Óengus I was, from 732 until his death in 761, a Pictish king and one of the most powerful rulers in Scotland. Pictland, representing one of four political groups in north Britain in the early 8th century, ran from the River Forth northwards, including Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Óengus became its chief king following a period of civil war in the late 720s. During his reign the neighbouring kingdom of Dál Riata was subjugated, and the kingdom of Strathclyde was attacked, with less success. He was also involved in wars in Ireland and England. Some sources say that Óengus was a joint ruler with Æthelbald of Mercia; others dispute this, but still accept him as the dominant force in northern Britain of his time. After his death, probably in his seventies, kings from his family continued to dominate Pictland. In 839 a disastrous defeat at the hands of Vikings began a new period of instability, which ended with the coming to power of Kenneth MacAlpin, Kenneth I of Scotland.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93engus_I

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1850:

German composer Richard Wagner's romantic opera Lohengrin (2015 production pictured), containing the Bridal Chorus, was first performed under the direction of Franz Liszt in Weimar, present-day Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin_(opera)

1859:

A massive solar storm began, causing a coronal mass ejection to strike the Earth's magnetosphere that generated aurorae that were visible in the middle latitudes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

1901:

Silliman University in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines, became the first American private school to be founded in the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silliman_University

1937:

Toyota Motors, now the world's largest automobile manufacturer, was spun off from Toyota Industries as an independent company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota

1963:

Two young women were murdered in New York City; the mistreatment of the suspect by the police and his forced confession led New York to abolish its death penalty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_Girls_Murders

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

rideau: A fortification or barrier such as a small earthen mound or ridge, a file of troops, etc. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rideau

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.   --Martin Luther King, Jr. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.