Ido is a constructed language, purposely created to be easier to learn than any other natural language, and ideally to become a universal second language that would be used by all when conversing with people from a different linguistic background. This is much in the same way that English is often used as a lingua franca at present in various international gatherings, but Ido was made to be grammatically regular, phonetic, and as the first language of none, to favour no one who might otherwise have an advantage in expression with his or her native language. Ido was developed in the early 1900s, and retains a small following today, primarily in Europe. It is largely based on Esperanto, created by L. L. Zamenhof. Ido first appeared in 1907 as a result of a desire to reform perceived flaws in Esperanto that its supporters believed to be a hindrance in its propagation as an easy-to-learn second language. Ido uses the twenty-six Latin letters used in the English alphabet with no diacritics. While still being completely grammatically regular, Ido resembles Romance languages in appearance and is sometimes mistaken for Italian or Spanish at first glance.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

800: Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor, a title that had been out of use in the West since the abdication of Romulus Augustulus in 476. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne)

1776: George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_crossing_of_the_Delaware)

1868: The Republic of Ezo was founded in Hokkaido by rebels loyal to the deposed Tokugawa shogunate. In the first elections ever held in Japan, they elected Admiral Enomoto Takeaki as their President. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ezo)

1991: Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" -- Bob Hope (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bob_Hope)