Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. Rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased bassist Cliff Burton's songwriting and the band's musical growth and lyrical sophistication, with acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and complex harmonies. Music critics considered the album a more ambitious effort than its predecessor. In 1985 the band performed at major music festivals such as Monsters of Rock and Day on the Green. Two months after the album's release, Elektra Records reissued it and signed Metallica to a multi-year deal. It peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200 with no radio exposure. It was certified 6× platinum in 2012 for shipping six million copies in the United States. Many rock publications have ranked Ride the Lightning on their best album lists. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_the_Lightning> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1214: Philip II of France decisively won the Battle of Bouvines, the conclusive battle of the 1213–1214 Anglo-French War. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bouvines> 1949: The de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production, made its maiden flight. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet> 1953: An armistice was signed to end hostilities in the Korean War, officially making the division of Korea indefinite by creating an approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide demilitarized zone across the Korean Peninsula. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone> 2002: A Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft crashed during an aerobatics presentation at an airshow near Lviv, Ukraine, killing 77 people and injuring over 500 others. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sknyliv_air_show_disaster> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: fetial: 1. Of or relating to a fetial (member of the Roman college of priests who acted as representatives in disputes with foreign nations); (by extension) ambassadorial, heraldic. 2. Concerned with declarations of war and treaties of peace. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fetial> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Of courtesy it is much less Than courage of heart or holiness Yet in my walks it seems to me That the Grace of God is in courtesy.   --Hilaire Belloc <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hilaire_Belloc>