Amargasaurus was a sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina
from roughly 129 to 122 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous
epoch. The only known skeleton was discovered in 1984 and is virtually
complete. Amargasaurus cazaui, the only species in the genus, was a
large animal reaching 9 to 10 meters (30 to 33 feet) in length, with two
parallel rows of tall spines down its neck and back. The spines, taller
than in any other known sauropod, probably protruded as solitary
structures supporting a keratinous sheath, and may have been used for
display, combat, or defense. Alternatively, they might have formed a
scaffold supporting a skin sail. A herbivore, Amargasaurus probably fed
at mid-height. Discovered in sedimentary rocks of the La Amarga
Formation, it is most closely related to the Late Jurassic genera
Dicraeosaurus, Brachytrachelopan and Suuwassea. Together, these genera
form the family Dicraeosauridae, with shorter necks and smaller body
sizes than other sauropods.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amargasaurus>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1797:
Dropping from a hydrogen balloon 3,200 feet (980 m) above
Paris, André-Jacques Garnerin carried out the first descent using a
frameless parachute (schematic pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9-Jacques_Garnerin>
1877:
The Blantyre mining disaster, Scotland's worst mining accident,
occurred when an explosion at a colliery in Blantyre killed 207 miners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blantyre_mining_disaster>
1907:
A bank run forced New York's Knickerbocker Trust Company to
suspend operations, which triggered the Panic of 1907.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907>
1966:
With their album The Supremes A' Go-Go, The Supremes became the
first all-female group to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Supremes>
2001:
The controversial video game Grand Theft Auto III was first
released to critical acclaim, and went on to popularise open world and
mature-content games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_III>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rhubarb:
1. Any plant of the genus Rheum, especially Rheum rharbarbarum, having
large leaves and long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are
edible, in particular when cooked (although the leaves are mildly
poisonous).
2. (often attributive) The leafstalks of common rhubarb or garden rhubarb
(usually known as Rheum × hybridum), which are long, fleshy, often pale
red, and with a tart taste, used as a food ingredient; they are
frequently stewed with sugar and made into jam or used in crumbles,
pies, etc. […]
3. (Britain, military, historical) A Royal Air Force World War II code name
for operations by aircraft (fighters and fighter-bombers) involving low-
level flight to seek opportunistic targets. […]
4. (originally theater, uncountable) General background noise caused by
several simultaneous indecipherable conversations, which is created in
films, stage plays, etc., by actors repeating the word rhubarb; hence,
such noise in other settings; rhubarb rhubarb, rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb.
5. (US, originally baseball, countable) An excited, angry exchange of
words, especially at a sporting event.
6. (US, originally baseball, by extension, countable) A brawl.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rhubarb>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
What matters most is that we learn from living.
--Doris Lessing
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing>