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From today's featured article

Line drawing of a Lyon-class battleship

The Lyon class was a set of battleships planned for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) in 1913, with construction scheduled to begin in 1915. The class was to have consisted of four ships, named Lyon, Lille, Duquesne, and Tourville. The first two were named for cities in France, and the latter pair honored the French admirals Abraham Duquesne and Anne Hilarion de Tourville. The Lyon class would have featured superior firepower over the previous Normandie class, utilizing a fourth quadruple-gun turret to mount a total of sixteen 34 cm (13.4 in) guns. The French were aware that the latest British battleships—the Queen Elizabeth class—were to be armed with 38 cm (15 in) guns, but they believed that their 34 cm guns would be effective at the expected battle ranges in the Mediterranean. Construction on the Lyon class was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, before any of the ships were laid down. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Historic illustration of Arceuthobium mengeanum

... that the lost Arceuthobium mengeanum mistletoe fossils (illustrated) were possibly entombed in "sea amber"?
... that John Kinloch Anderson tested ancient Greek horse riding techniques?
... that the Wanli Emperor opposed naming his eldest son heir because his mother, though one of the Emperor's consorts, had once been a palace servant?
... that Michael Jackson once thanked Bill Bray "for being a father" to him?
... that the manga Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch was created to market the E-kara karaoke toy to young girls?
... that Kailey Utley took a break from her optometry career to become a professional soccer player?
... that Jacqueline Wilson wrote a fourth novel in her Hetty Feather series despite only planning to write a trilogy?
... that the title of Violet Grohl's debut album Be Sweet to Me began as an in-joke between her and her best friend?
... that Paulus Samador da Cunha lost a vote to become the regent of Sikka, but was appointed anyway?

In the news

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On this day

July 5: Fifth of July in New York

Coat of arms of the Regency of Algiers

1830 – Algiers surrendered to French invaders, ending the Regency of Algiers (coat of arms pictured).
1922 – Brazilian Army rebels took over Fort Copacabana and launched a rebellion in Rio de Janeiro against President Epitácio Pessoa and President-elect Artur Bernardes.
1937 – The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend.
1950 – Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and American forces, an unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force was routed at the Battle of Osan.
1990 – An explosion at a petrochemical plant in Channelview, Texas, United States, killed 17 people and injured 5 others.

Greta Arwidsson (b. 1906)
Gerard 't Hooft (b. 1946)
Shohei Ohtani (b. 1994)
Jon Landau (d. 2024)

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Today's featured picture

Elephants are the largest existing land animals and the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae. Three living species are recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Elephants have long, flexible trunks, long tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and grey skin. They are herbivorous, and stay near water when it is accessible. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. After reaching adulthood, males (bulls) live separately, either alone or with other males. Elephants communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound. Threats to their populations include poaching for their ivory tusks, habitat destruction, and conflicts with local people. Elephants are iconic in human culture and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture. This female African bush elephant was photographed in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.

Photograph credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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