George Moore was an Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family, originally intended to be an artist, and studied art in Paris during the 1870s. Here he befriended many of the leading French artists and writers of the day. As a writer, he was amongst the first English language authors to absorb the lessons of the French realists, being particularly influenced by the works of Émile Zola. He was also a key figure in the Celtic Revival. His short stories influenced the early writings of James Joyce. Although a number of his books remain in print, Moore's work remains somewhat outside the mainstream of both Irish and British literature; he founded no school or movement and has had few, if any followers.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1410: – The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grunwald)

1685: – James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, was executed for his role in the Monmouth Rebellion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monmouth_Rebellion)

1799: – French soldiers uncovered the Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian port city of Rashid. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone)

1806: – The Pike expedition, led by Zebulon Pike to explore the Louisiana Territory, began near St. Louis, Missouri. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_expedition)

1974: РArchbishop Makarios, President of Cyprus, was overthrown in a coup d'̩tat. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarios_III)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"Eternal vigilance must be maintained to guard against those who seek to stifle ideas, establish a narrow orthodoxy, and divide our nation along arbitrary lines of race, ethnicity, and religious belief or non-belief." -- Jesse Ventura (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jesse_Ventura)