Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about 68 kilometres (42 mi) long, and varies from 3 to 6 km (2–3.75 mi) in width. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies. The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut people, but has had no permanent population since 1832. It was included in the Alaska Purchase of 1867, and has since been part of the United States. During World War II, it was used as an airfield by US forces in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Amchitka was selected by the United States Atomic Energy Commission to be the site for underground detonations of nuclear weapons. Three such tests were carried out: Long Shot, an 80 kiloton blast in 1965; Milrow, a 1 megaton blast in 1969; and Cannikin in 1971 – at "under 5 megatons", the largest underground test ever conducted by the United States. The tests were highly controversial, with environmental groups fearing that the Cannikin explosion, in particular, would cause severe earthquakes and tsunamis. Amchitka is no longer used for nuclear testing, although it is monitored for the leakage of radioactive materials.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amchitka
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1191:
Third Crusade: Forces under Richard I of England defeated Ayyubid troops under Saladin in Arsuf, present-day Israel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arsuf
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée forced the Russians to withdraw at the Battle of Borodino. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino
1901:
With Peking occupied by foreign troops from the Eight-Nation Alliance, Qing China was forced to sign the Boxer Protocol, an unequal treaty ending the Boxer Rebellion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Protocol
1940:
World War II: The German Luftwaffe changed their strategy in the Battle of Britain and began bombing London and other British cities and towns for over 50 consecutive nights. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz
1979:
The cable television network ESPN made its debut, broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN
1986:
Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
catawampus (adj): 1. Out of alignment, crooked, cater-corner. 2. Fierce, destructive http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catawampus
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The more bombers, the less room for doves of peace. --Nikita Khrushchev http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev
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