Word of the day
- lenient November 24, 2024Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2024 is: lenient • \LEEN-yunt\ • adjective Someone or something described as lenient is not harsh, severe, or strict. In other words, they allow a lot of freedom and leeway, and do not punish or correct in a strong way. // The teacher was lenient in her […]Merriam-Webster
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On This Day
1754 – Sir Horace Walpole coins the word serendipity in a letter to a friend.
Serendipity means a “fortunate or happy unplanned coincidence”. The term was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754. In a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann, Walpole explained an unexpected discovery he had made about a (lost) painting[1] of Bianca Cappello by Giorgio Vasari by reference to a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip. The princes, he told his correspondent, were “always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of”.
The notion of serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of scientific innovation. Examples are Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928, the invention of the microwave oven by Percy Spencer in 1945, and the invention of the Post-it note by Spencer Silver in 1968.
In June 2004, a British translation company voted the word to be one of the ten English words hardest to translate.[2] However, due to its sociological use, the word has since been exported into many other languages.[3]
Born On This Day
1919 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (d. 2002)
Francis Stanley “Gabby” Gabreski (born Franciszek Stanisław Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 – January 31, 2002) was a Polish-American career pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 26 years of military service. He was the top American and United States Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe in World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.
Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Gabreski was also one of the Air Force’s most accomplished leaders. In addition to commanding two fighter squadrons, he had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totaling over 11 years of command and 15 overall in operational fighter assignments.
After his Air Force career, Gabreski headed the Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad owned by the State of New York, and struggled in his attempts to improve its service and financial condition. After two and a half years, he resigned under pressure and went into full retirement.
FYI
By Associated Press: IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad dies at 91
Kamprad’s life story is intimately linked to the company he founded at age 17 on the family farm.
His work ethic, frugality and down-to-earth style remain at the core of its corporate identity today. But his missteps in life, including early flirtations with Nazism, never rubbed off on IKEA, one of the world’s most recognizable brands.
Interesting comments!
By William Hughes: R.I.P. Mort Walker, creator of Hi & Lois and Beetle Bailey
Comments:
Nah. Mort Walker realized that it was no laughing matter twenty years ago and had a storyline where the General attended sensitivity training. I couldn’t find the actual strip where he apologies to her but I found the old CNN article.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9707/06/beetle.bailey/
By Gary Price: Library and Archives Canada Announces Launch of “Collection Search” (Beta) Library and Archives Canada Announces Launch of “Collection Search” (Beta)
By Chaza Nasser Merchak: Experience Tunisia’s rich culture with Street View Imagery
Journey under the Earth’s surface in Street View
By Angela Helm: Aretha Franklin Chooses Jennifer Hudson to Play Her in Upcoming Biopic
Worth Repeating:
By Nicolas Cole: 20 Things Nobody Tells You About Growing Up
12. You can’t change your parents.
A sad and difficult truth to face as you get older: You can’t change your parents.
They are who they are.
Whether they approve of what you do or not, at some point, no longer matters. Love them for bringing you into this world, and leave the rest at the door.
20. Your purpose is to be YOU.
What is the meaning of life?
To be you, all of you, always, in everything you do — whatever that means to you. You are your own creator. You are your own evolving masterpiece.
Growing up is the realization that you are both the sculpture and the sculptor, the painter and the portrait. Paint yourself however you wish.
By Hometalk Highlights: Gardeners: Copy These 30 Stunning Ways To Display Your Plants
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wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 25 November 25, 2024Picture of the day Papaya fruits in a grocery store. Colatina, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 24 November 24, 2024Picture of the day The Scroll of Eighty-Seven Immortals, drawn by an unknown painter, measuring 30cm high and 292cm wide, is a line-drawing Chinese figure painting. Drawn on a long silk scroll with lines, the painting depicts 87 taoist immortals, including three supreme gods with halo, ten divine generals, seven deities and 67 celestial maidens […]
Recipes
By Befferoni and Cheese: How to Make Orange Bread
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