Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related
families of wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved
from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130
million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. Today,
more than 12,000 species are classified with upper estimates of about 14,000
species. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and a
distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist. Ants form
colonies that range in size from a few tens of predatory individuals living
in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy
large territories and consist of millions of individuals that are mostly
sterile females forming castes of "workers", "soldiers", or other
specialised groups. Ant colonies also have some fertile males called
"drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". Ants have
colonised almost every landmass on Earth. Ants dominate most ecosystems, and
form 15–20% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Their success has been
attributed to their social organisation, ability to modify their habitats,
tap resources and defend themselves.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
304:
Saint Agnes was executed for refusing the prefect Sempronius' wish for her
to marry his son. She is today the patron saint of girls, chastity, virgins,
and others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Rome)
1919:
The First Dáil Éireann first convened at the Mansion House in Dublin,
adopting a Declaration of Independence calling for a new sovereign state:
the Irish Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Ireland)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%28Ireland%29>
)
1948:
The Flag of Quebec, featuring a white cross and four fleurs-de-lis on a blue
field, was adopted and flown for the first time over the Quebec Parliament
Building in Quebec City.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Quebec)
1968:
Vietnam War: The Vietnam People's Army attacked Khe Sanh Combat Base, a U.S.
Marines outpost in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, starting the Battle of
Khe Sanh.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh)
2008:
Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever
one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since
9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2008_stock_market_downturn)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bastion (n) 1. A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.
2. A well-fortified position; a stronghold or citadel.
3. (figurative) A person, or group, who strongly defends
some principle.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bastion)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened,
there must be war. It is painful enough to discover with what unconcern they
speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen
enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils. --Stonewall
Jackson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson)
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16,
1790. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is
bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the
other sides. The District has a resident population of 591,833; however, due
to commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one
million during the workweek. Article One of the United States Constitution
provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the
permanent national capital. The centers of all three branches of the federal
government of the United States are located in the District, as are many of
the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C. hosts 173 foreign
embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the
Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO). The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington,
D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance than
residents of the states.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1320:
After reuniting Poland, Władysław the Short was crowned king in Kraków.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_I_the_Elbow-high)
1839:
Chilean troops decisively defeated the forces of the Peru-Bolivian
Confederation at the Battle of Yungay in the Ancash Region of Peru,
effectively ending the War of the Confederation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yungay)
1892:
The first official basketball game was played at the YMCA in Springfield,
Massachusetts, USA.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball)
1921:
The first Turkish Constitution was ratified by the Grand National Assembly,
making fundamental changes in Turkey by enshrining the principle of national
sovereignty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Constitution_of_1921)
1942:
World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of
Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials decided the "Final Solution to the
Jewish Question", accelerating The Holocaust.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rational (adj) 1. Reasonable; not absurd, foolish, emotional, or
fanciful.
2. Capable of reasoning.
3. (arithmetic) Capable of being expressed as the
ratio of two integers.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rational)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I love child things because there's so much mystery when you're a child.
When you're a child, something as simple as a tree doesn't make sense. You
see it in the distance and it looks small, but as you go closer, it seems to
grow -- you haven't got a handle on the rules when you're a child. We think
we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experienced
is a narrowing of the imagination. --David Lynch
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Lynch)
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 –1849) was an American poet, short-story writer,
editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic
Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one
of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered
the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with
contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first
well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone,
resulting in a financially difficult life and career. In January 1845, Poe
published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. His wife died of
tuberculosis two years later. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in
Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown and has been attributed to
alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide,
tuberculosis, and other agents. Poe and his works influenced literature in
the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields,
such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear throughout
popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his
homes are dedicated museums today.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1764:
English radical and politician John Wilkes was expelled from the British
Parliament and declared an outlaw for seditious libel.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes)
1817:
An army of over 5,400 soldiers led by General José de San Martín crossed the
Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru from Spanish rule.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_de_San_Martín<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn>
)
1839:
The Royal Marines landed at Aden to occupy the territory and stop attacks by
pirates against the British East India Company's shipping to India. The city
in present-day Yemen remained under British control until 1967.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden)
1935:
In Chicago, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first briefs, a new style of men's
undergarment.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undergarment)
1977:
Iva Toguri, allegedly a Tokyo Rose, a generic name given by Allied forces
during World War II to approximately twenty English-speaking female
broadcasters of Japanese propaganda, was granted a full pardon by U.S.
President Gerald Ford.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D'Aquino<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D%27Aquino>
)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
belittle (v) To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important
than it actually is.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/belittle)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
>From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring —
>From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd — I lov'd alone.
--Edgar Allan Poe
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe)
Jack the Ripper conspiracy theories seek to explain a series of murders in
the East End of London in 1888 that were blamed on an unidentified assailant
known as "Jack the Ripper". Since then, the identity of the killer has been
hotly debated. Over a hundred suspects have been proposed, including Prince
Albert Victor, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales and the grandson of
Queen Victoria. The theory that Albert Victor was the Ripper was brought to
public attention in 1970 by elderly British physician Dr. T. E. A. Stowell,
who argued that Albert Victor committed the murders after being driven mad
by syphilis. Subsequently, conspiracy theorists have elaborated on the
supposed involvement of Albert Victor in the murders. Rather than implicate
Albert Victor directly, they claim that he secretly married and had a
daughter with a Catholic shop assistant, and that Queen Victoria, British
Prime Minister Lord Salisbury, his freemason friends, and the London
Metropolitan Police conspired to murder anyone aware of Albert Victor's
supposed child. Many facts contradict this theory and its originator, Joseph
Gorman (also known as Joseph Sickert), later retracted the story and
admitted to the press that it was a hoax.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper_conspiracy_theories
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1486:
Elizabeth of York married Henry VII of England, becoming Queen consort.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York)
1535:
Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Ciudad de los Reyes, present-day
Lima, Peru, as the capital of the lands he conquered for the Spanish Crown.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lima)
1871:
A number of independent German states unified into the German Empire, with
Prussian King Wilhelm I being proclaimed as its first Emperor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_German_Emperor)
1915:
Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu issued the Twenty-One Demands to the
Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-One_Demands)
1977:
The mysterious Legionnaires' disease was found to be caused by a novel
bacterium now known as Legionella.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionellosis)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
virgule (n) The diagonal slash character: / .
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/virgule)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to
succeed. --Charles de Montesquieu
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_de_Montesquieu)
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System.
It is the fourth largest planet by diameter, and the third largest by mass.
The planet is named after the Roman god of the sea. Discovered on September
23, 1846, Neptune was the first planet found by mathematical prediction
rather than regular observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus
led astronomers to deduce the gravitational perturbation of an unknown
planet. Neptune was found within a degree of the predicted position. The
moon Triton was found shortly thereafter, but none of the planet's other 12
moons were discovered before the 20th century. Neptune has been visited by
only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew by the planet on August 25, 1989.
Neptune is similar in composition to Uranus, and both have different
compositions from those of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Traces
of methane in the outermost regions, in part, account for the planet's blue
appearance. At the time of the 1989 Voyager 2 flyby, its southern hemisphere
possessed a Great Dark Spot comparable to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
Neptune has a faint and fragmented ring system, which may have been detected
during the 1960s but was only indisputably confirmed by Voyager 2.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1885:
Mahdist War: British troops defeated Mahdist Sudanese forces at the Battle
of Abu Klea in Khartoum, Sudan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abu_Klea)
1899:
The United States took possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_Island)
1929:
Popeye the Sailor, a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, first
appeared in his newspaper comic strip Thimble Theater.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye)
1946:
The United Nations Security Council, the organ of the United Nations charged
with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first
meeting at Church House in London.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council)
1966:
The Palomares hydrogen bombs incident: A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress
collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the
Mediterranean Sea, dropping three hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares,
Spain, and another one into the sea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomares_hydrogen_bombs_incident)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
accentuate (v) 1. To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
2. To bring out distinctly; to make prominent;
to emphasize.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/accentuate)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be
hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry,
shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.
Whether this be the case with my history or not, I am hardly competent to
judge. I sometimes think it might prove useful to some, and entertaining to
others; but the world may judge for itself. Shielded by my own obscurity,
and by the lapse of years, and a few fictitious names, I do not fear to
venture; and will candidly lay before the public what I would not disclose
to the most intimate friend. --Anne Brontë
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Bront%C3%AB)
The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, a United States Senator and brother
of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight
on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles, California. Robert F. Kennedy was killed
during celebrations of his successful campaign in the Californian primary
elections while seeking the Democratic nomination for President of the
United States. The perpetrator was a twenty-four year old Palestinian
immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan, who remains incarcerated for this crime as of
2009. The shooting was recorded on audio tape by a freelance newspaper
reporter, while the aftermath was captured on film. Kennedy's body lay in
repose at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York for two days before a funeral
mass was held on June 8. His body was interred near his brother John at
Arlington National Cemetery. His death prompted the protection of
presidential candidates by the United States Secret Service. Hubert Humphrey
went on to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency, but ultimately
lost the election to Richard Nixon. As with his brother's death, Robert
Kennedy's assassination and the circumstances surrounding it have spawned a
variety of conspiracy theories, particularly in relation to the existence of
a supposed second gunman.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
27 BC:
Gaius Octavianus was given the title Augustus by the Roman Senate.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus)
929:
Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III of Cordoba declared himself caliph, thereby
establishing the Caliphate of Córdoba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate_of_C%C3%B3rdoba)
1129:
The Council of Nablus was held, establishing the earliest surviving written
laws of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Nablus)
1809:
Peninsular War: French forces under Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult attacked the
amphibious evacuation of the British under Sir John Moore at the Battle of
Corunna in Corunna, Galicia, Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corunna)
1909:
The Nimrod Expedition led by Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton reached
the approximate location of the South Magnetic Pole.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
contumacious (adj) Contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient;
rebellious.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contumacious)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I don't want to express alienation. It isn't what I feel. I'm interested in
various kinds of passionate engagement. All my work says be serious, be
passionate, wake up. --Susan Sontag
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susan_Sontag)
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and
incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on
January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. by a group of
nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers
for African-American women in areas where little power or authority existed
due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early
twentieth century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
Consisting of college-educated women of African, Caucasian, Asian, and
Hispanic descent, the sorority serves through a membership of more than
200,000 women in over 975 chapters in the United States and several other
countries. Since being founded over a century ago, Alpha Kappa Alpha has
helped to improve social and economic conditions through community service
programs. Members have improved education through independent initiatives,
contributed to community-building by creating programs and associations, and
influenced federal legislation by Congressional lobbying through the
National Non-Partisan Lobby on Civil and Democratic Rights. The current
International President is Barbara A. McKinzie, and the sorority's document
and pictorial archives are located at Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Kappa_Alpha
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1759:
The British Museum in London, today containing one of the largest and most
comprehensive collections in the world, opened to the public in Montagu
House, Bloomsbury.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum)
1885:
American photographer Wilson Bentley took the first known photograph of a
snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bentley)
1908:
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Greek-lettered sorority established by African
American women, was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. by nine
students.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Kappa_Alpha)
1919:
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two prominent socialists in Germany,
were tortured and murdered by the Freikorps.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freikorps)
1943:
The highest-capacity office building in the world, the headquarters of the
United States Department of Defense known as the Pentagon, was dedicated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
brigand (n) An outlaw or bandit.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brigand)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned
about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate
violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't
murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't
establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't
murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.)
4chan is an English-language imageboard website based on the Japanese Futaba
Channel. Launched on October 1, 2003 by "moot" (allegedly "Christopher
Poole"), its boards are primarily used for the posting of pictures and
discussion of manga and anime. Users generally post anonymously, and the
site has been linked to Anonymous culture and Project Chanology. The
Guardian describes 4chan as "at once brilliant, ridiculous and alarming".
The "/b/" board is by far 4chan's most popular forum. It is known as the
"random" board; there are minimal rules on posted content. It is thus
notorious on the Internet; Gawker.com once claimed in jest that "reading /b/
will melt your brain". The site has generated broad media attention, and its
members have been responsible for the formation and popularization of
Internet memes such as lolcats, rickrolling, and the popularity of the Tay
Zonday song "Chocolate Rain". It has also received media attention for its
attacks against other websites and Internet users, and for the threats of
real world violence that have been posted on it.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1301:
The Árpád dynasty, who ruled in Hungary since the late 9th century, ended
with the death of King Andrew III.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rp%C3%A1d_dynasty)
1724:
Philip V, the first Bourbon ruler of Spain, abdicated the throne to his
eldest son Louis.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_V_of_Spain)
1761:
The Afghans led by Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the French-supplied and
trained Maratha troops at the Third Battle of Panipat in Panipat,
present-day Haryana, India.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Panipat_(1761)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Panipat_%281761%29>
)
1814:
Sweden and Denmark–Norway signed the Treaty of Kiel, whereby Frederick VI of
Denmark, a loser in the Napoleonic Wars, ceded Norway to Sweden in return
for the Swedish holdings in Pomerania.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Kiel)
2004:
The national flag of Georgia, the so-called Five Cross Flag, was restored to
official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia_(country)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia_%28country%29>
)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
photogenic (adj) 1. Generated or caused by light.
