Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 2015

June 1

Mind Meld is a 2001 American documentary film in which actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (pictured) discuss the Star Trek science-fiction franchise and its effects on their lives. They talk about differences they had with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, and about the strained relationships between Shatner and some of the other cast members. It was in this film that Nimoy first publicly revealed that he had struggled with alcoholism while he was acting in the 1960s Star Trek television series. Mind Meld attracted some notoriety because of an unintended sound in one scene that became a popular subject of flatulence humor among Star Trek fans and on morning zoo radio programs. Shatner denied being the source of this sound in interviews. Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly said that the only people likely to watch the film were extreme Star Trek fans and people interested in hearing Shatner's supposed flatulence, while Laurence Lerman of Video Business praised the film for avoiding familiar territory and for dealing with alcoholism, career difficulties, and conflicts on the set of Star Trek. (Full article...)

June 2

Tucana is a constellation of stars in the southern sky, named after the toucan, a South American bird. It is one of twelve constellations conceived in the late sixteenth century by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. It first appeared on a 1598 celestial globe by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam and was depicted in Johann Bayer's star atlas Uranometria of 1603. French explorer and astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille gave its stars Bayer designations in 1756. Tucana is not a prominent constellation as all of its stars are third magnitude or fainter; the brightest is Alpha Tucanae with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.87. Beta Tucanae is a star system with six member stars, while Kappa is a quadruple system. Five star systems have been found to have exoplanets to date. The constellation contains most of the Small Magellanic Cloud, along with 47 Tucanae (pictured), one of the brightest globular clusters in the sky. The constellations Tucana, Grus, Phoenix and Pavo are collectively known as the "Southern Birds". (Full article...)

June 3

Psilocybe semilanceata is a fungus whose mushrooms, known as liberty caps, are also called magic mushrooms for their psychedelic properties. They are the most common of the psilocybin mushrooms, and among the most potent. They have a distinctive conical or bell-shaped cap, up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) wide, with a small nipple-like protrusion on the top. Yellow to brown in color and fading to a lighter color as they mature, they feed off decaying grass roots in fields, grassy meadows, and similar habitats, particularly in wet fields that are well-fertilized by sheep and cattle manure. The mushroom is widely distributed in the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Europe, and has been reported occasionally in India, South America, and Australasia. The earliest reliable history of P. semilanceata intoxication dates back to 1799 in London. In the 1960s the mushroom was the first European species confirmed to contain psilocybin; it was later found to contain the psychoactive compounds phenylethylamine and baeocystin as well. The possession or sale of psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in many countries. (Full article...)

June 4

Sōryū was an aircraft carrier built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the mid-1930s. The ship's aircraft were employed during the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s and supported the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in mid-1940. During the first months of the Pacific War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Wake Island, the conquest of the Dutch East Indies, and the bombing of Darwin, Australia. In the Battle of Midway in June 1942, Sōryū and three other carriers of the First Air Fleet bombarded American forces on Midway Atoll, and were attacked by aircraft from the island and the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. Dive bombers from Yorktown crippled Sōryū and set her afire. Japanese destroyers rescued the survivors, but she could not be salvaged and was ordered to be scuttled to allow her attendant destroyers to be released for further operations. She sank along with the bodies of 711 out of 1,103 officers and enlisted men. The loss of Sōryū and three other carriers at Midway was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan, leading to the Allies' ultimate victory in the Pacific. (Full article...)

June 5

Miniopterus griveaudi is a bat found in northern and western Madagascar and on nearby islands, including Grande Comore and Anjouan. With a forearm length of 35 to 38 mm (1.4 to 1.5 in), M. griveaudi is a small Miniopterus. It is usually dark brown, but sometimes reddish, with a virtually hairless tail membrane. The species occurs up to 480 m (1570 ft) above sea level on Madagascar, often in karstic areas. In the Comoros, it reaches 890 m (2920 ft) and roosts in lava tubes as well as shallower caves. Data on reproduction is limited and suggests individual and inter-island variation. Species of Miniopterus generally feed on insects. Although it was first described in 1959 as a subspecies of the mainland African M. minor and later placed with the Malagasy M. manavi, it was given its own species name after morphological and molecular studies from 2008 and 2009 indicated that M. manavi actually represented five unrelated species. (Full article...)

June 6

Tommy Amaker (born 1965) is the head coach of the Harvard Crimson men's basketball team, playing in the American NCAA Division I. As point guard for Duke under Mike Krzyzewski, he was an All-American player, earning the first NABC Defensive Player of the Year award. He was a Duke assistant coach for nine seasons (including for the 1990–91 and 1991–92 National Champion teams). He coached Seton Hall to postseason tournaments in each of his four seasons there, and won the 2004 National Invitation Tournament coaching the Michigan Wolverines. As Harvard men's basketball coach, Amaker was the first coach to lead the Crimson to victory over a ranked opponent. The 2010–11 team became the first Harvard team to earn a share of the Ivy League championship, and the 2011–12 team became the first to appear in the Associated Press and Coaches Polls. Amaker's 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15 teams repeated as Ivy League champions. The 2012–13 team gave Harvard its first NCAA tournament victory, and the 2013–14 team posted a record 27 wins. (Full article...)

June 7

Flight Unlimited is a 1995 flight simulator video game developed by a team under Seamus Blackley (pictured) for Looking Glass Technologies. It allows the player to pilot reproductions of five aircraft and to perform aerobatic stunts. A virtual instructor teaches basic and advanced flight techniques, such as Immelmann turns and Lomcevak tumbles. The first self-published game released by Looking Glass, Flight Unlimited was intended to establish the company as a major video game publisher and to compete with the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise. Blackley, a particle physicist formerly of Fermilab, used real-time computational fluid dynamics calculations to code a simulated atmosphere for Flight Unlimited. Previous flight simulators had often used wind tunnel data to determine a plane's motion, which precluded complex maneuvers. The game was a commercial and critical success that spawned three sequels: Flight Unlimited II (1997), Flight Unlimited III (1999) and Jane's Attack Squadron (2002). Soon after Flight Unlimited's completion, Blackley was fired from Looking Glass; he went on to design Jurassic Park: Trespasser for DreamWorks Interactive, and later spearheaded development of the Xbox at Microsoft. (Full article...)

Part of the Looking Glass Studios video games featured topic.

June 8

There are 24 named waterfalls in Ricketts Glen State Park along Kitchen Creek as it flows in three steep, narrow valleys, or glens, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. They range in height from 9 feet (2.7 m) to the 94-foot (29 m) Ganoga Falls (see video). The park is named for R. Bruce Ricketts, a colonel in the American Civil War who owned over 80,000 acres (32,000 ha) in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and spared the old growth forests in the glens from clearcutting. The park, which opened in 1944, is administered by the state's Bureau of State Parks. Nearly all of the waterfalls are visible from the Falls Trail built by Ricketts, which the state park rebuilt in the 1940s and late 1990s. The trail has been called "the most magnificent hike in the state" and one of "the top hikes in the East". The waterfalls are on the section of Kitchen Creek that flows down the Allegheny Front, a steep escarpment between the Allegheny Plateau to the north and the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to the south. The waterfalls are the result of increased flow in Kitchen Creek from glaciers enlarging its drainage basin during the last Ice Age. (Full article...)

June 9

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) was a Danish musician, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's greatest composer. Brought up by poor, musically talented parents, he attended the Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen from 1884 through 1886, and premiered his Op 1, Suite for Strings at the age of 23. The following year, he began a 16-year stint as a second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra under the conductor Johan Svendsen, and later taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1916 until his death. While his symphonies, concertos and choral music are now internationally acclaimed, Nielsen's career and personal life were marked by many difficulties, often reflected in his music. The works he composed between 1897 and 1904 are sometimes ascribed to his "psychological" period, resulting mainly from a turbulent marriage with the sculptor Anne Marie Brodersen. Nielsen is especially noted for his six symphonies, his Wind Quintet and his concertos for violin, flute and clarinet. For many years, he appeared on the Danish hundred-kroner banknote. The Carl Nielsen Museum in Odense documents his life and that of his wife. Many performances of his works are scheduled in 2015, the 150th anniversary of his birth. (Full article...)

June 10

The Battle of Labuan was fought between Allied and Japanese forces in June 1945 during World War II on the island of Labuan, as part of the Australian invasion of North Borneo. Following weeks of air attacks and a short naval bombardment, the 24th Brigade landed on Labuan on 10 June and quickly captured the island's harbour and main airfield. The greatly outnumbered Japanese garrison was concentrated in a fortified position, and offered little resistance to the landing. The initial attempts to penetrate the Japanese position were not successful, and the area was subjected to a heavy bombardment. A Japanese raiding force attacked Allied positions on 21 June, but was defeated. Later that day, Australian forces overwhelmed the Japanese position, and by mid-July, Australian patrols had killed or captured the remaining Japanese troops on the island. A total of 389 Japanese personnel were killed on Labuan and 11 were captured; Australian casualties included 34 killed. After securing the island, the Allies developed Labuan into a significant base and provided assistance to thousands of civilians who had been rendered homeless by the pre-invasion bombardment. Following the war, a major Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery was established on Labuan. (Full article...)

June 11

The Underground Electric Railways Company of London (route map pictured), known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for three deep-level tubes (underground railway lines) opened in London during 1906 and 1907: the Bakerloo, Hampstead and Piccadilly tubes. It was also the parent company of the District Railway and a precursor of today's London Underground. The company struggled financially in its first years and narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 1908. Acquisitions before World War I gave the company control of most of the underground railways in London and large bus and tram fleets, the profits from which subsidised the financially weaker railways. After the war, new railway lines were extended outward from London to stimulate passenger numbers. In the 1920s, competition from small unregulated bus operators reduced the profitability of the road transport operations. The company's directors sought government regulation, leading to the establishment of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, which absorbed the company and all of the other bus, tram and underground railway services in the London Passenger Transport Area. (Full article...)

Part of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London featured topic.

June 12

Ian Craig (1935–2014) was a cricketer who represented Australia in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A teenage prodigy, he made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 1952 at the age of 16, and soon earned comparisons to the great batsman Don Bradman, but was never as successful in his later career. Craig was, and remains, the youngest Australian cricketer to score a first-class double century (against the touring South Africa national cricket team), to represent his country in a Test match, and to tour England (in the 1953 Ashes tour). For the 1957–58 tour of South Africa, Craig was appointed as Australian captain, the youngest man ever to hold the position, and led the team to an unexpected 3–0 victory despite his poor personal batting form. He missed the 1958–59 season with hepatitis, and could not regain his Test place when he returned the following season. Work commitments forced him to retire from first-class cricket at 26. In later life, Craig was the managing director of the Australian subsidiary of the British pharmaceutical firm Boots, but continued his involvement with cricket as a board member of the New South Wales Cricket Association, trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, and chairman of the Bradman Museum. (Full article...)

June 13

Drowning Girl is a 1963 pop art painting with oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas by Roy Lichtenstein (pictured). Utilizing the conventions of comic book art, a thought bubble conveys the thoughts of the figure, while Ben-Day dots echo the effect of the mechanized printing process. Part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection since 1971, the painting is considered among Lichtenstein's most significant works, perhaps on a par with Whaam!, his acclaimed 1963 diptych. Drowning Girl has been described as a "masterpiece of melodrama", and is one of the artist's earliest images depicting women in tragic situations, a theme to which he often returned in the mid-1960s. The painting shows a teary-eyed woman on a turbulent sea, declaring that she would rather sink in the ocean than call Brad. (Several Lichtenstein works contain text referring to an absent "Brad".) The narrative element highlights the clichéd melodrama, while its graphics reiterate Lichtenstein's theme of painterly work depicting mechanized reproduction. The work is derived from a 1962 DC Comics panel, while also borrowing from Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa and from works by modernist artists Jean Arp and Joan Miró. (Full article...)

June 14

The 2011 Money in the Bank event was the seventh of thirteen professional wrestling pay-per-view events held by WWE that year, and the second installment in the annual Money in the Bank series. It took place on July 17 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, and featured six matches, including two Money in the Bank ladder matches. Alberto Del Rio won the match for wrestlers from the Raw brand to earn a WWE Championship match at a time of his choosing within the next year, while Daniel Bryan won the match for wrestlers from the SmackDown brand for the same opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship. In the World Heavyweight Championship match also held at the event, Christian defeated Randy Orton by disqualification and became the new champion according to the match rules. The main event featured John Cena defending his WWE Championship against CM Punk (pictured), who won and became the new champion. Money in the Bank was broadcast globally to 195,000 pay-per-view customers (compared to 165,000 for the previous year), and received positive reviews, with the main event receiving the most praise. (Full article...)

June 15

The five Panama–Pacific commemorative coins ($50 piece pictured) were produced in connection with the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Struck at that city's mint, the issue included round and octagonal $50 pieces. Excepting modern bullion coins, these two gold pieces are the highest denomination ever issued and the largest coins ever struck by the United States Mint. The octagonal $50 piece is the only non-round U.S. coin ever issued. In January 1915, Congress passed legislation for a silver half dollar, as well as a gold dollar, a quarter eagle ($2.50 piece), and the two $50 pieces. The Mint had already consulted artists, but Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo initially rejected all their designs. Two of them persevered, Robert I. Aitken for the $50 pieces and Charles Keck for the gold dollar, and their submissions were used. The half dollar and quarter eagle were designed by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, possibly with the participation of his longtime assistant, George T. Morgan. The coins did not sell well, and many of each denomination were returned for melting. Only a few hundred of each of the $50 pieces were distributed, making them the lowest-mintage commemorative coins. They catalog for up to $200,000, depending on condition. (Full article...)

June 16

The Augustinian theodicy, like other theodicies, is an argument reconciling an omnipotent, benevolent God with the presence of evil. Named after the early Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo (pictured in a 16th-century painting), the argument asserts that evil exists not in itself but as a corruption of goodness, requiring the abuse of free will. The 20th-century philosopher John Hick classified similar theodicies by Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and others as Augustinian for their shared beliefs that God is perfect and guiltless, that he created the world out of nothing, and that evil is a punishment for original sin. Augustine's argument was criticised by his contemporary Fortunatus, a Manichaean, who contended that God must be implicated in evil, and by 18th-century theologian Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, who said the argument neglected human suffering. Hick regarded evil as something necessary for moral development, and process theologians have argued that God is not responsible for evil because he is not omnipotent. Scientific consensus regarding the beginning of the world and the development of life runs contrary to some aspects of the Augustinian theodicy. (Full article...)

June 17

The AMX-30E was a Spanish battle tank based on the French AMX-30. Although the Spanish government originally sought to procure the German Leopard 1, the lower-cost AMX-30, which could be manufactured in Spain, was ultimately awarded the contract. The first 19 tanks were acquired from France in 1970, while another 180 were assembled in Spain by Santa Bárbara Sistemas for the Spanish Army between 1974 and 1983. The tank was to supplement Spain's fleet of American M47 and M48 Patton tanks, reducing the army's reliance on American equipment. It was Spain's first mass-produced tank, leading to the development of the Lince tank project in 1985 and the Leopard 2E in late 2003. In the late 1980s, 150 of the AMX-30E tanks were modernized to improve the vehicle's automotive characteristics; another 149 received only upgraded transmissions. Part of the fleet was replaced in the late 1990s by the German Leopard 2A4, and the rest by Centauro wheeled anti-tank vehicles in the early 21st century. (Full article...)

Part of the Spanish Tanks featured topic.

June 18

Blue's Clues is an American children's television series that premiered on Nickelodeon in 1996. Hosted first by Steve Burns (pictured) and then by Donovan Patton, and produced by Angela Santomero, Todd Kessler and Traci Paige Johnson, the show follows an animated blue-spotted dog named Blue as she plays a game with the host and viewers, inviting their involvement. A product of extensive research in child development and early-childhood education, Blue's Clues was the first cutout animation series for preschoolers, and resembles a storybook in its use of primary colors and its simple construction paper shapes of familiar objects with varied colors and textures. It became the highest-rated show for preschoolers on American commercial television, and has been syndicated in 120 countries and translated into 15 languages. Regional versions of the show, featuring local hosts, have been produced in other countries. A live production of Blue's Clues toured the U.S. starting in 1999, and a spin-off called Blue's Room appeared on Nickelodeon in 2004. (Full article...)

June 19

The 2005 United States Grand Prix was the ninth race and only American race of the 2005 Formula One season. Held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it was won by Ferrari's Michael Schumacher (pictured). In the days before the race, several Michelin tyres suffered failures on the speedway's resurfaced track. Michelin advised its seven customer teams (representing 14 cars in the race) that without a reduction in speed in the last turn of the speedway, the tyres provided for the race would only be safe for 10 laps—but Formula One rules in 2005 prohibited tyre changes during the race. Unable to come to a compromise with the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the Michelin teams decided not to participate. They completed the parade lap to avoid sanctions, but retired to the pits before the race started; only the six cars from teams using Bridgestone tyres (Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi) competed. The race generated negative publicity for the sport, especially in the US, a market in which Formula One had struggled to establish itself over the preceding 20 years. (Full article...)

June 20

God of War: Betrayal is a two-dimensional side-scrolling action-adventure mobile game released for the Java Platform, Micro Edition in 2007. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is the third installment in the God of War series, and the fifth chronologically. The player controls Kratos, who became the new God of War after killing the former, Ares. Kratos is framed for the murder of Argos and pursues the true assassin across Greece, resulting in a confrontation with Olympian messenger Ceryx. The gameplay relies on simplified combo-based combat and features quick time events, puzzles and platforming elements. Developed by Javaground and Sony Online Entertainment's Los Angeles division and published by Sony Pictures Digital, it was praised for maintaining the high standards of the series in its gameplay, art style, and graphics, and received awards for "Wireless Game of the Month" (June 2007) and "Best Platform Game" (wireless) of 2007 from IGN. (Full article...)

Part of the God of War franchise featured topic.

June 21

HMS Nairana was a passenger ferry that was requisitioned by the Royal Navy as a seaplane carrier in 1917. She was laid down in 1914 as TSS Nairana for the Australian shipping line Huddart Parker, but construction was temporarily suspended after the outbreak of the First World War. The ship was converted to operate wheeled aircraft from her forward flying-off deck as well as floatplanes that were lowered into the water. She saw service during the war with the Grand Fleet, and in 1918–19 supported the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Nairana was returned to her former owners in 1921 and refitted in her original planned configuration, then spent the next several decades ferrying passengers and cargo across Bass Strait between Tasmania and Melbourne, where she was nearly capsized twice by rogue waves. Nairana was the only Bass Strait ferry not requisitioned for military service in the Second World War, and so became the sole passenger ship with service to Tasmania during the conflict. She was laid up in 1948, wrecked in a storm three years later, and scrapped onsite in 1953–54. (Full article...)

June 22

In physics, M-theory is a unification of what were originally thought to be five distinct versions of superstring theory. The possibility of such a theory was first conjectured by Edward Witten (pictured) at a string theory conference at the University of Southern California in 1995, initiating a flurry of research activity known as the second superstring revolution. Work by several physicists showed that the original five theories could be related by transformations called S-duality and T-duality. Witten's conjecture drew on these dualities and on a field theory called eleven-dimensional supergravity. Some physicists believe that a complete formulation of M-theory could provide a framework for developing a unified theory of all the fundamental forces of nature. Current directions of research in the theory include matrix theory and gauge/gravity duality. According to Witten, the M in M-theory can stand for "magic", "mystery", or "membrane" according to taste, and the true meaning of the title should be decided when a more fundamental formulation of the theory is known. (Full article...)

June 23

In London's Great Stink of 1858, the smell from untreated human waste and industrial effluent being pumped onto the banks of the River Thames was exacerbated by the low levels of the river in the hot summer weather. The cause was the inadequate and archaic sewerage system that emptied directly into the Thames. Victorian doctors still believed in the miasma theory, that smell transmitted contagious diseases, rather than microorganisms; three outbreaks of cholera prior to the Great Stink were blamed on the ongoing problems with the river. Local and national administrators who had been looking at possible solutions accepted a proposal from the civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette (pictured) to move the effluent eastwards along a series of interconnecting sewers that sloped towards outfalls beyond the metropolitan area. Pumping stations were built to lift the sewage from lower levels into higher pipes, and two of the more ornate buildings, Abbey Mills in Stratford and Crossness on the Erith Marshes, are listed for protection by English Heritage. Bazalgette's plan introduced three embankments to London in which the sewers ran—the Victoria, Chelsea and Albert Embankments. The work ensured that sewage was no longer dumped onto the shores of the Thames and brought an end to the cholera outbreaks. Although Bazalgette planned for the sewers to support a city of 4.5 million, the system still operates into the 21st century, servicing a city that has grown to over 8 million. (Full article...)

June 24

L'Arianna (Ariadne) was the second opera by Claudio Monteverdi, composed in 1607–08; all the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "Lamento d'Arianna", or "Ariadne's Lament" (pictured). One of the earliest operas, it was first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. The libretto was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.The composer later said that the effort of creating the opera almost killed him. The first performance, produced with lavish and innovative special effects, was highly praised, and the work was equally well received in Venice when it was revived under the composer's direction in 1640 as the inaugural work for the Teatro San Moisè. Expressive laments became an integral feature of Italian opera for much of the 17th century. In recent years the "Lamento" has become popular as a concert and recital piece and has been frequently recorded. (Full article...)

June 25

Astatine is a very rare radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol At and atomic number 85. It occurs on Earth as the decay product of various heavier elements. All its isotopes are short-lived, with half-lives of 8.1 hours or less. Elemental astatine has never been viewed because a mass large enough to be seen by the naked eye would be immediately vaporized by its radioactive heating. The bulk properties of astatine are not known with any certainty, but they have been predicted based on its similarity to the other halogens, the lighter elements directly above it in the periodic table: fluorine, chlorine, bromine and especially iodine. It is likely to have a dark or lustrous appearance and may be a semiconductor or possibly a metal; it probably has a higher melting point than iodine. Chemically, several anionic species of astatine are known and most of its compounds resemble those of iodine. It also shows some metallic behavior, including the ability to form a stable monatomic cation in aqueous solution (unlike the lighter halogens). (Full article...)

June 26

Sir Stanley Savige (1890–1954) was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First and Second World Wars. He enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force in March 1915, and served in the ranks during the Gallipoli Campaign, where he received a commission. He earned the Military Cross for bravery in fighting on the Western Front. In 1918 he joined Dunsterforce, and participated in the Caucasus Campaign, during which he was instrumental in protecting thousands of Assyrian refugees. After the war he wrote a book, Stalky's Forlorn Hope, about his wartime experiences, and played a key role in the establishment of Legacy Australia, a war widows and orphans benefit fund. During the Second World War, he commanded the 17th Infantry Brigade in the North African campaign, the Battle of Greece and the Syria–Lebanon campaign. His outspoken criticism of professional soldiers earned him their rancour. He returned to Australia after the Battle of Greece, but later commanded the 3rd Division in New Guinea in the Salamaua–Lae campaign. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general, commanding the II Corps in the Bougainville campaign in the final stages of the war. (Full article...)

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

June 27

Hurricane Georges hit Louisiana in 1998, doing $30.1 million in damage and causing three deaths. Attaining a peak intensity of 155 mph (250 km/h) on September 20, the storm tracked through the Greater Antilles and later entered the Gulf of Mexico. Half a million residents in Louisiana evacuated from low-lying areas before the Category 2 storm made landfall on the 28th in Mississippi. Many homes outside the levee system were flooded by the storm surge, and 85 fishing camps on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain were destroyed. An estimated 160,000 residences were left without power; beaches were severely eroded by the slow-moving storm. Precipitation in Louisiana peaked at 2.98 inches (75.69 mm) in Bogalusa, and wind gusts reached 82 mph (132 km/h). In the wake of the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened 67 shelters across the state, and covered insurance claims totalling $14,150,532, including from Puerto Rico and Mississippi. The Clinton administration appropriated $56 million in disaster relief to regions in Louisiana for recovery from Tropical Storm Frances and Hurricane Georges. (Full article...)

June 28

Edmontosaurus, a genus with the species E. regalis and E. annectens, was one of the largest duck-billed dinosaurs, up to 12 metres (39 ft) long and weighing around 4.0 metric tons (4.4 short tons). Widely distributed across western North America, especially in the coasts and coastal plains, it was a herbivore with small crests that walked on two legs or four, and probably lived in groups. It was named after Edmonton, Alberta; the first fossils were discovered in Alberta's Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Abundant fossils have allowed researchers to study its brain, feeding habits, pathologies, and even injuries, including in one case from a tyrannosaur attack. Fossils of E. regalis have been found in rocks that date from 73 million years ago, while those of E. annectens (reconstruction pictured) are around 66 million years old, both in the Cretaceous Period. Edmontosaurus was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs, living alongside Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus shortly before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction. (Full article...)

June 29

Robin Friday (1952–1990) was an English football forward who played for Reading and Cardiff City during the mid-1970s. Born and raised in Acton in west London, Friday joined Reading in 1974, quickly becoming a key player and helping Reading win promotion to the Third Division during the 1975–76 season. Friday won Reading's player of the year award in both of his full seasons there as their leading goal scorer. Many contemporaries would later assert that he was good enough to play for England, but his habit of unsettling opponents through physical intimidation contributed to a heavily tarnished disciplinary record, and his personal life was one of heavy smoking, drinking, womanising and drug abuse. His intensifying drug habit led Reading to sell him to Cardiff in 1976. Following incidents on and off the field—including kicking Mark Lawrenson in the face mid-game—Friday retired from football in 1977. He died in Acton in 1990, aged 38, after suffering a heart attack. Despite his short career, Friday remains prominent in the memory of Reading and Cardiff supporters, as a player and a personality. He has been voted Reading's best ever player three times. (Full article...)

June 30

Fantastic Novels was an American science fiction and fantasy pulp magazine published by the Munsey Company of New York from 1940 to 1941, and by Popular Publications from 1948 to 1951. It was launched as a bimonthly companion magazine to Famous Fantastic Mysteries in response to heavy demand for book-length reprints of stories from pulp magazines such as Amazing Stories and Argosy. It ran science fiction and fantasy classics from earlier decades, including novels by A. Merritt, George Allan England, Victor Rousseau and others, and occasionally published reprints of more recent work, such as Earth's Last Citadel by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore. There were five issues in the magazine's first incarnation and another twenty in the revived version from Popular Publications, along with seventeen Canadian and two British reprints. Mary Gnaedinger edited both series; her interest in reprinting Merritt's work helped make him one of the better-known fantasy writers of the era. (Full article...)