Ba Cut (1923–1956) was a military commander of the Hòa Hảo religious sect, which operated from the Mekong Delta and controlled various parts of southern Vietnam during the 1940s and early 1950s. Ba Cụt and his forces fought the Vietnamese National Army, the Việt Minh, and the Cao Đài religious movement from 1943 until his capture in 1956. Known for his idiosyncrasies, he was regarded as an erratic and cruel leader who fought with little ideological purpose. His sobriquet came from the self-amputation of a finger as part of a vow during his teenage years to defeat the French colonial forces; he later swore not to cut his hair until the communist Việt Minh were defeated. Ba Cụt frequently made alliances with various Vietnamese factions and the French. He invariably accepted the material support offered in return for his cooperation, and then broke the agreement—nevertheless, the French made deals with him on five occasions. In mid-1955, the tide turned against the various sects, as Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm of the State of Vietnam and his VNA began to consolidate their grip on the south. Ba Cụt and his allies were driven into the jungle, and their position was threatened by government offensives. After almost a year of fighting, Ba Cụt was captured. He was sentenced to death and publicly beheaded in Cần Thơ.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Cut

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1192:

Third Crusade: Conrad of Montferrat, the elected King of Jerusalem, was fatally stabbed by members of the Hashshashin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_of_Montferrat

1789:

About 1,300 miles west of Tahiti, near Tonga, Fletcher Christian, the master's mate on board the Royal Navy ship HMAV Bounty, led a mutiny against the ship's commander William Bligh. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh

1920:

The Soviet Union established the Azerbaijan SSR after the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic surrendered to the invading Bolsheviks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Democratic_Republic

1952:

The Treaty of San Francisco entered into force, ending the occupation of Japan by the former Allied Powers of World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Francisco

2008:

The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, at the time the world's highest residence above ground-level at 1,389 feet (423 m), held its full service grand opening. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_International_Hotel_and_Tower_%28Chicago%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

crenellation (n): A pattern along the top of a parapet (fortified wall), most often in the form of multiple, regular, rectangular spaces in the top of the wall, through which arrows or other weaponry may be shot http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crenellation

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Too much magic could wrap time and space around itself, and that wasn't good news for the kind of person who had grown used to things like effects following things like causes. --Terry Pratchett http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett