Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864–1945) was a prelate of the Church of England who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). He was a parish priest in Leeds and Portsmouth, and a suffragan Bishop of Stepney, before his surprise appointment as Archbishop of York. A controversial speech in the House of Lords in 1908, against the Lords' proposal to reject David Lloyd George's 1909 "People's Budget", marked him as a radical, although he soon discarded this reputation. After the First World War he promoted church unity, and supported the failed attempt to revise the Book of Common Prayer. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1930s Lang condemned European fascism and anti-semitism. However, he later supported the appeasement policies of the British government, as necessary for the preservation of world peace. During the abdication crisis of 1936, he took a strong moral stance, his public comments being widely condemned as uncharitable towards the ex-king. After retiring in 1942 Lang considered himself a failure, believing he had achieved little. Others have praised his qualities of industry, efficiency, and commitment to his calling.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Gordon_Lang

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

610:

Heraclius was crowned Byzantine Emperor, having personally beheaded the previous emperor Phocas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclius

1869:

During construction of the Hennepin Island tunnel in St. Anthony, Minnesota (now Minneapolis), U.S., the Mississippi River broke through the tunnel's limestone ceiling, nearly destroying Saint Anthony Falls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_Island_tunnel

1903:

Samuel Griffith became the first Chief Justice of Australia, while Edmund Barton and Richard O'Connor became the first Puisne Justices of the High Court of Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_O%27Connor_(politician)

1962:

Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._No_(film)

2011:

Two Chinese cargo ships were attacked on a stretch of the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle area of Southeast Asia, and their crews murdered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_River_massacre

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

keen: 1. […] (transitive) To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry. 2. (transitive) To mourn. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/keen

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.   --Denis Diderot https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Denis_Diderot