Arthur Gould (1864–1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre
and fullback who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby
Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales and critics consider him the
first superstar of Welsh rugby. A talented all-round player and champion
sprinter, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never
ceased practising in order to develop his fitness and skills, and was
considered the outstanding player of his time. In 1893 Gould led Wales
to their first Home Nations Championship and Triple Crown titles; the
match against England that year established him as a great player and
captain. During his international career he played twice at fullback,
and 25 times at centre. He was Wales’ most capped centre until the
record was surpassed by Steve Fenwick in 1980. He ended his
international career with an 11–0 win over England on 9 January 1897
in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade. It was Gould’s 18th
match as Welsh captain – a record that stood until 1994. Towards the
end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy over a fund
collected in his honour which saw Wales temporarily withdraw from
international rugby.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Gould_(rugby_union)>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1780:
One of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record struck the
Caribbean Sea, killing at least 22,000 people over the next several
days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hurricane_of_1780>
1846:
English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton
(pictured), the largest moon of the planet Neptune.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)>
1897:
German chemist Felix Hoffman discovered an improved way of
synthesizing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aspirin>
1911:
The Xinhai Revolution began with the Wuchang Uprising, marking
the beginning of the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment
of the Republic of China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising>
1964:
The opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics took place in
Tokyo, the first to be telecast live internationally via satellite.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Summer_Olympics>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
beefcake:
1. (informal) Imagery of one or more muscular, well-built men.
2. (informal) A muscular, well-built, desirable man.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beefcake>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world.
If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-
increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires
effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is
about.
--James Clavell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Clavell>