Arthur Gould (1864–1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre and fullback who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales and critics consider him the first superstar of Welsh rugby. A talented all-round player and champion sprinter, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased practising in order to develop his fitness and skills, and was considered the outstanding player of his time. In 1893 Gould led Wales to their first Home Nations Championship and Triple Crown titles; the match against England that year established him as a great player and captain. During his international career he played twice at fullback, and 25 times at centre. He was Wales’ most capped centre until the record was surpassed by Steve Fenwick in 1980. He ended his international career with an 11–0 win over England on 9 January 1897 in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade. It was Gould’s 18th match as Welsh captain – a record that stood until 1994. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy over a fund collected in his honour which saw Wales temporarily withdraw from international rugby.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Gould_(rugby_union)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1780:

One of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record struck the Caribbean Sea, killing at least 22,000 people over the next several days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hurricane_of_1780

1846:

English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton (pictured), the largest moon of the planet Neptune. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)

1897:

German chemist Felix Hoffman discovered an improved way of synthesizing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aspirin

1911:

The Xinhai Revolution began with the Wuchang Uprising, marking the beginning of the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising

1964:

The opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics took place in Tokyo, the first to be telecast live internationally via satellite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Summer_Olympics

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

beefcake: 1. (informal) Imagery of one or more muscular, well-built men. 2. (informal) A muscular, well-built, desirable man. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beefcake

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever- increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about.   --James Clavell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Clavell