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From today's featured article

Thekla (right) with Michael III

Thekla (820s or 830s – after 870) was a princess of the Amorian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. The eldest of seven children of the emperor Theophilos and empress Theodora, she was proclaimed augusta (an imperial title) in the late 830s. After her father's death in 842, her mother became regent for her younger brother Michael III, and Thekla was associated with the regime as a co-empress alongside Theodora and Michael. Thekla was deposed by Michael, possibly alongside her mother, in 856 and consigned to a convent in Constantinople. In one narrative, accepted by some Byzantinists and rejected by others, she became the mistress of Michael's friend and co-emperor Basil I, but was neglected after Basil murdered Michael in 867 and took power as the sole emperor. In this narrative, she took another lover, was discovered, and fell out of favor, then was beaten and had her property confiscated. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Scybalium fungiforme flower

... that before they can be pollinated, Scybalium fungiforme flowers (example pictured) need to be forcefully peeled open by possums or tanagers?
... that Zali Steggall, an independent member of the Parliament of Australia, has won an Olympic medal in skiing?
... that petroglyphs from western Crete may depict extinct Candiacervus deer from the Palaeolithic?
... that North Korean child prodigy Ri Jong-yol defected to South Korea after winning silver at the 2016 International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong?
... that after women at Apple Inc. found a 6-percent gender wage gap and spoke out against sexual harassment and discrimination in #AppleToo, a class-action lawsuit was filed in June 2024?
... that Fu Wuji's Fuhou gujin zhu includes information on a diverse range of topics, from astrological signs to the dimensions of imperial tombs?
... that Ascension Island designated its entire marine territory as a protected area with no commercial fishing permitted?
... that Jewish video essayist Jacob Geller cited Jewish traditions of study and scholarship as an inspiration behind his analysis of popular culture?
... that one critic likened the design of 185 Montague Street in New York City to the horns of Count Basie's orchestra?

In the news

Joe Biden

Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden (pictured) withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.
The International Court of Justice finds the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to be a violation of international law.
A faulty software update by CrowdStrike, an American cybersecurity company, causes global computer outages.
President Bashar al-Assad's Ba'ath Party wins a majority of seats in the Syrian parliamentary election.

On this day

July 22: Feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene (Christianity)

Jules-Albert de Dion

838 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The forces of the Abbasid Caliphate defeated Byzantine troops led by Emperor Theophilos at the Battle of Anzen, near present-day Dazman, Turkey.
1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union troops at the Battle of Atlanta.
1894 – Jules-Albert de Dion (pictured) finished first in the world's first motor race, but did not win as his steam-powered car was against the rules.
1944 – World War II: In opposition to the government-in-exile based in London, the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation was proclaimed to govern territory recaptured from Germany.
1954 – A limited state of martial law was declared in Russell County, Alabama, due to organized crime.

Thomas Macnamara Russell (d. 1824)
James Whale (b. 1889)
Louise Fletcher (b. 1934)
Johann Breyer (d. 2014)

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From today's featured list

AC/DC in 2009

The discography of AC/DC, an Australian rock band, includes eighteen studio albums, two soundtrack albums, three live albums, one extended play, fifty-seven singles and two box sets as of 2024. AC/DC was formed in 1973 by brothers Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar). The band released two albums in Australasia before issuing their first international album, High Voltage (1976); the Youngs had been joined by vocalist Bon Scott, bass guitarist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd. In 1980, Scott died and was replaced by English singer Brian Johnson, with whom the band released the second-best-selling album in history, Back in Black, and sold 50 million copies worldwide. In 50 years of their career, AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, and 83 million in the United States. Their most certified singles in the US are "Thunderstruck" and "Back in Black", which respectively received Diamond and 7× Platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2024. In Australia, "Thunderstruck" was accredited 10× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2022. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a large bird, with individuals reaching a height of 152 centimetres (4.99 feet) and a weight of 9 kilograms (20 lb), and has the largest wingspan of any land bird, with an average of 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and some recorded examples of up to 3.2 metres (10 ft). The marabou stork breeds in Africa south of the Sahara. In East Africa, the birds interact with humans and breed in urban areas. In southern African countries, the birds breed mainly in less populated areas. This marabou stork in flight was photographed in the town of Batu, by Lake Ziway, Ethiopia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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