The national flag of Japan is a white rectangular flag with a large red disc (representing the Sun) in the center. It is officially called Nisshōki in Japanese, but more commonly known as the Hinomaru. Although considered the de facto flag, it was designated as Japan's national flag on 13 August 1999. In early Japanese history, the Hinomaru motif was used on flags of daimyos and samurai. During the Meiji Restoration both the Sun disc and the Rising Sun Ensign were symbols in the Japanese Empire. Use of the Hinomaru was restricted during the American occupation after World War II, but this was later relaxed. The flag is not frequently displayed due to its association with extreme nationalism. For nations occupied by Japan, the flag is considered to be a symbol of aggression and imperialism. Despite negative connotations, Western and Japanese sources claim that the flag is an enduring symbol to the Japanese.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1724:

Bach led the Thomanerchor in Leipzig in the first performance of the chorale cantata, Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimm_von_uns,_Herr,_du_treuer_Gott,_BWV_101

1999:

The Act on National Flag and Anthem was adopted, formally establishing the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo" as the Japanese national flag and anthem, respectively. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_on_National_Flag_and_Anthem

2004:

Merely 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie struck the U.S. state of Florida, Hurricane Charley inflicted further damage to the region (example pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Charley

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

fireball: 1. A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon. 2. (figurative) 3. (informal) A feisty, strong-willed person. 4. (baseball) Synonym of fastball (“a high-speed pitch of a baseball”) 5. (astronautics) A bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering an atmosphere. 6. (astronomy) A meteor bright enough to cast shadows; a bolide. 7. (sailing) A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two. 8. (weaponry, historical) A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight. 9. (heraldry) A charge depicting a disc-shaped bombshell with flames emitted from the top, or sometimes from the top, bottom, and on either side. 10. (obsolete) 11. An emanation of St. Elmo's fire; also (later), of ball lightning. 12. A ball-shaped firelighter (“small block of a flammable substance, typically a combination of sawdust and wax, used to light fires”). 13. A ball of heat-resistant material placed in a fire to slow down the burning of the fuel. 14. (figurative) A statement intended to cause dissension or as a provocation. 15. (slang) Excellent, terrific. 16. (transitive, fiction, chiefly fantasy, science fiction) To attack (someone or something) with balls of fire. 17. (intransitive) 18. To explode in a ball of fire or flame. 19. (baseball) To pitch a baseball very fast. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fireball

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Perfection does not reveal itself to us as existent in the beginning; but as something that ought to be, something new which we are to help create. Somehow the secret of the universe is hidden in our breast. Somehow the destinies of the universe depend upon our exertions.   --Felix Adler https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Felix_Adler