gmane.science.linguistics.wikipedia.daily-article

[Daily article] May 25: Hurricane John (2006)

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-25T03:00:09

Hurricane John was the eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane, and
fifth major hurricane of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. Hurricane
John developed on August 28 from a tropical wave to the south of Mexico.
Favorable conditions allowed the storm to intensify quickly, and it
attained peak winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) on August 30. Eyewall
replacement cycles and land interaction with western Mexico weakened the
hurricane, and John made landfall on southeastern Baja California Sur
with winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) on September 1. It slowly weakened as
it moved northwestward through the Baja California peninsula, and
dissipated on September 4. The hurricane threatened large portions of
the western coastline of Mexico, resulting in the evacuation of tens of
thousands of people. In coastal portions of western Mexico, strong winds
downed trees, while heavy rain resulted in mudslides. Hurricane John
caused moderate damage on the Baja California peninsula, including the
destruction of more than 200 houses and thousands of flimsy shacks. The
hurricane killed five people in Mexico, and damage totaled $663 million
(2006 MXN, $60.8 million 2006 USD).

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_John_(2006)>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1878:

Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster
featured) opened at the Opera Comique in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.M.S._Pinafore>

1946:

Abdullah bin Husayn, Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was
proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan>

1962:

The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, the last overnight
steamboat service in the United States, went out of business.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Steam_Packet_Company>

1979:

Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school, and
later became the first missing child to have his picture featured on
milk cartons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Etan_Patz>

2009:

North Korea conducted a nuclear test and several other missile
tests that were widely condemned by the international community and led
to sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_North_Korean_nuclear_test>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

masterly inactivity:
A policy of deliberate inactivity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/masterly_inactivity>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The less government we have, the better, — the fewer laws, and the
less confided power. The antidote to this abuse of formal Government,
is, the influence of private character, the growth of the Individual.
  --Ralph Waldo Emerson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson>

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[Daily article] May 24: Miss Meyers

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-24T03:00:09

Miss Meyers (1949 – March 1963) was a chestnut-colored American
Quarter Horse racehorse and broodmare. Her sire was American Quarter
Horse Association (AQHA) Hall of Fame member Leo, and her dam was Star's
Lou. Miss Meyers raced from 1952 until 1955 and started 59 times. She
was also the 1953 World Champion Quarter Running Horse. In her career
she won $28,725 (equivalent to about $249,000 as of 2012) on the
racetrack as well as 17 races. As a broodmare, she produced the first
AQHA Supreme Champion, Kid Meyers, with AQHA Hall of Fame member Three
Bars, a Thoroughbred. Miss Myers was the mother of three other foals and
was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Meyers>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1883:

New York City opened the Brooklyn Bridge – the longest
suspension bridge in the world at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge>

1930:

English aviatrix Amy Johnson landed in Darwin, Northern
Territory, becoming the first woman to successfully fly from England to
Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Johnson>

1941:

Second World War: The German battleship Bismarck sank the
British battlecruiser HMS Hood in eleven minutes at the Battle of the
Denmark Strait.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Denmark_Strait>

1962:

Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the
Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Carpenter>

2006:

An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary film about former United
States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about
global warming, was released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

shylock:
(intransitive, US) To lend money at exorbitant rates of interest.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shylock>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Life consists not simply in what heredity and environment do to us but
in what we make out of what they do to us.
  --Harry Emerson Fosdick
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Emerson_Fosdick>

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[Daily article] May 23: Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-23T03:00:09

Teresa Cristina (1822–1889) was the Empress consort of Emperor
Dom Pedro II of Brazil, who reigned from 1831 to 1889. Born a Princess
of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, she was the daughter of King
Don Francesco I of the Italian branch of the House of Bourbon and his
wife Maria Isabel. The Princess was married by proxy to Pedro II in
1843. Despite a cold beginning, the couple's relationship improved as
time passed, due primarily to Teresa Cristina's patience, kindness,
generosity and simplicity. These traits also helped her win the hearts
of the Brazilian people, and her distance from political controversies
shielded her from criticism. Of her four children, two boys died in
infancy and a daughter of typhoid fever at the early age of 24. She,
along with the remaining members of the Imperial Family, was sent into
exile after a coup d'état staged by a clique of army officers in 1889.
Being cast from her beloved adopted land had a devastating effect on
Teresa Cristina's spirit and health. Grieving and ill, she died of
respiratory failure little more than a month after the monarchy's
collapse. She was greatly loved by her subjects, both during her
lifetime and afterwards. Teresa Cristina is well regarded by historians
not only for her character and irreproachable behavior, but also for her
sponsorship of Brazilian culture.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Cristina_of_the_Two_Sicilies>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1430:

Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of
Compiègne.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Compi%C3%A8gne>

1706:

War of the Spanish Succession: Led by the Duke of Marlborough,
the allied forces of England, the Dutch Republic, and Denmark defeated
the Franco-Bavarian army in Ramillies, present-day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramillies>

1873:

The North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and
assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police>

1895:

Representatives of the Astor Library and Lenox Library agreed
to merge and form the New York Public Library (pictured under
construction in 1908), now the second-largest public library in the
United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Public_Library>

1951:

Delegates of the 14th Dalai Lama and the government of the
newly established People's Republic of China signed the Seventeen Point
Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, affirming Chinese
sovereignty over Tibet.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Point_Agreement_for_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

thagomizer:
(anatomy) An arrangement of spikes found on the tails of various
stegosaurs.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thagomizer>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The better part of wisdom is a sublime prudence, a pure and patient
truth that will receive nothing it is not sure it can permanently lay to
heart.
--Margaret Fuller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Fuller>

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[Daily article] May 22: Ahalya

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-22T03:00:09

Ahalya is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi in Hindu mythology.
Many Hindu scriptures say that she was seduced by Indra, cursed by her
husband for infidelity, and liberated from the curse by Rama (an avatar
of the god Vishnu). Created by the god Brahma as the most beautiful
woman, Ahalya was married to the much older Gautama. In the earliest
full narrative, when Indra comes disguised as her husband, Ahalya sees
through his disguise but nevertheless accepts his advances. Ahalya and
her lover (or rapist) Indra are cursed by Gautama. Although early texts
describe how Ahalya must atone by undergoing severe penance while
remaining invisible to the world and how she is purified by offering
Rama hospitality, in the popular retelling developed over time, Ahalya
is cursed to become a stone and regains her human form after she is
brushed by Rama's foot. Medieval story-tellers often focus on Ahalya's
deliverance by Rama, which is seen as proof of the saving grace of God.
Her story has been retold numerous times in the scriptures and lives on
in modern-age poetry and short stories, as well as in dance and drama.
Ahalya is extolled as the first of the panchakanya ("five virgins"),
archetypes of female chastity whose names are believed to dispel sin
when recited. While some praise her loyalty to her husband and her
undaunted acceptance of the curse and gender norms, others condemn her
adultery.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahalya>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

853:

Byzantine–Arab Wars: The Byzantine navy sacked and plundered
the port city of Damietta on the Nile Delta, whose garrison was absent
at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Damietta_(853)>

1629:

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Danish King Christian IV
signed the Treaty of Lübeck to end the Danish intervention in the
Thirty Years' War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_L%C3%BCbeck>

1816:

A riot broke out in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, over
high unemployment and rising grain costs, spreading to Ely the next day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ely_and_Littleport_riots_1816>

1863:

American Civil War: Union forces began to lay siege to the
Confederate-controlled town of Port Hudson, Louisiana.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Port_Hudson>

1960:

A magnitude 9.5 earthquake devastated Valdivia, Chile, and
generated destructive tsunamis that reached Hawaii the following day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake>

1972:

Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka (emblem pictured), adopted
a new constitution, and officially became a republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka>

1980:

Pac-Man, an arcade game that became an icon of 1980s popular
culture, made its debut in Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man>

2002:

Washington, D.C., police announced that the skeletal remains of
missing Federal Bureau of Prisons intern Chandra Levy were found in Rock
Creek Park.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_Levy>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

sangfroid:
Composure, self-possession or imperturbability especially when in a
dangerous situation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sangfroid>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

I will make my meaning more clear when I say that I think right and
wrong are both tools which are being wielded by those great hands which
are shaping the destinies of the universe, that both are making for
improvement; but that the action of the one is immediate, and that of
the other more slow, but none the less certain. Our own distinction of
right and wrong is founded too much upon the immediate convenience of
the community, and does not inquire sufficiently deeply into the
ultimate effect.
  --Arthur Conan Doyle
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle>

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[Daily article] May 21: Mary Anning

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-21T03:00:08

Mary Anning (1799–1847) was a British fossil collector, dealer and
palaeontologist who became known around the world for important finds
she made in the Jurassic marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she
lived. Her work contributed to fundamental changes in scientific
thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the earth. Her
discoveries included the first ichthyosaur skeleton to be correctly
identified, found when she was just twelve years old; the first two
plesiosaur skeletons ever found; the first pterosaur skeleton located
outside Germany; and important fish fossils. Her observations were
critical to the discovery that coprolites were fossilised faeces. Her
gender and social class prevented her from fully participating in the
scientific community of 19th-century Britain and she struggled
financially for much of her life. As a woman she was not eligible to
join the Geological Society of London, and she did not always receive
full credit for her scientific contributions. After her death her
unusual life story attracted increasing interest. In 2010 the Royal
Society included Anning in a list of the ten British women who have most
influenced the history of science.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anning>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1856:

A crowd of about 800 pro-slavery Americans ransacked the town
of Lawrence, Kansas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacking_of_Lawrence>

1904:

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the
international sport governing body of association football, was founded
in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA>

1927:

Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles
Lindbergh completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying
from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris – Le Bourget Airport.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh>

1981:

The Italian government released the membership list of
Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that had been implicated
in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due>

1996:

Algerian Civil War: The remains of seven French Trappist monks
who had been kidnapped in Algeria nearly two months earlier were found.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_the_monks_of_Tibhirine>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

cloudburst:
A sudden heavy rainstorm.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cloudburst>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend
— and ev'ry Foe.
  --Alexander Pope
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope>

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[Daily article] May 20: C. D. Howe

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-20T03:00:08

C. D. Howe (1886–1960) was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister of the
Liberal Party. He is credited with transforming the Canadian economy
from agriculture-based to industrial. Born in Massachusetts, Howe moved
to Nova Scotia as a young adult to take up a professorship at Dalhousie
University. After working for the Canadian government as an engineer, he
began his own firm, and became a wealthy man. In 1935, he was recruited
as a Liberal candidate for the Canadian House of Commons by then
Opposition leader Mackenzie King. The Liberals won the election in a
landslide, and Howe won his seat. Mackenzie King appointed him to the
Cabinet. There, he took major parts in many new enterprises, including
the founding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Trans-Canada
Air Lines. When World War II began in 1939, Howe played a crucial role
in Canada's war effort, and recruited many corporate executives to serve
in wartime enterprises. Howe's impatience with the necessity for
parliamentary debate of his proposals won him few friends, and he was
often accused of dictatorial conduct by the Opposition. In the 1957
election, Howe's actions and policies were made an issue by Opposition
leader John Diefenbaker. He lost his seat in the election, and
Diefenbaker became Prime Minister, ending almost 22 years of Liberal
rule.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._D._Howe>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1217:

In the last land battle of the First Barons' War, William the
Marshal drove Prince Louis of France out of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lincoln_(1217)>

1609:

Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's
sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_sonnets>

1873:

Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis were
granted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of
denim overalls, allowing their company to start manufacturing their
first line of blue jeans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss>

1983:

A team of researchers led by French virologist Luc Montagnier
published their discovery of HIV, although they did not know yet if it
caused AIDS.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Montagnier>

2002:

East Timor gained independence from Indonesia, becoming the
first new sovereign state of the 21st century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

much of a muchness:
(idiomatic) Of two or more things, having little difference of any
significance between them.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/much_of_a_muchness>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

To saunter is to enjoy life; it is to indulge the flight of fancy; it is
to enjoy the sublime pictures of misery, of love, of joy, of gracious or
grotesque physiognomies; it is to pierce with a glance the abysses of a
thousand existences; for the young it is to desire all, and to possess
all; for the old it is to live the life of the youthful, and to share
their passions.
  --Honoré de Balzac
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac>

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[Daily article] May 19: Indigenous people of the Everglades region

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-19T03:00:09

The indigenous people of the Everglades region arrived in the Florida
peninsula approximately 15,000 years ago, probably following large
game. The Paleo-Indians found an arid landscape that supported plants
and animals adapted to desert conditions. Climate changes 6,500 years
ago brought a wetter landscape, and the Paleo-Indians slowly adapted to
the new conditions. Archaeologists call the cultures that resulted from
the adaptations Archaic peoples, from whom two major tribes emerged in
the area: the Calusa and the Tequesta. The earliest written descriptions
of these people come from Spanish explorers who sought to convert and
conquer them. After more than 200 years of relations with the Spanish,
both indigenous societies lost cohesiveness. Official records indicate
that survivors of war and disease were transported to Havana in the late
18th century. Isolated groups may have been assimilated into the
Seminole nation, which formed in northern Florida when a band of Creeks
consolidated surviving members of pre-Columbian societies in Florida
into their own to become a distinct tribe. Seminoles were forced into
the Everglades by the U.S. military during the Seminole Wars from 1835
to 1842. The U.S. military pursued the Seminoles into the region, which
resulted in some of the first recorded explorations of much of the area.
Seminoles continue to live in the Everglades region, and support
themselves with casino gaming on six reservations located throughout the
state.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_people_of_the_Everglades_region>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1499:

Thirteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon, the future first wife of
Henry VIII of England, was married by proxy to his brother, 15-year-old
Arthur, Prince of Wales (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon>

1780:

A combination of thick smoke, fog, and heavy cloud cover caused
darkness to fall on parts of Canada and the New England area of the
United States by noon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England%27s_Dark_Day>

1817:

The Articles of Association of the Bank of Montreal in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada's oldest chartered bank, were adopted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Montreal>

1962:

During a televised birthday celebration for U.S. President John
F. Kennedy at New York City's Madison Square Garden, actress and model
Marilyn Monroe performed her infamous rendition of "Happy Birthday to
You".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday,_Mr._President>

1991:

Despite a boycott by the local Serb population, voters in
Croatia passed a referendum supporting independence from the Socialist
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_independence_referendum,_1991>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

front runner:
(idiomatic) The most likely winners in a contest, election, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/front_runner>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

I have found out that the real essentials of greatness in men are not
written in books, nor can they be found in the schools, They are written
into the inner consciousness of everyone who intensely searches for
perfection in creative achievement and are understandable to such men
only.
  --Walter Russell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Russell>

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[Daily article] May 18: Blakeney Chapel

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-18T03:00:09

Blakeney Chapel is a ruined building on the Norfolk coast of England.
Despite its name, it is in the parish of Cley next the Sea, not the
adjoining village of Blakeney, and was probably not a chapel. The
building stood on a raised mound or "eye" on the seaward end of the
coastal marshes, less than 200 m (220 yd) from the sea and just to the
north of the current channel of the River Glaven where it turns to run
parallel to the shoreline. It consisted of two rectangular rooms of
unequal size, and appears to be intact in a 1586 map, but is shown as
ruins in later charts. Only the foundations and part of a wall still
remain. A small hearth, probably used for smelting iron, is the only
evidence of a specific activity on the site. Much of the structural
material was long ago carried off for reuse in buildings in Cley and
Blakeney. The surviving ruins are protected as a scheduled monument and
Grade II listed building because of their historical importance, but
there is no active management. The ever-present threat from the
encroaching sea will accelerate following a realignment of the Glaven's
course through the marshes and lead inevitably to the loss of the ruins.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blakeney_Chapel>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1863:

American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant led his Army of
the Tennessee across the Big Black River in preparation for the Siege of
Vicksburg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg>

1912:

The first Indian film, Shree Pundalik by Dadasaheb Torne, was
released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_India>

1936:

In a crime that shocked Japan, Sada Abe strangled her lover
Kichizo Ishida, cut off his genitals, and carried them around with her
for several days until her arrest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sada_Abe>

1965:

Eli Cohen, a spy who is credited with facilitating Israel's
success in the Six-Day War against Syria, was publicly hanged after
having been captured four months earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Cohen>

2005:

A second photo by the Hubble Space Telescope confirmed the
discovery of two new moons of Pluto: Nix and Hydra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_(moon)>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

upend:
1. (transitive) To end up; to set on end.
2. To tip or turn over.
3. To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/upend>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Modern methods of production have given us the possibility of ease and
security for all; we have chosen, instead, to have overwork for some and
starvation for the others. Hitherto we have continued to be as energetic
as we were before there were machines; in this we have been foolish, but
there is no reason to go on being foolish for ever.
  --Bertrand Russell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell>

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[Daily article] May 17: The Well of Loneliness

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-17T03:00:08

The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the British author
Radclyffe Hall. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman
from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" (homosexuality) is
apparent from an early age. She finds love with Mary Llewellyn, whom she
meets while serving as an ambulance driver in World War I, but their
happiness together is marred by social isolation and rejection, which
Hall depicts as having a debilitating effect on inverts. The novel
portrays inversion as a natural, God-given state and makes an explicit
plea: "Give us also the right to our existence". The novel became the
target of a campaign by James Douglas, editor of the Sunday Express
newspaper, who wrote "I would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy
girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel." Although its only sexual
reference consists of the words "and that night, they were not divided",
a British court judged it obscene because it defended "unnatural
practices between women". In the United States the book survived legal
challenges in New York state and in Customs Court.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1590:

Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the
abbey church at Holyrood Palace.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark>

1863:

Rosalía de Castro published Cantares gallegos, a collection of
her poetry, the first book in the Galician language.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosal%C3%ADa_de_Castro>

1914:

Albania officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an
autonomous region within the Albanian state, which was never established
due to World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_of_Corfu>

1995:

After 18 years as Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac was
inaugurated as President of France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Chirac>

2004:

Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex
marriage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

morpheme:
(linguistics) The smallest linguistic unit within a word that can carry
a meaning, such as "un-", "break", and "-able" in the word
"unbreakable".
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/morpheme>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Affection is the greatest of human feelings because it is made of
respect, of lucidity, and light. To understand the truth and make one's
self equal to it is everything; and to love is the same thing as to know
and to understand. Affection, which I call also compassion, because I
see no difference between them, dominates everything by reason of its
clear sight. It is a sentiment as immense as if it were mad, and yet it
is wise, and of human things it is the only perfect one. There is no
great sentiment which is not completely held on the arms of compassion.
  --Henri Barbusse
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>

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[Daily article] May 16: Cockatoo

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-16T03:00:08

A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family
Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the
Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the parrot order
Psittaciformes. Cockatoos are instantly recognisable by their showy
crests and curved bills. Their plumage is generally less colourful than
that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey, or black, and often
with coloured features in the crest, cheeks, or tail. On average they
are larger than other parrots. Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers,
corms, fruit, flowers and insects. They often feed in large flocks,
particularly when ground-feeding. Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in
tree hollows. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by
habitat loss, particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows
after large mature trees are cleared; conversely, some species have
adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural pests.
Cockatoos are popular birds in aviculture, but their needs are difficult
to cater for. The Cockatiel is the cockatoo species that is easiest to
care for and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatoo>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1811:

Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and
Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south
of Badajoz, Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albuera>

1843:

The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest
set out on the Oregon Trail (reenactment pictured) with a thousand
pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail>

1918:

The Sedition Act was passed in the United States, forbidding
Americans from using "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive
language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces
during the ongoing World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918>

1943:

Royal Air Force Dambusters embarked on a raid to deploy
bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise during the Second
World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise>

1961:

The Military Revolution Committee, led by Park Chung-hee,
carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Bo-seon,
ending the Second Republic of South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_16_coup>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

hue and cry:
1. (historical) The public pursuit of a felon; accompanied by shouts to
warn others to give chase.
2. (by extension) A loud and persistent public clamour; especially one of
protest or making some demand.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hue_and_cry>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Must then a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that
have no imagination?
  --George Bernard Shaw
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw>

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[Daily article] May 15: Sky Blue Sky

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-15T03:00:09

Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by Chicago rock band Wilco
(pictured), released on May 15, 2007, by Nonesuch Records. Originally
announced on January 17, 2007, at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was
the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-
instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the
entire album on its official website and offered a free download of
"What Light". Sky Blue Sky was Wilco's highest-debuting album on the
Billboard 200 at number four. The self-produced album received mostly
favorable reviews by critics. Publications such as PopMatters and
Rolling Stone praised its maturity, while PlayLouder and Pitchfork Media
criticized its "dad-rock" sound. While some critics praised the direct
lyrical approach, others criticized it when compared to previous Wilco
albums. The band licensed six songs from the Sky Blue Sky sessions to a
Volkswagen advertisement campaign, a move that generated criticism from
fans and the media.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Blue_Sky>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

392:

Roman emperor Valentinian II (statue pictured) was found hanged
in his residence in Vienne, Gaul.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_II>

