The Trait du Nord is a breed of heavy draft horse developed in the area of Hainaut in western Belgium and in northeastern France. Originating in the fertile Flemish grasslands, it was bred for size and pulling power for agricultural work. Horses of the breed are considered to be gentle and easy to handle. They have many colors, although bay and roan are the most common. Originally considered a subtype of the Ardennes horse, it was recognized as an individual breed with the opening of a studbook in 1903. The Trait du Nord was used extensively in mining from the late 19th century through 1920 (and occasionally through the 1960s), and in agriculture through World War II. During the mid-20th century, the breed was in demand for the production of horse meat, but this demand began to decline by the early 1970s, and the Trait du Nord, like many European draft breeds, was in danger of extinction. In the 1990s the breed experienced a slight revival through an increased interest in recreational riding and driving, but it is still considered to be endangered by the French government, with a high risk of inbreeding: there are fewer than 100 new foal births a year. The national breed registry in France is working with local groups to reverse the decline.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1587:

Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle for her involvement in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots

1879:

At a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute, engineer and inventor Sandford Fleming first proposed the adoption of worldwide standard time zones based on a single universal world time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_time

1915:

Film director D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (film poster pictured) was released, becoming one of the most influential and controversial films in the history of American cinema. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation

1965:

After taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision just after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean and exploded, killing all 84 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_663

2010:

A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggered a series of at least 36 avalanches that buried over 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of road, killed at least 172 people and trapped over 2,000 travellers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Salang_avalanches

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

thanatocoenose: A fossilized ecosystem: a collection of dead lifeforms, found together, which previously interacted as a community within an ecosystem. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thanatocoenose

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Every morning I shall concern myself anew about the boundary Between the love-deed-Yes and the power-deed-No And pressing forward honor reality. We cannot avoid Using power, Cannot escape the compulsion To afflict the world, So let us, cautious in diction And mighty in contradiction, Love powerfully.   --Martin Buber https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Buber