SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand was an Austro-Hungarian Radetzky class pre-dreadnought battleship commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 5 June 1910. Although SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand was laid down and commissioned after the launching of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906, her design was begun before and had the characteristics of a Pre-Dreadnought battleship rather than later Post-Dreadnought battleships. She was named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The first ship of her class to be built, she preceded Radetzky by more than six months. Her armament included four 30.5 cm (12 in) guns in two twin turrets, and eight 24 cm (9.4 in) guns in four twin turrets. She participated in an international naval protest of the Balkan Wars in 1913, during which she helped enforce a blockade of Montenegro. She also was one of the first ships to deploy seaplanes for military use. During World War I, she saw limited service in the 2nd Division of the 1st Battle Squadron, including mobilization to assist the escape of the German ships SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau and the bombardment of Ancona in 1915.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1808:

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Fifth Symphony, currently one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of European classical music, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_%28Beethoven%29

1885:

Itō Hirobumi , a samurai from Chōshū, became the first Prime Minister of Japan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%C5%8D_Hirobumi

1984:

While riding a New York City Subway train, Bernhard Goetz shot four African American youths who attempted to rob him, sparking a nationwide debate on vigilantism, racism, and the legal limits of self-defense. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Goetz

1990:

The Parliament of Croatia adopted the country's current constitution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Croatia

2001:

Richard Reid unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe on a transatlantic flight from Paris, France, to Miami, Florida, US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid_%28shoe_bomber%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

altruistic (adj): Regardful of others; beneficent; unselfish http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/altruistic

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you. --Charles de Lint http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_de_Lint