Happy Feet was an emperor penguin who, in June 2011, arrived at Peka Peka Beach in New Zealand's North Island after travelling about 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Antarctica. He was one of the northernmost emperor penguins ever recorded outside of captivity and the second emperor penguin to have been found in New Zealand. After arriving, he ingested sand on the beach, mistaking it for snow, and filled his stomach with it. He soon became unwell and was transported to Wellington Zoo, where he was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. Most of the sand was removed and he was kept at the zoo to recover. Happy Feet was released in the Southern Ocean on 4 September 2011. He was fitted with a satellite transmitter to track his location; this ceased transmission on 9 September, possibly due to the transmitter falling off or the penguin being preyed upon. Happy Feet's arrival and recovery attracted worldwide media coverage. He was named after the 2006 film Happy Feet.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Feet_%28penguin%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1970:

The Troubles: The British Army began the Falls Curfew in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which resulted in greater Irish republican resistance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Curfew

1988:

The US Navy warship Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

2005:

Same-sex marriage became legal in Spain with the coming into effect of a law passed by the Cortes Generales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Spain

2017:

In Arizona, the Boundary Fire burned out after 32 days, burning 17,788 acres (7,199 ha) of the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_Fire_%282017%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

old hat: 1. (idiomatic) Something regarded as very familiar and unoriginal, hackneyed, or out of date. 2. (idiomatic) Very familiar and unoriginal; common, hackneyed, out of date. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/old_hat

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The ulterior motives with which you absorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil. The animal wrests the whip from its master and whips itself in order to become master, not knowing that this is only a fantasy produced by a new knot in the master’s whiplash.   --The Zürau Aphorisms https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Z%C3%BCrau_Aphorisms