The Harry F. Sinclair House stands at the corner of East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. It was built between 1897 and 1899, designed in a French Renaissance style by C. P. H. Gilbert and built by foreman Harvey Murdock. It was successively owned by businessmen Isaac D. Fletcher and Harry F. Sinclair, and then descendants of Peter Stuyvesant. The Ukrainian Institute of America acquired the mansion in 1955. It fell into disrepair and was renovated in the 1990s. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and named a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The building largely retains its original design, being constructed mainly of brick faced with limestone ashlar. The northern façade on 79th Street includes the main entrance and has multiple windows in square recesses or Gothic arches. The western façade is symmetrical and dominated by a curved pavilion. The interior has six floors, with a total floorspace of 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_F._Sinclair_House

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1739:

War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force arrived at the settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main (now in Panama), which it captured the next day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Bello_%281739%29

1902:

While discussing how to promote the newspaper L'Auto, sports journalist Géo Lefèvre came up with the idea of holding a cycling race that later became known as the Tour de France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France

1979:

A group of armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, declaring that one of their leaders was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_seizure

1991:

First Nagorno-Karabakh War: An Azerbaijani military helicopter carrying a peacekeeping mission team was shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, disrupting the ongoing peace talks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Azerbaijani_Mil_Mi-8_shootdown

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Nuremberg defense: 1. (ethics, international law, idiomatic) An explanation offered as an excuse for behaving in a criminal or wrongful manner, claiming that acted in this way because one was ordered by others (particularly superiors) to do so. 2. (US law, by extension) An explanation offered as a defense to criminal or wrongful behavior, claiming that one is justified in not obeying a governmental order or a domestic law because the order or law is itself unlawful. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nuremberg_defense

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I believe the American people — the vast majority — are with us. I think they see much more clearly what you’ve all been fighting for your whole lives now. It’s in stark relief. The bad news: We had a President who appealed to the prejudice. The good news is that he took the — he ripped the Band-Aid off, made it absolutely clear what’s at stake. And I think the American people will follow us. But guess what? Whether they will or not, we have no choice. We have to continue to fight. God bless you all. May God protect our troops.   --Joe Biden https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Biden