The voyage of the James Caird was a small-boat journey undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 800 nautical miles (1,500 km; 920 mi). In October 1915, Endurance, the ship of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–17, had been crushed by pack ice and sunk in the Weddell Sea, leaving the 27-man expedition stranded thousands of miles from safety. In April 1916, when the floe on which they were camped broke up, the party made its way in the ship's three lifeboats to the uninhabited Elephant Island. Shackleton decided that the best chance for rescue would be for a crew of six to sail a lifeboat to South Georgia; the James Caird was deemed the most likely of the lifeboats to survive the journey. After overcoming a series of dangers, including a near capsizing, the boat reached South Georgia after 16 days. Shackleton was then able to organise the relief of the Elephant Island party, and to return his men home without loss of life. The James Caird's voyage is regarded as one of the greatest small-boat journeys ever accomplished.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

28 BC:

The first recorded observation of a sunspot was made by Han Dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_of_the_Han_dynasty#Astronomical_observations

1833:

Lê Văn Khôi broke out of prison to start a revolt against Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mạng, primarily to avenge the desecration of the grave of his adopted father Lê Văn Duyệt, former viceroy of the southern part of Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_Kh%C3%B4i_revolt

1924:

J. Edgar Hoover became the director of the Bureau of Investigation, which would later become the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover

1940:

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned and formally recommended Winston Churchill as his successor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain

1997:

A 7.3 Mw earthquake struck Iran's Khorasan Province, killing 1,567, injuring over 2,300, leaving 50,000 homeless, and damaging or destroying over 15,000 homes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cymotrichous: (anthropology) Having wavy hair. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cymotrichous

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Our Yes towards life from the very beginning carries within it the Divine No which breaks forth from the antithesis and points away from what now was the thesis to the original and final synthesis. The No is not the last and highest truth, but the call from home which comes in answer to our asking for God in the world.   --Karl Barth https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Barth