William T. Stearn (16 April 1911 – 9 May 2001) was a British botanist. Born in Cambridge, he was largely self-educated. He was head librarian at the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library in London from 1933 to 1952, and then moved to the Natural History Museum where he was a scientific officer in the botany department until 1976. After retirement, he became the president of the Linnean Society and taught botany at Cambridge University. He is known for his work in botanical taxonomy, history, and illustration, and for his studies of the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus. Stearn is the author of Botanical Latin, as well as the Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners, a popular guide to the scientific names of plants. He is considered one of the most eminent British botanists of his time. An essay prize in his name from the Society for the History of Natural History is awarded each year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Stearn> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1862: Slavery in Washington, D.C., ended when the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act became law. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Compensated_Emancipation_Act> 1945: Second World War: British and Canadian forces concluded the Liberation of Arnhem in the Netherlands from German occupation. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Arnhem> 1948: The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, headquartered in Paris, was founded. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD> 2014: The ferry MV Sewol capsized and sank off Donggeochado, South Korea, killing 306 people, mainly students from Danwon High School. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_MV_Sewol> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: sinking feeling: An unpleasant feeling in the abdomen caused by hunger or, especially, apprehension or uneasiness. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinking_feeling> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion. --Anatole France <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anatole_France> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
