Ranavalona I (c. 1778–1861) ruled the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. By succeeding upon the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona became the first female sovereign in the Merina royal line since its founding in 1540. After initial tolerance of European influence she adopted a policy of isolationism, reducing Madagascar's economic and political ties with European powers, developing the island's industrial manufacturing capacity, improving the government's bureaucratic organization and military strength, and taking vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement. The combination of widespread disease, harsh measures of justice, regular military campaigns to pacify outlying provinces and difficult statute labor for public works projects resulted in a high mortality rate among soldiers and civilians alike during her 33-year reign. French intermediaries unsuccessfully tried to use divisions between traditionalist and pro-European factions at court to hasten the succession of her son, Radama II. Her European contemporaries generally condemned her policies and characterized her as a tyrant at best and insane at worst, characterizations that persisted in Western scholarly literature until the mid-1970s. Recent research has recast Ranavalona's actions as those of a queen attempting to expand her empire while protecting Malagasy sovereignty against the encroachment of European cultural and political influence.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1492:

The first papal conclave held in the Sistine Chapel elected Roderic Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Pope Innocent VIII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_conclave,_1492

1828:

William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds, England, for the murder of Maria Marten at the Red Barn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_Murder

1945:

Amid rumors of kidnappings of children by Jews in Kraków, a crowd of Poles engaged in a pogrom, which resulted in one dead and five wounded victims. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_pogrom

1962:

Vostok 3 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev became the first person to float in microgravity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_3

1973:

At a party in the recreation room of a New York City apartment building, DJ Kool Herc began rapping during an extended break, laying the foundation for hip-hop music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Kool_Herc

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bevy: 1. A group of animals, in particular quail. 2. A large group or collection. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bevy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

While utterly discarding all creeds, and denying the truth of all religions, there is neither in my heart nor upon my lips a sneer for the hopeful, loving and tender souls who believe that from all this discord will result a perfect harmony; that every evil will in some mysterious way become a good, and that above and over all there is a being who, in some way, will reclaim and glorify every one of the children of men; but for those who heartlessly try to prove that salvation is almost impossible; that damnation is almost certain; that the highway of the universe leads to hell; who fill life with fear and death with horror; who curse the cradle and mock the tomb, it is impossible to entertain other than feelings of pity, contempt and scorn.   --Robert G. Ingersoll https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll