The Wells and Wellington affair was a dispute involving the Australian
Journal of Herpetology, a scientific journal on the study of amphibians
and reptiles published beginning in 1981 by the Australian
Herpetologists' League. Richard Wells, a student, served as the editor-
in-chief of the peer-reviewed periodical, with an editorial board of
three researchers. Wells stopped communicating with his board for two
years before publishing three unreviewed papers in the journal in 1983
and 1985 which he coauthored with teacher C. Ross Wellington. The
papers reorganized the taxonomy of Australia's and New Zealand's
amphibians and reptiles, and proposed over 700 changes to their
scientific names. The herpetological community brought a case to the
ICZN to suppress the new names, but the commission eventually opted not
to decide, leaving some of Wells and Wellington's names available. As of
2020, 24 of their specific names remained valid senior synonyms (example
pictured).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_and_Wellington_affair>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
War of the First Coalition: Habsburg and Dutch Republic troops
repulsed a series of French assaults after bitter fighting near
Neerwinden in present-day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Neerwinden_%281793%29>
1938:
Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas established Pemex
(headquarters pictured), the state-owned petroleum company, by
expropriating foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemex>
1977:
The punk group the Clash released their first single, "White
Riot", described as their "most controversial song".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Riot>
1996:
The deadliest fire in Philippine history broke out at a
nightclub in Quezon City, causing 162 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_Disco_fire>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
jar:
1. (transitive) To preserve (food) in a jar. […]
2. (transitive) To knock, shake, or strike sharply, especially causing a
quivering or vibrating movement.
3. (transitive) To harm or injure by such action.
4. (transitive, figuratively) To shock or surprise.
5. (transitive, figuratively) To act in disagreement or opposition, to
clash, to be at odds with; to interfere; to dispute, to quarrel.
6. (transitive, intransitive) To (cause something to) give forth a
rudely tremulous or quivering sound; to (cause something to) sound
discordantly or harshly.
7. (intransitive) To quiver or vibrate due to being shaken or struck.
8. (intransitive, figuratively) Of the appearance, form, style, etc., of
people and things: to look strangely different; to stand out awkwardly
from its surroundings; to be incongruent.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jar>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
A real reconciliation of East and West is impossible and
inconceivable on the basis of a materialistic Communism, or of a
materialistic Capitalism, or indeed of a materialistic Socialism. The
third way will neither be "anti-Communist" nor "anti-Capitalist". It
will recognize the truth in liberal democracy, and it will equally
recognize the truth in Communism. A critique of Communism and Marxism
does not entail an enmity towards Soviet Russia, just as a critique of
liberal democracy is not entail enmity towards the west. … But the
final and most important justification of a "third way" is that there
must be a place from which we may boldly testify to, and proclaim,
truth, love and justice. No one today likes truth: utility and self
interest have long ago been substituted for truth.
--Nikolai Berdyaev
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikolai_Berdyaev>