Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Spotlight
On this date in 1606, in a royal decree, England's King James I proclaimed a new flag which would represent the merging of Scotland and England under his rule. The flag combined the flags of the two countries into one and became known as the Union Flag or the Union Jack.

Quote
"The British flag is the signal of freedom, liberty and safety. That flag is considered most sacred, because it defends and protects us." – Robert FitzRoy

Word of the day
saltire: a cross with diagonal bars of equal length; the Union Jack combined Scotland's white saltire on a blue background with England's red St. George's cross on a white background. (© )

Holiday
Passover begins at sundown (Judaism)

Today's News

• Venus Express: probe locks into orbit in the hot, dense atmosphere around Venus (story)
• sinusitis: new angioplasty-like treatment clears out clogs (story)
• fusarium keratitis: eye fungus linked to content lens solution (story)

Today's History

• Galileo: heresy trial began during the Inquisition (1633)
• US Civil War: started when Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter (1861)
• Bill Haley and His Comets: recorded "Rock Around the Clock" and ushered in the era of rock 'n' roll (1954)

Today's Birthdays

• Tom Clancy: techno-thriller novelist, The Hunt for Red October, The Sum of All Fears (59)
• David Letterman: host, The Late Show With David Letterman (59)
• David Cassidy: teen idol on The Partridge Family (56)