Ernest Roberts (21 February 1868 – 2 December 1913) was a Labor
member of the South Australian House of Assembly, and then the
Australian House of Representatives. Roberts emigrated to Australia from
the UK and worked in Port Pirie, South Australia, where he was a member
of its town council. In 1896, aged 28, he became the youngest person
elected to the House of Assembly and quickly gained a reputation for his
oratory. He served in South Africa twice during the Second Boer War,
rising to the rank of captain. During his second period of service his
term in the South Australian parliament expired. After returning home,
he was the editor of a political newspaper before being elected to the
House of Assembly again in 1905. He was elected to the federal House of
Representatives in a by-election in 1908 and was appointed as an
honorary minister in 1911. After a fiery parliamentary debate on
2 December 1913, Roberts collapsed and died, aged 45. His state funeral
was attended by around 6,000 people.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Roberts_%28Australian_politician%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1943:
World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on
Allied ships in Bari, Italy, sinking twenty-eight vessels and releasing
one ship's secret cargo of mustard gas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari>
1956:
Cuban Revolution: The yacht Granma, carrying Fidel Castro, Che
Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement, reached the
shores of Cuba.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_of_the_Granma>
1988:
Benazir Bhutto took office as Prime Minister of Pakistan,
becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority
state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto>
2001:
Less than two months after disclosing accounting violations,
the Texas-based energy firm Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
evaporating nearly $11 billion in shareholder wealth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
computer literacy:
(computing) The ability to operate a personal computer, including its
associated hardware and software (but not necessarily to understand the
underlying electronics or a programming language).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/computer_literacy>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is the individual who can and does make a difference even in
this increasingly populous, complex world of ours. The individual can
make things happen. It is the individual who can bring a tear to my eye
and then cause me to take pen in hand. It is the individual who has
acted or tried to act who will not only force a decision but also have a
hand in shaping it. Whether acting in the legal, governmental, or
private realm, one concerned and dedicated person can meaningfully
affect what some consider an uncaring world. So give freely of yourself
always to your family, your friends, your community, and your country.
The world will pay you back many times over.
--Sandra Day O'Connor
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor>
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