2. Producing or emitting light,
phosphorescent.
3. Looking good when photographed.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/photogenic)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At no time are we ever in such complete possession of a journey, down to its
last nook and cranny, as when we are busy with preparations for it. After
that, there remains only the journey itself, which is nothing but the
process through which we lose our ownership of it. --Yukio Mishima
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yukio_Mishima)
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic battle of the First Indochina
War between French Union forces and Viet Minh communist revolutionary
forces. The battle occurred between March and May 1954, and culminated in a
massive French defeat that effectively ended the war. The French undertook
to create an air-supplied base at Dien Bien Phu, deep in the hills of
Vietnam, in order to cut off Viet Minh supply lines into the neighboring
French protectorate of Laos. The Viet Minh, under General Vo Nguyen Giap,
surrounded and besieged the French, who were unaware of the Viet Minh's
possession of heavy artillery. The Viet Minh occupied the highlands around
Dien Bien Phu, and were able to fire down accurately onto French positions.
Tenacious fighting on the ground ensued, reminiscent of the trench warfare
of World War I. The French repeatedly repulsed Viet Minh assaults on their
positions. Supplies and reinforcements were delivered by air, although as
the French positions were overrun and the anti-aircraft fire took its toll,
fewer and fewer of those supplies reached them. After a two month siege, the
garrison was overrun and most French surrendered. Shortly after the battle,
the war ended with the 1954 Geneva accords, under which France agreed to
withdraw from its former Indochinese colonies.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
When he reached the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, William
Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British Army during the First
Anglo-Afghan War, became the sole European survivor of a party of over 4,500
military personnel and over 10,000 civilian camp followers retreating from
Kabul, excluding a few prisoners released later.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brydon)
1898:
The Paris newspaper L'Aurore published "J'accuse...!", an open letter by
French writer Émile Zola to French President Félix Faure exposing the
Dreyfus affair.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Zola)
1968:
American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At Folsom Prison
live at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Folsom_Prison)
1986:
A month-long violent struggle began in Aden, South Yemen between supporters
of President Ali Nasir Muhammad and his predecessor Abdul Fattah Ismail,
resulting in thousands of casualties.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Democratic_Republic_of_Yemen)
1991:
The January Events: Soviet troops attacked Lithuanian independence
supporters at the TV Tower in Vilnius, killing 14 people.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Events)
_______________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
go the extra mile (v) (idiomatic) To make an extra effort; to do a
particularly good job.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_the_extra_mile)
______________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The explorers of the past were great men and we should honour them. But let
us not forget that their spirit lives on. It is still not hard to find a man
who will adventure for the sake of a dream or one who will search, for the
pleasure of searching, not for what he may find. --Sir Edmund Hillary
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Hillary)
King Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to medieval
histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon
invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly
composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is
debated and disputed by modern historians. The sparse historical background
of Arthur is gleaned from various histories, including those of Gildas,
Nennius and the Annales Cambriae. The legendary Arthur developed as a figure
of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of
Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae.
Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and
established an empire over the British Isles, Iceland, Norway and Gaul. In
fact, many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the
Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father
Uther Pendragon, the wizard Merlin, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's birth at
Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann and final rest in
Avalon. The 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added
Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian
romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In the 21st
century, the legend lives on, both in literature and in adaptations for
theatre, film, television, comics and other media.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur
_________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1838:
In order to avoid anti-Mormon persecution, Latter Day Saint movement founder
Joseph Smith, Jr. and his followers fled Kirtland, Ohio for Far West,
Missouri.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith,_Jr.)
1872:
Yohannes IV was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial
coronation in that city in over 200 years.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohannes_IV_of_Ethiopia)
1967:
Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the first
person to be cryonically frozen with intent of future resuscitation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics)
1970:
The self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria capitulated,
ending the Nigerian Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War)
1971:
The American situation comedy All in the Family, starring Carroll O'Connor
as reactionary, bigoted, blue-collar worker Archie Bunker, was first
broadcast on the CBS television network; the show broke ground in its
depiction of issues previously deemed unsuitable for U.S. network television
comedy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family)
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
demure (adj) Quiet, modest, reserved, or serious.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demure)
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is
shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods. --Edmund Burke
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke)