Cricket is a team sport. The game, sometimes referred to as the
"gentleman's game," originated in its formal form in England, and is
popular mainly in the countries of the Commonwealth. In the countries
of South Asia, including India and Pakistan, cricket is by far the
most popular participatory and spectator sport. It is also the
national sport of Australia, and it is the major summer sport in New
Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The rich jargon of
cricket can often leave those unfamiliar with the game confused; the
rules are of similar complexity to those of its cousin baseball.
Cricket fosters die-hard aficionados, for whom matches provide
passionate entertainment. Occasionally, rival nations have lampooned
each other over cricket matches, provoking diplomatic outrage.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
Today's selected anniversaries:
1356 - Despite a shortage of arrows, English forces led by Edward the
Black Prince decisively won the Battle of Poitiers and took
King Jean II of France as captive back to England.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poitiers)
1692 - Giles Corey, who had refused to enter a plea, was pressed to
his death during the Salem witch trials.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials)
1893 - Women's suffrage: Women in New Zealand gained the right to
vote, as the country became the first to introduce universal
suffrage.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage)
1982 - Scott Fahlman proposed the use of the ASCII emoticons ":-)"
and ":-(".
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon)
1995 - The Unabomber's Manifesto was published in The Washington Post
and The New York Times, almost three months after it was
submitted.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Kaczynski)
Wikiquote of the day:
"The cardinal doctrine of a fanatic's creed is that his enemies are
the enemies of God." ~ Andrew Dickson White
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Andrew_Dickson_White)