15 April 2014

iota

[ahy-oh-tuh]

noun

1. a very small quantity; jot; whit. ‘It didn’t make one iota of difference’.
2. the ninth letter of the greek alphabet (I, ι).
3. the vowel sound represented by this letter.

Origin:
1600–10; < Latin iōta < Greek iôta < Semitic; compare Hebrew yōdh yod

Synonyms
1. bit, particle, atom, grain, mite.

Today’s aphorism

Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.

– Leonardo da Vinci

On this day

15 April 1452 – birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian renaissance inventor, painter, sculptor, mathematician, writer.

15 April 1865 – Death of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln after being shot the day before. Born 12 February 1809.

15 April 1912 – RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton UK to New York City, USA, costing the lives of 1,502 people out of the 2,224 crew and passengers who were on board. The White Star Line, who owned the Titanic, had declared her unsinkable.