Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Quarterdeck

Image via Wikipedia
Quarterdeck: noun - originally, this was a small decklocated above the half-deck and covering about a quarter of a vessel. Thesedays, however, it's used for that part of a ship's upper deck near the stern, andusually reserved for officers or privileged passengers; the officers of a shipor the navy.
'Shirley winked withlittle subtlety at the steward who brought her glass of champagne, and invitedhim to join her on the quarterdeck a little after midnight, where, she assuredhim, she would make it worth his while.'
In the UK, today isgenerally considered the shortest day of the year and a cause of much joy thatimprovements are now on their way. Though, sometimes it is the 22nd that'sconsidered so. The night between 21st and 22nd December is the longest.Certainly, following this day, the hours of daylight increase until themid-summer point, when the whole thing begins its decline again. The Christian world,borrowing the wisdom of the preceding pagans, placed Christmas at this time ofyear to capitalise on the potential of associating the birth of their prophetwith the ending of the declining season and the hope of better things to come.A wise decision for those early leaders wishing to increase their following ina very uncertain world.
1835 - HMS Beagle sailedinto the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, on Darwin's historic voyage of discovery.
1914 - The firstfeature-length silent film comedy, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" was released,featuring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand & Charles Chaplin. Chaplin, ofcourse, went on to become one of the cinema's icons over the following years.