Wally Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class cricketer, primarily a middle-order batsman, who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him in his obituary as one of the four best batsmen in the history of cricket. In a Test career spanning 85 matches, he scored 7,249 runs and took 83 wickets. Hammond captained England in 20 of those Tests, winning 4, losing 3, and drawing 13. His career aggregate of runs was the highest in Test cricket until surpassed by Colin Cowdrey in 1970; his total of 22 Test centuries remained an English record until Alastair Cook surpassed it in December 2012. Overall, he scored 50,551 runs and 167 centuries in first-class cricket games, respectively the seventh and third highest totals by a first-class cricketer.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Hammond

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1800:

War of the Second Coalition: General Jean Victor Marie Moreau led French forces to victory in the Battle of Höchstädt, opening the Danube passageway to Vienna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_H%C3%B6chst%C3%A4dt_(1800)

1816:

The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, rival fur- trading companies, engaged in a violent confrontation in present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Seven_Oaks

1953:

Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed as spies who passed U.S. nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

1970:

The Patent Cooperation Treaty, an international law treaty, was signed, providing a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_Cooperation_Treaty

2005:

Only six race cars competed in the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, after all the Michelin-shod entrants were withdrawn due to safety concerns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_United_States_Grand_Prix

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

shrithe: 1. (intransitive) To go about, to roam, to wander. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shrithe

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.   --Blaise Pascal https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal