17 March 2017

Avestan

[uh-ves-tuh n]

noun

1. an ancient East Iranian language of the Indo-European family, the language of all the Avesta but the Gathas.
Compare Gathic (def 1).
adjective
2. of or relating to the Avesta or its language.

Origin of Avestan

1855-1860; Avest(a) + -an

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Avestan

Historical Examples

The Avestan Morals are brought out by Mr. Johnson in their original and exceeding purity.
The Bay State Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2
Various

The reciprocal help of the deity and the king (19–21) is Avestan, and inconsistent with monotheism.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature
Moncure Daniel Conway

The language of the Avesta can be correctly describedonly as Avestan, for no other literature in the same language exists.
The Worlds Greatest Books, Volume XIII.
Various

Among the Avestan Fragments, attention might finally be called to one which we must be glad has not been lost.
Library Of The World’s Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 3
Various

Anagram

sane vat
save tan
ant vase

Today’s quote

Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.

– Marcus Aurelius

On this day

17 March – St Patrick’s Day.

17 March 180AD – death of Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor. Born 26 April 121AD.

17 March 1931 – The U.S. state of Nevada legalises gambling, which paves the way for the establishment of Las Vegas as the casino capital of America.

17 March 1966 – a hydrogen bomb is recovered from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. The bomb had fallen from a U.S. B-52 after it collided with a KC-135 refuelling jet.

16 March 2017

zoetrope

[zoh-ee-trohp]

noun

1. a device for giving an illusion of motion, consisting of a slitted drum that, when whirled, shows a succession of images placed opposite the slits within the drum as one moving image.

Origin of zoetrope

Greek

1865-1870; irregular < Greek zōḗ life + tropḗ turn

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for zoetrope

Contemporary Examples

After Lucy Fisher became head of production for Francis Coppola’s zoetrope Studios, he could barely contain his envy.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon
Robert Sam Anson
February 28, 2014

Historical Examples

My zoetrope thus worked off itself, and piled up Karma for all the village whether anyone happened to be looking at it or not.
Hilda Wade
Grant Allen

Avenues of poplars on both sides of the road chased each other like the figures in a zoetrope.
The Ball and The Cross
G.K. Chesterton

Add gradually ten ounces of piperazine, a pint of Harrogate water and inhale leisurely through a zoetrope.
Punch, 1917.07.04, Vol. 153, Issue No. 1
Various

The zoetrope, or Wheel of Life, which appeared first in 1860, is a modification of the same idea.
The Romance of Modern Invention
Archibald Williams

With the discovery of instantaneous photography, a new application of the principle of the zoetrope was found.
Appletons’ Popular Science Monthly, May 1899
Various

Anagram

poet zero
Peter zoo
ooze pert

Today’s quote

For me writers block is less an issue than “going tharn”, a phrase from the old Watership Down novel to explain what happens to a rabbit when it stops in the middle of the road transfixed by the onrushing headlights of a car.

– John Birmingham, How To Be a Writer

On this day

16 March 1988 – Iraqi forces under the direction of Saddam Hussein, kill thousands of Kurds in Northern Iraq by unleashing a cocktail of gases, including mustard gas, sarin and cyanide.

16 March 1998 – Rwanda commences mass trials relating to the 1994 genocide of approximately 1,000,000 Tutsis and Hutus by Interahamwe militia which had been backed by the Rwandan government.

16 March 2003 – 23 year old, American peace activist, Rachel Corrie, is killed when run over by an Israeli bulldozer which she had tried to stop from demolishing a Palestinian house in Gaza.

15 March 2017

extirpate

[ek-ster-peyt, ik-stur-peyt]

verb (used with object), extirpated, extirpating.

1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.
2. to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up:
to extirpate an unwanted hair.

Origin of extirpate

Latin

1530-1540; < Latin ex (s) tirpātus plucked up by the stem (past participle of ex (s) tirpāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1+ stirp- (stem of stirps) stem + -ātus -ate1

Related forms

extirpation, noun
extirpative, adjective
extirpator, noun
unextirpated, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for extirpate

Historical Examples

After the extirpation of the Indians, the labor of African slaves was introduced.
Continental Monthly, Volume 5, Issue 4
Various

He then and there determined to devote his life to the extirpation of heresy.
An Introduction to the History of Western Europe
James Harvey Robinson

It makes it the religious duty of Christians to legislate for the extirpation of the former and the punishment of the latter.
Handbook of Freethought
Various

extirpation has been the watchword with which Caucasian Christianity has gone about the world.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King

This wary politician was too sagacious to propose what he had at heart—the extirpation of the hierarchy!
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Isaac Disraeli

Hundreds of the ablest judges were selected for the extirpation of this crime.
The Necessity of Atheism
Dr. D.M. Brooks

In our own neighbourhood, if the war and extirpation goes on, he will soon be a memory only.
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood
J. Conway Walter

But the extirpation was not so thorough as at first appeared.
The Gist of Japan
R. B. Peery

What prolific sources of disease are not those mineral and vegetable poisons, that have been introduced for its extirpation !
Vegetable Diet: As Sanctioned by Medical Men, and by Experience in All Ages
William Andrus Alcott

Hundt did not stand alone in his advocacy of the extirpation of the Jews.
History of the Jews, Vol. V (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz

Anagram

trite apex
I reap text
Pi are text
Taxi Peter

Today’s quote

Never deny the babies their Christmas! It is the shining seal set upon, a year of happiness. Let them believe in Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas; or Kriss Kringle, or whatever name the jolly Dutch saint bears in your religion.

– Mary Virginia Terhune

On this day

15 March 44BC – Roman dictator and self-declared Emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar, stabbed to death on the Ides of March by Marcus Junus Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and other Roman senators. Julius Caesar’s assassination was one of the events that marked the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

15 March 270 – birth of St Nikolaos of Myra. Greek bishop of Myra (in what is now Turkey). He would often secretly leave gifts for people. The most famous story of his gift-giving related to a father who couldn’t afford the dowry for his three daughters, which would mean they’d remain unmarried. Legend has it that St Nikolaos secretly threw three bags of gold coins through the window one night so that there would be enough dowry for each. He became the model on which Santa Claus was based. Died 6 December 343.

15 March 1892 – founding of the English football club, Liverpool F.C.

15 March 1916 – President Woodrow Wilson sends thousands of troops into Mexico to capture the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa.

15 March 1985 – the first internet domain name is registered, Symbolics.com.

15 March 1990 – Mikael Gorbachev elected as first president of the Soviet Union and held the office until 25 December 1991. He was the only person to occupy the office. He resigned as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991 following a coup by hard-line members of the CPSU. During the coup, Gorbachev’s Presidency was briefly usurped from 19 August to 21 August 1991 by the Vice-President, Gennady Yanayev. On 8 December 1991, in a legally questionable move, the Soviet Union was dissolved with the agreement of Boris Yeltsin, Leonid Kravchuk and Stanislav Shushkevich, respective leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, creating the Commonwealth of Independent States (or Russian Commonwealth), whose leaders governed their own states.

14 March 2017

abrade

[uh-breyd]

verb (used with or without object), abraded, abrading.

1. to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.
2. to scrape off.

Origin of abrade

Latin

1670-1680; < Latin abrādere, equivalent to ab- ab- + rādere to scrape

Related forms

abradable, adjective
abrader, noun
unabraded, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for abrade

Historical Examples

Genuine amber, when rubbed together, emits a very fragrant odour similar to a fresh lemon, and does not abrade the surface.
Notes and Queries, Number 188, June 4, 1853
Various

This is specially the case with Chaffinches and Bramblings: Greenfinches abrade later.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires
Charles Dixon

In all cases, however, a hard file will abrade the surface of the false stone.
The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones
John Mastin

Wherever they find calcareous strata to abrade, the water is almost milklike in hue for miles around.
Wonderland; or Alaska and the Inside Passage
Lieut. Frederick Schwatka

Anagram

a bread
dab era
bad ear
be a rad

Today’s quote

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

– Karl Marx

On this day

14 March – Pi Day – the date being 3/14 and of course, pi being 3.14.

14 March 1883. – death of Karl Marx, German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist and revolutionary socialist. One of the most influential economists in history. Marx’s work included Das Kapital, as well as The Communist Manifesto which he co-authored with German social scientist, Friedrich Engels. He fathered modern communism and socialism with the aim of putting the means of production in the hands of the workers to end exploitation at the hands of the bourgeoisie. He believed in the redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all, rather than accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few. The wealth, he believed, was created by the workers and should therefore be shared amongst the workers. He stated that communism would not succeed in the individual nation unless other nations supported it, hence the adoption of L’internationale as the socialist anthem following the ‘First International’ conference held by Marx and Engels in 1864. His international theory perhaps makes him the world’s first globalisationist. He believed socialism would not succeed in poverty, but required the building of wealth to succeed and distribution of wealth to be sustainable. Born 5 May 1818.

14 March 1879 – birth of Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the theory of relativity and of course his mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2 (energy = mass x speed of light squared). Died 18 April 1955.

14 March 1939 – the independent republic of Czechoslovakia is dissolved, enabling occupation by Nazi forces following the 1938 Munich Act. Czechoslovakia had been created in 1918.

14 March 1983 – Reggae legend, Peter Tosh, plays the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia, as part of the annual Moomba festival.

13 March 2017

derring-do

[der-ing-doo]

noun

1. daring deeds; heroic daring.

Origin of derring-do

Middle English

1325-1375; Middle English durring-do literally, daring to do, erroneously taken as noun phrase. See dare, do(1)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for derring-do

Contemporary Examples

The research describes the derring-do of a team of scientists working at University of East Anglia.
The Fake Superbug Cure
Kent Sepkowitz
June 20, 2014

Having yourself immortalized with a paunch indicated you were wealthy/held high office/were involved in derring-do.
The Return of the Power Paunch
Sean Macaulay
April 30, 2013

She fell in love with Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie, a soldier with a record of derring-do with appropriate movie star looks.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq
Clive Irving
June 16, 2014

Anagram

odd ringer
nor ridged
drone grid

Today’s quote

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

– William James

On this day

13 March 1929 – The Butler Act is passed, making it illegal to teach the theory of evolution in schools in Tennessee. The Act was repealed in 1967.

13 March 1969 – Disney releases the hit movie, The Love Bug, based on a Volkswagen Beetle with a life of its own.

13 March 1979 – a left-wing military coup in Grenada overthrows Prime Minister, Sir Eric Gairy. His leadership was controversial with allegations of illegitimately winning the election, rigging a Miss World contest and calling for the United Nations to establish a committee to investigate UFOs and extraterrestrial life.

13 March 1996 – Sixteen children at the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland are shot dead by former boy scout leader, Thomas Hamilton. The massacre resulted in stricter gun laws in the United Kingdom.

11 March 2017

paralogize

[puh-ral-uh-jahyz]

verb (used without object), paralogized, paralogizing.

1. to draw conclusions that do not follow logically from a given set of assumptions.

Also, especially British, paralogise.

Origin of paralogize

Medieval Latin, Greek

1590-1600; < Medieval Latin paralogizāre < Greek paralogízesthai to reason falsely, equivalent to parálog (os) (see para-1, logos ) + -izesthai -ize

Dictionary.com

Anagram

a zip galore
I plaza goer

Today’s quote

The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks.

– Douglas Adams

On this day

11 March 1845 – death of Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist. The exact date of Appleseed’s death is in dispute, with some sources claiming 18 March 1845 and others as ‘Summer 1845’. 11 March is celebrated in the USA as ‘Johnny Appleseed Day’. He was born as John Chapman and was a nurseryman who introduced significant numbers of apple trees to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Illinois. His legend grew while he was still alive because of his generous nature, care for animals and the environment, and respect he had for the American Indian tribes who believed he’d been touched by the ‘Great Spirit’ because of his love and admiration for them and the gospel message he preached. Born 26 September 1774.

11 March 1952 – birth of Douglas Adams, British author most famous for his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, a comical science fiction trilogy in five parts. Also wrote Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul and co-wrote, The Meaning of Liff, The Deeper Meaning of Liff and Last Chance to See. Adams also wrote three episodes of Dr Who. Adams campaigned for conservation and the environment. Died 11 May 2001.

11 March 2003 – The United States renames the humble ‘french fries’ to ‘freedom fries’ in response to the French President, Jacques Chirac, condemning the U.S. actions in Iraq.

11 March 2004 – Madrid bombings in which 191 people are killed and 1800 injured. Basque Separatists were blamed for the bombing, although did not claim responsibility. Al Qaeda-linked terrorists were also suspected of the attacks as they occurred exactly 911 days after the 9/11 attacks in the USA. In 2007, 28 suspected terrorists with links to Al Qaeda were charged. On 31 October 2007, the Spanish National Court found 21 of the defendants guilty on charges ranging from forgery to murder. Most were sentenced to 23 years or less, however, three of the accused were sentenced to 42,924 years in prison.

11 March 2007 – an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale strikes off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that kills thousands of people and causes the Fukushima nuclear disaster, in which three of the six nuclear reactors melted down, releasing significant amounts of radiation. It was the world’s second largest nuclear disaster, surpassed only by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

10 March 2017

Erse

[urs]

noun

1. Gaelic, especially Scots Gaelic.
adjective
2. of or relating to Gaelic, especially Scots Gaelic.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Erse

Historical Examples

A northern or Erse word to express a rock broken from a cliff, as the holm in Orkney and Shetland.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

In the Manx and Erse, signifies a rock that can be seen before low-water.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

Some word was cried to him in the Erse, he answered, for a moment he appeared to be going to stop.
The Wild Geese
Stanley John Weyman

Anagram

seer

Today’s quote

Human brutes, like other beasts, find snares and poison in the provision of life, and are allured by their appetites to their destruction.

– Jonathan Swift

On this day

10 March 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call. His first words were ‘Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you’.

10 March 1917 – British forces drive Turkish forces out of Baghdad, taking control of the city.

10 March 1964 – birth of Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer, song-writer.

10 March 1940 – birth of Carlos Ray Norris, aka Chuck Norris, American actor, martial artist and invincible superhero.

8 March 2017

languid

[lang-gwid]

adjective

1. lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow:
a languid manner.
2. lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
3. drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.

Origin of languid

Latin

1590-1600; Latin languidus faint. See languish, -id4

Related forms

languidly, adverb
languidness, noun
unlanguid, adjective
unlanguidly, adverb
unlanguidness, noun

Synonyms

1. inactive, inert, sluggish, torpid. 2. spiritless. 3. weak, feeble, weary, exhausted, debilitated.

Antonyms

1. active, energetic. 3. vigorous.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for languid

Contemporary Examples

In or out of uniform his motion is languid, his voice relaxed and mellifluous, his movements deliberate, confident.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up
Tom Boswell
September 26, 2014

Once upon a time, French presidents were languid, detached, and rarely ever rushed.
The G-20’s Drama Queen
Eric Pape
September 23, 2009

By that he means, and I soon discovered, that the pacing is languid and perfectly in keeping with real police procedure.
The Original Stieg Larsson
Sarah Weinman
July 26, 2010

His copy was lucid and languid in a way that a wire service or television type could cherish but never reproduce.
Dominick Dunne: The Ultimate Reporters’ Reporter
Allan Dodds Frank
August 27, 2009

He was more finely bred than any American she had met, with his bone-china accent, willowy height and languid wit.
Tallulah Bankhead: Gay, Drunk and Liberated in an Era of Excess Art
Judith Mackrell
January 24, 2014

Historical Examples

He was tall with a high hat, a fine moustache and a tailcoat; he had melancholy eyes and a languid air.
Fortitude
Hugh Walpole

Could this languid, blasé nobleman be the man Madeleine loved?
Fairy Fingers
Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie

Cynthia opened her languid eyes, and seeing the Duchess’s dress stained with her blood, mutely drew it to her lips.
The Duchess of Trajetto
Anne Manning

None of them were dull, or languid, or dim-eyed this morning.
The Dop Doctor
Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

Mr. Calhoun handed her to a chair, where she began to use her languid but effective fan.
54-40 or Fight
Emerson Hough

He simply stared at me and said in his languid voice, ‘You haven’t chosen an easy profession, Alexei’.
Thatcher Stole My Trousers
Alexei Sayle

Anagram

lung aid
dial gun
lauding

Today’s quote

No good ever came from meetings: the Russian Revolution was just a meeting that got out of hand.

– Alexei Sayle

On this day

8 March – International Women’s Day.

8 March 1010 – Abolqasem Ferdowsi completes his epic poem, Shahnameh (The Book of Kings). The poem is 50,000 verses long and tells the story of Persia, from creation to the Islamic conquest in the 7th century. Ferdowsi commenced the poem in 977AD. It is the national poem of Iran and is revered by Zoroastrians. The poem is celebrated every year in Iran and by Persian speakers in surrounding areas, including Afghanistan and Tajikstan.

8 – 12 March 1917 – February Revolution in Russia. Following International Women’s Day celebrations many women march out of factories and encourage male counterparts to participate in the strikes and rallies. The first of two events that formed the Russian Revolution, resulting in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, which ended the Romanov dynasty and saw the creation of the Russian Provisional Government, initially led by Prince George L’vov and then by socialist Alexander Kerensky.

8 March 1973 – Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia, is fire-bombed, killing 15 people. The building was on the corner of Amelia Street and St Paul’s Terrace. It was claimed the fire was part of an extortion attempt of night-club owners. The men found guilty of the crime, continued protesting their innocence from prison, claiming they were verballed.

7 March 2017

armoire

[ahrm-wahr, ahrm-wahr]

noun

1. a large wardrobe or movable cupboard, with doors and shelves.

Origin of armoire

Middle French, Old French
1565-1575; < Middle French; Old French blend of armaire and aumoire ambry

Can be confused

amour, armoire, armor.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for armoire

Historical Examples

It seemed such a small brown spot, in such haste, dipping between the candles on the armoire.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett

He turned on his side and watched the sunbeam as it crept up the face of the armoire.
Fort Amity
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

I want you to see an armoire that he has carved, it is up in our exhibition room.
Stories of a Western Town
Octave Thanet

He puffed out a candle and watched her bend over another atop the armoire.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett

In the corner of a panel in the armoire he bored two small holes and blew away the dust that fell from them.
The Secret of the Silver Car
Wyndham Martyn

Opening the armoire, she took out a box of exquisitely inlaid woods, and placed it upon the table.
Flora Adair, Vol. 2 (of 2)
A. M. Donelan

He had supposed it to be left behind in the armoire at Boisveyrac.
Fort Amity
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

And the clever hussy drew from her armoire a little dagger, which she knew how to use with great skill when necessary.
Droll Stories, Complete
Honore de Balzac

It certainly contains no weapons, so cannot be an armoury, and we conjecture that her word must be a corruption of armoire.
Penelope’s Experiences in Scotland
Kate Douglas Wiggin

Then taking a cloak from the armoire he enveloped himself in it, so as to completely hide the jeweled scabbard.
Robert Tournay
William Sage

Anagram

I roamer
I roar me

Today’s quote

Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men’s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact.

– Lyndon B. Johnson

On this day

7 March 1876 – Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.

7 March 1958 – birth of Rik Mayall, British comedian and actor. Starred in The Young Ones, Bottom, Black Adder and Drop Dead Fred. Died 9 June 2014.

7 March 1988 – Cyclone Bola strikes Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne/East Cape region of north-eastern New Zealand. It is one of the costliest cyclones to hit N.Z. Three people were killed and thousands were evacuated.

7 March 1999 – death of Stanley Kubrick, legendary movie producer. Some of his movies include ‘2001 – A Space Odyssey’, ‘The Shining’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. Born 26 July 1928.

7 March 2011 – Charlie Sheen fired from U.S. sitcom, ‘Two and a Half Men’ after allegations of drug abuse.

5 March 2017

damson

[dam-zuh n, -suh n]

noun

1. Also called damson plum. the small, dark-blue or purple fruit of a plum, Prunus insititia, of the rose family, introduced into Europe from Asia Minor.
2. a medium to dark violet.
adjective
3. of the color damson.

Origin of damson

Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English damascene, damson; Latin (prūnum) Damascēnum (plum) of Damascus; see Damascene

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for damson

Historical Examples

The damson, a small plum, may be safely classed with the Prunus Communis.
The Book of Pears and Plums
Edward Bartrum

It was damson preserve Mrs. Smalley had for supper last night.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln

If it ain’t plum an’ apple, it’s damson an’ apple, which is jest the same only there’s more stones in it.
Mud and Khaki
Vernon Bartlett

There is a third sort of Plum about the Bigness of the damson.
A New Voyage to Carolina
John Lawson

The damson coloured it, and whatever they used for apple gave it body.
Five Months at Anzac
Joseph Lievesley Beeston

These, and the mulberry, are the most common; next are the bullace and damson.
Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and The
William Griffith

My heart is fair broken to think o’ the cook and Eelen Young makin’ a hash of the apple jeely and the damson jam.
Patsy
S. R. Crockett

So Adelaide washed the damson plums carefully, and with a silver knife slit each one before putting them into the saucepan.
A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl
Amy Waterman

Fruit trees—apple, plum, and damson —were planted; also some roses.
Hodge and His Masters
Richard Jefferies

The damson plums Adelaide wiped thoroughly, and pricked each one with a silver fork twice.
A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl
Amy Waterman

Anagram

nomads
damn so
No dams

Today’s quote

You know great things are coming when everything seems to be going wrong. Old energy is clearing out for new energy to enter.

– Idil Ahmed

On this day

5 March 1946 – The term ‘Iron Curtain’ to describe the Soviet Union and Communist Europe, is coined in a speech by Winston Churchill.

5 March 1953 – USSR leader Joseph Stalin died at his dacha at Kuntseva,15km west of Moscow, following a stroke three days earlier. An autopsy suggested he may have died from ingesting warfarin, a rat poison which thins the blood, and that this may have caused the cerebral hemorrhage. The warfarin may have been added to his food by Deputy Premier Beria and Nikita Khrushchev. It was later revealed by former Politburo member, Vyacheslav Molotov in his 1993 memoirs that Beria had boasted of poisoning Stalin. Born 18 December 1878.