Samuel J. Randall (1828–1890) was an American politician who served as
a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for
Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1890. He was elected to the Philadelphia
Common Council in 1852 and then to the Pennsylvania State Senate in
1858. Randall served in a Union cavalry unit in the American Civil War,
before winning a seat in the federal House of Representatives in 1862.
He was reelected every two years thereafter until his death. Randall
became known as a staunch defender of protective tariffs, designed to
assist domestic producers of manufactured goods. His defense of smaller,
less centralized government raised his profile among House Democrats,
and he served as speaker from 1876 until 1881. He was considered a
possible nominee for President in 1880 and 1884. He also served as head
of the House Appropriations Committee. (This article is part of a
featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1880_United_States_…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1868:
Mihailo Obrenović, Prince of Serbia, was assassinated in the
park of Košutnjak in Belgrade.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihailo_Obrenovi%C4%87>
1918:
World War I: Italian torpedo boats sank the Austro-Hungarian
dreadnought SMS Szent István off the Dalmatian coast, killing 89 of
the crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Szent_Istv%C3%A1n>
1957:
Led by John Diefenbaker, the Progressive Conservative Party won
a plurality of House of Commons seats in the Canadian federal election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_Canadian_federal_election>
2008:
War in Afghanistan: A U.S. airstrike resulted in the reported
deaths of eleven paramilitary members of the Pakistani Frontier Corps
and eight Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gora_Prai_airstrike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fillip:
1. (archaic) The action of holding the tip of a finger against the thumb
and then releasing it with a snap; a flick.
2. A smart strike or tap made using this action, or (by extension) by
other means.
3. (by extension) Something unimportant, a trifle; also, the brief time
it takes to flick one's finger (see noun sense 1); a jiffy.
4. (by extension) Something that excites or stimulates.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fillip>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
For the first time in history, the human species as a whole has
gone into politics. Everyone is in the act, and there is no telling what
may come of it.
--Saul Bellow
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saul_Bellow>
All Souls is an American paranormal hospital drama television series
created by Stuart Gillard and Stephen Tolkin and inspired by Lars von
Trier's miniseries The Kingdom. It originally aired for a six-episode
season on UPN in 2001. The series follows the medical staff of the
haunted teaching hospital All Souls. While working as a medical intern,
Dr. Mitchell Grace, portrayed by Grayson McCouch (pictured), discovers
that the doctors are running unethical experiments on their patients.
Filming took place in Montreal, Canada, in a working psychiatric
hospital. All Souls had low viewership, and has not been released on
home video or through streaming services. Critical response was
primarily positive; commentators praised its use of horror and
paranormal elements. Critics had mixed reviews for the show's content
and style when compared to other horror and science-fiction television
series, such as The X-Files and the work of American writer Stephen
King.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls_%28TV_series%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1523:
Parisian printer Simon de Colines was fined for printing
Biblical commentary by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples without obtaining
prior approval from theologians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Colines>
1856:
The first company of Mormon pioneers, transporting their
possessions in handcarts, left Iowa City, Iowa, for Salt Lake City,
Utah.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers>
1928:
Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed
the Southern Cross in Brisbane, completing the first ever transpacific
flight from the United States to Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cross_%28aircraft%29>
2010:
A child suicide bomber attacked a wedding in Nadahan,
Afghanistan, killing at least 40 people and injuring at least 70 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadahan_wedding_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ennead:
1. (obsolete) The number nine.
2. (rare) Any grouping or system containing nine objects.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ennead>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So kiss me Kate, Thou lovely loon, E'er we start on our
honeymoon.
--Cole Porter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter>
Mary van Kleeck (1883–1972) was an American social scientist and
social feminist who advocated for scientific management and a planned
economy. She began her career in the settlement movement, investigating
women's labor in New York City. In 1916 she became the director of the
Russell Sage Foundation's Department of Industrial Studies, which she
led for over 30 years. During World War I, she was appointed by U.S.
