Cragside is a Victorian country house near Rothbury in Northumberland, England. It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm and inventor of the hydraulic crane and the Armstrong gun. Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. The entire estate, designed by Richard Norman Shaw, was technologically advanced, with a hydraulic lift, a hydroelectric rotisserie, and early versions of a dishwasher and dumb waiter. Armstrong was raised to the peerage in 1887, taking the title Baron Armstrong of Cragside. He was the first engineer ever to join the House of Lords. He filled Cragside with a significant art collection, and it became an integral part of his commercial operations, entertaining guests including the Shah of Persia and the King of Siam. Following Armstrong's death in 1900, his heirs struggled to maintain the house and estate. The National Trust acquired the estate in 1977 and opened it to the public in 1979.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1799:

Quasi-War: The USS Constellation captured the French L'Insurgente in a single-ship action in the Caribbean Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_vs_L%27Insurgente

1861:

American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis

1920:

The Svalbard Treaty was signed, recognising Norwegian sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard

1976:

The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force

2016:

Two Meridian commuter trains were involved in a head-on collision at Bad Aibling in southeastern Germany that left 12 dead and 85 others injured. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Aibling_rail_accident

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

live paycheck to paycheck: (US, idiomatic) To spend all that one earns without saving anything. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/live_paycheck_to_paycheck

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

My time coming, any day, don't worry about me, no Been so long I felt this way, I'm in no hurry, no. Rainbows end down that highway where ocean breezes blow My time coming, voices saying, they tell me where to go. Don't worry 'bout me, no no, don't worry 'bout me, no And I'm in no hurry, no no no, I know where to go. California, preaching on the burning shore California, I'll be knocking on the golden door Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light Rising up to paradise, I know I'm going to shine.   --John Perry Barlow https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Perry_Barlow