Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Archive
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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in the last 30 days.
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.Purge server cache
December 8
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Mount Api is a limestone mountain located in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is part of the same formation as Mount Benarat and Mount Buda. Mount Api is notable for its striking limestone karst formations, commonly known as "the pinnacles". The mountain hosts many caves, with passages linking to the massive Clearwater Cave system. It features a great diversity of pitcher plants, with at least eight different species recorded on the mountain. This 2019 photograph shows the karst pinnacles near the peak of Mount Api. Photograph credit: Nur Nafis Naim
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December 7
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Platycypha caligata, commonly known as the dancing jewel, is a species of damselfly in the family Chlorocyphidae. It is found in eastern, central and southern Africa from Ethiopia to Angola and South Africa. Its natural habitats include shady parts of subtropical or tropical streams and rivers in forest, woodland, savanna, shrubland, and the shorelines of lakes. Males perform remarkable territorial and courtship displays which include flashing their brightly coloured legs with flattened tibiae and waving their abdomens. This male dancing jewel, with a length of around 35 mm, was photographed near Victoria Falls in Zambia. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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December 6
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Keke Rosberg (born 6 December 1948) is a Finnish former racing driver and the winner of the 1982 Formula One World Championship. He was the first Formula One driver from Finland to win the championship. Rosberg began his Formula One career in 1978 and he drove for a number of different teams before signing for Williams in 1982. After four seasons there, he spent his final season with McLaren before retiring in 1986. Rosberg's son Nico won the 2016 Formula One World Championship. This photograph, from the archives of the Dutch photograph press agency Anefo, shows Rosberg at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix. Photograph credit: Hans van Dijk; restored by Adam Cuerden
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December 5
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Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. In English, the smaller species tend to be called doves and the larger ones pigeons, but this distinction is not always consistent and scientifically there is no separation between them. Pigeons and doves are distributed everywhere on Earth, except for the driest areas of the Sahara, Antarctica and its surrounding islands, and the high Arctic. The family has adapted to most of the habitats available on the planet. There is a considerable variation in size between species, ranging in length from 15 to 75 cm (6 to 30 in), and in weight from 30 g (1 oz) to above 2 kg (4 lb). Overall, the anatomy of Columbidae is characterized by short legs, short bills with a fleshy beak, and small heads on large, compact bodies. The wings are large, and have eleven primary feathers; they have strong wing muscles and are among the strongest fliers of all birds. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants. This red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) was photographed on the Zambezi in Zimbabwe, near Kazungula Bridge. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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December 4
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Laodicea on the Lycus was an ancient city in Asia Minor, situated on a hill above the river Lycus. It was located in the Hellenistic regions of Caria and Lydia, which later became the Roman Province of Phrygia Pacatiana. It is now situated near the modern city of Denizli in Turkey. Laodicea was built on the site of an earlier pre-Hellenistic settlement, and was founded by Antiochus II Theos, the king of the Seleucid Empire from 261 to 253 BC, in honour of his wife Laodice, together with several other cities of the same name. Laodicea became a wealthy city, and was later controlled by the Roman and Byzantine empires. The city had a large Jewish population, dating from the time of Antiochus the Great, who transported 2000 Jewish families there from Babylonia. It also became an early seat of Christianity with a bishopric. The Epistle to the Colossians mentions Laodicea as one of the communities of concern for Paul the Apostle. The city was destroyed in an earthquake in around AD 60, and subsequently rebuilt. It was eventually destroyed during the invasions of the Turks and Mongols during the second millennium, and is now a ruin. This photograph taken in 2020 shows the remains of a colonnaded Laodicean street. Photograph credit: Alexander Savin
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December 3
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Mullus barbatus, commonly known as the red mullet, is a species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the northeastern and central eastern Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from Scandinavia southwards to Senegal, including Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. It is a demersal fish and occurs at depths ranging from 10 to 328 m over muddy, sandy or gravel bottoms. It can grow to a standard length of 30 cm, but it is more commonly around 15 cm long. Its snout is short and steep and there are no spines on the operculum. The upper jaw is toothless, but there are teeth on the roof of the mouth and on the lower jaw. A pair of moderately long barbels on the chin do not exceed the pectoral fins in length. This fish is rose-pink, without distinctive markings on its fins. This M. barbatus individual was photographed in the Arrábida Natural Park, Portugal. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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December 2
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The coronation of Napoleon was the crowning of Napoleon and his wife Joséphine as Emperor and Empress of the French, which took place on December 2, 1804, at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. It took the format of a sacred ceremony, in the presence of Pope Pius VII. Preparations for the coronation began in May 1804, when the Sénat conservateur voted to change the constitution to vest the government of the French First Republic's government in an emperor, a move ratified a constitutional referendum in November 1804. Napoleon's motivations for being crowned included a desire for prestige in international royalist and Catholic circles and to lay the foundation for a future dynasty. The event is also regarded by historians as a progaganda exercise. Napoleon's coronation was markedly different from those of the French monarchy and brought together various rites and customs, incorporating ceremonies of Carolingian tradition, the ancien régime and the French Revolution, with a highly luxurious presentation. This large oil-on-canvas painting, titled The Coronation of Napoleon, measures 6.21 m × 9.79 m (20 ft 4 in × 32 ft 1 in) and was painted by Jacques-Louis David (assisted by his student Georges Rouget) between 1805 and 1807, depicting the moment of Joséphine's crowning by Napoleon. The painting now hangs in the Louvre in Paris. Painting credit: Jacques-Louis David and Georges Rouget
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December 1
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The Arecibo Telescope was a 305-meter-diameter (1,000 ft) spherical-reflector radio telescope built into a natural sinkhole at the Arecibo Observatory located near Arecibo, Puerto Rico. A cable-mount steerable receiver and several radar transmitters for emitting signals were mounted 150 meters (492 ft) above the parabolic antenna. Completed in November 1963, the Arecibo Telescope was the world's largest single-aperture telescope for 53 years, until it was surpassed in July 2016 by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou, China. Following a long period of declining maintenance exacerbated by Hurricane Maria and two earthquakes, the Arecibo Telescope's receiver cables suffered a catastrophic failure that culminated in the collapse of the receiver platform at around 6:55 a.m. AST (10:55 UTC) on December 1, 2020, as captured in this video. The collapse of the receiver structure and cables onto the dish caused extensive additional damage, and ultimately resulted in the decision to demolish the remaining structure in 2022. Video credit: National Science Foundation
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November 30
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The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a species of seabird in the auk family and is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean. It has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts and its broad, boldly marked red-and-black beak and orange legs contrast with its otherwise sombre plumage. The Atlantic puffin spends the autumn and winter at sea, mainly in the North Atlantic, and returns to land at the start of the breeding season in late spring. Its breeding range includes the coasts of north west Europe, the Arctic fringes and eastern North America. It nests in clifftop colonies, each pair of birds choosing or digging a burrow in which a single white egg is laid. Incubation takes about six weeks and the chicks are fully fledged a similar time later. They then make their way at night to the sea, not returning to land for several years. Colonies are mostly on islands where there are no terrestrial predators, but both adult birds and newly fledged young are at risk of attacks from the air by gulls and skuas. The Atlantic puffin's striking appearance, large colourful bill, waddling gait and appealing behaviour have given rise to nicknames such as "clown of the sea" and "sea parrot". This Atlantic puffin was photographed on the northern coast of Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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November 29
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State Fair is a 1933 American comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers and Lew Ayres. It was based on the 1932 bestselling novel State Fair by Phil Stong. The picture tells the story of a farm family's multi-day visit to the Iowa State Fair, where the parents seek to win prizes in agricultural and cooking competitions, and their teenage daughter and son each find unexpected romance. The film was made in pre-Code Hollywood and, despite its seemingly tame plot, had some scenes that were censored in a re-release a few years later, after the Production Code took effect. Cut scenes include a view of a disheveled bed and a negligee on the floor, and a sexual relationship between the daughter and a reporter, but the son's seduction by a trapeze artist was kept. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and was the first of three film versions of the novel released to theaters, the others being movie musicals released in 1945 and in 1962. This poster was produced for the Twentieth Century–Fox Film Corporation for the 1933 theatrical release of State Fair. Poster credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden
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November 28
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Hyles gallii, also known as the bedstraw hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775 and is found in North America, in Europe to the Arctic Circle, in Central Asia, and in Japan. This image shows a late-stage H. gallii caterpillar in Keila, Estonia. Caterpillars of the species can reach a length of 70 to 80 millimetres (2.8 to 3.1 in), with variable colouring. One type is olive green with cream spots and a reddish-brown head, while another is almost entirely black. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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November 27
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Aragonite is a carbonate mineral and one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), the others being calcite and vaterite. It is commonly found in Spain, with some deposits also occurring in France, Slovakia and the United States. Aragonite is formed by biological processes, including precipitation from marine and freshwater environments. It is used in aquaria as a means of replicating reef conditions, and as an agent in the removal of pollutants such as zinc, cobalt and lead from contaminated wastewater. This aragonite specimen, measuring 4 by 3.6 by 3.5 centimetres (1.6 in × 1.4 in × 1.4 in), was mined in Los Molinillos in Cuenca, Spain. Photograph credit: JJ Harrison
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November 26
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Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. The duo had a string of R&B hits with their early recordings "A Fool In Love", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "I Idolize You", "Poor Fool", and "Tra La La La La". The release of "River Deep – Mountain High" in 1966, followed by a tour of the UK with The Rolling Stones, increased their popularity in Europe. Their later works are noted for interpretive soul-infused re-arrangements of rock songs such as "Come Together", "Honky Tonk Woman", and "Proud Mary", the latter of which won them a Grammy Award in 1972. Ike & Tina Turner received the first Golden European Record Award for their international hit "Nutbush City Limits" in 1974. They released dozens of albums; their most successful by chart performance being Workin' Together. Pitchfork listed their album River Deep – Mountain High among the best of its era. Although their partnership was successful musically, they had a tumultuous marriage. In his autobiography, Ike wrote, "Sure, I've slapped Tina. We had fights and there have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her." Tina stated that "It was my relationship with Ike that made me most unhappy. At first, I had really been in love with him. Look what he'd done for me. But he was totally unpredictable." They divorced in 1976, and Tina went on to enjoy a highly successful solo career. This photograph of Ike and Tina was taken at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam in 1971. Photograph credit: Rob Mieremet for Anefo: restored by Adam Cuerden
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November 25
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The long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) is an African bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. It is characterised by the feathers making up the shaggy crest. It is found throughout mid- to southern Africa with differing home ranges due to food availability and suitable habitat area but lives mainly on forest edges and near moist areas. Breeding usually occurs year-round depending on food availability with 1 to 2 eggs being laid as is characteristic by raptors. Furthermore, as a raptor species, it commonly eats smaller mammals; however, other vertebrates and invertebrates are also consumed. This long-crested eagle was photographed in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Photograph credit: User:Charles J. Sharp
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November 24
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Doris Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a United States Navy cook who was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor in combat after the Medal of Honor. Miller served aboard USS West Virginia, a battleship that was sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. During the attack, he helped several sailors who were wounded, and shot down several Japanese planes while manning an anti-aircraft machine gun for which he had no training. Miller's actions earned him the Navy Cross, and the resulting publicity for Miller in the black press made him an iconic emblem of the fight for civil rights for black Americans. On November 24, 1943, Miller was killed while serving aboard the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin in the Gilbert Islands. The destroyer escort USS Miller (reclassified as a frigate in 1975), in service from 1973 to 1991, was named after him. In 2020, the Navy announced that a Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be named USS Doris Miller. The ship is scheduled to be laid down in 2026 and launched in 2029. This U.S. Navy photograph of Miller was taken in 1942. Photograph credit: United States Navy, restored by Adam Cuerden
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November 23
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Argiope versicolor also known as the multi-coloured Saint Andrew's cross spider, is a species of orb-weaver spider found mostly in Southeast Asia, from China to Indonesia. Like other members of the genus, females sometimes decorate their web with a zig-zag stabilimentum of white silk, which varies in shape from discoid in juveniles to cruciform in mature females. The stabilimentum may be associated with predator-avoidance behaviours. The female usually sits head down in the centre of the web, with legs held spread-eagle in an "X" shape. The male is smaller and duller than the female, is brown- and cream-coloured, and is not decorated by zig-zag white bands. This A. versicolor female was photographed on the island of Don Det in Laos. Photograph credit: Basile Morin
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November 22
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John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election and the youngest president at the end of his tenure. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his foreign policy concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat from Massachusetts, Kennedy served in both houses of the United States Congress prior to his presidency. This photograph of Kennedy in his presidential state car was taken by Walt Cisco of The Dallas Morning News minutes before his assassination in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Photograph credit: Walt Cisco
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November 21
The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southeastern Canada, the United States, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, and as an introduced species in a few locations such as Bermuda and Hawaii. Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized perching songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) and a crest on the top of the head. It is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. These photos of a male and female northern cardinal, which show their sexual dimorphism, were photographed in Central Park, New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites
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November 20
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In archaeology, the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), also known as the Oxus Civilization, refers to a Middle Bronze Age civilization of southern Central Asia, existing in its urban phase from circa 2400 to 1950 BC. Most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Marghab River delta, and in the Kopet Dag mountains. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria, in what is now southern Uzbekistan, but these are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site lies in southern Bactria, in the north of modern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. This BMAC statuette of a seated female is an example of a "Bactrian princess", dating to between the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC. It is made of steatite or chlorite and alabaster, with dimensions of 3+9⁄16 in × 3+11⁄16 in × 1+7⁄8 in (9.0 cm × 9.4 cm × 4.8 cm). The sculpture is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Sculpture credit: unknown; photographed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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November 19
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The grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the triggerfish family, Balistidae. The species is native to shallow parts of the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina and also the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and off Angola on the west coast of Africa. It is typically found over hard bottoms on reefs and rocky areas, in lagoons and in bays, at depths down to about 55 metres. It moves using undulations of its dorsal fins, and if threatened, can work its way into a protective crevice and wedge itself in place by erecting its front dorsal spine. It is difficult to dislodge from this position. The grey triggerfish is a demersal species and feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as shrimps, crabs, molluscs, sea urchins, sand dollars, starfish and sea cucumbers. This grey triggerfish was photographed in Arrábida Natural Park, Setúbal District, Portugal. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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November 18
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Rani ki Vav is a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat, India. It is located on the banks of the Saraswati River. Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, the spouse of the 11th-century Chaulukya king Bhima I. Silted over, it was rediscovered in the 1940s and restored in the 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India since 2014. One of the largest examples of its kind, this stepwell is designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels. These panels have more than five hundred principal sculptures and more than one thousand minor ones that combine religious and symbolic imagery. Photograph credit: Snehrashmi
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November 17
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Sargocentron xantherythrum, commonly known as the Hawaiian squirrelfish or striped squirrelfish, is a member of the squirrelfish family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Growing to a length of 17 centimeters (6.7 in), the fish has a red coloration with white stripes running along the body, as well as sharp gill spines and rough scales that can cause the fish to be snagged in netting materials. It is a nocturnal species that is much more active at night. It inhabits seaward reefs below the surge zone, and is common near caves and ledges, feeding mainly on worms, crustaceans and starfish. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. This school of S. xantherythrum was photographed in the French Frigate Shoals, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. Photograph credit: James Watt
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November 16
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Vang Vieng is a town in Vientiane province of Laos, lying on the Nam Song River. It is surrounded by karst topography. The town was first settled around 1353 as a staging post between Luang Prabang and the Laotian capital, Vientiane. Originally named Mouang Song after the body of the deceased King Phra Nha Phao of Phai Naam was seen floating down the river, the town was renamed Vang Vieng during French colonial rule in the 1890s. During the Vietnam War, the United States military constructed an air-force base and runway in Vang Vieng, known as "Lima site 6". Since Laos opened up for tourism in the late 1990s, the town has grown substantially due to the influx of backpacker tourism and associated business development. This view of the town and surrounding karst was taken from the top of Mount Nam Xay in June, during the monsoon season. Photograph credit: Basile Morin
