The Seri Rambai is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort
Cornwallis in George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site city and capital
of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a fertility symbol, the subject
of legends and prophecy, and the largest bronze gun in Malaysia. The
cannon's history in the Malacca Straits began in the early 1600s when
Dutch East India Company officers gave it to the Sultan of Johor in
return for trading concessions. Less than a decade later, after Johor
was destroyed and the sultan captured, the Seri Rambai was taken to
Aceh. Near the end of the eighteenth century the cannon was sent to
Selangor and mounted next to one of the town's hilltop forts. In 1871
pirates seized a Penang junk, murdered its passengers and crew, and took
the stolen vessel to Selangor. The British colonial government responded
by burning the town, destroying its forts and confiscating the Seri
Rambai. Originally displayed on Penang's Esplanade, the gun was moved in
the 1950s to the ramparts at Fort Cornwallis.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seri_Rambai>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1279:
Emperor Bing, the last emperor of the Song dynasty, died during
the Battle of Yamen, bringing the dynasty to an end after three
centuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emperors_of_the_Song_dynasty>
1911:
Socialist German politician Clara Zetkin established the first
International Women's Day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Zetkin>
1915:
Pluto was photographed for the first time, 15 years before it
was officially discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto>
1962:
Highly influential American musician Bob Dylan released his
eponymous debut album.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>
2011:
Libyan Civil War: The French Air Force launched Opération
Harmattan, beginning foreign military intervention in Libya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ration_Harmattan>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
in spades:
1. (idiomatic) In large quantities; to a high degree; to excess, without
restraint.
2. (idiomatic) Beyond doubt.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_spades>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many people consider the things government does for them to be
social progress but they regard the things government does for others as
socialism.
--Earl Warren
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Earl_Warren>
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