Operation Ke was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands during World War II. All attempts by the Japanese army to recapture Henderson Field, the only airfield on the island being used by Allied aircraft, had been repulsed with heavy losses. Japanese ground forces had been reduced from 36,000 to 11,000 through starvation, disease, and battle casualties. Attempting to reinforce and resupply the ground forces on the island, Japanese naval forces were also suffering heavy losses of troops and matériel, including a submarine sunk in late January (wreckage pictured). The main withdrawal was carried out on the nights of 1, 4, and 7 February by destroyers. The Japanese evacuated 10,652 men from Guadalcanal, of whom 600 died during the withdrawal. On 9 February, Allied forces realized that the Japanese were gone and declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the six-month campaign for control of the island.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1841:

Raja Muda Hashim, uncle of the Sultan of Brunei, granted Sarawak to British adventurer James Brooke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sarawak

1903:

Alfred Deakin became the second Prime Minister of Australia, succeeding Edmund Barton who left office to become a founding Justice of the High Court of Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Deakin

1964:

The Warren Commission released its report to the U.S. president, concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The report was made public three days later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Commission

1975:

Dougal Haston and Doug Scott on the Southwest Face expedition became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by ascending one of its faces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_British_Mount_Everest_Southwest_Face_expedition

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

gamboge: 1. One of several species of trees of the genus Garcinia found in South and Southeastern Asia, especially Garcinia xanthochymus. 2. The resin of the gamboge tree; a preparation of the resin used as a pigment or for medicinal purposes. 3. A deep yellow colour. gamboge colour: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gamboge

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Whenever you feel like criticizing any one... just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.   --F. Scott Fitzgerald https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald