollies). The match was
followed by speeches from both captains, after which the crowd sang "For
He's a Jolly Good Fellow" in Bradman's honour. Having been undefeated in
their matches up to this point, the Australians maintained their streak
in the remaining matches, gaining them the sobriquet of The Invincibles.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Test,_1948_Ashes_series>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
537:
The current Hagia Sophia building in Istanbul, originally built
as a church before it later became a mosque in 1453 and then a museum in
1935, was inaugurated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia>
1831:
Aboard HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin left Plymouth, England, on
what became a historic expedition to South America that made his name as
a naturalist.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_HMS_Beagle>
1911:
"Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, was first sung
in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jana_Gana_Mana>
1979:
Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet troops stormed Tajbeg Palace
outside of Kabul and killed Afghan President Hafizullah Amin and his 300
elite guards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafizullah_Amin>
2002:
The company Clonaid announced the birth of a cloned human baby,
although it has yet to present any verifiable evidence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonaid>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
hooey:
(slang) Silly talk or writing; nonsense.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hooey>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to
humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the
highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain
the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and
intelligence.
--Louis Pasteur
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur>