From today's featured article
Bill Newton (8 June 1919 – 29 March 1943) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, honoured for his actions as a bomber pilot in Papua New Guinea during March 1943. Raised in Melbourne, he joined the Citizen Military Forces in 1938 and enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in February 1940. He served as a flying instructor in Australia before being posted to No. 22 Squadron, which began operating Boston light bombers in New Guinea late in 1942. Having just taken part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, he was on his fifty-second mission when he was shot down. Newton was still posted as missing when given the Victoria Cross in October 1943. It later emerged that he was captured by the Japanese and beheaded. Newton was the only Australian airman to receive a Victoria Cross for action in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, and the sole Australian to be so decorated while flying with an RAAF squadron. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that two European missionaries stationed in a Catholic church (pictured) were beheaded by Chinese Red Army soldiers led by Mao Zedong in 1935?
- ... that after after operating for 168 years and moving to three buildings, the Mercantile Library in Philadelphia was closed due to concerns of asbestos?
- ... that Mary Ann Wells, considered the most influential ballet teacher of the Pacific Northwest, mentored Gerald Arpino, who went on to co-found the Joffrey Ballet?
- ... that unusually for jungle music, much of Nia Archives' album Silence Is Loud is set to a 4/4 beat?
- ... that in addition to her popular manga series Delicious in Dungeon, Ryoko Kui has drawn fan art of the games Baldur's Gate, Pathfinder and Planescape: Torment?
- ... that Italian broadcaster RAI did not broadcast the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest for nearly two months, due to fears that its own entry could sway the result of a referendum on divorce?
- ... that Georgi Romanov had a shootout loss in the 2022–23 KHL season even though he was credited with playing zero minutes that season? Question: at WT:DYK
- ... that Tim Robards returned to Neighbours in Episode 8851, two years after he was forced to quit his role early?
- ... that Franz Liszt's female admirers would fight over his cigar stubs and coffee dregs as souvenirs?
In the news
- The Boeing Starliner spacecraft conducts its first crewed flight (launch pictured), carrying two astronauts to the International Space Station.
- The CNSA Chang'e 6 completes sampling and takeoff from the far side of the Moon.
- Claudia Sheinbaum is elected as the president of Mexico.
- In South Africa's general election, the African National Congress wins the most seats but loses its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid.
On this day
- 1826 – In York, Upper Canada, members of the Family Compact destroyed William Lyon Mackenzie's printing press in the Types Riot after Mackenzie accused them of corruption.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate Army won a resounding victory at the Battle of Cross Keys, one of the two decisive battles in Jackson's Valley campaign.
- 1929 – Margaret Bondfield (pictured) became the first female member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom when she was named Minister of Labour by Ramsay MacDonald.
- 1941 – World War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant.
- 1953 – An F5 tornado struck Flint and Beecher, Michigan, causing 116 fatalities, 844 injuries and $19 million in damage during a larger tornado outbreak sequence.
- William of York (d. 1154)
- Cora Agnes Benneson (d. 1919)
- Lauren Burns (b. 1974)
- Omar Bongo (d. 2009)
Today's featured picture
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Located in the south-east of Scotland, it is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills. With a population of 506,520 in mid-2020, Edinburgh is the second-largest city in Scotland by population and the seventh-largest in the United Kingdom. The royal burgh of Edinburgh was founded by King David I in the early 12th century on land belonging to the Crown, and has been capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century. This aerial photograph, with Edinburgh Castle in the foreground, was taken around 1920. Photograph credit: Alfred Buckham; restored by Adam Cuerden
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