From today's featured article
Did you know ...
- ... that when Brighton Aquarium (entrance pictured) opened, it had no exhibits?
- ... that a mail-order catalogue offered a "Rocking Ram" toy, designed by Charleen Kinser, for US$1,600 in 1985?
- ... that the project Called by Name aims to commemorate Poles who were murdered for aiding Jews during World War II?
- ... that despite a global decline in mangrove forests, Red Sea mangroves have expanded in area since 1972?
- ... that Voyager 2 has been transmitting data for more than 46 years, making it the oldest active space probe in history?
- ... that Brittany Luse's podcast The Nod was praised for its exploration of "the diversity and richness of the Black experience"?
- ... that despite lagging attendance at the 1964 New York World's Fair, its organizer rejected nearly every suggestion to increase attendance?
- ... that David Marchese recalled accidentally posting a picture of a cat's testicles on Salon.com?
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
- 1559 – During a jousting match, King Henry II of France was mortally wounded when fragments of Gabriel Montgomery's lance pierced his eye.
- 1894 – Tower Bridge (pictured), a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames in London, was inaugurated.
- 1934 – In the Night of the Long Knives, German chancellor Adolf Hitler began a purge of the SA, the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing, 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, a famous 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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