A retiarius was a Roman gladiator who fought with equipment styled on that of a fisherman: a weighted net (rete, hence the name), a three-pointed trident, and a dagger (pugio). The retiarius fought lightly armoured, wearing an arm guard (manica) and a shoulder guard. Typically, his clothing consisted only of a loincloth held in place by a wide belt, or of a short tunic with light padding. He wore no head protection or footwear. The retiarius was routinely pitted against a heavily armed and armoured secutor. The net-fighter made up for his lack of protective gear by using his speed and agility to avoid his opponent's attacks and wait for the opportunity to strike. He first tried to throw his net over his rival. If this succeeded, he attacked with his trident while his adversary was entangled. Another tactic was to ensnare his enemy's weapon in the net and pull it out of his grasp, leaving the opponent defenceless. Should the net miss or the secutor grab hold of it, the retiarius likely discarded the weapon, although he might try to collect it back for a second cast. Usually, the retiarius had to rely on his trident and dagger to finish the fight. Retiarii first appeared in the arena during the 1st century AD and had become standard attractions by the 2nd or 3rd century. The gladiator's lack of armour and his reliance on evasive tactics made the retiarius the lowliest of an already stigmatised class.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1797:

French Revolutionary Wars: British Lieutenant General Ralph Abercromby and a force of over 6,000 men invaded Spanish-controlled Puerto Rico. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Juan_%281797%29

1895:

The Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire of China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki to end the First Sino-Japanese War, with China agreeing to renounce its claims on Korea; cede the Liaodong Peninsula, Penghu and Taiwan to Japan; open various ports and rivers to Japanese trade; and pay Japan a war indemnity of 200 million Kuping taels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Shimonoseki

1961:

Armed Cuban exiles backed by the CIA invaded Cuba, landing in the Bay of Pigs, with the aim of overthrowing the Cuban government under Fidel Castro. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion

1975:

The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, ending the Cambodian Civil War, and established the Democratic Kampuchea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Civil_War

1982:

A new patriated Constitution of Canada, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , a bill of rights intended to protect certain political and civil rights of people in Canada from the policies and actions of all levels of government, was signed into law by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Act%2C_1982

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

knell (v): 1. To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.

2. To signal or proclaim something by ringing a bell http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knell

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I am not a novelist, really not even a writer; I am a storyteller. One of my friends said about me that I think all sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them, and perhaps this is not entirely untrue. To me, the explanation of life seems to be its melody, its pattern. And I feel in life such an infinite, truly inconceivable fantasy. --Karen Blixen http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karen_Blixen