Sunday, March 29, 2020

Wikipedia article of the day for March 30, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 30, 2020 is Secretariat (horse).
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, in 1973, became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. Secretariat set speed records in all three Triple Crown races. His time of 1:59​2⁄5 in the Kentucky Derby still stands as the Churchill Downs track record for ​1 1⁄4 miles. His disputed time in the Preakness Stakes was recognized as a stakes record in 2012. He won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, setting an American record for ​1 1⁄2 miles on dirt that still stands. He also set a world record in the Marlboro Cup, and proved his versatility by winning two major stakes races on turf. His 1972–1973 racing career resulted in five Eclipse Awards, including American Horse of the Year honors both years. Of The Blood-Horse's Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat ranks second only to Man o' War. After siring several major stakes winners, Secretariat died at age 19 of complications from laminitis.

How Russia’s Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election


By BY DAVEY ALBA from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dC73Kn

Facebook, Google and Twitter Struggle to Handle November’s Election


By BY KEVIN ROOSE, SHEERA FRENKEL AND NICOLE PERLROTH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2QQuJkk

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020 is Francis Willughby.
Francis Willughby (1635–1672) was an English ornithologist and ichthyologist, and an early student of linguistics and games. At Trinity College, Cambridge, he was tutored by the mathematician and naturalist John Ray, who became a lifetime friend and colleague. Willughby, Ray, and others including John Wilkins were advocates of a new way of studying science, relying on observation and classification, rather than the received authority of Aristotle and the Bible. Willughby and Ray undertook journeys to gather information and specimens in England, Wales, and continental Europe, visiting museums, libraries and private collections as well as studying local animals and plants. After Willughby's early death, Ray completed the works they had jointly planned, publishing books on birds, fish and invertebrates that included innovative ways of classifying animals. Carl Linnaeus relied on Willughby and Ray's books in his Systema Naturae, the basis of binomial nomenclature.

A Single Gesture Behind Trump Fuels an Online Conspiracy Theory


By BY DAVEY ALBA AND SHEERA FRENKEL from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dB2aB4