Albert Ball (1896–1917) was an English fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was, with 44 victories, the United Kingdom's leading flying ace. Raised in Nottingham, Ball was commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1914. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) the following year, and gained his pilot's wings in January 1916. He then joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, flying reconnaissance missions before being posted in May to No. 11 Squadron, a fighter unit. From then until his return to England on leave in October, he accrued many aerial victories, earning two Distinguished Service Orders and the Military Cross. He was the first British ace to become a popular hero. After a period on home establishment, Ball was posted to No. 56 Squadron, which was sent to the Western Front in April 1917. He crashed to his death in a field in France on 7 May, sparking a wave of national mourning and posthumous recognition, which included the award of the Victoria Cross for his actions during his final tour of duty. His most renowned enemy, Manfred von Richthofen, remarked upon hearing of Ball's death that he was "by far the best English flying man".

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1864:

The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide was launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Adelaide_(1864)

1895:

Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver, refined as a lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov

1940:

A debate in the British House of Commons began, and culminated in the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill several days later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_Debate

1960:

Cold War: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his country was holding American pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union six days earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident

2009:

Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the home of a former New Zealand Army member who shot at officers during the routine execution of a search warrant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Napier_shootings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

sequela: (pathology) A disease or condition which is caused by an earlier disease or problem. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sequela

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

All the great utterances of man have to be judged not by the letter but by the spirit — the spirit which unfolds itself with the growth of life in history.   --Rabindranath Tagore https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore