1947 - Bernard Baruch first uses the term " Cauld War".1945 - Warld War II: German refugee ship "Goya" is sunk bi a Soviet submarine, killin 7,000 fowk.1945 - Warld War II: The Reid Airmy stairts its feenal assault on Berlin. 1944 - Warld War II: Allied bombin o Belgrade.1943 - Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects o LSD.1941 - Warld War II: Italian convoy "Duisburg" is destroyed bi Breetish ships.1925 - A Communist assault on Saunt Nedelya Kirk in Sofia, Bulgarie, kills 150 fowk.1912 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman tae flee across the Inglis Chainel.1908 - The Naitural Brigs Naitional Monument is creatit in Utah.1848 - The Unitit States Senate ratifies the Rush-Bagot Treaty, staiblishin the mairch wi Canadae.1746 - Seicont Jacobite Uprisin: Battle o Culloden, the hindmaist battle o the Jacobite Uprisin wis fochten, at the hinnerend it led tae the the Hieland clans bein malafoustert.Oh, and Google – for those wondering, Zuckerberg was born in May. As we follow Facebook’s latest endeavour, maybe we can only look to the stars for answers. “#Libras may look normal on the outside but inside they are strange”. So what about the ‘Libras’ of Twitter, can they shed any light on the new term setting searching engines alight? The Urban Dictionary’s entries, the majority of which centre around the astrological understanding of the word, range from the simple: “people born between September 24 to October 20” to getting more specific about the characteristics of a ‘Libra’: “Libran’s LOVE the lucrative and luxurious”.įrom 1894 (a period in which spiritualism, the occult and all things a bit ‘woo woo’ boomed) a ‘libran’ newly came to be understood as “a person born under the sign of Libra”. This stems from its original and quite literal Latin meaning of: “scales”. The air sign is represented by a set of balanced weighing scales, and symbolises the Libran’s affinity with equilibrium, justice and harmony. ‘Libra’ is, however, more commonly understood today as the seventh sign in the zodiac, one viewed by astrologists as the most desirable. The word clearly has value, as from the ancient word sprang the ‘lira’, the currency of Turkey and previously, Italy. The abbreviation ‘lb’, used for pounds, is derived from ‘libra’ – and the ‘£’ symbol itself originates from the ornately written ‘L’ in ‘Libra’. The new cryptocurrency is actually named after the Roman unit for measurement of weight: “an ancient Roman unit of weight corresponding to one pound”. So, why ‘libra’? Does the Silicon Valley giant have a secret penchant for astrology and the occult? Or was Mark Zuckerberg just born in late September? What does ‘libra’ mean? The new currency has already been backed by tech heavyweights Uber and Spotify, but has been slammed by cryptocurrency experts for being “the most invasive and dangerous” form of surveillance by Facebook yet. Humbly aiming to rival mainstream currencies like the US dollar, the cryptocurrency will cater to the 1.7 billion people around the world who do not have access to basic financial services – providing a groundbreaking alternative to cash, credit cards and bank transfers. This week we delve into the history and meaning of ‘libra’, the Latin term making headlines and causing a stir on social media following the announcement of Facebook’s new global currency. We take a closer look at the words and phrases that are trending online and in the media.
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