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April 1
The invisible rail (Habroptila wallacii) is a large flightless rail that is endemic to the island of Halmahera in North Maluku, Indonesia, where it inhabits impenetrable sago swamps adjacent to forests. Its plumage is predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill and the legs are all bright red. Its call is a low drumming sound which is accompanied by wing-beating. Information on the behaviour of this shy bird, usually shielded by its dense habitat, is limited. Recorded dietary items include sago shoots and insects, and it also swallows small stones to help break up its food. It is apparently monogamous, but little else is known of its courtship behaviour. The only known nest was a shallow bowl in the top of a rotting tree stump that was lined with wood chips and dry leaves. The two young chicks were entirely covered in black down typical of precocial newly hatched rails. The estimated population of 3,500–15,000 birds has a restricted range and is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (Full article...)
Recently featured: "Missing My Baby" – Alsos Mission – John Tyler
April 2
The Fifth Element is a 1997 English-language French science fiction film directed and based on a story by Luc Besson. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich (pictured). In the 23rd century, Korben Dallas (Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, joins forces with a young woman (Jovovich) who falls into his cab, and they set off to recover four mystical stones essential for the defence of Earth against an impending attack. Besson started writing the story that became The Fifth Element when he was 16 years old; he was 38 when the film opened in cinemas. Filming for the French production took place primarily in London, as suitable locations in France could not be found. It received mainly positive reviews, although it tended to polarise critics. It has been called both the best and worst summer blockbuster of all time. The Fifth Element was a financial success, earning more than $263 million at the box office on a $90 million budget. At the time of its release it was the most expensive European film ever made, and it remained the highest-grossing French film at the box-office until the release of The Intouchables in 2011. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Invisible rail – "Missing My Baby" – Alsos Mission
April 3
Amphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant of the phenethylamine class that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. It is also used as a performance enhancer and nootropic, and recreationally as an aphrodisiac and euphoriant. Amphetamine increases neurotransmitter activity in the brain, with its most pronounced effects on norepinephrine and dopamine. At therapeutic doses, this causes emotional and cognitive effects such as euphoria, change in libido, increased wakefulness, and improved cognitive control. It induces physical effects such as decreased reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength. Amphetamine exists as two enantiomers, levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine, and normally refers to an equal parts mixture of the two enantiomers in its free base form. It is a prescription medication in many countries, and unauthorized possession and distribution of amphetamine are often tightly controlled due to the significant health risks associated with uncontrolled or heavy use. (Full article...)
Recently featured: The Fifth Element – Invisible rail – "Missing My Baby"
April 4
On April 4, 1955, a United Airlines Douglas DC-6 crashed (similar aircraft pictured) shortly after taking off from Long Island MacArthur Airport, in the U.S. community of Ronkonkoma in Islip, New York. The aircraft, named Mainliner Idaho, began banking to the right after takeoff, then swerved 90 degrees, nosedived, and hit the ground, killing all three crewmembers. An investigation found that they had been simulating an engine failure on an instrument rating check flight, but had pulled back the throttle lever for engine No. 4 too far, causing the propeller blades to reverse, a feature normally used only to slow the aircraft during landing. They had also failed to raise a metal flag in the cockpit that would have allowed the blades to return to the proper position during flight. Investigators from the Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that crew lost control of the aircraft when they applied full power to No. 4 engine, and that the sudden bank and dive left the crew little time to recover from their mistake. After the investigation, the Civil Aeronautics Administration issued an Airworthiness Directive ordering all United Douglas DC-6 and DC-6B aircraft to be fitted with a manual device to prevent the inadvertent reversal of the blades. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Amphetamine – The Fifth Element – Invisible rail
April 5
Robert Burnell (c. 1239 – 1292) was an English bishop who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1274 to 1292. A native of Shropshire, he served as a minor royal official before entering into the service of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England. When Edward went on the Eighth Crusade in 1270, Burnell stayed in England to secure the prince's interests. He served as regent after the death of King Henry III of England while Edward was still on crusade. He was twice elected Archbishop of Canterbury, but his personal life—which included a long-term mistress who was rumoured to have borne him four sons—prevented his confirmation by the papacy. In 1275 Burnell was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells, after Edward had appointed him Lord Chancellor in 1274. He was behind the efforts of the royal officials to enforce royal rights during his term of office as chancellor, including the implementation of the quo warranto procedures. He also helped with the legislative and legal reforms of Edward's reign. During Burnell's tenure the chancellor's office and records became fixed in London rather than travelling with the king. He went abroad on diplomatic missions for Edward, and for a time governed Gascony. (Full article...)
Recently featured: 1955 MacArthur Airport United Airlines crash – Amphetamine – The Fifth Element
April 6
Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series created by TMS Entertainment and based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Sonic X initially ran for 52 episodes, broadcast in Japan from April 6, 2003 to March 28, 2004; a further 26 were aired elsewhere from 2005 to 2006. The show's American localization was done by 4Kids Entertainment. The plot follows a boy named Chris and a group of anthropomorphic animals from another planet, including Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream, who repeatedly scuffle with Dr. Eggman and his robots over the Chaos Emeralds. The final story arc sees the friends return with Chris to their world, where they meet a plant-like creature named Cosmo and fight an army of robots called the Metarex in outer space. Sonic X received mixed reviews; writers criticized its localization and some characters, but were more generous toward its story and aesthetics. Merchandise included an edutainment game for the Leapster, a trading card game, and a comic book series. The phrase "gotta go fast", the title of the show's North American theme song, has been a Sonic catchphrase for over a decade. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Robert Burnell – 1955 MacArthur Airport United Airlines crash – Amphetamine
April 7
I Never Liked You is a graphic novel by Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown (pictured). The story first ran between 1991 and 1993 in Brown's comic book Yummy Fur, and was published in book form in 1994. It deals with the teenage Brown's introversion and difficulty talking to others, especially members of the opposite sex—including his mother, to whom he is unable to express affection even as she lies dying in the hospital. The story has minimal dialogue and is sparsely narrated. The drawings are amongst the simplest in Brown's body of work—some pages consist only of a single small panel. The uncomplicated artwork of his friend and fellow Toronto cartoonist Seth inspired him to simplify his own. I Never Liked You was the last work of Brown's early autobiographical period. The book appeared amid an early-1990s trend in autobiographical alternative comics, and Brown was one of a prominent trio of Toronto-based autobiographical cartoonists, with Seth and Joe Matt. It was well received, and its influence can be found in the work of cartoonists such as Jeffrey Brown, Ariel Schrag and Anders Nilsen. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Sonic X – Robert Burnell – 1955 MacArthur Airport United Airlines crash
April 8
Fanny Bullock Workman (1859–1925) was an American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the Himalaya. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she not only explored but also wrote about her adventures. She set several women's altitude records, published eight travel books with her husband, and championed women's rights and women's suffrage. Educated in the finest schools available to women, she was introduced to climbing in New Hampshire. She married William Hunter Workman, and traveled the world with him. The couple had two children, but left them in schools and with nurses. Workman saw herself as a New Woman who could equal any man. The Workmans wrote books about each trip and Workman frequently commented on the state of the lives of women that she saw. They explored several glaciers and conquered several mountains of the Himalaya, eventually reaching 23,000 feet (7,000 m), a women's altitude record at the time. Workman became the first woman to lecture at the Sorbonne and the second to speak at the Royal Geographical Society. She received many medals of honor and was recognized as one of the foremost climbers of her day. (Full article...)
Recently featured: I Never Liked You – Sonic X – Robert Burnell
April 9
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–77). He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and retired after serving in the Mexican–American War. When the Civil War began in 1861, he rejoined the U.S. Army and won major victories at Shiloh and Vicksburg, and in the Chattanooga Campaign. After promotion to Commanding General, Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in a series of bloody battles in Virginia in 1864, trapping Lee's army in the siege of Petersburg. Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, ended the war. After the war, he implemented Congressional Reconstruction. Elected president in 1868, Grant led the Republicans in their effort to remove the vestiges of Confederate nationalism, protect African American citizenship, and support economic prosperity nationwide. In foreign policy, Grant sought to increase American trade and influence, while remaining at peace with the world. His presidency has often come under criticism for tolerating corruption and, in his second term, leading the nation into an economic depression. After an unsuccessful attempt at nomination for a third term in 1880, he completed his memoirs, garnering critical acclaim and financial success. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Fanny Bullock Workman – I Never Liked You – Sonic X
April 10
Sale (Town Hall pictured) is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it is on the south bank of the River Mersey, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) southwest of Manchester. In 2001, it had a population of 55,000. Evidence of Stone Age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon activity has been discovered locally. By the 17th century, Sale had a cottage industry manufacturing garthweb, the woven material from which horses' saddle girths were made. The Bridgewater Canal reached the town in 1765, stimulating Sale's urbanisation. The arrival of the railway in 1849 triggered Sale's growth as a commuter town for Manchester, leading to an influx of middle-class residents; by the end of the 19th century the town's population had more than tripled. Sale's urban growth resulted in a merger with neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, following the Local Government Act 1929. The increase in population led to the granting of a charter in 1935, giving Sale honorific borough status. Since then, Sale has continued to thrive as a commuter town, supported by its proximity to the M60 motorway and the Manchester Metrolink network. Sale Sharks rugby union and Sale Harriers athletics club were founded in Sale, although both have now relocated elsewhere. (Full article...)
Part of the Towns in Trafford featured topic.
Recently featured: Ulysses S. Grant – Fanny Bullock Workman – I Never Liked You
April 11
The 158th Boat Race, an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames, took place on 7 April 2012. Despite Cambridge having the heavier crew, Oxford (pictured after the race) were pre-race favourites after a successful preparation period, including a victory over Leander. Cambridge won the toss and chose to start on the Surrey side of the river. Partway through, with the boats level, the race was temporarily halted to avoid injury to a protester, Trenton Oldfield, who swam in front of the two crews. After the race was restarted, one of the Oxford crew suffered irreparable damage to his blade following a clash of oars with the Cambridge boat, ending Oxford's chances of victory. The race was eventually won by Cambridge by four-and-a-quarter lengths, in a consolidated time of 17 minutes 23 seconds. Immediately after completing the race, a member of the Oxford crew collapsed, but later recovered. Oldfield was later jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance, and as a result of the disruption, security for subsequent Boat Races was increased. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Sale, Greater Manchester – Ulysses S. Grant – Fanny Bullock Workman
April 12
Gemini is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Saran. The film features Vikram (pictured) in the title role of a small-time criminal and aspiring crime boss who, after falling in love, gives up his life of crime; Kiran Rathod plays his love interest. Murali stars as Singaperumal, a police officer who inspires and guides Gemini. Based on gang wars in Chennai, the film delves into the lives of outlaws and the roles the police and society play in their rehabilitation and acceptance. Shot mainly at the AVM Studios in Chennai, the film was released in 2002 to praise from critics for Vikram's performance, but not for Saran's script. Made at an estimated cost of ₹40 million (US$480,000), the film earned ₹210 million (US$2.5 million) at the box office and became the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. The film's success, largely attributed to the popularity of one of its songs, "O Podu", resurrected the Tamil film industry, which was experiencing difficulties after a series of box office failures. The film won three Filmfare Awards, three ITFA Awards and four Cinema Express Awards. Later that same year, Saran remade the film in Telugu. (Full article...)
Recently featured: The Boat Race 2012 – Sale, Greater Manchester – Ulysses S. Grant
April 13
Casino Royale (1953) is a James Bond novel, the first of twelve featuring the British secret agent by Ian Fleming. At a casino in Royale-les-Eaux, Bond beats Le Chiffre, the treasurer of a French trade union and a member of the Russian secret service, in a high-stakes baccarat game; Bond wins 80 million francs belonging to SMERSH, the Soviet counterintelligence agency. He is supported by Vesper Lynd, a member of his own service, as well as Felix Leiter of the CIA and René Mathis of the French Deuxième Bureau. Fleming took plot elements from his wartime experiences in the Naval Intelligence Division and based some characters on people he met during the war; the character of Bond also reflected many of Fleming's personal tastes. Looking for distraction in advance of his forthcoming wedding, Fleming wrote the draft in early 1952 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. The book was given broadly positive reviews by critics at the time and sold out in less than a month after its UK release, although US sales upon release a year later were much slower. The story has been adapted several times, including in a daily comic strip and twice on film, a 1967 adaptation starring David Niven and a 2006 version starring Daniel Craig. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Gemini (film) – The Boat Race 2012 – Sale, Greater Manchester
April 14
Taiko drums, a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments, were introduced to Japan through Korean and Chinese cultural influence as early as the 6th century, and a mythological origin is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, the second oldest book of Japanese classical history. They have seen use in Japan for communication, theatre, religious ceremonies, and festival and concert performances. In feudal warfare, taiko drums were used to summon troops, call out orders and set a marching pace. In modern times, they have played a role in social movements for minorities within and outside Japan. Taiko performances can vary in their rhythms, forms, stick grips, clothing, and instrumentation. Ensembles typically use different types of barrel-shaped nagadō-daiko drums, as well as the smaller shime-daiko. Many groups accompany their drums with vocals, strings, and woodwind instruments. The popular ensemble style called kumi-daiko was developed in 1951 through the work of Daihachi Oguchi, and has continued with groups such as Kodo. Kumi-daiko performance groups are active in Japan, the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Brazil. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Casino Royale (novel) – Gemini (film) – The Boat Race 2012
April 15
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) was the 17th President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson was elected to the House of Representatives in 1843, became Governor of Tennessee in 1853, and was elected to the Senate in 1857, where he sought passage of the Homestead Bill. As Southern states, including Tennessee, seceded to form the Confederacy, Johnson remained firmly with the Union. As a War Democrat in 1864, he was a logical choice as running mate for President Abraham Lincoln, who wished to send a message of national unity. Johnson was sworn in as vice president in March 1865; six weeks later, the assassination of Lincoln made him president. Johnson directed the seceded states to hold conventions and elections to re-form their civil governments. When Congress passed bills for a more severe Reconstruction, he vetoed them, but Congress overrode him, setting a pattern for the remainder of his presidency. When he tried to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in possible violation of the Tenure of Office Act, he was impeached by the House of Representatives, and narrowly avoided removal from office. Although his ranking has fluctuated over time, he is generally considered among the worst American presidents. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Taiko – Casino Royale (novel) – Gemini (film)
April 16
Sir Vernon Sturdee (1890–1966) was an Australian Army officer. During the First World War he participated in the landing at Gallipoli and the fighting on the Western Front. Promotion was stagnant between the wars, and he remained at his wartime rank of lieutenant colonel until 1935. He had little faith in the strategy of basing a fleet at Singapore, and warned that the Army would have to face a well-equipped Japan. As Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, he conducted a doomed defence of the islands to the north of Australia against the Japanese. He later commanded the First Army in New Guinea in 1944–45, directing the fighting at Aitape and on New Britain and Bougainville. He was charged with destroying the enemy without committing his troops to battles that were beyond their strength. When the war ended, he took the surrender of Japanese forces at Rabaul. He succeeded Sir Thomas Blamey as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces in December 1945, and was Chief of the General Staff again from 1946 to 1950. During this time, he had to demobilise the wartime Army while fielding and supporting part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. (Full article...)
Part of the Command in the South West Pacific Area featured topic.
Recently featured: Andrew Johnson – Taiko – Casino Royale (novel)
April 17
Aldwych tube station is a closed station on the London Underground, in the City of Westminster in central London. The station building, near the junction of Strand and Surrey Street, opened in 1907 as the only other station on the Piccadilly line's short branch from Holborn. Suffering from low passenger numbers, the station and branch were considered for closure several times. Service was offered only during weekday peak hours from 1962 and finally discontinued altogether in 1994, when the cost of replacing the lifts was considered too high compared to the income generated. Disused parts of the station and the running tunnels were used to shelter artworks from the National Gallery during the First World War, and from the British Museum during the Second World War. The station has long been popular as a filming location, appearing as itself and as other London Underground stations. In recognition of its historical significance, it is a Grade II listed building. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Vernon Sturdee – Andrew Johnson – Taiko
April 18
Hurricane Erika was the strongest and longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. It developed from a tropical wave on September 3 and moved west-northwestward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Passing just north of the Lesser Antilles, it carried a cloud of volcanic ash to Antigua from the eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat. Strong waves from the hurricane produced beach erosion and coastal flooding in northern Puerto Rico, and caused the death of two surfers. Moderate wind gusts in the northern Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico left thousands of residents without power, and did $10 million in damage in the U.S. Caribbean territories. The hurricane was pushed to the north by an approaching trough, then quickly strengthened to become the only major hurricane of the season, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). It weakened as it passed over cooler waters, and finally became an extratropical cyclone after passing near the Azores archipelago. The months of August and September produced only this one Atlantic tropical cyclone; that had not happened since 1929. (Full article...)
Part of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season featured topic.
Recently featured: Aldwych tube station – Vernon Sturdee – Andrew Johnson
April 19
Bart Simpson is a character voiced by Nancy Cartwright (pictured) on the animated TV series The Simpsons, the longest-running American sitcom. Created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening, the mischievous and rebellious Bart (an anagram of brat) is the ten-year-old son of Homer and Marge and the older brother of Lisa and Maggie. The character has also appeared in video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride, commercials, comic books, merchandising, and (for three years before The Simpsons) on The Tracey Ullman Show. Hallmarks of the character include his chalkboard gags in the opening sequence, his prank calls to Moe, and the catchphrases "Eat my shorts", "¡Ay, caramba!", and "Don't have a cow, man!" During the first two seasons of The Simpsons, Bart was the show's breakout character, though educators derided Bart's pride in being an underachiever. Time named Bart one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. Cartwright has won several awards for voicing Bart, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 and an Annie Award in 1995. In 2000, Bart and the rest of his family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Hurricane Erika (1997) – Aldwych tube station – Vernon Sturdee
April 20
Rhodotus is a genus of just one mushroom species, Rhodotus palmatus, known as the rosy veincap or wrinkled peach. Typically found growing on the stumps and logs of rotting hardwoods, mature specimens may usually be identified by the pinkish color and the distinctive ridged and veined surface of their rubbery caps, though the size, shape, and color can vary depending on the quantity and shades of light received during development. This uncommon species has been collected in eastern North America, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. Declining populations in Europe have led to its appearance in over half of the European fungal Red Lists of threatened species. First named Agaricus palmatus by Bulliard in 1785, it was reclassified into several different genera before becoming Rhodotus in 1926. The familial placement of the genus Rhodotus within the order Agaricales has also been subject to dispute, and the taxon has been transferred variously to the families Amanitaceae, Entolomataceae, and Tricholomataceae. Molecular phylogenetics analysis has helped determine that Rhodotus is most closely related to genera in the Physalacriaceae. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Bart Simpson – Hurricane Erika (1997) – Aldwych tube station
April 21
The Seated Liberty dollar was a dollar coin designed by Mint Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht and struck by the United States Mint from 1840 to 1873. The coin's reverse features a heraldic eagle first seen on coins in 1807, based on a design by late Mint Chief Engraver John Reich; the coin's obverse is based on the Gobrecht dollar. "In God We Trust" was added to the dollar in 1866 following its introduction to other US coins earlier in the decade. In the final years of the series, there was more silver produced in the US, and mintages increased. These were the last dollar coins before the Coinage Act of 1873 temporarily ended their production for American commerce and authorized the trade dollar for use in foreign commerce. Representatives of silver interests were unhappy when the metal's price dropped again in the mid-1870s; they advocated the resumption of the free coinage of silver into legal tender. After passage of the Bland-Allison Act in 1878, silver dollar production resumed with the Morgan dollar. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Rhodotus – Bart Simpson – Hurricane Erika (1997)
April 22
SM U-66 was the lead ship of the Type U-66 U-boats (submarines) for the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The submarine had been laid down in November 1913 by Germaniawerft of Kiel for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, who then sold the entire class to the German Imperial Navy after the outbreak of war appeared to make delivery to the Adriatic impossible. Redesigned and reconstructed to German specifications, U-66 was launched in April 1915 and commissioned in July. The boat was 228 feet (69 m) long and was armed with five torpedo tubes and a deck gun. As a part of the Baltic and 4th Flotillas, U-66 sank 24 ships with a combined gross register tonnage of 69,967 in six war patrols. After reporting her position in the North Sea on 3 September 1917, neither the U-boat nor any of her 40-man crew were ever heard from again. A postwar German study offered no explanation for her loss, although British records suggest that she may have struck a mine in the Dogger Bank area. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Seated Liberty dollar – Rhodotus – Bart Simpson
April 23
Caelum is a faint constellation in the southern sky, introduced in the 1750s by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Latin for "chisel", it is the eighth-smallest constellation, measuring around 0.038 steradians, just smaller than Corona Australis. Caelum is a rather barren constellation with few objects of interest, due to its small size and location away from the plane of the Milky Way. The constellation's brightest star, Alpha Caeli, is only of magnitude 4.45, and only one other star (Gamma1 Caeli) is brighter than magnitude 5. Other notable objects in Caelum are RR Caeli, a binary star with one planet approximately 20.13 parsecs (65.7 ly) away; X Caeli, a Delta Scuti variable that forms an optical double with Gamma1 Caeli; and HE0450-2958, a Seyfert galaxy (pictured) that at first appeared as just a jet, with no host galaxy visible. The source of the jet was once suggested to be a supermassive black hole, but is now agreed to be a small galaxy that is partially obscured by light from the jet and a nearby starburst galaxy. (Full article...)
Recently featured: SM U-66 – Seated Liberty dollar – Rhodotus
April 24
Colton Point State Park is a 368-acre (149 ha) Pennsylvania state park in the United States. It is on the west side of Tioga County's Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, which is 800 feet (240 m) deep and nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) across at this location. The park, named for Henry Colton, a Williamsport lumberman who cut timber there starting in 1879, extends from the creek in the bottom of the gorge up to the rim and across part of the plateau to the west. Known for its views of the gorge, it offers opportunities for picnicking, hiking, fishing, hunting, whitewater boating, and camping. It was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for its "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list. Pine Creek has carved the gorge through five major rock formations from the Devonian and Carboniferous periods. A path along Pine Creek was first used by Native Americans, then lumbermen, and from 1883 to 1988 it was the route of a railroad. The gorge was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Caelum – SM U-66 – Seated Liberty dollar
April 25
Amphibians are a class of cold-blooded vertebrates, mostly four-limbed. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats in freshwater, on or under the ground, or in trees. Typically starting their lives as aquatic larvae with gills, they generally undergo metamorphosis into adults with air-breathing lungs. They use their skins as a secondary respiratory surface; some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skins. The earliest amphibians evolved in the Devonian Period from fish with lungs and bony-limbed fins. The three modern orders of amphibians are Anura (the frogs and toads), Caudata (the salamanders), and Gymnophiona (the caecilians). The number of known species is approximately 7,000, of which nearly 90% are frogs. The smallest living amphibian is a frog from New Guinea with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.3 in). The largest is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) Chinese giant salamander, but this is dwarfed by the extinct 9 m (30 ft) Prionosuchus from Brazil. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often indicators of ecological disturbance, and in recent decades their populations have declined around the globe. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Colton Point State Park – Caelum – SM U-66
April 26
Constance Stokes (1906–1991) was a modernist Australian painter working in Victoria. She trained at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School until 1929, winning a scholarship to continue her study at London's Royal Academy of Arts. Her paintings and drawings were exhibited from the 1940s onwards, and she was one of only two women included in a major exhibition of twelve Australian artists that travelled to Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy in the early 1950s. Influenced by George Bell, Stokes was part of the Melbourne Contemporary Artists, a group Bell established in 1940, and her works continued to be well-regarded by art historians for many years after the group's formation. Her husband's early death in 1962 forced her to return to painting as a career, resulting in a successful one-woman show in 1964, her first in thirty years. She continued to paint and exhibit through the 1980s. Her work faded into relative obscurity after her death, until the publication of Anne Summers' 2009 book The Lost Mother, a narrative that highlights Stokes and her paintings. Her art is represented in most major Australian galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Amphibian – Colton Point State Park – Caelum
April 27
Wish You Were Here (1975) is the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock group Pink Floyd (pictured), recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios. Some of its songs critique the music business; others express alienation. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a tribute to Syd Barrett, whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group several years earlier; it was lead writer Roger Waters' idea to split the song into two parts and use it to bookend the other songs on the album. As on their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, the band made use of studio effects and synthesizers, and brought in guest singers for some tracks, including Roy Harper for the lead vocals on "Have a Cigar". The album became an instant commercial success, and record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy demand. Although it initially received mixed reviews, the album has since been acclaimed by critics and appears on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour have each cited Wish You Were Here as their favourite Pink Floyd album. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Constance Stokes – Amphibian – Colton Point State Park
April 28
The expansion era of the National Hockey League (NHL) began when six new teams were added to the original six for the 1967–68 season. The expansion teams formed the newly created West Division: the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. By 1978, the NHL had lost the Seals and had added another six teams: the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Flames, New York Islanders, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Capitals. They added another four teams in 1979, absorbed from the defunct World Hockey Association—the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets—for a total of 21 teams, a figure that remained constant until the San Jose Sharks joined as an expansion franchise in 1991. The NHL became involved in international play in the Summit Series in 1972, matching NHL players against the top players of the Soviet Union, and in the Canada Cup and Super Series between 1976 and 1991. The expansion era was one of the highest-scoring periods in NHL history, led in the 1980s by the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky (pictured in 2006), who scored 215 points in 1985–86, still a league record. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album) – Constance Stokes – Amphibian
April 29
The Cretan War (205–200 BC) was fought by King Philip V of Macedon (pictured) and a coalition that included several Cretan cities against the forces of Rhodes, Attalus I of Pergamum and their allies. Wishing to eliminate Rhodes, the king formed an alliance with pirates. With the Rhodian fleet and economy suffering from their depredations, Philip believed his chance to crush Rhodes was at hand; in alliance with the Seleucid Empire, he attacked the lands of Ptolemy V of Egypt and Rhodes' allies in the Balkans. In 201 BC, Rhodes, Pergamum and their allies defeated Philip at the Battle of Chios, but shortly afterwards, his fleet defeated the Rhodians at Lade. While he was plundering Pergamese land, Attalus went to Athens and secured an alliance against Macedon. Philip assailed Athens, but Rome warned him to withdraw or face war. After being defeated again by the Rhodian and Pergamese fleets, Philip withdrew to Greece. He rejected the Roman ultimatum to stop attacking Greek states, and the Romans invaded Macedon. The Cretan coalition cities, deprived of their strongest ally, were forced to sign a treaty favourable to Rhodes, ending the Cretan War. Three years later, the Romans defeated Philip in the Battle of Cynoscephalae. (Full article...)
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April 30
Æthelwold was a son of King Alfred the Great's older brother, Æthelred, who was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. While the West Saxons were fighting a Danish Viking invasion, Æthelred died; his sons were infants, so Alfred became king. He defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington in 878, but when he died in 899 the Vikings still controlled Northumbria and East Anglia. In his will (pictured) Alfred favoured his own children over his brother's. Æthelwold, as senior ætheling (prince of the royal dynasty eligible for kingship), had a strong claim to the throne, and he disputed the crown with Alfred's son, Edward the Elder. Æthelwold attempted to raise an army to support his claim, but was unable to get sufficient support to meet Edward in battle and fled to Northumbria, where he was accepted by the Danes as king. In 902 he persuaded the East Anglian Vikings to launch an attack on Edward's territory in Wessex and Mercia. Edward retaliated with a raid on East Anglia, and when he withdrew, his men from Kent lingered and met the East Anglian Danes at the Battle of the Holme. The Danes were victorious but suffered heavy losses, including the death of Æthelwold, ending the challenge to Edward's rule. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Cretan War (205–200 BC) – History of the National Hockey League (1967–92) – Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)