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November 15
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Prehnite is an inosilicate mineral of calcium and aluminium with the chemical formula Ca2Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)2. Limited Fe3+ substitutes for aluminium in the structure. Prehnite crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, and most often forms as stalactitic, botryoidal, reniform or globular aggregates. Prehnite is brittle with an uneven fracture and a vitreous to pearly luster. It has a hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale and its specific gravity is 2.80 to 2.95, while its color varies from light green to yellow, with some specimens also colorless. Prehnite is used as a gemstone, and was first described in 1788 for an occurrence in the Karoo dolerites of Cradock in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It was named after Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn, the commander of the military forces of the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope from 1768 to 1780. This prehnite crystal, measuring 4.0 cm × 3.5 cm × 2.0 cm (1.6 in × 1.4 in × 0.8 in), was found in Southbury, Connecticut, in the United States. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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November 14
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The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band. They are usually found in pairs or small family groups. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail. This male pied kingfisher of the subspecies C. r. leucomelanurus was photographed by the Chambal River in Uttar Pradesh, India. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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November 13
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In 1921, the Empire of Japan turned a Korean royal cemetery into a golf course at what is now Hyochang Park. The tomb of Royal Noble Consort Uibin Seong was left directly on the course; it can be seen in the center of the picture, with a fence erected around it. Two Korean children dressed in white can be seen caddying for two golfers. A significant majority of players who used the course were Japanese. After the liberation of Korea in 1945, the park was turned into a memorial for Korean independence activists who resisted the Japanese colonization of Korea. Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden
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November 12
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Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist. Her groundbreaking research on radioactivity led to the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium, earning her two Nobel Prizes in physics (1903) and in chemistry (1911), becoming the first person and only woman to achieve such a feat. Her work revolutionized understanding of atomic structure and radiation, laying the foundation for modern nuclear physics and medical radiation therapy. This photograph of Curie was taken around the 1920s. Photograph credit: Henri Manuel; restored by FMSky and Bammesk
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November 11
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The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Whitehall in London, England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled on 11 November 1920 as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and Commonwealth dead of the First World War. It was rededicated in 1946 to also commemorate those who had fallen in the Second World War, and has since come to represent British casualties from later conflicts. The word cenotaph is derived from Greek, meaning 'empty tomb'; the monument symbolises the absence of the dead and is a focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War; calls for it to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. The permanent Cenotaph was unveiled by George V on 11 November 1920 in a ceremony combined with the repatriation of the Unknown Warrior. The National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on Remembrance Sunday. This sketch by Lutyens of the Cenotaph's front and end elevations was published in The Illustrated London News two days after it was unveiled. Sketch credit: Edwin Lutyens; restored by Adam Cuerden
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November 10
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The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae (the squirrels) found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States–Canada border to the United States–Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen above ground in midwinter. This individual was photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. Photograph credit: Simon Pierre Barrette
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November 9
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West Virginia is a state in the Southern or Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,793,716 residents. The state was formed in 1861, comprising a number of counties which separated from the state of Virginia after the latter had seceded from the United States. West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863, and was a key border state during the American Civil War. The state is noted for its mountains and rolling hills, its historically significant coal mining and logging industries, and its political and labor history. It is also a popular tourist destination. Charleston is the capital and most populous city of the state. This 1876 illustration of the Seal of West Virginia was produced by Henry Mitchell as part of a series titled The State Arms of the Union. Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Godot13
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