On This Day - Aug. 30

1363 CE - The forces of two Chinese rebel leaders -- Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang -- are pitted against one another at the Battle of Lake Poyang in what will be one of the largest naval engagements in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty.




Photo of the Day

Nor'west arch over Canterbury, New Zealand.




In the News
Obama, in Estonia and at NATO Summit, to Send Strong Message to Putin
Ukraine Seeks to Join NATO; Defiant Putin Compares Kiev to Nazis
Ebola Outbreak Reaches Senegal, Riots Break Out in Guinea
Islamist Gains in Syria Alarm Some Assad Allies
Bitcoin Promoter to Plead Guilty to Unlicensed Money Transmission




Quote of the Day
"Envy of the male role can come as much from an undervaluation of the role of wife and mother as from an overvaluation of the public aspects of achievement that have been reserved for men". --Margaret Mead




Song of the Day 

Back in the Saddle
Artist - Aerosmith
Album - Rocks




Film of the Day

Pan's Labyrinth
Director - Guillermo del Toro
Starring - Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López




Wiki of the Day

The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of the 1900 World's Fair. 997 competitors took part in 19 different sports. Women took part in the games for the first time and sailor Hélène de Pourtalès became the first female Olympic champion. The decision to hold competitions on a Sunday brought protests from many American athletes, who travelled as representatives of their colleges and were expected to withdraw rather than compete on their religious day of rest.

At the Sorbonne conference of 1895, Pierre de Coubertin proposed that the Olympic Games should take place in 1900 in Paris. The delegates to the conference were unwilling to wait five years and lobbied to hold the first games in 1896. A decision was made to hold the first Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens and that Paris would host the second celebration.

Most of the winners in 1900 did not receive medals, but were given cups or trophies. Professionals competed in fencing and Albert Robert Ayat (France), who won the épée for amateurs and masters, was awarded a prize of 3000 francs.

Some unusual events were contested for the only time in the history of the Games including automobile and motorcycle racing,^[2] ballooning,^[3] cricket,^[4] croquet,^[5] Basque pelota,^[6] and 200m swimming obstacle race and underwater swimming.^[7] This was also the only Olympic Games in history to use live animals (pigeons) as targets during the shooting event.^[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Summer_Olympics