The South China Sea raid was conducted by the United States Third Fleet
between 10 and 20 January 1945 during the Pacific War. Undertaken to
support the liberation of Luzon in the Philippines, it targeted Japanese
warships, supply convoys and aircraft in the region. After attacking
airfields and shipping at Formosa and Luzon, the Third Fleet entered the
South China Sea and aircraft from its carriers attacked Japanese
shipping off French Indochina on 12 January, sinking 44 vessels. The
fleet then sailed north and attacked Formosa again on 15 January.
Further raids were conducted against Hong Kong, Canton and Hainan the
next day. The South China Sea raid was highly successful as the American
force destroyed a large number of Japanese ships and aircraft, while
losing relatively few aircraft. According to historians, the destruction
of cargo vessels and oil tankers was the most important result of the
raid, as these contributed to closing a supply route which was vital to
the Japanese war effort.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea_raid>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural
Beauty, a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Trust_for_Places_of_Historic_Interest_or_Natural_Beauty>
1911:
The University of the Philippines College of Law, from which
many leading Filipino political figures have since graduated, was
founded in Quezon City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Philippines_College_of_Law>
1964:
Rebels led by John Okello overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin
Abdullah, ending 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar_Revolution>
2010:
An earthquake registering 7.0 Mw struck Haiti (damage
pictured), affecting an estimated three million people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
charlotte russe:
A dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake, often in
the form of ladyfingers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/charlotte_russe>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will
fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. It
is not enough in a situation of trust in the commonwealth, that a man
means well to his country; it is not enough that in his single person he
never did an evil act, but always voted according to his conscience, and
even harangued against every design which he apprehended to be
prejudicial to the interests of his country. This innoxious and
ineffectual character, that seems formed upon a plan of apology and
disculpation, falls miserably short of the mark of publick duty. That
duty demands and requires, that what is right should not only be made
known, but made prevalent; that what is evil should not only be
detected, but defeated.
--Edmund Burke
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke>
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