Thomas C. Kinkaid (1888–1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Born into a naval family, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1908. He saw action during the 1916 occupation of the Dominican Republic, and in World War I, when he was attached to the Royal Navy. During World War II, his cruisers defended the aircraft carriers USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea and USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway. He then took command of Task Force 16, built around the carrier USS Enterprise, during the long and difficult Solomon Islands campaign. He commanded the North Pacific Force during operations that regained control of the Aleutian Islands. In November 1943, he became Commander Allied Naval Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, and Commander of the Seventh Fleet, directing U.S. and Australian forces supporting the New Guinea and the Philippine campaigns, during which he conducted numerous amphibious operations. He commanded an Allied fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last naval battle between battleships. He continued in service after the war until his retirement in 1950.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_C._Kinkaid

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1888:

The first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London, occurred. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders

1936:

Richard Hauptmann was executed in the electric chair for the kidnapping and murder of the "Lindbergh baby". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hauptmann

1948:

An uprising began on Jeju Island, eventually leading to the deaths of between 14,000 and 30,000 individuals due to fighting between its various factions, and the violent suppression of the rebellion by the South Korean army. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_Uprising

1973:

On a New York City street, Motorola researcher Martin Cooper made the first public call on a handheld mobile phone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Cooper_(inventor)

1981:

The Osborne 1 (pictured), the first successful portable computer, was unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

snail mail: (retronym) Postal mail, especially as compared to email. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snail_mail

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Humanity will ever seek but never attain perfection. Let us at least survive and go on trying.   --Dora Russell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dora_Russell