This day in history: Did you know...

Thursday, 9 October 2014

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the physicist Edward Creutz published a paper on a rare flower (pictured) found only on the island of Raiatea in French Polynesia?
... that the Pacific International was Amtrak's first internationalpassenger train?
... that the blind Canadian swimmer Brian Hill prepared for the 2008 Paralympics by swimming 120 km (75 mi) in two weeks?
... that the slender head of the narrow-headed vole may have evolved to allow it to move more easily through crevices in frozen ground?
... that the historian Jalmari Jaakkola, who was criticized for overtly nationalist assertions and extensive speculation, chose the words "The seer of early Finnish history" for his memorial medal?
... that the South African cricketer Jacques Kallis was the first player to take a five-wicket haul in the ICC Champions Trophy?
... that at least six people turned down the job of Director of Research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory before Alvin M. Weinberg accepted it in March 1948?

This day in history