Paul McCartney (b. 1942) is an English singer-songwriter and composer. Along with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he was a member of the Beatles, a 1960s rock band that became the top-selling band of all time, and one of the most critically acclaimed. His Beatles song "Yesterday" has been covered by over 2,200 artists, more than any other copyrighted song in history. After the band's break-up, he pursued a solo career and formed Wings with Denny Laine and Linda McCartney, his first wife. Wings' 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre" is one of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK. A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist) and a 21-time Grammy Award winner, McCartney has written or co-written 32 number one Billboard Hot 100 songs. He has released an extensive catalogue of songs as a solo artist and has composed classical and electronic music. He has supported international charities promoting animal rights, land mine removal, vegetarianism, poverty reduction, and music education. He was knighted for his contributions to music in 1997.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1783:

Iceland's Laki craters began an eight-month eruption, triggering major famine and massive fluorine poisoning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki

1856:

Descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers settled on Norfolk Island, an abandoned British penal colony. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Island

1929:

Margaret Bondfield became the first female member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom when she was named Minister of Labour by Ramsay MacDonald. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Bondfield

1953:

Two tornadoes caused by the same storm killed more than 200 people in Flint, Michigan and Worcester, Massachusetts, two cities more than 650 miles (1,050 km) apart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint%E2%80%93Worcester_tornado_outbreak_sequence

2008:

A Japanese man drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, then proceeded to stab at least 12 people before being apprehended. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara_massacre

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

newspeak: A mode of talk by politicians and officials using ambiguous words to deceive the listener. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/newspeak

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The world isn't fair, but as long as it's tilting in my direction I find that there's a natural cap to my righteous indignation.   --Scott Adams https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Scott_Adams