Pottery from Guandimiao

Guandimiao is a Chinese archaeological site in Xingyang, Henan. It is the site of a small Late Shang village, around a hundred inhabitants at its peak, occupied from c. 1250 to 1100 BCE. It likely exported ceramics and cattle, while importing mass produced goods such as arrowheads and hairpins from the Shang capital at Yinxu, 200 km (120 mi) to the north. The villagers practiced rituals such as pyromancy using locally-produced oracle bones and thesacrifice of cattle—as well as, more rarely, pigs and humans. Burials at the site have been noted for the almost complete absence of grave goods beyond occasional cowrie shells and sacrificed dogs. First excavated from 2006 to 2008 during preparations for the South–North Water Transfer Project, excavations have significantly broadened scholars' understanding of rural Shang economies and rituals, as well as the layout of rural villages, which have recieved relatively little attention in comparison to urban centers. (Full article...)

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a 2004 action role-playing game that was developed by Square Enix and Jupiter, and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive for the Game Boy Advance. It is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts and uses a new card-based battle system rather than its predecessor's real-time combat system. The story follows Sora and his friends as they explore the Castle Oblivion while battling Organization XIII. Upon release it received positive reviews for its story, graphics, and full-motion videos but its battle system was criticized. It was remade for the PlayStation 2 as Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, which was packaged with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and released in Japan in 2007. The remake was released in North America in 2008 and was remastered in high definition and included in the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection, which was released in 2013 for the PlayStation 3, and later for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and personal computers. (Full article...)

Margaret Sibella Brown (1866–1961) was a Canadian amateur bryologist specializing in species native to Nova Scotia. Early in her career she was involved with gathering sphagnum moss to be used as surgical dressings during World War I, when cotton was in short supply. After the war, she researched mosses from around the world, publishing papers on materials she had collected herself as well as cataloging samples collected by others; her collections are now housed at major herbaria in North America and Europe. Born into upper-class society, Brown was educated in Nova Scotia and abroad. Although lacking formal scientific training, she has been recognized for her contributions to bryology and as an authority on the mosses and liverworts of Nova Scotia. At the age of 84, Brown was awarded an honorary M.A. degree from Acadia University after declining their offer of a Ph.D. She died at her home in Halifax in 1961 aged 95. In 2010, she was inducted into the Nova Scotia Scientific Hall of Fame. (Full article...)

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. It investigates various types of knowledge, including theoretical and practical knowledge, and related concepts, such as belief, truth, and justification. Epistemologists distinguish different sources of knowledge, ranging from perception and introspection to memory, reason, and testimony. The schools of skepticism and fallibilism question the existence and certainty of knowledge, while empiricism and rationalism debate whether all knowledge stems from sense experience. Theories discussing the nature and role of justification include foundationalism, coherentism, internalism, and externalism. Separate branches of epistemology focus on knowledge in specific fields, such as scientific, mathematical, moral, and religious knowledge. Other branches are characterized by the aspects of knowledge they investigate or the research methodologies they use. Early reflections on the nature, sources, and scope of knowledge are found in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. (Full article...)

The first UK Phantom on a test flight in 1968

From 1968 to 1992, the United Kingdom used the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II as one of its principal combat aircraft. The Phantom was procured to serve in both the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force (RAF) in several different roles. Most Phantoms operated by the UK were built as a special batch containing a significant amount of British technology. Two variants were initially built: the F-4K was designed as a carrier-based air-defence interceptor for the Fleet Air Arm, while the F-4M was initially used by the RAF for tactical strike and reconnaissance, before transitioning to the air defence role in the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, a third Phantom variant was obtained when fifteen former US Navy F-4J aircraft were purchased to augment the UK's air defences. Although the Fleet Air Arm ceased using the Phantom in 1978, the RAF retained it until 1992, when it was withdrawn as part of a series of post-Cold War defence cuts. (Full article...)

Beach on Nosy Komba

Nosy Komba is a small volcanic island in Madagascar, situated between Nosy Be and the northwest coast of the main island. The lowlands of the island are divided between secondary forest and a patchwork of farmland and plantations (notably including shade-grown coffee), while the highlands are mainly scrubland, with a bamboo forest in the northern portions. Ampangorina is the main village and administrative center. The island attracts significant ecotourism, thanks in part to its black lemurs. During the early 1800s, the region was heavily settled by Sakalava refugees and their slaves fleeing the hegemony of the Merina Kingdom. France gained control of the island in 1840 and converted it to a logistic center for the import of indentured servants. Although Nosy Komba hosts a traditionally protected forest and an arboretum established in the colonial era, protection for the latter is essentially unenforced, and illegal logging continues. Only small pockets of old-growth forest remain in remote areas. (Full article...)

William Daniel Leahy (6 May 1875 – 20 July 1959) was most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II and the first to hold a five-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. An 1897 graduate of Annapolis, Leahy saw active service in the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion in China, the Banana Wars in Central America, and World War I, and was Chief of Naval Operations from 1937 to 1939. After retiring from the Navy, he was appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In his most controversial role, he served as the Ambassador to France from 1940 to 1942. He was recalled to active duty as the Chief of Staff to the President in 1942 and served in that capacity for the rest of the war. As the de facto first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he presided over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. He was a major decision-maker during the war and was second only to the President in authority and influence. (Full article...)

The US Navy ferries troops across the Rhine at Oberwesel.

American logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany supported operations in Northwest Europe during the World War II from January 1945 until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May. The Allies had to advance across the Rhineland, which was in the grip of thaws, rains and floods. They were then confronted by the Rhine, the most formidable barrier to the Allied advance since the English Channel. The river was crossed and bridged, and railways and pipelines were run across it. Most supplies were delivered by rail. In the final advance into the heart of Germany, combat losses and ammunition expenditure declined, while shortages of fuel and spare parts developed, as was to be expected in fast-moving mobile operations. The railheads were pushed forward, with the rehabilitation of the network keeping pace with the advance, while the Motor Transport Service organized an express service that moved supplies from the railheads to the forward units. (Full article...)

Meghan Trainor

"Mother" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor (pictured) from the deluxe edition of her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022). She wrote the song with Sean Douglas, and its producers, Gian Stone and her brother Justin. Epic Records released it as the lead single on March 27, 2023. A pop song with doo-wop influences, it interpolates "Mr. Sandman". Inspired by men who said Trainor's pregnancy would end her career, the song is about women's empowerment; she asks the male subject to stop mansplaining and to listen to her. Critics were complimentary about the composition but criticized the use of the term "mother". The song reached the top 30 in Belgium, Ireland, Suriname, and the United Kingdom. Charm La'Donna directed the music video, which stars Kris Jenner; critics praised the fashion choices and described it as glamorous. Trainor performed the song on Today, Capital's Summertime Ball, and the Timeless Tour (2024). (This article is part of a featured topic: Takin' It Back.) (Full article...)

Divisional symbol

The 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg was a German mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the Nazi Party that served alongside the German armed forces during World War II. Composed of Muslim Albanians with mostly German and ethnic German Yugoslav officers and non-commissioned officers, it was named for medieval Albanian lord George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. The division committed numerous atrocities in predominantly Serb areas. On 14 May 1944, the division rounded up 281 Jews in Pristina for deportation to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where many of them were killed. It participated in a German anti-Partisan offensive in the Montenegro, and was then deployed as a guard force in Kosovo where it was overrun by the Partisans. It was disbanded on 1 November 1944. Divisional commander SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS August Schmidhuber was later found guilty of war crimes by a Belgrade court and executed in 1947. (Full article...)

Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he advocated for the rights of African Americans and indicted white America for their actions against black Americans. His detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. After living in foster homes, Malcolm X was involved in criminal activity in Boston and New York. In 1945, he was sentenced to prison where he became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole, he became one of the Nation's leaders, chief spokesmen, and their public face. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's departure from the organization in March 1964. Afterwards, he became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular, black nationalist Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was assassinated while giving a speech in New York. (Full article...)

Andrea Navagero (1483–1529) was a Venetian diplomat and writer. He entered the Great Council of Venice at the age of twenty, five years younger than was normal at the time. He edited manuscripts at the Aldine Press, garnering a reputation as a scholar and a highly skilled writer. In 1515, he was appointed the official historian of the Republic of Venice as well as the caretaker of a library containing the collection of the scholar Bessarion. Navagero was named the Venetian ambassador to Spain in 1523 and navigated the volatile diplomatic climate caused by the conflict between Charles V of Spain and Francis I of France. By the time Navagero arrived back in Venice in 1528, he had grown disillusioned with politics and wished to return to editing manuscripts and cultivating his prized gardens. Much to his dismay, he was appointed ambassador to France in January 1529. After traveling to meet with Francis I, he fell ill and died that May. (Full article...)