The Derfflinger class was a class of three battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy. The ships were ordered for the 1912 to 1913 Naval Building Program of the German Imperial Navy as a reply to the Royal Navy's three new Lion-class battlecruisers. The Derfflinger class ships were larger and slightly slower than their predecessors, and had a larger primary armament. The class comprised three ships: Derfflinger (pictured), Lützow, and Hindenburg. All three saw active service with the High Seas Fleet during World War I. Derfflinger was commissioned shortly after the outbreak of war, and was present at most of the naval actions in the North Sea, including the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland. Lützow was commissioned in August 1915, and only participated in the raid on Yarmouth before being sunk at Jutland. Hindenburg, commissioned in May 1917, saw no major action. Derfflinger and Hindenburg were interned at Scapa Flow following the armistice in November 1918. Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, who was in command of the interned High Seas Fleet, ordered the ships to be scuttled in an attempt to prevent their possible seizure by the Royal Navy.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derfflinger-class_battlecruiser

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1593:

English playwright Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer under mysterious circumstances. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe

1899:

Female Old West outlaw Pearl Hart performed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Hart

1911:

American race car driver Ray Harroun won the first running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_500

1961:

Dominican strongman Rafael Trujillo was ambushed by a group of generals and assassinated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Trujillo

1998:

A 6.9 Mw earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, killing at least 4,000 people, destroying more than 30 villages, and leaving 45,000 people homeless in the Afghan provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_30,_1998_Afghanistan_earthquake

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

have Van Gogh's ear for music: (humorous) To be tone-deaf. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/have_Van_Gogh%27s_ear_for_music

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

A person is strong only when he stands upon his own truth, when he speaks and acts from his deepest convictions. Then, whatever the situation he may be in, he always knows what he must say and do. He may fall, but he cannot bring shame upon himself or his cause. If we seek the liberation of the people by means of a lie, we will surely grow confused, go astray, and lose sight of our objective, and if we have any influence at all on the people we will lead them astray as well — in other words, we will be acting in the spirit of reaction and to its benefit.   --Mikhail Bakunin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin