of Hainaut in western Belgium and in northeastern France. Originating in
the fertile Flemish grasslands, it was bred for size and pulling power
for agricultural work. Horses of the breed are considered to be gentle
and easy to handle. They have many colors, although bay and roan are the
most common. Originally considered a subtype of the Ardennes horse, it
was recognized as an individual breed with the opening of a studbook in
1903. The Trait du Nord was used extensively in mining from the late
19th century through 1920 (and occasionally through the 1960s), and in
agriculture through World War II. During the mid-20th century, the breed
was in demand for the production of horse meat, but this demand began to
decline by the early 1970s, and the Trait du Nord, like many European
draft breeds, was in danger of extinction. In the 1990s the breed
experienced a slight revival through an increased interest in
recreational riding and driving, but it is still considered to be
endangered by the French government, with a high risk of inbreeding:
there are fewer than 100 new foal births a year. The national breed
registry in France is working with local groups to reverse the decline.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trait_du_Nord>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1587:
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle for
her involvement in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I
of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots>
1879:
At a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute, engineer and
inventor Sandford Fleming first proposed the adoption of worldwide
standard time zones based on a single universal world time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_time>
1915:
Film director D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (film
poster pictured) was released, becoming one of the most influential and
controversial films in the history of American cinema.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation>
1965:
After taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision just
after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport,
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean and
exploded, killing all 84 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_663>
2010:
A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan
triggered a series of at least 36 avalanches that buried over 3.5 km
(2.2 mi) of road, killed at least 172 people and trapped over 2,000
travellers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Salang_avalanches>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
thanatocoenose:
A fossilized ecosystem: a collection of dead lifeforms, found together,
which previously interacted as a community within an ecosystem.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thanatocoenose>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every morning I shall concern myself anew about the boundary
Between the love-deed-Yes and the power-deed-No And pressing forward
honor reality. We cannot avoid Using power, Cannot escape the compulsion
To afflict the world, So let us, cautious in diction And mighty in
contradiction, Love powerfully.
--Martin Buber
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Buber>
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