From today's featured article
Continental Army riflemen skirmishing with enemy troops at the Battle of Saratoga
The Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment was organized in June 1776 as a light infantry unit of riflemen in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment consisted of nine companies – four from Maryland and five from Virginia – and was directly responsible to national authority as an Extra Continental regiment. Most of the regiment surrendered to British and German forces at the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16, 1776. However, a portion of the unit continued to serve actively in the Continental Army throughout most of the remainder of the war. Elements of the regiment served with George Washington's main army and participated in its major engagements. Select members of the unit were also attached to Colonel Daniel Morgan's elite Provisional Rifle Corps. The regiment was reorganized in January 1779 and stationed at Fort Pitt, headquarters of the Continental Army's Western Department, in present-day western Pennsylvania. Disbanded in January 1781, it was the longest serving Continental Army rifle unit of the war. (Full article...)
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Did you know ...
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Penguins on Heard Island
- ... that the Trump administration imposed a 10-percent tariff on an uninhabited island territory home mostly to penguins (examples pictured)?
- ... that the first Japan Cup was won by an American second-rate mare?
- ... that, according to Australian newspapers, Stephen Jolly was the only Westerner to address protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989?
- ... that fans of Ninomae Ina'nis bought a billboard in Times Square to celebrate her "birthday"?
- ... that a Salvadoran bishop threatened to excommunicate Catholics who campaigned for the Renovating Action Party?
- ... that Fabian Wrede's family was granted a barony to honor his grandfather Henrik Wrede's sacrifice in giving his horse to Charles IX of Sweden during a battlefield retreat?
- ... that Margaret Barker performed in a play with her friend Katharine Hepburn while they were students at Bryn Mawr College?
- ... that Seven Guitars was the last collaboration between August Wilson and his long-time director?
- ... that Dr. Dre dissuaded Eminem from releasing a diss track aimed at Suge Knight?
In the news
Ali al-Zaidi
- The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, led by Francisco Carvalho, wins the most seats in the parliamentary election.
- Bulgaria, represented by Dara with the song "Bangaranga", wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
- The World Health Organization declares the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
- In Iraq, Ali al-Zaidi (pictured) succeeds Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani as prime minister.
- Niuean prime minister Dalton Tagelagi is re-elected for a third term.
On this day
May 20: Independence Day in Timor-Leste (2002); National Day of Remembrance in Cambodia (1975); National Awakening Day in Indonesia (1908)
The Luttra Woman's skull
- 685 – The Picts defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain.
- 1811 – A British squadron under Charles Marsh Schomberg defeated a French force off Tamatave, Madagascar, that was attempting to reinforce the French garrison on Mauritius.
- 1943 – The Luttra Woman (skull pictured), a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
- 1965 – While attempting to land at Cairo International Airport, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashed for unknown reasons, killing all but 6 of the 121 people on board.
- 1996 – In deciding Romer v. Evans, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a constitutional amendment in Colorado that prevented protected status under the law for homosexuals or bisexuals.
- 2022 – Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
- Isabel Ingoldisthorpe (d. 1476)
- