The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 during the Second World War. Initially composed of volunteers within brigades established along regional lines, a halt in recruitment in the early months of the war caused a delay in the formation of brigade and divisional headquarters. With questions concerning overseas deployment resolved, the division's respective commands were formed in May and June 1940, and was deployed to the United Kingdom between 1 August and 25 December 1940. Elements of the 2nd Division were selected as the main force for Operation Jubilee, a large-scale amphibious raid on the port of Dieppe in German-occupied France. Following a period of reconstruction and retraining from 1942 to 1944, the division joined II Canadian Corps as part of the Second British Army for the Allied Invasion of Normandy. Joining the newly activated headquarters of the First Canadian Army in the assault on northwestern Europe, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division played a significant role in the retaking of the Channel ports, the Battle of the Scheldt, and the liberation of Holland. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1815:

As specified by the Congress of Vienna, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland was signed for the newly recreated Polish state that was under Russian control. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland

1868:

American Indian Wars: George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry defeated Chief Black Kettle and the Cheyenne on the Washita River near present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Washita_River

1978:

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been in conflict with Turkey over the formation of an autonomous Kurdish state, was founded. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan_Workers%27_Party

1999:

The Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the New Zealand general election, making the Labour Party's Helen Clark the first female to win the office of Prime Minister at an election. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark

2001:

The Hubble Space Telescope detected sodium in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 209458b , the first planetary atmosphere outside our solar system to be measured. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_209458_b

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

solipsism (n): 1. (philosophy) The theory that the self is all that exists or that can be proven to exist. 2. Self-absorption, an unawareness of the views or needs of others http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solipsism

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow — you are not understanding yourself. --Bruce Lee http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee