Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of 164,000. Situated 75 miles (121 km) north of London, the city stands on the River Nene. The local topography is flat and low-lying, and in some places lies below sea level. The area known as the Fens falls to the east of Peterborough. Human settlement in the area dates back to before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the current city centre. This site also shows evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, then known as Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral (pictured). The population grew rapidly following the arrival of the railways in the nineteenth century (the city is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line railway) and Peterborough became an industrial centre, particularly noted for its brick manufacture. Following the Second World War, growth was limited until designation as a New Town in the 1960s. In common with much of the United Kingdom, industrial employment has fallen, with new jobs tending to be in financial services and distribution.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1535:

The appearance of sun dogs over Stockholm, Sweden, inspired the painting Vädersolstavlan , the oldest colour depiction of the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4dersolstavlan

1818:

Four days after the Court of King's Bench in England upheld a murder suspect's right to trial by battle in Ashford v Thornton, the plaintiff declined to fight, allowing the defendant to go free. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton

1968:

British Member of Parliament Enoch Powell made his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech in opposition to immigration and anti-discrimination legislation, resulting in his removal from the Shadow Cabinet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech

1978:

Soviet fighters shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 902 after it violated Soviet airspace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_902

2010:

An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, caused the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cute-hoorism (n): (Ireland) Cynical self-interest http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cute-hoorism

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Schmendrick stepped out into the open and said a few words. They were short words, undistinguished either by melody or harshness, and Schmendrick himself could not hear them for the Red Bull's dreadful bawling. But he knew what they meant, and he knew exactly how to say them, and he knew that he could say them again when he wanted to, in the same way or in a different way. Now he spoke them gently and with joy, and as did so he felt his immortality fall from him like an armour, or like a shroud. --Peter S. Beagle http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_S._Beagle