William F. Raynolds (March 17, 1820 – October 18, 1894) was an explorer, engineer and army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He oversaw the construction of numerous lighthouses; at least six of them are still standing and in use. During the occupation of Mexico in 1848, Raynolds led a party that was the first to summit Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico and believed at that time to be the highest in North America. In 1859, Raynolds was placed in charge of the first government-sponsored expedition into the Yellowstone region. Heavy snowpack prevented the expedition from reaching the Yellowstone Plateau, forcing them to cross Union Pass in the Wind River Range. The expedition then entered Jackson Hole and surveyed the Teton Range, now within Grand Teton National Park. Raynolds retired from the army in 1884 with the rank of colonel after a 40-year career.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Raynolds
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the evacuation of the city's British garrison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Boston
1950:
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the synthesis of californium, a radioactive transuranium element. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium
1988:
Eritrean War of Independence: Eritrean People's Liberation Front troops encircled Ethiopian forces in the Battle of Afabet, gaining a decisive victory three days later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Afabet
2000:
Hundreds of followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a Ugandan sect, died in a mass murder committed by its leaders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_the_Restoration_of_the_Ten_Commandments_of_God
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
clarsach: (music) A small triangular wire-strung harp of Gaelic origin; a Celtic harp. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clarsach
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Be wise; Soar not too high, to fall; but stoop to rise. --Philip Massinger https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Massinger
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