Ethel Smyth (1858–1944) was an English composer and a member of the women's suffrage movement. Her compositions include songs, works for piano, chamber music, orchestral works, choral works and operas. Smyth's extensive body of work includes the Concerto for Violin, Horn and Orchestra, and the Mass in D. Her opera The Wreckers is considered by some critics to be the "most important English opera composed during the period between Purcell and Britten". This photograph of Smyth was taken in 1922.
Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden
The plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus) is a bird in the family Pedionomidae, of which it is the only surviving species. Endemic to Australia, its historical range included Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory, but in recent years it has become endangered, with remaining known populations concentrated in the Riverina (a region in southwestern New South Wales) and in western Queensland. The plains-wanderer is a quail-like ground bird, measuring 15 to 19 centimetres (5.9 to 7.5 in). The adult male is light brown above, with fawn-white underparts with black crescents. The adult female is substantially larger than the male, and has a distinctive white-spotted black collar. This female plains-wanderer was photographed in the Riverina, north of the town of Deniliquin, New South Wales.
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets. With a population of 794,313 as of the 2020 census, it is the core city of Malaysia's second-largest metropolitan area, which has a population of 2.84 million. George Town serves as the commercial centre for northern Malaysia. Its technological sector, anchored by hundreds of multinational companies, has made the city the top exporter in the country. It was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia, and its proximity to maritime routes along the Strait of Malacca attracted an influx of immigrants from various parts of Asia. In 1974, the city was merged with the rest of the island, throwing its administrative status into doubt until 2015, when its jurisdiction was reinstated and expanded to cover the entire island and adjacent islets. UNESCO designated the city centre of George Town as a World Heritage Site in 2008. (Full article...)
The 2019 FA Cup final was an association football match between Manchester City and Watford for the 138th FA Cup final. In the 21st minute, Abdoulaye Doucouré's shot struck Vincent Kompany's arm; the referee declined to award a penalty and showed Doucouré the first yellow card of the game for his protests. David Silva scored the first goal from a header and Gabriel Jesus side-footed the ball for the second goal. At 61 minutes City extended their lead with a goal from substitute Kevin De Bruyne(pictured), and seven minutes later Jesus scored on the counter-attack. Sterling scored twice at the 81st and the 87th minutes and the match ended 6–0 to Manchester City. De Bruyne was named the man of the match. It was only the third time that a team has scored six goals in an FA Cup final and the margin of victory is the joint-largest in an FA Cup final. The win completed a domestic treble for Manchester City, who already won the League Cup and the Premier League that season. (Full article...)
... that actress Nellie McCoy(pictured) suffered a mental breakdown after her theatre performance was criticized, leading to her being committed to a sanatorium?
... that although the icosian game was advertised as a "highly amusing game for the drawing room", it was too easy to play and not a commercial success?
... that the architects of the Eldridge Street Synagogue were Catholics who had never designed a synagogue before?
... that Theo Benedet is the first offensive lineman to be named the best Canadian university football lineman two years in a row?
... that Luo Wenzao became the first Catholic bishop from China in 1685, after initially declining the appointment in 1677?
... that the historic mansion Bulgur Palas in Istanbul hosted a birdhouse for hundreds of domestic canaries in one room during its ownership by the Ottoman Bank?
... that women were 33 percent more likely than men to search for clown pornography on Pornhub in 2016?
... that the chief editor of the United States' Telegraph allegedly gouged a rival reporter's eyes inside a Senate office?
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