Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Kinks (pictured), released 10 October 1969. Kinks frontman Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play with Julian Mitchell, but the television programme was cancelled and never produced. The plot revolves around Arthur Morgan, a carpet-layer based on Arthur Anning, the brother-in-law of Ray and guitarist Dave Davies. The album received generally positive reviews and generous coverage in the US rock press. The lead single, "Victoria", peaked at number 62 on the Billboard charts in 1969, the Kinks' highest position there since "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966. The album itself reached number 50 in the US on the Record World charts, and number 105 on Billboard. Arthur paved the way for the success of the Kinks' 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One and its accompanying US Top 10 and UK Top 5 hit "Lola". Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_%28Or_the_Decline_and_Fall_of_the_British_Empire%29> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1933: In the first proven act of sabotage in the history of commercial aviation, a Boeing 247 operated by United Airlines exploded in mid-air near Chesterton, Indiana, killing all seven people aboard. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_United_Airlines_Boeing_247_mid-air_explosion> 1964: The opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics took place in Tokyo (torchbearer Yoshinori Sakai pictured), becoming the first Games to be held in Asia and the first to be broadcast live internationally via satellite. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Summer_Olympics> 1982: Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish friar who had volunteered to die in place of a stranger in Auschwitz concentration camp, was canonized by the Catholic Church. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: nide: (archaic) A nest of pheasants. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nide> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Of course wars are fought by teenagers — you realize that — they really ought to be fought by the politicians and the old people who start these wars.   --James Clavell <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Clavell>