Subject: April 9: Antarctica - msg#00001

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April 2: George IV of the United Kingdom

George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. He had earlier served as Prince Regent when his father, George III, suffered from a relapse into insanity from porphyria.The Regency (George's nine-year tenure as Regent, which commenced in 1811 and ended with George III's death in 1820) was marked by a victory in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. George was a stubborn monarch, often interfering in politics (especially in the matter of Catholic Emancipation), though not as much as his father. For most of George's regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister. George is often remembered as an extravagant prince and monarch. He had a poor relationship with both his father and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, even excluding her from his own coronation. He was a patron of the arts; his regency and reign were graced by such literary figures as George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron and Jane Austen. George was responsible for the building of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_IV_of_the_United_Kingdom _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1792: By the Coinage Act, the U.S. Mint was founded and the U.S. currency was decimalised. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint) 1801: British forces led by Horatio Nelson defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet in the Battle of Copenhagen. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_%281801%29) 1956: As the World Turns premiered on U.S. television as the first half-hour serial drama. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_the_World_Turns) 1982: Falklands War: Argentine special forces began the invasion of the Falkland Islands. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_invasion_of_the_Falkland_Islands) 1992: John Gotti, the crime boss of the Gambino crime family, was convicted of racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling and tax evasion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gotti) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "Whether it is happy or unhappy, a man's life is the only treasure he can ever possess." -- Giacomo Casanova (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giacomo_Casanova)

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April 11: Fanny Blankers-Koen

Fanny Blankers-Koen was a Dutch athlete. She is most famous for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. At that time, she was already a mother of two, which was unheard of at a time when female athletes were still frowned upon by many. It earned her the nickname "the Flying Housewife." Having started competing in athletics in 1935, she took part in the 1936 Summer Olympics a year later. Although international competition was hampered by World War II, Blankers-Koen set several world records during that period, in events as diverse as the long jump, the high jump, sprint, and hurdling. Apart from her four Olympic titles, she won five European titles and 58 Dutch championships. Blankers-Koen retired from athletics in 1955 after haveing set or tied 12 world records. After her retirment she became leader of the Dutch female track and field team. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Blankers-Koen _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1241: Mongols led by Batu Khan and Subutai crushed the Hungarian army of King Béla IV in the Battle of Mohi. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Khan) 1945: World War II: The Buchenwald concentration camp was liberated. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald) 1951: Korean War: General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of overall command in Korea. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur) 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes struck six states in Midwestern United States during the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday_Tornado_Outbreak) 2002: President Hugo Chávez was forced to resign during a military coup attempt in Venezuela. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_coup_attempt_of_2002) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood. The writer wants to be understood much more than he wants to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps, is what makes him different from others." -- Leo Rosten (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leo_Rosten)

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April 2: George IV of the United Kingdom

George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. He had earlier served as Prince Regent when his father, George III, suffered from a relapse into insanity from porphyria.The Regency (George's nine-year tenure as Regent, which commenced in 1811 and ended with George III's death in 1820) was marked by a victory in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. George was a stubborn monarch, often interfering in politics (especially in the matter of Catholic Emancipation), though not as much as his father. For most of George's regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister. George is often remembered as an extravagant prince and monarch. He had a poor relationship with both his father and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, even excluding her from his own coronation. He was a patron of the arts; his regency and reign were graced by such literary figures as George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron and Jane Austen. George was responsible for the building of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_IV_of_the_United_Kingdom _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1792: By the Coinage Act, the U.S. Mint was founded and the U.S. currency was decimalised. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint) 1801: British forces led by Horatio Nelson defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet in the Battle of Copenhagen. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_%281801%29) 1956: As the World Turns premiered on U.S. television as the first half-hour serial drama. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_the_World_Turns) 1982: Falklands War: Argentine special forces began the invasion of the Falkland Islands. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_invasion_of_the_Falkland_Islands) 1992: John Gotti, the crime boss of the Gambino crime family, was convicted of racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling and tax evasion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gotti) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "Whether it is happy or unhappy, a man's life is the only treasure he can ever possess." -- Giacomo Casanova (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giacomo_Casanova)

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April 11: Fanny Blankers-Koen

Fanny Blankers-Koen was a Dutch athlete. She is most famous for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. At that time, she was already a mother of two, which was unheard of at a time when female athletes were still frowned upon by many. It earned her the nickname "the Flying Housewife." Having started competing in athletics in 1935, she took part in the 1936 Summer Olympics a year later. Although international competition was hampered by World War II, Blankers-Koen set several world records during that period, in events as diverse as the long jump, the high jump, sprint, and hurdling. Apart from her four Olympic titles, she won five European titles and 58 Dutch championships. Blankers-Koen retired from athletics in 1955 after haveing set or tied 12 world records. After her retirment she became leader of the Dutch female track and field team. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Blankers-Koen _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1241: Mongols led by Batu Khan and Subutai crushed the Hungarian army of King Béla IV in the Battle of Mohi. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Khan) 1945: World War II: The Buchenwald concentration camp was liberated. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald) 1951: Korean War: General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of overall command in Korea. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur) 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes struck six states in Midwestern United States during the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday_Tornado_Outbreak) 2002: President Hugo Chávez was forced to resign during a military coup attempt in Venezuela. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_coup_attempt_of_2002) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood. The writer wants to be understood much more than he wants to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps, is what makes him different from others." -- Leo Rosten (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leo_Rosten)