The two battleships of the North Carolina class were built shortly
before the US entered World War II. North Carolina (launched 13 June
1940) and Washington had 16-inch guns, heavy firepower for their size,
but their design sacrificed some speed and armor. North Carolina took
part in every major US naval offensive of the Pacific War and was the
most highly decorated American battleship of World War II. Washington
initially went undetected by the Japanese in the second naval battle of
Guadalcanal, a chaotic night engagement, until its main guns hit the
battleship Kirishima at close range, sinking the ship the next day. In
February 1944, Washington's bow was crushed in a collision with the
battleship Indiana, but the damage was repaired in time to join the
Battle of the Philippine Sea in June. After the war, both ships helped
withdraw American military personnel from overseas deployments. The
vessels were laid up in the reserve fleet until the early 1960s, when
Washington was scrapped and North Carolina became a permanent museum
ship in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina-class_battleship>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1525:
Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, defying the celibacy
discipline decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for priests.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora>
1886:
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in Lake Starnberg near
Munich under mysterious circumstances.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria>
1935:
In one of the biggest upsets in championship boxing, underdog
James J. Braddock defeated Max Baer to become the heavyweight champion
of the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Braddock>
1966:
The Miranda v. Arizona landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court
established the Miranda warning, requiring law enforcement officials to
advise a suspect in custody of his rights to remain silent and to obtain
an attorney.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_v._Arizona>
2007:
Former Iraqi government official Haitham al-Badri orchestrated
a second bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, one of the holiest sites in
Shia Islam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_al-Askari_Mosque_bombing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
tribulation:
Any adversity; a trying period or event.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribulation>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
God wills, man dreams, the work is born.
--Fernando Pessoa
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fernando_Pessoa>