"Halo" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Inspired by Ray LaMontagne's 2004 song "Shelter", "Halo" was written by Ryan Tedder, E. Kidd Bogart, Eric Nealante Phillips, and Beyoncé herself. The song is a pop power ballad, with lyrics describing a sublime love. The single won Best Song at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards, and was nominated for Record of the Year. "Halo" topped the singles charts of Brazil, Norway and Slovakia, and reached the top five in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the US. Philip Andelman directed Beyoncé and actor Michael Ealy in the accompanying music video. The song was performed on the television show Glee and has been covered by many artists, including Florence and the Machine, Harper Blynn, and Westlife.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_%28Beyonc%C3%A9_song%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1768:

Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established Thonburi Kingdom in the new capital at Thonburi, present-day Thailand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taksin

1918:

Irishwoman Constance Markievicz became the first female Member of Parliament elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, although she never served. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Markievicz

1943:

World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division captured Ortona, Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ortona

2006:

Somali Civil War: Troops of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and their Ethiopian allies captured Mogadishu unopposed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Mogadishu

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

count coup: (intransitive, US, historical) To win prestige in battle by performing an act of bravery in the face of the enemy (such as touching him and escaping unharmed), a ritual of the Plains Indians of North America. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/count_coup

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Work as if you live in the early days of a better world.   --Alasdair Gray https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alasdair_Gray