The Courageous class was the first British multi-ship class of aircraft carriers. The three ships—Furious, Courageous and Glorious—were originally laid down as battlecruisers to be used in the Baltic Project during the First World War. They were very fast, but their minimal armour and guns limited their long-term utility in the post-war Royal Navy, until they were converted to aircraft carriers as permitted by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. Furious, already partially converted during the war, began reconstruction in 1921. As the first large carrier completed by the Royal Navy, the ship was used to evaluate aircraft handling and landing procedures, including the first-ever carrier night landing in 1926. During the Second World War, Courageous became the first British warship lost, torpedoed in September 1939 by a German submarine. Glorious, sailing home with minimal escort after the Norwegian Campaign, was sunk by two German battleships in June 1940. Furious ferried aircraft, escorted convoys and launched air attacks in support of British forces until late 1944. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courageous-class_aircraft_carrier> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1783: The first of five strong earthquakes hit the region of Calabria on the Italian Peninsula killing more than 32,000 people over a period of nearly two months. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1783_Calabrian_earthquakes> 1818: Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascended to the thrones of Sweden and Norway. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XIV_John_of_Sweden> 1909: Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced the creation of Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite> 1923: Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford made 429 runs to break the world record for the highest first-class score. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ponsford> 2009: The United States Navy guided missile cruiser Port Royal ran aground on a coral reef off the island of Oahu. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_USS_Port_Royal_grounding> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: yokeag: (US) Dried, pulverized corn kernels, sometimes mixed with maple sugar. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yokeag> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   We talk a great deal about patriotism. What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility which will enable America to remain master of her power — to walk with it in serenity and wisdom, with self-respect and the respect of all mankind; a patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. The dedication of a lifetime — these are words that are easy to utter, but this is a mighty assignment. For it is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.   --Adlai Stevenson <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson>