March 8: Lead(II) nitrate

   Lead(II) nitrate is a chemical compound, the inorganic salt of nitric
   acid and lead.  It is colourless crystal or white powder and a strong,
   stable oxidizer.  Unlike most other lead(II) salts, it is soluble in
   water.  Its main use from the Middle Ages, under the name plumb dulcis,
   has been as raw material in the production of many pigments.  Since the
   twentieth century, it has been used industrially as a heat stabilizer
   in nylon and polyesters, and in coatings of photothermographic paper.
   Commercial production did not take place until the nineteenth century
   in Europe, and in the United States until after 1943, with a typical
   production process of metallic lead or lead oxide in nitric acid.
   Lead(II) nitrate is toxic and probably carcinogenic to humans.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%28II%29_nitrate

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1702:
   Princess Anne became the queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Great_Britain)

1782:
   Almost 100 Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio died at the hands of
   Pennsylvanian militiamen in a mass murder known as the Gnadenhütten
   massacre.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnadenhütten_massacre)

1844:
   Oscar I acceded to the throne of Sweden-Norway.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_I_of_Sweden)

1966:
   Nelson's Pillar, a large granite pillar with a statue of Lord Nelson
   on top in Dublin, Ireland, was destroyed by a bomb.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson's_Pillar)

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Wikiquote of the day:

   Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters,
   settled down, spread, and flourished.  They didn't bother themselves
   about the past — they never do; they're too busy.  -- Kenneth Grahame
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Grahame)

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