Today (November 28)
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November 28 The British depended on complex logistical arrangements to recapture the Falkland Islands in 1982, as the British forces were operating 13,000 kilometres (8,000 mi) from home. The Royal Navy's ships were augmented by ships taken up from trade (STUFT), and a base was developed on remote Ascension Island. The 3rd Commando Brigade was landed in May on East Falkland, but struggled to build up its supplies as the Argentine air forces made repeated attacks on ships. SS Atlantic Conveyor was struck by a missile, and sank with Chinook and Wessex helicopters (example pictured) on board, along with vital stores. This forced the 3rd Commando Brigade to yomp across East Falkland. Forward Brigade Maintenance Areas were established, and ammunition was delivered to gun positions by helicopters to enable the artillery to support the attacks on the mountains ringing Port Stanley. The successful conclusion of these battles resulted in the surrender of the Argentine forces in June. (Full article...)
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November 28: Bukovina Day in Romania (1918)
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Tomorrow (November 29)
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November 29 The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large cat and the only Panthera species native to the Americas. With a body length of 1.12 to 1.85 m (3 ft 8 in to 6 ft 1 in) and a weight of 56 to 96 kg (123 to 212 lb), it is the third-largest cat species in the world. Its coat is covered by spots that transition to rosettes on the sides. The jaguar's range extends from the southern U.S. through Mexico and across much of Central America to Paraguay and northern Argentina. It inhabits forested and open terrain, but prefers dense jungle. It is adept at swimming and is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush apex predator. The wild jaguar population is thought to have declined since the late 1990s, and is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and human–wildlife conflict. Since 2002, it has been listed as a near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List. The jaguar has featured prominently in indigenous cultures of the Americas, including the Maya and Aztec civilizations. (Full article...)
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November 29: Liberation Day in Albania (1944)
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November 29 The Shortlist Music Prize was an annual music award for the best album released in the United States that had sold fewer than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination. First given as a cash prize in 2001 under the name Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music, the award was created by two music-industry directors, Greg Spotts and Tom Serig, as an alternative to the commercial Grammy Awards. The recipient was chosen by a panel of members of the entertainment industry and journalists known as "Listmakers". More than 50 of the best albums of the previous twelve months were picked before being narrowed down to the eponymous shortlist, from which a winner was chosen. At the end of 2001, the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós (pictured) became the first recipients following a ceremony at the Hollywood Knitting Factory. The majority of the seven winners were singer-songwriters: Irishman Damien Rice won in 2003, Americans Sufjan Stevens and Cat Power won in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and Canadian Feist won in 2007. (Full list...) | |||
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In two days (November 30)
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November 30 John McGraw (1873–1934) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who managed the New York Giants for almost thirty years (1902–1932). He was also the third baseman of the 1890s Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles, who won three National League (NL) pennants, were noted for their innovative, aggressive play, perfecting the hit and run and popularizing the Baltimore chop. They also sought to win by intimidating the opposing team and the umpire. After one season with the St. Louis Cardinals (1900), McGraw returned to Baltimore as player and manager of the new Orioles of the American League (AL). He jumped to the Giants in 1902, taking several Orioles players with him. Through his many years managing the Giants, McGraw exerted control on players and team, and saw great success, winning ten pennants (tied for most by a manager) and three World Series; his total of 2,763 victories ranks third among MLB managers. McGraw has been called one of the greatest managers in baseball history. (Full article...)
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November 30: Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare; Saint Andrew's Day (Christianity); Guru Nanak Gurpurab (Sikhism, 2020)
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In three days (December 1)
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December 1 The Cleveland Centennial half dollar is a commemorative United States half dollar, dated 1936, issued to mark the 100th anniversary of Cleveland, Ohio, as an incorporated city, and in commemoration of the Great Lakes Exposition, held in Cleveland that year. In the mid-1930s, commemorative coins were increasing in value, and Cincinnati businessman Thomas G. Melish, a coin collector, lobbied Congress to authorize several new issues, for which he would be the sole distributor. He was successful with the Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar and the Cleveland piece, and profited from both. Brenda Putnam designed the Cleveland coin, which was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts after suggestions by sculptor Lee Lawrie. Melish distributed the Cleveland coins through the exposition, at local banks, and by mail order from his office in Cincinnati. Sales were good, and the full authorized mintage of 50,000 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. (Full article...)
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December 1: World AIDS Day; Great Union Day in Romania (1918)
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In four days (December 2)
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December 2 Manon Melis (born 1986) is a Dutch manager of women's football development at Feyenoord and a former professional footballer who played as a forward. She spent most of her professional career playing in the Swedish league Damallsvenskan, which she won three times with her club LdB FC Malmö, in 2010, 2011, and 2013. Melis also won the Swedish Supercup with Malmö in 2011, and was the Damallsvenskan top scorer three times, in 2008, 2010, and 2011. At age 17, Melis made her debut for the Netherlands national team in 2004. Her goalscoring helped the Dutch qualify for their first major tournament, the UEFA Women's Euro 2009, where they reached the semi-finals. In the tournament, she scored a crucial goal in the final group game against Denmark to send her team into the knockout stage. When she retired from playing international football in 2016, she had earned 136 caps and scored 59 goals. She was the all-time top goal scorer for the Netherlands national team from 2010 to 2019. (Full article...)
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In five days (December 3)
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December 3 El Tatio is a geothermal field with many geysers located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 metres (14,170 ft) above sea level. It is the third-largest geyser field in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The geothermal field has many geysers, hot springs, and associated sinter deposits. The vents are sites of populations of extremophile microorganisms such as hyperthermophiles, and have been studied as an analogue for the early Earth and possible past life on Mars. El Tatio lies at the western foot of a series of stratovolcanoes, part of the Central Volcanic Zone and the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex, which may be the source of heat for El Tatio. There are no recorded eruptions of the Tatio volcanoes. The field is a major tourism destination. It has been prospected for geothermal power production, but development ceased after a major incident in 2009 when a drilling well blew out. (Full article...)
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December 3 The 2nd Division, an infantry division of the British Army, has numerous orders of battle, which can provide information on the strength of that formation and the equipment used. The 2nd Infantry Division was formed numerous times over a 203-year period. Several formations bore the name, the "2nd Division", from 1809 through to the end of the 19th century. The historian Everard Wyrall, the compiler of the division's First World War official history, only included those formations that fought in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, and the Second Boer War as being linked with the division that was created in the 20th century and fought in the First World War. That modern formation was created in 1902 and would go to further serve in the Second World War. The first 2nd Division that was formed was a mere 3,900 men strong and did not include supporting weapons such as artillery. In comparison, the 2nd Infantry Division, from the Second World War period, was over 18,000 men strong and supported by 72 artillery pieces and numerous other support weapons. (Full list...)
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In six days (December 4)
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December 4 A Voyage Round the World is Georg Forster's report on the second voyage of Captain James Cook. Georg's father, Johann Reinhold Forster, served as naturalist on the voyage, with his son as assistant. They sailed on HMS Resolution with Cook, circumnavigating the world, and discovering islands, cultures and species previously unknown to Europeans. On their return, there was disagreement about the publication rights. After plans for a joint work between Cook and Reinhold Forster failed, Georg began writing Voyage in July 1776. It was published on 17 March 1777, six weeks before Cook's own narrative. Foster wrote it as entertaining literature, focusing not on the nautical aspects of the voyage but on scientific observations and on the cultural encounters with the peoples of the South Pacific. Critics praised the writing, especially in contrast to Cook's book. Voyage is regarded as a seminal book in travel writing and has become a classic of travel literature. (Full article...)
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December 4: Navy Day in India
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In seven days (December 5)
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December 5 U.S. Route 30 in Iowa runs generally east-west for 330 miles (530 km), and is the longest primary highway in Iowa. Going east, US 30 enters Iowa at the Missouri River bridge at Blair, Nebraska, and exits at Clinton, where the Mississippi River is crossed. US 30 runs close to the Union Pacific Railroad's Overland Route for its entire length. US 30 was conceived as a part of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway in the United States. A route through Iowa was chosen because of the important link between Omaha, Nebraska, and Chicago, Illinois, and, by 1931, it had been paved across the entire state. The route originally passed through many small towns, but over time, the route has been straightened, bypassing most downtown areas, and with long sections upgraded to a four-lane expressway. Since 2006, the highway has been designated an Iowa Heritage Byway, the first highway in the state with that distinction. (Full article...)
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December 5: Krampusnacht in parts of Central Europe
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