4 January 2019 – satrap

4 January 2019

satrap

[sey-trap, sa-]

noun

a governor of a province under the ancient Persian monarchy.
a subordinate ruler, often a despotic one.

Origin of satrap

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin satrapa < Greek satrápēs < Old Persian khshathra-pāvan- country-protector

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for satrap

Historical Examples

When he had heard her words, Pharnabazus decided that the woman ought to be satrap.
Hellenica
Xenophon

Hence the Persians argued that they had been betrayed by the satrap.
Hellenica
Xenophon

He has made the satrap, as you see, a fugitive and a vagabond in his own vast territory.
Hellenica
Xenophon

What could be clearer, therefore, than that he was about to make a dash at the satrap’s home in Caria?
Agesilaus
Xenophon

Where a satrap is appointed he has charge of both departments.
The Economist
Xenophon


Today’s quote

If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?

– T. S. Eliot


On this day

4 January – the eleventh day of the 12 days of Christmas (Western Christianity).

4 January 1903 – Thomas Edison electrocutes an elephant to prove the dangers of ‘alternating current’ electricity. He had previously electrocuted stray cats and dogs and even horses and cows. He snidely referred to it as ‘getting Westinghoused’. Topsy, the elephant, had squashed 4 trainers at the Luna Park Zoo on Coney Island, so the zoo had decided to hang her, before someone suggested she ‘ride the lightning’. More on this at http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/01/dayintech_0104

4 January 1961 – death of Erwin Schrödinger, Nobel prize-winning Austrian physicist who developed a number of fundamental results in the field of quantum theory, which formed the basis of wave mechanics. He was the author of many works in various fields of physics: statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, physics of dielectrics, colour theory, electrodynamics, general relativity, and cosmology, and he made several attempts to construct a unified field theory. He paid great attention to the philosophical aspects of science, ancient and oriental philosophical concepts, ethics, and religion.[4] He also wrote on philosophy and theoretical biology. He is also known for his “Schrödinger’s cat” thought-experiment. Born 12 August 1887.

4 January 1965 – death of Thomas Stearns Eliot (T.S. Eliot), poet, playwright, publisher, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, described as ‘arguably the most important English language poet of the 20th century’. Wrote ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock‘, ‘The Waste Land‘, ‘Ash Wednesday‘, ‘The Hollow Men‘. Born 26 September 1888.

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