William T. Stearn (16 April 1911 – 9 May 2001) was a British
botanist. Born in Cambridge, he was largely self-educated. He was head
librarian at the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library in London
from 1933 to 1952, and then moved to the Natural History Museum where he
was a scientific officer in the botany department until 1976. After
retirement, he became the president of the Linnean Society and taught
botany at Cambridge University. He is known for his work in botanical
taxonomy, history, and illustration, and for his studies of the Swedish
scientist Carl Linnaeus. Stearn is the author of Botanical Latin, as
well as the Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners, a popular guide to
the scientific names of plants. He is considered one of the most eminent
British botanists of his time. An essay prize in his name from the
Society for the History of Natural History is awarded each year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Stearn>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
Slavery in Washington, D.C., ended when the District of
Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act became law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Compensated_Emancipation_Act>
1945:
Second World War: British and Canadian forces concluded the
Liberation of Arnhem in the Netherlands from German occupation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Arnhem>
1948:
The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation,
headquartered in Paris, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD>
2014:
The ferry MV Sewol capsized and sank off Donggeochado, South
Korea, killing 306 people, mainly students from Danwon High School.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_MV_Sewol>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
sinking feeling:
An unpleasant feeling in the abdomen caused by hunger or, especially,
apprehension or uneasiness.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinking_feeling>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd
fashion.
--Anatole France
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anatole_France>
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