1602:

English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold led the first recorded
European expedition to visit Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_Gosnold>

1793:

Inventor Diego Marín Aguilera, the "father of aviation" in
Spain, flew one of the first gliders for about 360 m (1,180 ft).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Mar%C3%ADn_Aguilera>

1850:

Members of the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the United States
Cavalry massacred at least 135 Pomo Indians in Lake County, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Island_Massacre>

1948:

The Australian cricket team set a first-class world record that
still stands by scoring 721 runs in a day against Essex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cricket_team_in_England_in_1948>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

plangent:
Having a loud, mournful sound.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plangent>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only
way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad,
therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition.
Variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one
another's society; so let us be content.
  --L. Frank Baum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Frank_Baum>

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[Daily article] May 13: Limbo (video game)

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-13T03:00:09

Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game and the premiere title of
independent Danish game developer Playdead. The game was released in
July 2010 as a platform exclusive title on Xbox Live Arcade, and was
later ported to the PlayStation Network and Microsoft Windows via Steam.
Limbo is a 2D sidescroller, incorporating the physics system Box2D to
govern environmental objects and the player character. The player guides
an unnamed boy through dangerous environments and traps as the boy
searches for his sister. The developer built the game's puzzles
expecting the player to fail before finding the correct solution.
Playdead called the style of play "trial and death", and used visually
gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from
unworkable solutions. The game is presented primarily in monochromatic
black-and-white tones, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal
ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere often associated with the
horror genre. Limbo received positive reviews, but its minimal story
polarised critics. A common point of criticism from reviewers was that
the high cost of the game relative to its short length might deter
players from purchasing the title. The title was the third-highest
selling game on the Xbox Live Arcade service in 2010, generating around
$7.5 million in revenue. The title won several awards from industry
groups after its release, and was named as one of the top games for 2010
by several publications.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(video_game)>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1846:

The United States declared war on Mexico after a series of
disputes in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, starting the
Mexican–American War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War>

1913:

Russian American Igor Sikorsky flew the world's first multi-
engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz (pictured), which he
designed himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Sikorsky>

1967:

Zakir Hussain took office as the first elected Muslim President
of India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakir_Hussain_(politician)>

1972:

The Troubles: A car bomb planted by loyalists exploded outside
a crowded pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, beginning two days of gun
battles between the British Army, the Irish Republican Army, and the
Ulster Volunteer Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_at_Springmartin>

1981:

Mehmet Ali Ağca shot and critically wounded Pope John Paul II
in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II_assassination_attempt>

2000:

A fireworks factory in Enschede, the Netherlands, exploded,
resulting in 22 deaths and approximately €450 million in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enschede_fireworks_disaster>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

mama bear:
(slang) A woman, especially a mother, who is extremely protective of a
child or children.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mama_bear>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The thing that has never happened before is still happening. It is still
a miracle.   in
  --Lord of Light
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light>

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[Daily article] May 12: Katharine Hepburn

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-12T03:00:11

Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) was an American actress of film, stage,
and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited
personality, Hepburn's career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more
than 60 years. She won a record four Academy Awards, and in 1999 was
named by the American Film Institute as Hollywood's top female legend.
Hepburn began acting in college, and spent four years in the theatre
before entering films in 1932. She became an instant star, but after a
series of unsuccessful films was named "box office poison". The
Philadelphia Story revived her career, and she subsequently formed a
popular alliance with Spencer Tracy that lasted 25 years. In middle age
Hepburn found a niche playing spinsters, such as in The African Queen,
and became a Shakespearean stage actress. She continued to work into old
age, making her final screen appearance in 1994 at the age of 87.
Hepburn is remembered as an important cultural figure, as she came to
epitomize the "modern woman" in 20th-century America and helped change
perceptions of women.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1588:

An apparently spontaneous public uprising arose in staunchly
Catholic Paris against the moderate policies of Henry III.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Barricades>

1926:

The Trades Union Congress, a federation of British trade
unions, announced that it would end its week-long general strike "in
defence of [coal] miners' wages and hours".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_United_Kingdom_general_strike>

1942:

World War II: Soviet forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko
launched a major offensive in the eastern Ukraine, only to be encircled
and destroyed by German troops two weeks later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Kharkov>

1998:

Four students were shot and killed at Trisakti University in
Indonesia, leading to widespread riots and eventually the fall of
Suharto.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisakti_shootings>

2008:

In Postville, Iowa, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
conducted the largest-ever raid of a workplace and arrested nearly 400
immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postville_Raid>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

deskfast:
Breakfast eaten at work, particularly while sitting at a desk.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deskfast>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under
any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to
advocate or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with
this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those
who fail to act consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of
what they may claim.
  --L. Neil Smith
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith>

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[Daily article] May 11: Futbol Club Barcelona

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-11T03:00:09

FC Barcelona is a professional football club, based in Barcelona,
Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and
Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of
Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More
than a club). The official Barça anthem is the "Cant del Barça"
written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. Unlike many other
football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the
world's second richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual
turnover of €398 million. The club holds a long-standing rivalry with
Real Madrid, and matches between the two teams are referred to as "El
Clásico". They are the current European football champions, and have
won 21 La Liga, 25 Copa del Rey, 10 Supercopa de España, 3 Copa Eva
Duarte and 2 Copa de la Liga trophies, and are the record holder for the
latter four competitions. In international club football Barcelona have
won four UEFA Champions League, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cup,
four UEFA Super Cup, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record
two FIFA Club World Cup trophies.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futbol_Club_Barcelona>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1745:

War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the
Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in the
Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fontenoy>

1812:

In the lobby of the British House of Commons, Spencer Perceval
became the first, and to date only, British Prime Minister to be
assassinated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Perceval>

1894:

In response to a 28 percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car
Company workers went on a strike in Illinois, bringing traffic west of
Chicago to a halt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike>

1910:

Glacier National Park, located in the U.S. state of Montana,
was designated a national park.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)>

1985:

During an association football match between Bradford City and
Lincoln City in Bradford, England, a flash fire consumed one side of the
Valley Parade stadium, killing 56 attendees.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_stadium_fire>

1997:

Deep Blue became the first computer to win a match against a
world chess champion, when it defeated Garry Kasparov in six games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer)>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

atheophobia:
Fear or hatred of atheism or atheists.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atheophobia>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to
imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those
things which are there.
  --Richard Feynman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman>

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[Daily article] May 10: 1997 Qayen earthquake

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-10T03:00:09

The Qayen earthquake was a major earthquake that struck Northern Iran's
Khorasan Province on May 10, 1997. The largest in the area since 1990,
it measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered
approximately 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of Mashhad on the village
of Ardekul. The third earthquake that year to cause severe damage, it
devastated the Birjand–Qayen region, killing 1,567 and injuring over
2,300. The earthquake—which left 50,000 homeless and damaged or
destroyed over 15,000 homes—was described as the deadliest of 1997 by
the United States Geological Survey. Some 155 aftershocks caused
further destruction and drove away survivors. The earthquake was later
discovered to have been caused by a rupture along a fault that runs
underneath the Iran–Afghanistan border. Damage was eventually
estimated at $100 million, and many countries responded to the
emergency with donations of blankets, tents, clothing, and food. Rescue
teams were also dispatched to assist local volunteers in finding
survivors trapped under the debris. The destruction around the
earthquake's epicenter was, in places, almost total; this has been
attributed to poor construction practices, and imparted momentum to a
growing movement for changes in building codes. With 1 in 3,000 deaths
in Iran attributable to earthquakes, one expert has suggested that a
country-wide rebuilding program would be needed to address the ongoing
public safety concerns.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1775:

American Revolutionary War: Delegates from the Thirteen
Colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to convene the Second
Continental Congress, which would serve as the de facto national
government of the future United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congress>

1824:

The National Gallery in London opened to the public, in the
former townhouse of the collector John Julius Angerstein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery>

1833:

Le Van Khoi 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>

1849:

A personal dispute between actors Edwin Forrest and William
Macready in New York City devolved into a riot that left at least 25
dead and more than 120 injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Place_Riot>

1941:

World War II: Nazi leader Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland,
claiming to be on a peace mission.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

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

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The most important of my achievements, if you want to call them that,
was that I successfully introduced mystical ideas into pop culture, …
I wanted to save our culture from the stupidity and the bigotry and the
ignorance that threatened it.
  --Donovan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donovan>

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[Daily article] May 9: Cleomenean War

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-09T03:00:11

The Cleomenean War was fought by Sparta and its ally, Elis, against the
Achaean League and Macedon. The war ended in a Macedonian and Achaean
victory. In 235 BC, Cleomenes III ascended the throne of Sparta and
began a program of reform aimed at restoring traditional Spartan
discipline while weakening the influence of the ephors. When, in 229 BC,
the ephors sent Cleomenes to seize a town on the border with
Megalopolis, the Achaeans declared war. Cleomenes responded by ravaging
Achaea. At Mount Lycaeum he defeated an army under Aratus of Sicyon, and
then routed a second army near Megalopolis. Meanwhile, in domestic
politics, he ordered the assassination of the ephors. In quick
succession, Cleomenes cleared the cities of Arcadia of their Achaean
garrisons, before crushing another Achaean force at Dyme. Facing Spartan
domination of the League, Aratus was forced to turn to Antigonus III
Doson of Macedon and request that he assist the Achaeans' efforts to
defeat the Spartans. Cleomenes eventually invaded Achaea, seizing
control of both Corinth and Argos. When Antigonus arrived in the
Peloponnese, however, Cleomenes was forced to retreat to Laconia. He
fought the Achaeans and the Macedonians at Sellasia, but the Spartans
were routed. Cleomenes then fled to the court of his ally, Ptolemy III
of Egypt, where he ultimately committed suicide.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleomenean_War>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1671:

Irish-born Colonel Thomas Blood was caught trying to steal the
English Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blood>

1877:

An 8.5 Ms earthquake struck the northern portion of Chile and
killed 2,541 people, including some as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1877_Iquique_earthquake>

1918:

First World War: Germany repelled Britain's second attempt to
blockade the Belgian port of Ostend.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Ostend_Raid>

1977:

The Hotel Polen in Amsterdam was destroyed by fire, which
resulted in 33 deaths and 21 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Polen_fire>

1992:

An underground methane explosion at the Westray Mine occurred
in Plymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, killing all 26 coal miners who were
working at the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westray_Mine>

2004:

Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of the Chechen Republic,
and about 30 others were killed by a bomb during a World War II
memorial victory parade in Grozny.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhmad_Kadyrov>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

fuzzword:
A term that is deliberately vague or euphemistic in meaning.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fuzzword>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

Were art to redeem man, it could do so only by saving him from the
seriousness of life and restoring him to an unexpected boyishness. The
symbol of art is seen again in the magic flute of the Great God Pan
which makes the young goats frisk at the edge of the grove. All modern
art begins to appear comprehensible and in a way great when it is
interpreted as an attempt to instill youthfulness into an ancient world.
  --José Ortega y Gasset
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ortega_y_Gasset>

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[Daily article] May 8: Richard II of England

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-08T01:50:20

Richard II (1367–1400) was King of England, a member of the House of
Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377
until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black
Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather,
Edward&#160;III. Richard was tall, good-looking and intelligent.
Although probably not insane, as earlier historians believed, he may
have suffered from one or several personality disorders that may have
become more apparent toward the end of his reign. Less of a warrior than
either his father or grandfather, he sought to bring an end to the
Hundred Years' War that Edward III had started. He was a firm believer
in the royal prerogative, which led him to restrain the power of his
nobility and rely on a private retinue for military protection instead.
He also cultivated a courtly atmosphere where the king was an elevated
figure, and art and culture were at the centre, in contrast to the
fraternal, martial court of his grandfather. Richard's posthumous
reputation has to a large extent been shaped by Shakespeare, whose play
Richard&#160;II portrays Richard's misrule and Bolingbroke's deposition
as responsible for the 15th-century Wars of the Roses. Most authorities
agree that the way in which he carried his policies out was unacceptable
to the political establishment, and this led to his downfall.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1541:

Spanish conquistadors led by Hernando de Soto (pictured) became
the first documented Europeans to reach the Mississippi River.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto>

1924:

Lithuania signed the Klaipėda Convention with the nations of
the Conference of Ambassadors, taking the Klaipėda Region from East
Prussia and making it into an autonomous region under unconditional
sovereignty of Lithuania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaip%C4%97da_Convention>

1945:

Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations
by 23:01 CET after the German Instrument of Surrender was formally
ratified, marking the end of World War II in Europe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Instrument_of_Surrender>

1972:

Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to
demand the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571_hijacking>

1987:

A British Army Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional
Irish Republican Army unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight
IRA members and a civilian.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughgall_Ambush>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

adversity:
1. (uncountable) The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or
calamity.
2. (countable) An event that is adverse; calamity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adversity>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

He had decided long ago that no Situation had any objective reality: it
only existed in the minds of those who happened to be in on it at any
specific moment. â&euro;Ś The only consolation he drew from the
present chaos was that his theory managed to explain it.
  --Thomas Pynchon
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon>

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[Daily article] May 7: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-07T03:00:07

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is an American Western/science fiction television series created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse. It ran for 27 episodes on the Fox network starting in the 1993–94 season. Set in the American West of 1893, the series follows its title character, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter hired by a group of wealthy industrialists to track and capture outlaw John Bly and his gang. Bruce Campbell plays Brisco, who is joined by a colorful group of supporting characters, including Julius Carry as fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler and Christian Clemenson as stick-in-the-mud lawyer Socrates Poole. While ostensibly a Western, the series routinely includes elements of the science fiction and steampunk genres. The series earned high ratings at the beginning of its season, but later episodes failed to attract a substantial number of viewers. Fox canceled the show at the end of its first and only season. In 2006, Warner Home Video released a DVD set containing all 27 episodes, which was anticipated by fans and critics. The series has been remembered fondly by critics, who praise its humor and unique blend of genres.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Brisco_County,_Jr.>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

351:

Jews in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina rebelled against the rule of Constantius Gallus, Caesar of the Eastern Roman Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_revolt_against_Gallus>

1763:

Chief Pontiac (pictured) of the Ottawa Native American tribe led an attempt to seize Fort Detroit and drive out the British settlers, marking the start of Pontiac's War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_War>

1920:

Polish–Soviet War: During the Kiev Offensive, Polish troops, with the help of a symbolic Ukrainian force, captured Kiev, only to be driven out by the Soviet Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_Offensive_(1920)>

1946:

Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, which later changed its name to Sony.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony>

2009:

Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the home of a former New Zealand Army member who killed several officers during the routine execution of a search warrant.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Napier_shootings>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

becastled:
Fortified by or furnished with a castle or castles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/becastled>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.
--Joseph Joubert
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Joubert>

[Daily article] May 3: Invasion of Tulagi

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-03T03:19:16

The invasion of Tulagi, on 3–4 May 1942, was part of Operation Mo, the
Empire of Japan's strategy in the South Pacific and South West Pacific
Area in 1942. The plan called for Imperial Japanese Navy troops to
capture Tulagi and nearby islands in the Solomon Islands Protectorate.
The occupation of Tulagi by the Japanese was intended to cover the
flank of and provide reconnaissance support for Japanese forces that
were advancing on Port Moresby in New Guinea, provide greater defensive
depth for the major Japanese base at Rabaul, and serve as a base for
Japanese forces to threaten and interdict the supply and communication
routes between the United States and Australia and New Zealand. Without
the means to capably resist the Japanese offensive in the Solomons, the
British Resident Commissioner and the few Australian troops assigned to
defend Tulagi evacuated just before the Japanese forces arrived on 3
May. Despite considerable losses inflicted by carrier-based American
planes, the Japanese occupied the islands.


