H. C. McNeile MC (1888–1937) was a British soldier and author best known for his series of Bulldog Drummond novels. McNeile started writing short war stories during the First World War; when these were published in the Daily Mail, they were under his penname, Sapper, which was based on that of his regiment, the Royal Engineers. After the war he left the Army and became a full-time writer, changing from writing war stories to thrillers, and from writing short stories to move increasingly to novels. In 1920 he published Bulldog Drummond, whose hero became his best-known creation: nine further Drummond novels followed, as did three plays and a screenplay. McNeile also wrote works that included two other protagonists, Jim Maitland and Ronald Standish, and sales of his books ensured he was one of the most successful British popular authors of the inter-war period before his death in 1937 from throat cancer, which has been attributed to damage sustained from a gas attack in the war. Although seen by his contemporaries as an "upstanding Tory", his work came under criticism after the Second World War for its fascist overtones, xenophobia and anti-semitism.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._C._McNeile

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1066:

William the Conqueror and his fleet of around 600 ships landed at Pevensey, Sussex, beginning the Norman conquest of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England

1891:

Railway workers in Montevideo founded the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club, which later changed its name to Peñarol, now Uruguay's most successful football club. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C3%B1arol

1928:

Scottish biologist and pharmacologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when he noticed a bacteria-killing mould growing in his laboratory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin

1995:

Over 30 mercenaries led by Bob Denard landed on the Comoros in an attempted coup, his fourth one on the African island nation since 1975. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Denard

2008:

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket achieved orbit on its fourth attempt to become the first successful liquid-propelled orbital launch vehicle developed with private funding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_1

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

meadery: A place where mead is made. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meadery

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

義 He who attains to sincerity is he who chooses what is good, and firmly holds it fast. To this attainment there are requisite the extensive study of what is good, accurate inquiry about it, careful reflection on it, the clear discrimination of it, and the earnest practice of it. 儒家   --Confucius https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confucius