Frederick III (1831–1888) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888 during the Year of the Three Emperors. Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, William I, then King of Prussia, became the German Emperor, and on William's death at the age of 90 on 9 March 1888, the throne passed to Frederick, having by then been the Crown Prince for 27 years. Frederick was suffering from cancer of the larynx and died on 15 June 1888, aged 56, following unsuccessful medical treatments for his condition. The timing of Frederick's death, and the length of his reign, are important topics among historians. The reign of Frederick III is considered a potential turning point in German history; many historians believe if Frederick succeeded to the throne sooner, he would have transformed Germany into a liberal state. They argue this would have averted the events preceding World War I. Other historians contend that Frederick's influence and political leanings were greatly exaggerated, noting that he tended to defer to his father and Bismarck when confronted, and would not have dared to challenge their conservatism even as ruler.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III%2C_German_Emperor

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1893:

The USS Indiana , the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, was launched. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indiana_%28BB-1%29

1914:

In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, Greeks living in southern Albania proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Republic_of_Northern_Epirus

1972:

The ten-day siege of a mountain lodge near Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture, Japan, where members of the paramilitary group United Red Army held a woman hostage, ended when police stormed the building, an event that became the first marathon live broadcast in the country, lasting 10 hours and 40 minutes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asama-Sans%C5%8D_incident

1997:

GRB 970228, a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, struck the Earth for 80 seconds, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_970228

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Stockholm syndrome (n): A psychological condition in which a hostage emotionally bonds to his or her captor http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Virtue refuses facility for her companion ... the easy, gentle, and sloping path that guides the footsteps of a good natural disposition is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road. --Michel de Montaigne http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne