The National emblem of Belarus which replaced the historic Pahonia arms in a 1995 referendum, features a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a map of Belarus, wheat ears and a red star. It is sometimes referred to as the coat of arms of Belarus, although this is incorrect due to the lack of several heraldic elements. The emblem is an allusion to the one used by the Byelorussian SSR, designed by I.I. Dubasov in 1950. Emblems reminiscent of the times of the Soviet Union are also used by the nations of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and the region of Transnistria.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_emblem_of_Belarus

_________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1553:

Condemned as a heretic for preaching nontrinitarianism and anti-infant baptism, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake outside Geneva. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Servetus)

1904:

The New York City Subway, one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the world, opened its first underground segment, connecting New York City Hall with Harlem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway)

1958:

General Ayub Khan deposed Iskander Mirza in a bloodless coup d'état to become the second President of Pakistan, less than three weeks after Mirza had appointed him the enforcer of martial law. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayub_Khan)

1961:

NASA launched the first Saturn I rocket, the United States' first dedicated spacecraft designed specifically to launch loads into Earth orbit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_I)

1971:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo was renamed Zaire after a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word nzere or nzadi, which translates to "the river that swallows all rivers.". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaire)

_______________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

double entendre: (n) A phrase that has two meanings, one innocent and literal, the other risque or bawdy; an innuendo. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/double_entendre)

______________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. --Theodore Roosevelt (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt)