Birchington-on-Sea is a village and seaside resort in north-east Kent, England, with a population of around 10,000. It faces the North Sea, east of the Thames Estuary, between Herne Bay and Margate. Its main beach is Minnis Bay (pictured); three smaller beaches are surrounded by chalk cliffs, cliff stacks and caves. Roman and prehistoric artefacts indicate that the area was inhabited before the existence of the village, and Minnis Bay was once the site of an Iron Age settlement. The village was first recorded in 1240. Its parish church, All Saints', dates to the 13th century and its churchyard is the burial place of the 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite artist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Quex Park, a local 19th-century manor house, is home to the Powell-Cotton Museum and a twelve-bell tower built for change ringing. The museum displays stuffed exotic animals collected by Major Percy Powell-Cotton on his travels in Africa, and houses artefacts unearthed in and around Birchington.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birchington-on-Sea

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1475:

After an invasion by England and the Duchy of Burgundy, France signed the Treaty of Picquigny with England, freeing Louis XI to deal with the threat posed by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Picquigny

1842:

The Treaty of Nanking, an unequal treaty ending the First Opium War, was signed, forcing the Chinese Qing dynasty to give control of the island that is now the site of Hong Kong, and other concessions to the British. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong

1949:

The Soviet Union successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons test, exploding the 22-kiloton RDS-1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RDS-1

1991:

Italian businessman Libero Grassi was killed by the Sicilian Mafia after taking a public stand against their extortion demands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libero_Grassi

2005:

Storm surges of Hurricane Katrina caused multiple breaches in levees around New Orleans, flooding about 80% of the city and surrounding areas for weeks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

skyclad: (Wicca) Naked outdoors https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skyclad

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Lies run sprints but the truth runs marathons.   --Michael Jackson https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson