[Wikipedia] May 17: Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi)
long by 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland
is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the
southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. Chesil Beach
connects it to the mainland, and the A354 road bridge connects it to
Weymouth, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The
population of Portland is almost 13,000. Portland is a central part of
the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon
coast, important for its geology and landforms. Its name is used for
one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of
North American and Australian towns. Portland limestone is still
quarried here, and is used in British architecture, including St Paul's
Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. The large, deep artificial harbour on
Portland's northern shore was a Royal Navy base during World War I and
World War II; the Navy and NATO trained in its waters until the 1990s.
The harbour is a small civilian port and popular recreation area; the
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will host the sailing
events for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Portland>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1590:

Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the abbey
church at Holyrood Palace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark>

1865:

The International Telecommunication Union, an international
organization that standardizes and regulates international radio and
telecommunications, was founded as the International Telegraph Union in
Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union>

1900:

Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking in South Africa was lifted after
217 days, a decisive victory for the British against the Boers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mafeking>

1943:

World War II: Royal Air Force Dam Busters successfully deployed
bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise>

1954:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of
Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because
"separate educational facilities are inherently unequal".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education>

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Wiktionary's word of the day:

practicum (n):
1. A college course designed to give a student supervised practical
knowledge of a subject previously studied theoretically.

2. A science exam in which students are questioned about specimens or
other objects placed in front of them
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practicum>

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Wikiquote quote of the day:

I believe, in spite of all, in truth's victory. I believe in the
momentous value, hereafter inviolable, of those few truly fraternal men
in all the countries of the world, who, in the oscillation of national
egoisms let loose, stand up and stand out, steadfast as the glorious
statues of Right and Duty.
--Henri Barbusse
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>

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