Read the rest of this article:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tulagi_%28May_1942%29>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1491:

Nkuwu Nzinga of the Kingdom of Kongo was baptised as João I by
Portuguese missionaries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_I_of_Kongo>

1915:

The oldest continually operational Royal Air Force station, RAF
Northolt, opened as the home to No. 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Northolt>

1920:

Relying on the 11th Soviet Red Army operating in neighboring
Azerbaijan, Bolsheviks attempted to stage a coup d'etat in Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_Georgian_coup_attempt>

1945:

Second World War: German ocean liner Cap Arcona, left to float
defencelessly in the Bay of Lübeck with thousands of prisoners from
various concentration camps on board, was attacked and sunk by RAF
Typhoons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Cap_Arcona_%281927%29>

1960:

The Off-Broadway musical comedy The Fantasticks made its premiere,
eventually becoming the world's longest-running musical.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantasticks>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

cogitable (adj):

thinkable, conceivable, able to be imagined.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cogitable>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

The same energy of character which renders a man a daring villain
would have rendered him useful to society, had that society been well
organized.
  --Mary Wollstonecraft

<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Wollstonecraft>

[Daily article] May 2: Golding Bird

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-02T02:47:13

Golding Bird (1814–1854) was a British medical doctor and a Fellow of
the Royal College of Physicians. He lectured at Guy's Hospital, and
published a popular textbook on science for medical students. He
developed an interest in chemistry as a child, and through self-study
was advanced enough to deliver lectures to his fellow pupils at
school. He later applied this knowledge to medicine and became a great
authority on urinary deposits. He was the first to describe oxaluria,
a condition which leads to a particular kind of kidney stone. Bird was
innovative in the medical use of electricity, designing much of his
own equipment. He was instrumental in rescuing medical electrotherapy
from quackery and bringing it into the mainstream. He was quick to
adopt new instruments of all kinds; he invented the single-cell
Daniell cell and made important discoveries in electrometallurgy with
it. In 1840 he designed a flexible tube stethoscope, and published the
first description of such an instrument.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golding_Bird>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1194:

King Richard I of England gave the city of Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth>

1559:

Scottish clergyman John Knox (pictured) returned to Scotland from
exile to lead the Scottish Reformation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Knox>

1757:

Konbaung forces captured the city of Bago, Burma, to end the
Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konbaung%E2%80%93Hanthawaddy_War>

1982:

Falklands War: HMS Conqueror launched three torpedoes and sank ARA
General Belgrano, the only ship ever to have been sunk by a nuclear
submarine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano>

1986:

Henri Toivonen was killed in an accident while leading the Tour de
Corse rally, resulting in FISA, the sport governing body for motor
racing events, banning the powerful and popular Group B rally cars for
the following season.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen>

2011:

Osama bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a private
residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

cucumiform:
Shaped like a cucumber; having the form of a cylinder tapered and
rounded at the ends, and possibly curved.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cucumiform>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

True anarchy is the generative element of religion. Out of the
annihilation of every positive element she lifts her gloriously
radiant countenance as the founder of a new world…
  --Novalis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Novalis>

[Daily article] May 1: Disintegration (The Cure album)

English Wikipedia Article of the Day — 2012-05-01T01:41:16

Disintegration is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock 
band The Cure, released on 1 May 1989 by Fiction Records. The record 
marks a return to the introspective and gloomy gothic rock style the 
band had established in the early 1980s. As he neared the age of 
thirty, vocalist and guitarist Robert Smith (pictured) felt an 
increased pressure to follow up on the group's pop successes with a 
more enduring work. This, coupled with a distaste for the group's 
new-found popularity, caused Smith to lapse back into the use of 
hallucinogenic drugs, the effects of which had a strong influence on 
the production of the album. The Cure recorded Disintegration at Hook 
End Manor Studios in Reading, Berkshire, with co-producer David M. 
Allen from late 1988 to early 1989. In spite of Fiction's fears that 
the album would be "commercial suicide", Disintegration became the 
band's commercial peak. It charted at number three in the United 
Kingdom and at number twelve in the United States, and produced several 
hit singles including "Lovesong", which peaked at number two on the 
Billboard Hot 100. Disintegration sold over three million copies 
worldwide. (Disintegration (The Cure album)


Recently featured: [[Planets beyond Neptune – Rainilaiarivony – SMS 
König


Archive – By email – More featured articles...'''

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disintegration_%28The_Cure_album%29>

_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:

1786:

The Marriage of Figaro, an opera buffa composed by Wolfgang Amadeus 
Mozart, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Figaro>

1794:

War of the Pyrenees: France regained nearly all the land it lost to 
Spain the previous year with its victory in the Battle of Boulou.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Boulou>

1941:

Citizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson 
Welles , premiered.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane>

1956:

A doctor in Japan reported an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the 
central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata 
disease.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease>

2009:

Carol Ann Duffy was elected Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, the 
first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly bisexual person to 
hold the position, as well as the first laureate to be chosen in the 
21st century.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Ann_Duffy>

_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:

May-day sweep (n):
One of the brightly-clad chimney sweeps, carrying garlands and a 
blackened broom, who participated in May Day parades: "as jocund among 
us, as a May-day sweep" (Punch), "with a thing only fit for a May-day 
sweep on one’s head" (The Kafir at Home)
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/May-day_sweep>

___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:

88px 

 I shall endeavor to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with 
morality.
  --Joseph Addison
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Addison>




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