president Woodrow Wilson to lead the development of workplace standards
for women entering the labor force. After the war, she led the creation
of the Women's Bureau, a federal agency that advocates for women in the
workforce. By the 1930s, van Kleeck had become a socialist, arguing that
central planning of economies was the most effective way to protect
labor rights. During the Great Depression, she became a prominent left-
wing critic of capitalism and the New Deal.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_van_Kleeck>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1783:
Laki, a volcanic fissure in Iceland, began an eight-month
eruption, triggering major famine and causing massive fluoride
poisoning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki>
1950:
Thomas Blamey became the only Australian to attain the rank of
field marshal.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey>
1995:
Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf released the first
version of PHP, the most popular server-side language for websites.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP>
2007:
A major storm caused the bulk carrier MV Pasha Bulker to run
aground in New South Wales, Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Drake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
polynya:
(hydrology, oceanography) A naturally formed area of open water
surrounded by sea ice, especially in the Arctic.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polynya>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In an extreme view, the world can be seen as only connections,
nothing else. We think of a dictionary as the repository of meaning, but
it defines words only in terms of other words. I liked the idea that a
piece of information is really defined only by what it's related to, and
how it's related. There really is little else to meaning. The structure
is everything. There are billions of neurons in our brains, but what are
neurons? Just cells. The brain has no knowledge until connections are
made between neurons. All that we know, all that we are, comes from the
way our neurons are connected.
--Tim Berners-Lee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee>
The wolf (Canis lupus) is a large canine native to Eurasia and North
America. It is the largest extant member of Canidae, males averaging
40 kg (88 lb) and females 37 kg (82 lb). On average, wolves measure
105–160 cm (41–63 in) in length and 80–85 cm (31–33 in) at
shoulder height. Compared to coyotes and jackals, wolves have more
pointed ears and muzzles, as well as shorter torsos and longer tails.
The fur of a wolf is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black. Up
to 38 subspecies have been recognized, including the domestic dog.
Wolves live in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair accompanied
by their offspring. Fights over territory are among the principal causes
of mortality. The wolf is mainly a carnivore and feeds primarily on
large wild hooved mammals, though it also eats smaller animals,
livestock, carrion, and garbage. Most recorded wolf attacks on people
have been attributed to rabies. They have been both respected and feared
in human societies.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1832:
The Reform Act, which is widely credited with launching modern
democracy in the United Kingdom, received royal assent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Act_1832>
1900:
American temperance activist Carrie Nation entered a saloon in
Kiowa, Kansas, and destroyed its stock of alcoholic beverages with
rocks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Nation>
1981:
The Israeli Air Force attacked and disabled the Osirak nuclear
reactor, under the assumption that it was about to start producing
plutonium to further an Iraqi nuclear-weapons program.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera>
1998:
Three white supremacists murdered James Byrd Jr., an African
American, by chaining him behind a pickup truck and dragging him along
an asphalt road in Jasper, Texas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd_Jr.>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
merit:
1. (transitive) To deserve, to earn.
2. (intransitive) To be deserving or worthy.
3. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To reward.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/merit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way
they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it,
protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them with the well fought
lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same. And if you and
I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling
our children and our children's children what it once was like in
America when men were free.
--Ronald Reagan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan>
Demetrius III Eucaerus was a Seleucid ruler who reigned as King of
Syria between 96 and 87 BC. He was a son of Antiochus VIII and, most
likely, his Egyptian wife Tryphaena. After his father was assassinated
in 96 BC, Demetrius III took control of Damascus. In 89 BC, he
invaded Judaea and crushed the forces of its king, Alexander Jannaeus.
By 87 BC, Demetrius III had most of Syria under his authority. He
attempted to appease the public by promoting the importance of the local
Semitic gods, and he might have given Damascus the dynastic name
Demetrias. By late 87 BC, Demetrius III attacked his brother, and
rival to the throne, Philip I, in the city of Beroea, where Philip I's
allies called on the Parthians for help. The allied forces routed
Demetrius III and besieged him in his camp; he was forced to surrender
and spent the rest of his life in exile in Parthia. Philip I took
Antioch, while Antiochus XII, another brother of Demetrius III, took
Damascus.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_III_Eucaerus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1882:
The Shewan army defeated Gojjame forces at the Battle of
Embabo, an event that contributed to the supremacy of Shewa within the
Ethiopian Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Embabo>
1912:
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century began,
forming Novarupta (lava dome pictured) in the Alaska Peninsula.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novarupta>
1944:
World War II: The largest amphibious military operation in
history began with Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy in
France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings>
1984:
Tetris, one of the best-selling video games of all time, was
first released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
polemology:
The study of human conflict and war.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polemology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day
of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great,
I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As
we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of
prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us
strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the
contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our
armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long
travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our
sons wheresoever they may be.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>
The Chestnuts Long Barrow is a chambered tomb located near the village
of Addington in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Constructed
during Britain's Early Neolithic period, it belongs to a regional style
of barrows produced in the vicinity of the River Medway. The long
barrows built in this area are now known as the Medway Megaliths.
