The Croatian Spring was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time one of six republics comprising Yugoslavia and ruled by the League of Communists of Croatia (SKH). It was marked by a series of economic reforms. Reformers within the SKH, aligned with the Croatian cultural society Matica hrvatska, came into conflict with conservatives. A variety of grievances were aired, including demands for increased autonomy, opposition to real or perceived overrepresentation of Croatian Serbs in Croatia and disagreement over whether the Croatian language was distinct from Serbo- Croatian. The conflict also increased the popularity of expressions of Croatian culture. Plans were made to amend the constitution. The Yugoslav leadership intervened, compelling the SKH leadership to resign (headline pictured). Nevertheless, most demands were later adopted, ushering in a form of federalism that contributed to the subsequent breakup of Yugoslavia.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1787:

German-born British astronomer William Herschel discovered two Uranian moons, later named Oberon and Titania by his son John. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania_%28moon%29

1863:

American Civil War: The Battle of Arkansas Post concluded with the Union Army capturing a fort near the mouth of the Arkansas River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arkansas_Post_%281863%29

1923:

Troops from France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr to force the Weimar Republic to pay reparations in the aftermath of World War I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Ruhr

2013:

French special forces failed in an attempted rescue of a DGSE agent, who had been taken hostage in 2009 by al-Shabaab, in Buulo Mareer, Somalia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulo_Marer_hostage_rescue_attempt

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

blotto: (informal) (Very) drunk or intoxicated. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blotto

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

My dad went through a sea of deaths. The oldest of six, he buried his four younger brothers and four of his children. Yes, I was it. His philosophy after grieving was to laugh. To try to bring some joy to others, because life is just so hard sometimes. Because it ends. My father also had a huge amount of dignity. This Mark Twain quote sums up the way my father and mother felt about life: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” … I am very proud of the life I have led so far. I have a lot of love in my life. And a lot of laughs. And I wish that for you all. I wish that even for the guy in the audience with his arms folded.   --Bob Saget https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bob_Saget