Lettuce is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. First cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, it was converted from a weed into a plant grown for its leaves. The Greeks and Romans gave it the name "lactuca", from which the modern "lettuce" derives. Varieties developed in Europe in the 16th through 18th centuries can still be found in gardens today. The consumption of lettuce has now spread throughout the world. Lettuce is most often used for salads, but is sometimes seen in other kinds of food. It is a good source of vitamin A and potassium and a minor source of several other vitamins and nutrients. Despite its beneficial properties, lettuce can become contaminated with disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Lettuce has also gathered religious and medicinal significance.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1687:

The Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed during an armed conflict between the Venetians under Francesco Morosini and Ottoman forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon

1917:

First World War: The Battle of Polygon Wood, part of the Third Battle of Ypres, began near Ypres, Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Polygon_Wood

1933:

As gangster Machine Gun Kelly surrendered to the FBI, he supposedly shouted out, "Don't shoot, G-Men ('government men')!", which became a nickname for FBI agents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Gun_Kelly

1983:

Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov averted a possible worldwide nuclear war by deliberately certifying what otherwise appeared to be an impending attack by the United States as a false alarm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

2008:

Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy became the first person to fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

exanimate: 1. Lifeless, not or no longer living. 2. Spiritless, dispirited. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exanimate

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Right action is freedom From past and future also. For most of us, this is the aim Never here to be realised; Who are only undefeated Because we have gone on trying; We, content at the last If our temporal reversion nourish (Not too far from the yew-tree) The life of significant soil. in --The Four Quartets https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Four_Quartets