Grasshoppers are insects in the suborder Caelifera, probably the oldest living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. They are typically ground- dwelling insects with powerful hind legs which enable them to escape from threats by leaping vigorously. Defences against their many predators include camouflage, flight, and brilliantly coloured wing- flashes that can startle or distract an assailant. Some species have warning coloration. Grasshoppers share the order Orthoptera with crickets and their allies in the other suborder Ensifera. Some grasshopper species can change colour and behaviour to form locust swarms that can destroy crops and cause famine over wide areas. Even in smaller numbers, the insects can be serious pests. They are used as food in some countries, including Mexico and Indonesia. They feature in art, symbolism and literature.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1842:

The University of Notre Dame was founded by Rev. Edward Sorin, of the Congregation of Holy Cross, as an all-male institution in South Bend, Indiana, U.S. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame

1943:

Second World War: The British troop ship HMT Rohna was sunk in the Mediterranean by a Luftwaffe bomb, killing more than 1,100 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Rohna

1983:

Six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport in London and stole three long tons (3,000 kilograms) of gold bullion, much of which has never been recovered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brink%27s-Mat_robbery

2008:

A coordinated group of shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai began, ultimately killing at least 174 people and wounding more than 300 others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

illustrious: Admired, distinguished, respected, or well-known, especially due to past achievements or noble qualities. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/illustrious

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The French Revolution liberated people from the power of the aristocrats. But the bourgeoisie that took over represented the exploitation of man by man, and had to be destroyed — as in the Russian Revolution, which then degenerated into totalitarianism, Stalinism, and genocide. The more you make revolutions, the worse it gets. Man is driven by evil instincts that are often stronger than moral laws … there is a higher order, but man can separate himself from it because he is free — which is what we have done. We have lost the sense of this higher order, and things will get worse and worse, culminating perhaps in a nuclear holocaust — the destruction predicted in the Apocalyptic texts. Only our apocalypse will be absurd and ridiculous because it will not be related to any transcendence. Modern man is a puppet, a jumping jack.   --Eugène Ionesco https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Ionesco