100px|Frederick Russell Burnham in 1901

Frederick Russell Burnham (1861–1947) was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the British Army in colonial Africa and for teaching woodcraft to Robert Baden-Powell, thus becoming one of the inspirations for the founding of the international Scouting Movement. Burnham had little formal education, attending high school but never graduating. He began his career at 14 in the American Southwest as a scout and tracker for the U.S. Army in the Apache Wars and Cheyenne Wars. Sensing the Old West was getting too tame, as an adult Burnham went to Africa where this background proved useful. He soon became an officer in the British Army, serving in several battles there. During this time, Burnham became friends with Baden-Powell, and passed on to him both his outdoor skills and his spirit for what would later become known as Scouting. Burnham eventually moved on to become involved in espionage, oil, conservation, writing and business. His descendants are still active in Scouting. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1825:

After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams

1913:

A group of meteors was visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_procession_of_February_9%2C_1913

1945:

World War II: HMS Venturer sank U-864 in history's only incident where one submarine has intentionally sunk another while both were fully submerged. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_9_February_1945

1959:

The Soviet R-7 Semyorka, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, became fully operational. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-7_Semyorka

1971:

A 6.6 Mw earthquake struck the northern San Fernando Valley near the Los Angeles district of Sylmar, killing 65 people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_San_Fernando_earthquake

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

twitcher (n): (informal) A compulsive bird watcher, travelling long distances to see rare species http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/twitcher

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. --Ecclesiastes http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ecclesiastes