70px|Statue of Hubert Walter

Hubert Walter (c. 1160 – 1205) was an influential royal adviser in the late 12th and early 13th centuries in the positions of chief justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the chancery. Walter was not noted for his holiness in life or learning, but historians have judged him one of the most outstanding government ministers in English history. Walter served King Henry II of England in many ways, including diplomatic and judicial efforts. After an unsuccessful candidacy to the see of York, Walter was elected Bishop of Salisbury shortly after the accession of King Henry's son Richard I to the throne of England. Walter accompanied King Richard on the Third Crusade, and was one of the principals involved in raising Richard's ransom after the king was captured in Germany on his return from the Holy Land. As a reward for his faithful service, Walter was selected to become Archbishop of Canterbury in 1193. Walter set up a system which was the precursor for the modern justices of the peace. Following Richard's death in 1199, Walter helped assure the elevation of Richard's brother John to the throne. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1745:

Jacobite Risings: Jacobite troops led by Charles Edward Stuart defeated the Hanoverians in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prestonpans

1827:

Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed to have been visited by the angel Moroni, who would guide him to the golden plates that became the basis of the Book of Mormon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Moroni

1897:

The New York Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper, published an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church stating, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", that become a part of popular Christmas lore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes%2C_Virginia%2C_there_is_a_Santa_Claus

1953:

North Korean No Kum-Sok defected with his MiG-15, inadvertently making Operation Moolah, an American effort to bribe Communist pilots, a success. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moolah

1976:

Chilean political figure Orlando Letelier was assassinated in Washington, D.C., by DINA agents. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letelier_case

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

infanticide (n): The murder of an infant http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infanticide

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller, but for want of an understanding ear. --Stephen King http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_King