SS Politician was a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of the
Hebridean island of Eriskay (pictured) in February 1941. During the
Second World War the ship participated in the Atlantic convoys between
the United Kingdom and the United States. She grounded while attempting
to rendezvous with a convoy to the north of Scotland. No one was badly
injured or killed in the accident. Her cargo included 22,000 cases of
malt whisky and £3 million worth of Jamaican banknotes. Much of the
whisky was recovered by islanders from across the Hebrides, contrary to
marine salvage laws. Because no duty had been paid on the whisky,
members of HM Customs and Excise pursued and prosecuted those who had
removed the cargo. Customs men undertook raids, arresting many and
seizing the boats of those suspected of taking part. The story of the
wreck and looting was the basis for the book Whisky Galore; an
adaptation was released as a film in 1949 and a remake in 2016.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Politician>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store in Rochdale, England,
forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Society_of_Equitable_Pioneers>
1923:
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that
defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a
sovereign nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal%E2%80%93Britain_Treaty_of_1923>
1965:
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member
states have since signed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_of_All_Forms_of_Racial_Discrimination>
1988:
The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made
its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
milieu:
1. An environment or setting; a medium.
2. (specifically) A social environment or setting.
3. A group of people with a common point of view; a social class or
group.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/milieu>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren
darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time
of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable,
like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines
of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.
--Gary Zukav
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gary_Zukav>
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