From today's featured article
Did you know ...
- ... that blackface actor George Kunkel (pictured) originally portrayed the character of Uncle Tom to promote slavery during the American Civil War, but later used the part to attack it when his views changed?
- ... that sauerkraut made by members of a Russian spiritual sect in Armenia was once popular across the Soviet Union?
- ... that The Blue Angels was shot using IMAX cameras rigged to a helicopter, plus an ultra-high-speed camera shooting at 1,000 frames per second?
- ... that the translation of The Lord of the Rings into German by Margaret Carroux contains errors introduced by her editor?
- ... that for six miles (9.6 km) in Davidson County, North Carolina, traffic on I-85 drives on the left?
- ... that Melanie L. Campbell was arrested for civil disobedience while protesting proposed restrictions on voting rights?
- ... that historically lichens like Umbilicaria torrefacta have been used to naturally dye traditional Scottish tartans and textiles?
- ... that American poet Edwin Ford Piper collected 828 folksongs, with most of them coming from Iowa and Nebraska?
- ... that before reading the script for the play Golden Girls, at least nine of the cast members were under the impression that they would be taking the lead role?
In the news
![Plaza Murillo surrounded by soldiers](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Intento_de_Golpe_de_Estado_Bolivia_2024.jpg/187px-Intento_de_Golpe_de_Estado_Bolivia_2024.jpg)
- In Bolivia, troops led by Juan José Zúñiga storm the presidential palace in an attempted coup (pictured).
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is released from prison as part of a U.S. plea bargain.
- Protesters attack the Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving 19 people dead and at least 160 others injured.
On this day
- 1894 – Tower Bridge (pictured), a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames in London, was inaugurated.
- 1934 – German chancellor Adolf Hitler began a purge of the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party and other political rivals, executing at least 85 people.
- 1974 – Municipal workers in Baltimore, Maryland, went on strike seeking higher wages and better conditions.
- 1985 – Ryan White, an HIV/AIDS patient in the U.S., was denied re-admission to his school after he had contracted the disease from hemophilia treatments.
- John Quelch (d. 1704)
- Frederick Bligh Bond (b. 1864)
- Alberta Williams King (d. 1974)
- Margaret (b. 1991)
Today's featured picture
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Gibson's albatross (Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni) is a large seabird in the albatross family, Diomedeidae, named after the Australian amateur ornithologist John Douglas Gibson. It is found principally in the Auckland Islands of New Zealand, foraging in the Tasman Sea, with most individuals nesting on Adams Island. Gibson's albatross is classified as part of the same species as the Antipodean albatross but is generally paler in colour. Adult birds are white on the back, with white plumage on the head and body and fine grey barring. The tail is white with black edges, except in older males, in which it may be completely white, while the bill is pale pink. This Gibson's albatross was photographed in flight off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. Photograph credit: John Harrison
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