2 April 2013

basket case

noun Slang.

1. a person who is helpless or incapable of functioning normally, especially due to overwhelming stress, anxiety, or the like.
3. anything that is impaired or incapable of functioning: Right after the war the conquered nation was considered an economic basket case.
Origin:
1915–20

Today’s aphorism

Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or an animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

– Martin Luther King Jr.

On this day

2 April 1926 – birth of Sir John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham AO OBE, Australian racing legend, 3 times Formula One world champion (1959, 1960, 1966).

2 April 1972 – Charlie Chaplin returns to the U.S. after 20 years of self-imposed exiled for ‘un-American’ activities. He had been accused during the McCarthy era of being a communist sympathiser.

2 April 1982 – Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, a British-controlled territory. The conflict escalates with Britain sending troops to expel Argentina. The conflict ends on 14 June 1982 when Britain regains control of the Islands.

2 April 2007 – Argentina restates its claim that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. Britain continues to oppose the claim.