Paul Kruger (10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904) was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and President of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900. He was the face of the Boer cause against Britain during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. As a child in the late 1830s, he took part in the Great Trek of people migrating east, away from the British Cape Colony. He witnessed the signing of the Sand River Convention with Britain in 1852 and over the next decade played a prominent role in the forging of the South African Republic, leading its commandos and resolving disputes between the rival Boer leaders and factions. After the South African Republic was annexed by Britain as the Transvaal, he became the leading figure in the movement to restore its independence, culminating in the Boers' victory in the First Boer War of 1880–81 and Britain's recognition of the republic as a fully independent state. During his presidency, tensions with Britain increased as thousands of predominantly British settlers arrived with the Witwatersrand Gold Rush. His portrait is on the Krugerrand, a gold bullion coin still being produced.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1846:

English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)

1897:

German chemist Felix Hoffmann discovered an improved way of synthesizing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aspirin

1911:

The Xinhai Revolution began with the Wuchang Uprising, marking the beginning of the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising

1967:

The Outer Space Treaty, a treaty that forms the basis of international space law, entered into force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

1982:

Maximilian Kolbe, who had volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland, was canonized by the Catholic Church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

oofy: (Britain, slang, dated) Having lots of oof (money); rich, wealthy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oofy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.   --Lin Yutang https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lin_Yutang