Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 2015

Today's featured article archive

January 1

The 1924 Rose Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Washington Huskies played on New Year's Day. The game was the final contest of the 1923 season, in which Washington had come in second in the Pacific Coast Conference and Navy, an independent, finished as one of the best eastern teams. The game marked several firsts for the Rose Bowl, including its first time being broadcast on radio. Despite general consensus among sportswriters that Washington would have a slight advantage, Navy began the game stronger and scored first. Following a botched onside kick attempt by the Midshipmen, Washington went on a 50-yard drive and scored a touchdown to tie the game. Navy reached the end zone late in the first half on a short run from quarterback Ira McKee to take a 14–7 halftime lead. After a quiet third quarter, Navy made a late fumble and Washington recovered on the Navy 10-yard line. The Huskies scored four plays later, on a trick pass play. Navy quickly turned the ball over again, and Washington took over from midfield. A last-second field goal attempt by the Huskies missed, and the contest ended in a 14–14 tie. McKee was named the Most Valuable Player. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 – Thief II: The Metal Age – Three Beauties of the Present Day

January 2

Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during the Second World War. He was considered to rank with his contemporary Benjamin Britten as one of the leading British composers of the 20th century. Among his best-known works are the oratorio A Child of Our Time, the orchestral Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, and the opera The Midsummer Marriage. Tippett withdrew or destroyed his earliest compositions, and was 30 before any of his works were published. Initial difficulties in accepting his homosexuality led him in 1939 to Jungian psychoanalysis. Until the mid-1950s his music was broadly lyrical in character, before changing to a more astringent and experimental style, open to new influences including jazz and blues. He was much honoured in his lifetime, but uneven critical judgement reserved praise generally for his earlier works. Having briefly embraced communism in the 1930s, Tippett avoided identifying with any political party. A pacifist after 1940, he was imprisoned in 1943 for refusing to carry out war-related duties. He was a strong advocate of music education, a radio broadcaster and a writer on music. (Full article...)

Recently featured: 1924 Rose Bowl – Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 – Thief II: The Metal Age

January 3

Oliver Bosbyshell (1839–1921) was Superintendent of the United States Mint at Philadelphia from 1889 to 1894. He also claimed to have been the first Union soldier wounded by enemy action in the Civil War, stating that he received a bruise on the forehead from an object thrown by a Confederate sympathizer while his unit was marching through Baltimore in April 1861. After briefly working on the railroad and then studying law, Bosbyshell enlisted in the Union cause on the outbreak of war. He joined the 48th Pennsylvania, remaining in that regiment for three years. He saw action in such battles as Second Bull Run and Antietam. He rose to the rank of major and led his regiment, but was mustered out upon the expiration of his term of service in October 1864. He was appointed to a post at the Philadelphia Mint in 1869, and became chief coiner in 1876 and superintendent in 1889, serving for four years. One of Bosbyshell's underlings at the mint stole gold bars and Bosbyshell was held responsible for the loss by virtue of his office. He was absolved of this liability by act of Congress in 1899. In his later years, he was an officer of an insurance company; he died in 1921. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Michael Tippett – 1924 Rose Bowl – Fijación Oral, Vol. 1

January 4

Canis Major (greater dog in Latin) is a constellation in the southern hemisphere's summer sky and northern hemisphere's winter sky. In the second century, it was included in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Along with Canis Minor (lesser dog), it is commonly represented as following the constellation of Orion the Hunter through the skies. The Milky Way passes through Canis Major. Several open clusters lie within its borders, including M41, which covers an area around the same size as the full moon. Sirius, also called the dog star, is the brightest star in the night sky, and one of the closest stars to Earth. The other bright stars in the constellation are much farther away but very luminous. At magnitude 1.5, Epsilon Canis Majoris (Adhara) appears as the second brightest star of the constellation and the brightest source of extreme ultraviolet radiation in the night sky. Next in brightness are the yellow-white supergiant Delta (Wezen) at 1.8, the blue-white giant Beta (Mirzam) at 2.0, and the blue-white supergiant Eta (Aludra) at 2.4. The red hypergiant VY Canis Majoris is one of the largest stars known, while the neutron star RX J0720.4-3125 has a radius of a mere 5 km. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Oliver Bosbyshell – Michael Tippett – 1924 Rose Bowl

January 5

Suillus pungens, commonly known as the pungent slippery Jack, is a species of fungus with a slimy convex cap up to 14 cm (5.5 in) wide. The young cap is typically whitish, later becoming grayish-olive to reddish-brown or a mottled combination of these colors. The mushroom has a dotted stem up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick. On the underside of the cap is the spore-bearing tissue with angular, yellowish pores; milky droplets on the pore surface of young individuals, especially in humid environments, are a characteristic feature of this species. The mushroom is considered edible, but not highly regarded. The fungus—limited in distribution to California—fruits almost exclusively with Monterey and bishop pine, two trees with small and scattered natural ranges concentrated in the West Coast of the United States. Several studies have investigated the role of S. pungens in the coastal Californian forest ecosystem it occupies. Although the species produces more mushrooms (mostly through efficient transfer of nutrients from its host) than similar competing fungi in the same location, it is not a dominant root colonizer, and occupies only a small percentage of root tips. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Canis Major – Oliver Bosbyshell – Michael Tippett

January 6

The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) are a 4,700-square-mile (12,200 km²) archipelago of hundreds of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. East and West Falkland, the two largest islands, are about 300 miles (500 km) east of South America's southern Patagonian coast, at a latitude of about 52°S. The Falklands have internal self-government, with the United Kingdom taking responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The islands' capital is Stanley on East Falkland (Government House pictured). At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain reasserted its rule in 1833, although Argentina maintained its claim to the islands. In April 1982, Argentine forces occupied the islands. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the Falklands War. The population (2,932 inhabitants in 2012) primarily consists of native Falkland Islanders, the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarian and Scandinavian. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, and Chile has reversed a population decline. Falkland Islanders have been full British citizens since 1983. Local trades include fishing, tourism and sheep farming. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Suillus pungens – Canis Major – Oliver Bosbyshell

January 7

Song of Innocence (1968) is the debut album of American composer and producer David Axelrod. Inspired by the 1789 illustrated collection of poems of the same name by William Blake, it is an instrumental jazz fusion album presented as a suite of tone poems, incorporating elements of classical, rock, funk, pop, and theatre music. Arranged for bass, drums, and string instruments and recorded with an orchestra and studio musicians, it is written with rock-based tempos. Axelrod used contrast in his orchestral compositions, interspersing the album's euphoric psychedelic R&B form with dramatic, harrowing arrangements to reflect the supernatural themes found in Blake's poems. Song of Innocence was not commercially successful on its release, and it confounded music critics, who viewed it as innovative and ambitious but also as less than serious, a curiosity piece. In the 1990s, critics reassessed the album as a classic, while leading disc jockeys in hip hop and electronica rediscovered and sampled the album's music, including "Holy Thursday", the album's best-known song. The renewed interest in Axelrod's work prompted Stateside Records to reissue Song of Innocence in 2000. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Falkland Islands – Suillus pungens – Canis Major

January 8

The Hillsgrove Covered Bridge, a 186-foot (57 m) one-lane bridge with a roof and sides to protect the wooden structure from the weather, crosses Loyalsock Creek in Hillsgrove Township, Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built by Sadler Rodgers around 1850 and serving as a landing site for lumber rafts between 1870 and 1890, it has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. Nineteenth-century regulations restricting speed, number of animals, and fire are still posted on the bridge. It gets its strength and rigidity from load-bearing Burr arches sandwiching multiple vertical king posts on each side. Restoration work was carried out in 1963, 1968, 2010, and, after serious flood damage (pictured), again in 2012. The bridge was still in use in 2015, and its average daily traffic was 54 vehicles in 2012, but the same year, the National Bridge Inventory found the bridge to be "Structurally Deficient" despite the restorations, with problematic railings and a 16.5 percent structural sufficiency rating. Only three of the 30 covered bridges that were in Sullivan County in 1890 remain in 2015: Forksville, Hillsgrove, and Sonestown. Pennsylvania had the first covered bridge in the United States, and has had more of them than any other state since the mid-19th century. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Song of Innocence – Falkland Islands – Suillus pungens

January 9

Mark Satin (born 1946) is an American political theorist, author, and newsletter publisher, best known for contributing to three political perspectives – neopacifism in the 1960s, New Age politics in the 1970s and 1980s, and radical centrism in the 1990s and 2000s. After emigrating to Canada at the age of 20 to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, Satin co-founded the Toronto Anti-Draft Programme to assist war resisters in Canada, and wrote the Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada (1968), which sold nearly 100,000 copies. His book New Age Politics (1978) described an emerging culture focused on simple living, decentralism, and global responsibility, and he expanded these themes in the political newsletter New Options (1984–92). He also co-drafted the foundational statement of the U.S. Green Party, "Ten Key Values", in 1984. After a period of political disillusion, Satin launched a new political newsletter and wrote Radical Middle (2004). Both projects criticized political partisanship and sought to promote mutual learning across social and cultural divides, but the book was not warmly received by many on the traditional left or right of the American political spectrum. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Hillsgrove Covered Bridge – Song of Innocence – Falkland Islands

January 10

Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 period drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel of the same name. Actress Emma Thompson (pictured) wrote the script and stars as Elinor Dashwood, while Kate Winslet plays Elinor's younger sister Marianne; actors Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman appear as their respective suitors. The story follows two English sisters from a wealthy family (wealthier in the film than the book) who become destitute and seek financial security through marriage. The film was released in December 1995 in the US and two months later in Britain. A commercial success, it garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews upon release and received many accolades, including three awards and eleven nominations at the 1995 British Academy Film Awards. It earned seven Academy Awards nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Actress (for Thompson). The actress won for Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming the only person to have received Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting. Sense and Sensibility contributed to a resurgence in popularity for Austen's works, and has led to many more productions in similar genres. It persists in being recognised as one of the best Austen adaptations of all time. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Mark Satin – Hillsgrove Covered Bridge – Song of Innocence

January 11

John A. Macdonald (1815–1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada (1867–73, 1878–91). The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career which spanned almost half a century. His family immigrated from Scotland to Kingston in the colony of Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario) when he was a boy. He became a lawyer, and was involved in several high-profile cases, quickly becoming prominent in Kingston. Seeking and obtaining a legislative seat in 1844, he served in the legislature of the colonial United Province of Canada and by 1857 had become premier under the colony's unstable political system. When in 1864 no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867. Macdonald is credited with creating a Canadian Confederation despite many obstacles, and expanding what was a relatively small country to cover the northern half of North America. By the time of his death in 1891, Canada had secured most of the territory it occupies today. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Sense and Sensibility (film) – Mark Satin – Hillsgrove Covered Bridge

January 12

No. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force unit headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. It operates F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighters (pictured). The squadron formed under the Australian Flying Corps in 1916 and saw action in the Middle East during World War I. Initially equipped with obsolete B.E.2s, it converted to Bristol Fighters in 1917. No. 1 Squadron was re-established as part of the RAAF in 1925. During World War II, it flew Lockheed Hudson bombers in the Malayan and Dutch East Indies campaigns, suffering heavy losses. It later operated Bristol Beauforts and de Havilland Mosquitos. The squadron re-formed with Avro Lincoln heavy bombers in 1948. From 1950 to 1958 it was based in Singapore, and was responsible for most of the Commonwealth air campaign during the Malayan Emergency. On returning to Australia it re-equipped with English Electric Canberra jets. It operated F-4E Phantoms from 1970 to 1973, as a stop-gap pending delivery of the F-111C swing-wing bomber. The F-111 remained in service for 37 years until replaced by the Super Hornet in 2010. A detachment has been deployed to the Middle East since September 2014 as part of Australia's contribution to the military intervention against ISIL. (Full article...)

Part of the No. 90 (Composite) Wing RAAF featured topic.

Recently featured: John A. Macdonald – Sense and Sensibility (film) – Mark Satin

January 13

The garden warbler (Sylvia borin) is a common small bird that breeds in most of Europe and in western Asia. It is a plain, long-winged and long-tailed typical warbler with brown upperparts and dull white underparts; the sexes are similar and juveniles resemble the adults. The garden warbler's rich melodic song is similar to that of the blackcap, its closest relative, which competes with it for territory when nesting in the same woodland. The preferred breeding habitat in Eurasia is open woodland with dense low cover for nesting; despite its name, gardens are rarely occupied by this small passerine bird. The clutch of four or five blotched cream or white eggs is laid in a robust cup-shaped nest built near the ground and concealed by dense vegetation. The chicks fledge about 10 days after hatching, and only about a quarter of young birds survive their first year. The species winters in sub-Saharan Africa. Insects are the main food in the breeding season, although fruit predominates when birds are fattening prior to migration, figs being a particular favourite where available. Predators include Eurasian sparrowhawks and domestic cats. Despite a small population decline in much of its European range, the bird's breeding distribution is expanding northwards in Scandinavia. (Full article...)

Recently featured: No. 1 Squadron RAAF – John A. Macdonald – Sense and Sensibility (film)

January 14

The Holkham National Nature Reserve is the largest such reserve in England. It is on the Norfolk coast between Burnham Overy Staithe and Blakeney, and is managed by Natural England with the cooperation of the Holkham Estate. Its 3,900 hectares (9,600 acres) include a wide range of habitats, such as grazing marsh, woodland, salt marsh, sand dunes and foreshore. The reserve is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area and Ramsar listings, and is part of both an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a World Biosphere Reserve. Holkham is important for wintering wildfowl, especially pink-footed geese, Eurasian wigeons and brent geese, but it also has breeding waders, and attracts many migrating birds in autumn. A number of scarce invertebrates and plants can be found in the dunes, and the reserve is one of only two sites in the UK with an antlion colony. The Vikings navigated the creeks to establish Holkham village. The reserve was created in 1967 mostly from the Holkham estate, owned since the 17th century by the Earls of Leicester, and attracts over 100,000 visitors a year, including birdwatchers, horse riders and naturists. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Garden warbler – No. 1 Squadron RAAF – John A. Macdonald

January 15

Tony Hawk's Underground is a skateboarding-adventure video game published by Activision in 2003 and 2004 as part of the Tony Hawk's series. Neversoft developed the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions, while the Game Boy Advance adaptation was developed by Vicarious Visions and the mobile phone version by Jamdat. Typically for the series, the player explores levels and completes goals while performing tricks; atypically, the player creates a custom character instead of selecting a professional skater, and can explore on foot. The plot follows the player and their friend Eric Sparrow as the two become professionals and grow apart. The game was developed with a theme of individuality, and real-world skateboarders contributed their experiences to the plot during development. Reviewers praised its wide appeal, soundtrack, customization, multiplayer features, and plot. The graphics and the controls for driving vehicles and walking were less well received. Undergrounds PlayStation 2 version had sold 2.11 million copies in the United States by December 2007. A sequel, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, was released in 2004. ('Full article...)

Recently featured: Holkham National Nature Reserve – Garden warbler – No. 1 Squadron RAAF

January 16

The Mahan-class destroyers of the US Navy were 18 destroyers commissioned in 1936 and 1937. Mahan (pictured) was the lead ship, named for Rear Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, an influential historian and theorist on sea power. These ships featured improvements over previous destroyers, with 12 torpedo tubes, superimposed gun shelters, generators for emergency use, and a new steam propulsion system that was used on many subsequent wartime US destroyers. All 18 ships saw action in World War II, entirely in the Pacific Theater, including during the Guadalcanal Campaign and the battles of the Santa Cruz Islands, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. Their participation in major and secondary campaigns included the bombardment of beachheads, amphibious landings, task force screening, convoy and patrol duty, and anti-aircraft and submarine warfare. Six ships were lost in combat and two were expended in the postwar Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The remainder were decommissioned, sold, or scrapped after the war; none remain today. Collectively, the ships received 111 battle stars for their World War II service. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Tony Hawk's Underground – Holkham National Nature Reserve – Garden warbler

January 17

W. R. Brown (1875–1955) was an American corporate officer of the Brown Company of Berlin, New Hampshire, and an influential breeder of Arabian horses. He was an early advocate for sustainable forest management practices and his innovations became industry standards. He was influenced by the Progressive movement, instituting employee benefits at the Brown Company such as care for injured workers, predating modern workers' compensation laws. He founded the Maynesboro Stud in 1912 with bloodstock from American breeders of Arabian horses, also importing horses from England, France, and Egypt. At its peak, Maynesboro was the largest Arabian horse farm in the United States. To prove the abilities of Arabians, he organized a number of endurance races of up to 300 miles, which his own horses won three times. He served as President of the Arabian Horse Club of America from 1918 until 1939. His 1929 book The Horse of the Desert is considered an authoritative work on Arabians, and the designation "Crabbet/Maynesboro/Kellogg" (CMK) denotes specific modern lines of American-bred Arabian horses. As a Republican, he served as a presidential elector for New Hampshire in 1924. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Mahan-class destroyer – Tony Hawk's Underground – Holkham National Nature Reserve

January 18

Majungasaurus is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Madagascar from 70 to 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Like other abelisaurids, Majungasaurus was a bipedal predator with a short snout. Although the forelimbs are not completely known, they were very short, while the hindlimbs were longer and very stocky. It can be distinguished from other abelisaurids by its wider skull, the very rough texture and thickened bone on the top of its snout, and the single rounded horn on the roof of its skull, which was originally mistaken for the dome of a pachycephalosaur. It also had more teeth in both upper and lower jaws than most abelisaurids. Known from several well-preserved skulls and abundant skeletal material, Majungasaurus has recently become one of the best-studied theropod dinosaurs from the Southern Hemisphere. It appears to be most closely related to abelisaurids from India rather than South America or continental Africa, a fact which has important biogeographical implications. Majungasaurus was the apex predator in its ecosystem, mainly preying on sauropods like Rapetosaurus, and is also one of the few dinosaurs for which there is direct evidence of cannibalism. (Full article...)

Recently featured: William Robinson Brown – Mahan-class destroyer – Tony Hawk's Underground

January 19

Stan Musial (1920–2013) was an American professional baseball player and Navy veteran of World War II. He was a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman on the St. Louis Cardinals for 22 seasons, from 1941 through 1963. Widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, with 3,630 career hits, Musial ranks fourth all-time and first in a career spent with only one team. He hit 475 home runs during his career and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player three times. In 1946 he earned his third and final World Series title, despite missing the entire previous season serving with the navy. He shares the major league record for the most All-Star Games played (24) with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was also known for his harmonica playing, during and after his playing career, and for his modesty and sportsmanship. Musial was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In February 2011, President Barack Obama presented Musial with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards the US government can bestow. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Majungasaurus – William Robinson Brown – Mahan-class destroyer

January 20

E. W. Hornung (1866–1921) was an English author and poet who wrote the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. After school in the UK, Hornung spent two years in Australia before returning to London. His first known work was published in 1887; his Australian experiences strongly influenced his early writing. In 1898 he wrote "In the Chains of Crime", which introduced Raffles and his sidekick, Bunny Manders; the characters were based partly on his friends Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, and also on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the characters created by Hornung's brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle. The death of Hornung's son in the First World War brought an end to Hornung's storytelling, and led the writer to join the YMCA, initially in England, then in France, where he helped run a canteen and library and published two collections of poetry. After the war, he wrote more poetry and an account of his time in France. Hornung's fragile constitution was weakened by the stress of his war work, and he died at the age of 54. Although much of Hornung's work has fallen into obscurity, his Raffles stories continue to be popular, and have inspired numerous film and television adaptations. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Stan Musial – Majungasaurus – William Robinson Brown

January 21

The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a land and sea offensive by the Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. In 716, after 20 years of progressive occupation of the borderlands of Byzantium during its prolonged internal turmoil, Arabs led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. They made common cause with the general Leo the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosios III, but Leo tricked them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself in 717. The Arab army then crossed into Thrace and built siege lines to blockade the city, which was protected by the massive Theodosian Walls. The Arab fleet's attempted blockade was neutralized by the Byzantine navy's Greek fire (pictured), and the Arab army was crippled by famine and disease during the unusually hard winter that followed. After the defeat of two Arab fleets and another Arab army, followed by an attack on their rear by Bulgarians, the siege was lifted in 718. Although regular attacks on Byzantine territories continued, the Caliphate's goal of conquest was abandoned. Historians credit the siege with halting the Muslim advance into Europe, and rank it among history's most consequential battles. (Full article...)

Recently featured: E. W. Hornung – Stan Musial – Majungasaurus

January 22

Union Films was a film production company located in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). It was one of four new production houses that sprang up during a revival of the colony's film industry after the Great Depression. Established by ethnic Chinese businessmen Ang Hock Liem and Tjoa Ma Tjoen, Union released its first film, Kedok Ketawa, in July 1940. This was followed by a series of films penned by Saeroen, beginning with Harta Berdarah and followed by Bajar dengan Djiwa and Asmara Moerni, which attempted to distance themselves from the theatrical conventions of the time, and were increasingly oriented towards the Indies' growing intelligentsia. After Saeroen left for Star Film in 1941, Union's final two productions, Soeara Berbisa and Mega Mendoeng, emphasised realism. Following the Japanese occupation of the Indies in March 1942, Union was dissolved, though its films continued to be screened into the mid-1940s. Altogether, the company produced seven black-and-white films; all may be lost. The company's films were directed by four men, mostly ethnic Chinese, and launched the careers of actors such as Rendra Karno and Djoewariah. (Full article...)

Part of the Union Films featured topic.

Recently featured: Siege of Constantinople (717–718) – E. W. Hornung – Stan Musial

January 23

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of the salmon family native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. Those that spend their lives in streams and rivers average between 1 and 5 lb (0.5 and 2.3 kg); others, called steelhead trout, live in the ocean or the Great Lakes for two to three years before returning to fresh water to spawn, and may reach 20 lb (9.1 kg). Coloration varies widely, but all adult fish are distinguished by a broad reddish stripe along the lateral line, from gills to the tail, which is most vivid in breeding males. Wild-caught and hatchery-reared forms of this species have been transplanted and introduced for food or sport in at least 45 countries. Introductions to locations in the U.S., Southern Europe, Australia and South America outside the fish's native range have damaged native fish species when the trout has preyed on them, out-competed them, transmitted contagious diseases, or hybridized with closely related species. Some local populations of specific subspecies, or in the case of steelhead, distinct population segments, are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The steelhead is the official state fish of Washington. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Union Films – Siege of Constantinople (717–718) – E. W. Hornung

January 24

Thomas Blamey (1884–1951) was an Australian general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian ever to attain the rank of field marshal. He joined the Australian Army as a regular soldier in 1906, and served at Gallipoli, where he led a daring raid behind enemy lines, and on the Western Front as chief of staff of the Australian Corps under Lieutenant General Sir John Monash. During the Second World War he commanded the Second Australian Imperial Force and the I Corps in the Middle East. In 1942, he returned to Australia as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces and Commander of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. On the orders of MacArthur and Prime Minister John Curtin, he assumed personal command of New Guinea Force during the Kokoda Track Campaign. He won a series of victories over the Japanese, including the Battle of Wau and the landing at Nadzab, and signed on behalf of Australia at Japan's ceremonial surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. He was promoted to field marshal in June 1950. (Full article...)

Part of the Command in the South West Pacific Area featured topic.

Recently featured: Rainbow trout – Union Films – Siege of Constantinople (717–718)

January 25

"Cry Me a River" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake (pictured) for his debut studio album, Justified (2002). Taking inspiration from his former relationship with singer Britney Spears, he wrote it with Scott Storch and Timbaland. Jive Records released the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radio in the US in 2002 as the album's second single. Accompanied by an electric piano, beatboxing, guitars, and synthesizers, "Cry Me a River" is a funk and R&B song about a brokenhearted man moving on from his unfaithful girlfriend. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it a stand-out track on Justified and praised Timbaland's production. It won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 ceremony, and the music video won the awards for Best Male Video and Best Pop Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Pop Songs charts and charted in the top ten in other countries. Timberlake performed "Cry Me a River" on his four major concert tours from 2003 through 2015. The song has been covered by Leona Lewis and Taylor Swift, among others. Spears recorded an answer song titled "Everytime" for her 2003 studio album In the Zone. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Thomas Blamey – Rainbow trout – Union Films

January 26

The Peasants' Revolt was an uprising in England in 1381, brought on by economic and social upheaval that had been growing since the Black Death thirty years earlier. The rebels, coming from a wide spectrum of rural society, sought a reduction in the high taxes financing the Hundred Years' War, an end to the system of unfree labour known as serfdom and the removal of the King's senior officials and law courts. Inspired by the radical cleric John Ball and led by Wat Tyler, Kentish rebels entered London on 13 June. They destroyed the Savoy Palace and set fire to law books and buildings in the Temple. The following day, the fourteen-year-old King Richard acceded to most of the rebels' demands, including the abolition of serfdom; meanwhile, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord High Treasurer were killed in the Tower of London (pictured). On 15 June Richard met Tyler and the rebels at Smithfield, but violence broke out and Tyler was killed by the king's party. A London militia then dispersed the rebel forces and Richard rescinded his previous grants to the rebels. Troubles extended as far as East Anglia, Yorkshire and Somerset, but most of the rebel leaders were tracked down and executed, and at least 1,500 rebels were killed. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song) – Thomas Blamey – Rainbow trout

January 27

Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and written by Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, it is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Incarcerated in Arkham City, a massive new super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of fictional Gotham City, Batman must uncover the secret behind the sinister scheme "Protocol 10", orchestrated by the facility's warden, Hugo Strange. The game's leading characters are predominantly voiced by actors from the DC Animated Universe, with Kevin Conroy reprising his role as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. Using third-person perspective, the game focuses on Batman's combat and stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets for combat and exploration. The game was praised for its narrative, characters and world designs and for Batman's combat and navigation abilities. It was tied for the highest-rated video game of 2011 according to review aggregator Metacritic, and was the recipient of several awards. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Peasants' Revolt – Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song) – Thomas Blamey

January 28

Ralph Richardson (1902–1983) was an English actor who played more than sixty film roles and, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway. In the 1940s, Richardson was the co-director of the Old Vic company. He and Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in 1945 and 1946. In the 1950s, in the West End and occasionally on tour, Richardson played in modern and classic works including The Heiress, Home at Seven and Three Sisters. Richardson was cast in leading roles in British and American films including Things to Come in the 1930s, The Fallen Idol and The Heiress in the 1940s, and Long Day's Journey into Night and Doctor Zhivago in the 1960s. He received nominations and awards in the UK, Europe and the US for his stage and screen work from 1948 until his sudden death at the age of eighty, and earned a posthumous Academy Award nomination for his final film, Greystoke. (Full article...)

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January 29

Lanny McDonald (born 1953) is a former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year career, scoring exactly 500 goals and over 1,000 points. His total of 66 goals in 1982–83 remains the Flames' franchise record. McDonald established himself as an offensive forward with three consecutive 40-goal seasons in Toronto in the mid-1970s. He played parts of three seasons in Denver before he was sent to Calgary in 1981 where he spent the remainder of his career. He co-captained the Flames to a Stanley Cup championship in his final season of 1988–89. McDonald won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for dedication and sportsmanship in 1983 and in 1988 was named the inaugural winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership and humanitarian presence, in particular through his long association with the Special Olympics. Internationally, he represented Team Canada as a player on two occasions and in a management role three times. McDonald was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. The Flames retired his uniform number 9 in 1990. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Ralph Richardson – Batman: Arkham City – Peasants' Revolt

January 30

The Battle of Öland (1676) was fought between an allied Danish-Dutch fleet and the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, east of Öland, during the Scanian War (1675–79). Sweden needed reinforcements for its northern German possessions; Denmark sought to ferry an army to attack Scania in southern Sweden. Just as the battle began, the Swedish flagship Kronan sank, taking with it the commander of the Swedish navy, Lorentz Creutz. The next in command, Claes Uggla, drowned while escaping his burning ship, Svärdet. The allied force under Dutch admiral Cornelis Tromp pressed its advantage, and the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in disorder. The battle resulted in Danish naval supremacy, then and throughout the war. The Danish King Christian V was able to ship troops over to the Swedish side of the Sound, and Scania became the main battleground of the war, culminating with the bloody battles of Lund, Halmstad and Landskrona. Danish and Dutch naval forces were left free to raze Öland and the Swedish east coast all the way up to Stockholm. The Swedish failure at Öland prompted King Charles XI to order a commission to investigate the fiasco, but in the end no one was found guilty. (Full article...)

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January 31

Lambertia formosa is a shrub found in New South Wales, Australia, from the family Proteaceae. It is commonly named mountain devil, after the small devil-figures that were made from its horned woody follicles. Specimens were collected during Lieutenant James Cook's landing at Botany Bay in 1770. First described in 1798 by English botanist James Edward Smith, it is the type species of the small genus Lambertia. It is generally found in heathland or open forest, growing in sandstone-based soils. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to around 2 m (7 ft) with a woody base known as a lignotuber, from which it regrows after bushfire. It has stiff narrow leaves and pink to red flowerheads made up of seven individual tubular flowers that generally appear in spring and summer. The flowers hold profuse amounts of nectar and are pollinated by honeyeaters. Although L. formosa is uncommon in cultivation, it is straightforward to grow in soils with good drainage and a partly shaded to sunny aspect. It is readily propagated by seed. Unlike all other members of the genus Lambertia, L. formosa is resistant to the soil pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Battle of Öland – Lanny McDonald – Ralph Richardson