The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Whitehall in London. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled in 1920 as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and Commonwealth dead of the First World War. It was rededicated in 1946 to also commemorate those who had fallen in the Second World War, and has since come to represent British casualties from later conflicts. The word cenotaph is derived from Greek, meaning 'empty tomb'; the monument symbolises the absence of the dead and is a focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War; calls for it to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. The permanent Cenotaph was unveiled by George V on 11 November 1920 in a ceremony combined with the repatriation of the Unknown Warrior. The National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on Remembrance Sunday.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1805:

War of the Third Coalition: French, Austrian and Russian units suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Dürenstein. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_D%C3%BCrenstein

1960:

A coup attempt by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against President Ngô Đình Diệm was crushed after he falsely promised reform, allowing loyalists to rescue him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_South_Vietnamese_coup_attempt

1975:

During a constitutional crisis, Governor-General John Kerr dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's government and dissolved the Parliament of Australia for a double-dissolution election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

witzchoura: (historical) A woman's fur-lined cloak, mantle, or pelisse with large sleeves, worn during the early 19th century. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witzchoura

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I could not dig: I dared not rob: Therefore I lied to please the mob. Now all my lies are proved untrue And I must face the men I slew. What tale shall serve me here among Mine angry and defrauded young?   --Rudyard Kipling https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling