90px|Thomas Beecham, c. 1910

Thomas Beecham (1879–1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor. Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Covent Garden, Drury Lane and His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own orchestra and a wide repertoire. Among the works he introduced to England during his career were Richard Strauss's Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and three operas by Frederick Delius. Together with his younger colleague Malcolm Sargent, Beecham founded the London Philharmonic, and he conducted its first performance at the Queen's Hall in 1932. In the 1940s, he worked for three years in the United States, where he was music director of the Seattle Symphony and conducted at the Metropolitan Opera. After his return to Britain, he founded the Royal Philharmonic in 1946 and conducted it until his death in 1961. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1258:

George Mouzalon, regent of the Empire of Nicea, was assassinated as part of a conspiracy led by the nobles under future emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mouzalon

1609:

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei demonstrated his first telescope, a device that became known as a terrestrial or spyglass refracting telescope, to Venetian lawmakers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei

1916:

The National Park Service was established to manage all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties around the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service

1920:

Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski successfully forced the Russians to withdraw from Warsaw at the Battle of Warsaw, the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_%281920%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

walrus (n): A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/walrus

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Calmly take what ill betideth;

Patience wins the crown at length Rich repayment him abideth Who endures in quiet strength.

Brave the tamer of the lion; Brave whom conquered kingdoms praise;

Bravest he who rules his passions, Who his own impatience sways. --Johann Gottfried Herder http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Herder