Hiryū ("Flying Dragon") was an aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the 1930s. The only ship of her class, she was built to a modified Sōryū design. Her aircraft supported the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in mid-1940. During the first month of the Pacific War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Wake Island. In early 1942, the ship's aircraft supported the conquest of the Dutch East Indies and bombed Darwin, Australia. After a brief refit, Hiryū and three other fleet carriers of the First Air Fleet (Kido Butai) participated in the Battle of Midway in June. After bombarding American forces on the atoll, the carriers were attacked by aircraft from Midway and from the carriers USS Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. Dive bombers from Yorktown and Enterprise crippled Hiryū and set her afire. She was scuttled the following day after it became clear that she could not be salvaged. The loss of Hiryū and three other carriers at Midway was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to the Allies' ultimate victory in the Pacific.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_Hiry%C5%AB
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1532:
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro orchestrated a surprise attack in Cajamarca, Peru, capturing Sapa Inca Atahualpa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cajamarca
1885:
After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion, Louis Riel, Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba", was executed by hanging for high treason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Riel
1945:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO
1979:
The first line of Bucharest Metro (train pictured), the M1 Line, opened from Timpuri Noi to Semănătoarea in Bucharest, Romania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucharest_Metro
1997:
Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng was released for "medical reasons" after spending 17½ of the previous 18 years in prison, and was deported to the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Jingsheng
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
galanthophile: An enthusiastic collector of snowdrops. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/galanthophile
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any persons may attempt to unite kindred spirits, but, whatever their hopes and longings, none have the right to impose their vision of unity upon the rest. --Robert Nozick https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Nozick