Chestnuts Long Barrow lies near both Addington Long Barrow and Coldrum
Long Barrow on the western side of the river, and was built on land
previously inhabited in the Mesolithic period. It consisted of an
earthen mound, estimated to have been 15 metres (50 feet) in length,
with a chamber built from sarsen megaliths on its eastern end. Human
remains placed within this chamber during the Neolithic period were
found alongside pottery sherds, stone arrow heads, and a clay pendant.
The mound gradually eroded away and was gone by the twentieth century,
leaving only the ruined stone chamber.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnuts_Long_Barrow>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1610:
The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of
Whitehall to celebrate the investiture of Henry Frederick as Prince of
Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethys%27_Festival>
1899:
Filipino general Antonio Luna was assassinated in the midst of
the Philippine–American War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna>
1963:
British politician John Profumo admitted that he had lied to
the House of Commons about his involvement in a sex scandal with
Christine Keeler and resigned from government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Keeler>
2001:
Tropical Storm Allison made landfall in Texas, causing
approximately $8.5 billion in damage, making it the costliest Atlantic
tropical cyclone that was never a major hurricane.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Allison>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rubbish:
1. (chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) Garbage, junk, refuse,
trash, waste.
2. (by extension, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) An item, or
items, of low quality.
3. (by extension, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain) Nonsense.
4. (archaic) Debris or ruins of buildings. […]
5. (transitive, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, Britain, colloquial) To
criticize, to denigrate, to denounce, to disparage.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rubbish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH I have watched this week's unfolding
events, angry and appalled. The words "Equal Justice Under Law" are
carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is
precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and
unifying demand — one that all of us should be able to get behind. We
must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests
are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are
insisting that we live up to our values — our values as people and our
values as a nation.
--James Mattis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Mattis>
Lythronax is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in North
America around 80.6–79.9 million years ago. Size estimates for
Lythronax have ranged between 5 and 8 m (16 and 26 ft) in length, and
between 0.5 and 2.5 t (1,100 and 5,500 lb) in weight. It was a heavily
built tyrannosaurid; as a member of that group, it would have had small,
two-fingered forelimbs, strong hindlimbs, and a very robust skull. The
rear part of the skull of Lythronax appears to have been very broad,
with eye sockets that faced forwards like those of Tyrannosaurus.
Lythronax is the oldest known member of the family Tyrannosauridae, and
it is thought to have been more basal than Tyrannosaurus. Due to its
age, Lythronax is important for understanding the evolutionary origins
of tyrannosaurids, including the development of their anatomical
specializations. The forward-facing eyes of Lythronax gave it depth
perception, which may have been useful during pursuit predation or
ambush predation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lythronax>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1561:
The spire of Old St Paul's Cathedral in London was destroyed by
fire, probably caused by lightning.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Paul%27s_Cathedral>
1920:
The Kingdom of Hungary lost 72% of its territory and 64% of its
population with the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon>
1940:
Second World War: The remaining Allied forces protecting the
Dunkirk evacuation surrendered, ending the Battle of Dunkirk; in
response, British prime minister Winston Churchill gave a speech in
which he declared "We shall fight on the beaches".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_shall_fight_on_the_beaches>
1974:
Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians hosted Ten Cent Beer
Night, but had to forfeit the game to the Texas Rangers due to rioting
by drunken fans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ghrelin:
(biochemistry) A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty,
that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the
pituitary gland.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ghrelin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they
are always watching you.
--Robert Fulghum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum>
Sega is a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in
Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart
on June 3, 1960; shortly after, the company acquired the assets of its
predecessor, Service Games of Japan. Sega developed its first coin-
operated game, Periscope, in the late 1960s. Following a downturn in the
arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega developed video game consoles,
starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against
competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega released its
next console, the Sega Genesis, in 1988; it found success outside Japan
starting with Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. In 2001, Sega stopped making
consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was
acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega produces multi-million-
selling game franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, and
Yakuza, and is the world's most prolific arcade game producer.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
Liverpool F.C. (stadium pictured), one of England's most
successful football clubs, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C.>
1940:
Nazi official Franz Rademacher proposed that the island of
Madagascar be made available as a destination for the resettlement of
the Jewish population of Europe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan>
1950:
Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of the French
Annapurna expedition, became the first climbers to reach the summit of a
peak higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_French_Annapurna_expedition>
1973:
At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-air,
killing the six members of the crew and eight bystanders on the ground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Paris_Air_Show_Tu-144_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
disport:
(transitive, intransitive, reflexive, dated) To amuse oneself
divertingly or playfully; in particular, to cavort or gambol.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disport>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to
pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But
when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
--Gospel of Matthew
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew>
Adore is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band
The Smashing Pumpkins (vocalist Billy Corgan pictured), released on
June 2, 1998, by Virgin Records. After the multi-platinum success of
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and subsequent tour, the
Pumpkins' follow-up album was highly anticipated, but drummer Jimmy
Chamberlin had left the band, and the recording of Adore was
challenging. The album featured a more subdued and electronica-tinged
sound than the band's previous work; Greg Kot of Rolling Stone magazine
called it "a complete break with the past". Sales for the album were far
less than for the band's previous two albums, but it became the third
straight Pumpkins album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best
Alternative Music Performance. It was well received by critics, and has
gained a cult following. A remastered and expanded version of the album
was released on CD, vinyl and other formats in September 2014.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adore_%28The_Smashing_Pumpkins_album%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom (wedding depicted),
becoming the only U.S. president to wed in the White House.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland>
1967:
German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a
protest in West Berlin against the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant 2 June Movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_June_Movement>
1995:
Bosnian War: U.S. Air Force captain Scott O'Grady was shot down
while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia, but ejected safely
and was rescued six days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_O%27Grady>
2010:
A gunman carried out a shooting spree in Cumbria, England,
killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rubicon:
1. A limit that when exceeded, or an action that when taken, cannot be
reversed.
2. (card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: a score which, if not
achieved by a losing player, increases the player's penalty.
3. (transitive, card games) Especially in bezique and piquet: to defeat
a player who has not achieved the rubicon.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rubicon>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To be an intellectual really means to speak a truth that allows
suffering to speak. That is, it creates a vision of the world that puts
into the limelight the social misery that is usually hidden or concealed
by the dominant viewpoints of a society. "Intellectual" in that sense
simply means those who are willing to reflect critically upon themselves
as well as upon the larger society and to ascertain whether there is
some possibility of amelioration and betterment.
--Cornel West
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cornel_West>
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a German pre-dreadnought battleship
of the Kaiser Friedrich III class, built as part of a program of naval
expansion under Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was laid down in January 1898,
launched in June 1899, and completed in May 1901, and was armed with a
main battery of four 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun
turrets. The vessel served in the Home Fleet and later the High Seas
Fleet for the first seven years of her career, participating in training
cruises and maneuvers. Placed in reserve in 1910, the battleship was
returned to active service in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I,
tasked with coastal defense in the North Sea. The ship was deployed
briefly to the Baltic but saw no action. In 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm der
Grosse was again withdrawn from service and relegated to secondary
duties as a depot ship in Kiel and then a torpedo target ship. The
vessel was sold for scrapping and broken up in 1920. (This article is
part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Battleships_of_Germ…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1831:
British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross (portrait
shown) successfully led the first expedition to reach the North Magnetic
Pole.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clark_Ross>
1868:
The Navajo and the U.S. government signed an agreement,
allowing those interned at Fort Sumner to return to their ancestral
lands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Bosque_Redondo>
1988:
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty came into effect,
banning all American and Soviet land-based missiles with a range of 500
to 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 mi).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate-Range_Nuclear_Forces_Treaty>
2015:
China's worst peacetime maritime disaster occurred when the
cruise ship Dongfang zhi Xing capsized in the Yangtze, resulting in 442
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Dongfang_zhi_Xing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oxishly:
(rare) In a manner like that of an ox.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oxishly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of
firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of
civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse
to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war.
--Carl von Clausewitz
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz>