Troy McClure is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and first appeared in the episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment". McClure was based on B-movie actors Troy Donahue and Doug McClure, as well as Hartman himself. After Phil Hartman's murder in 1998, the character was retired, making his final appearance in the tenth-season episode "Bart the Mother". He is one of the show's most popular recurring characters and, had Hartman not died, might have been the subject of a live-action film. McClure is a washed-up actor, frequently shown presenting infomercials and educational videos. He is vain and self-centered, marrying Selma Bouvier to aid his failing career and quash rumors about his personal life. McClure appears as the central character only in the episode "A Fish Called Selma", but he hosts the episodes "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" and "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase".

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1588: Anglo-Spanish War: The Spanish Armada (a galleass pictured), with 130 ships and over 30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon for the English Channel to engage English naval forces. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada)

1644: English Civil War: Royalist troops allegedly slaughtered up to 1,600 people during their storm and capture of the Town of Bolton. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Massacre)

1918: The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, one of the first democratic republics in the Muslim world, was proclaimed in Ganja by the Azerbaijani National Council following the breakup of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Democratic_Republic)

1961: The British newspaper The Observer published English lawyer Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners, starting a letter-writing campaign that grew and became the human rights organization Amnesty International. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International)

1998: Under its nuclear development programme, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission carried out five underground nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills in the Chagai District of the Balochistan province. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagai-I)

_____________________ Wiktionary's Word of the day:

misogyny: The hatred of, or pathological aversion to women. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misogyny)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

In my books I have lifted bits from various religions in trying to come to a better understanding; I've made use of religious themes and symbols. Now, as the world becomes more pagan, one has to lead people in the same direction in a different way... -- Patrick White (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_White)