The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Whitehall in London. Designed by Sir
Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled in 1920 as the United Kingdom's national
memorial to the British and Commonwealth dead of the First World War. It
was rededicated in 1946 to also commemorate those who had fallen in the
Second World War, and has since come to represent British casualties
from later conflicts. The word cenotaph is derived from Greek, meaning
'empty tomb'; the monument symbolises the absence of the dead and is a
focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was
erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War;
calls for it to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately.
The permanent Cenotaph was unveiled by George V on 11 November 1920 in
a ceremony combined with the repatriation of the Unknown Warrior. The
National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on
Remembrance Sunday.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cenotaph>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1805:
War of the Third Coalition: French, Austrian and Russian units
suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Dürenstein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_D%C3%BCrenstein>
1960:
A coup attempt by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against
President Ngô Đình Diệm was crushed after he falsely promised
reform, allowing loyalists to rescue him.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_South_Vietnamese_coup_attempt>
1975:
During a constitutional crisis, Governor-General John Kerr
dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's government and dissolved the
Parliament of Australia for a double-dissolution election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
witzchoura:
(historical) A woman's fur-lined cloak, mantle, or pelisse with large
sleeves, worn during the early 19th century.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witzchoura>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I could not dig: I dared not rob: Therefore I lied to please the
mob. Now all my lies are proved untrue And I must face the men I slew.
What tale shall serve me here among Mine angry and defrauded young?
--Rudyard Kipling
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling>
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