Richard II (1367–1400) was King of England, the last of the main-line kings of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. A son of Edward, the Black Prince, he was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III. Richard was tall, good- looking and intelligent, but he may have suffered from a personality disorder, especially toward the end of his reign. Less warlike than his father or grandfather, he sought to bring an end to the Hundred Years' War started by Edward III. A firm believer in the royal prerogative, he restrained the power of the aristocracy and relied on a private retinue for military protection. He promoted an elevated image of himself, and art and culture were at the centre of his court, in contrast to the fraternal, martial court of his grandfather. Shakespeare's play Richard II portrays his misrule and deposition as responsible for the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, but modern historians disagree, attributing his downfall to practices that were unacceptable to the political establishment.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1863:

After Spain had annexed the Dominican Republic, rebels raised the Dominican flag in Santiago de los Caballeros to begin the War of Restoration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Restoration_War

1896:

A group led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold near Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klondike_Gold_Rush

1977:

Elvis Presley, "The King of Rock and Roll", was officially pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, after he was found unresponsive on the floor of his Graceland bathroom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

1987:

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., leaving a sole survivor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_255

2015:

Suicide bombers assassinated Pakistani politician Shuja Khanzada and killed at least 22 others at his home. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuja_Khanzada

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

come together: 1. (intransitive) To assemble, to congregate. 2. (intransitive, figuratively) To harmonize socially; to come to an amicable agreement; to ally or band together. […] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/come_together

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Lofty posts make great men greater still, and small men much smaller.   --Jean de La Bruyère https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_de_La_Bruy%C3%A8re