The National Anthem of Russia is the "Hymn of the Russian Federation".
The music of the anthem, composed by Alexander Alexandrov, was used
for the Soviet anthem, but the revised lyrics were written by Sergey
Mikhalkov in 2000. It was adopted in late 2000 by President Vladimir
Putin and replaced the former anthem, The Patriotic Song. Before and
after the adoption of the anthem, liberal groups raised concerns that
the re-adoption of the Soviet anthem was returning Russia to the
Soviet era. The revised lyrics removed mention of Lenin's ideas and
the "unbreakable union" of the Soviet state, instead speaking of a
country that is vast in distance and in resources that will be
entrusted to future generations.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anthem_of_Russia
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1298:
English and Irish forces led by Edward Longshanks defeated William
Wallace's Scottish troops at the Battle of Falkirk.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Falkirk_%281298%29)
1831:
In Brussels, Leopold I (pictured) was inaugurated as the first King of
the Belgians.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium)
1861:
The First Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle in the American
Civil War, began.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run)
1954:
First Indochina War: The 17th parallel was established at the Geneva
Conference, partitioning Vietnam into North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh
and South Vietnam under Emperor Bảo Ä?ại.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Demilitarized_Zone)
1970:
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 11 years of
construction.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken
places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good
and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of
these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no
special hurry." -- Ernest Hemingway
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway)