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Silhouette of Anna Blackburne

Anna Blackburne (1726–1793) was an English botanist and collector. She was born at Orford Hall in Lancashire into a family of landowners and after her mother's death she remained there with her father, John Blackburne, who had hothouses for exotic plants and an extensive library. Blackburne taught herself Latin so she could read the Systema Naturae of Carl Linnaeus, and created a natural history museum where she collected insects, shells, minerals and birds. She knew the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster, who instructed her in entomology, and corresponded with other naturalists including Linnaeus. Her brother Ashton, who lived in New York, sent her specimens of North American birds, which were described by the naturalist Thomas Pennant in his Arctic Zoology. After her father's death, Blackburne and her museum moved to nearby Fairfield Hall. After her death, her nephew John Blackburne inherited her collection. Several species are named for her, including the Blackburnian warbler. (Full article...)

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On this day

May 8: Anniversary of the birth of Miguel Hidalgo in Mexico (1753); Victory in Europe Day (1945)

Lady Blanche Arundell

1643 – First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garrison under Lady Blanche Arundell (pictured).
1842 – A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people.
1927 – French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.
1963 – In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
1972 – Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to demand the release of 315 Palestinians convicted on terrorism charges.

Thomas Drury (b. 1551)
Helena Blavatsky (d. 1891)
Beatrice Worsley (d. 1972)

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In the news

Kyren Wilson

Kyren Wilson (pictured) wins the World Snooker Championship.
In horse racing, Mystik Dan wins the Kentucky Derby.
Following the Solomon Islands general election, Jeremiah Manele becomes the prime minister.
Acting prime minister of Haiti Ariel Henry resigns, and the Transitional Presidential Council is sworn in.
NASA announces that the Voyager 1 space probe is sending readable data for the first time in five months.

Did you know...

Editors Building

... that new employees of a business headquartered in the Editors Building (pictured) chose their office decorations from a 7,000-piece collection of historic memorabilia of Washington, D.C.?
... that the fossil insect Allenbya holmesae was named after its finder's mother's maiden name?
... that Eric Sievers helped the San Diego Chargers set an NFL record for receptions by tight ends on a team?
... that the literary magazine Adabijoti Soveti was the sole remaining publication in the Jewish-Bukharian language by the time of the switch to the Cyrillic script in 1939–1940?
... that Charlize Mörz became the first Austrian female gymnast to win a gold medal in the FIG World Cup series in 2024?
... that the 2023 drama film Fly Me to the Moon was Sasha Chuk's debut as a director, screenwriter and lead actress, making it her first feature film in all three categories?
... that with the appointment of Michael Martin as Bishop of Charlotte, the Conventual Franciscans are now the most represented religious order among American Catholic bishops?
... that in 1990, Simon Rimmer bought an existing vegetarian restaurant with his business partner and taught himself to cook – in that order?
... that the perpetrator of the 2017 Aztec High School shooting had previously been investigated by the FBI, but the investigation was closed after he convinced them that he was simply "trolling"?

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