The Coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch is formally crowned and invested with regalia. The coronation usually takes place several months after the death of the previous monarch, for the coronation is considered a joyous occasion that would be inappropriate when mourning still continues. For example, Elizabeth II was crowned on 1953-06-02, having ascended to the throne on 1952-02-06. The ceremony is officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior cleric of the Church of England. Many other government officials and guests attend.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch

Today's selected anniversaries:

1792 - French Revolution: The National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy, and the First Republic was proclaimed. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Convention)

1898 - The Hundred Days' Reform in China was abruptly terminated when Empress Dowager Cixi forced the reform-minded Guangxu Emperor into seclusion and took over the government as regent. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days%27_Reform)

1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, was first published, with many black-and-white drawings by Tolkien himself. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit)

2003 - After 14 years of flight time and 8 years of service in the Jovian system, Galileo spacecraft's mission was terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_spacecraft)

Wikiquote of the day:

"What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche in Beyond Good and Evil

(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil)