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>
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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>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
cute-hoorism (n):
(Ireland) Cynical self-interest
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cute-hoorism>
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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>
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