Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the park was intended to entertain the genteel middle classes, with formal gardens and dancing on open-air platforms during the summer, but they soon became one of the most popular attractions in Northern England. Jennison set out a small amusements area in Belle Vue during the 1870s, which was expanded in the early 20th century to become what was advertised as the "showground of the world". Popular rides included the 60 mph (97 km/h) Bobs roller coaster and the Scenic Railway. Grand firework displays were given from 1852 and there was an annual Christmas circus from 1922. The Kings Hall, opened in 1910, housed the Hallé Orchestra for several years and later hosted concerts by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin. At its peak Belle Vue occupied 165 acres (0.67 km2) and attracted more than two million visitors a year. The zoo closed in September 1977 after its owners decided they could no longer afford annual losses of £100,000.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1098:

First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ended as Crusader forces captured the city, but the Seljuk Turks would later start a second siege of Antioch a few days later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Antioch

1805:

Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured Diamond Rock (pictured), an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, from the British. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Diamond_Rock

1919:

First Red Scare: Anarchist followers of Luigi Galleani set off eight bombs in eight cities across the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_United_States_anarchist_bombings

1967:

German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a protest in West Berlin against the visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant group 2 June Movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_June_Movement

1994:

The Royal Air Force suffered its worst peacetime disaster when a Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland, killing all 29 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Scotland_RAF_Chinook_crash

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

superannuate: 1. (transitive) To retire or put out of use due to age. 2. (intransitive) To become obsolete or antiquated. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/superannuate

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Though the General's feelings and my own were perfectly in unison, with respect to our predilection for private life, yet I cannot blame him, for having acted according to his ideas of duty, in obeying the voice of his country. The consciousness of having attempted to do all the good in his power, and the pleasure of finding his fellow- citizens so well satisfied with the disinterestedness of his conduct, will doubtless be some compensation for the great sacrifices, which I know he has made.   --Martha Washington https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martha_Washington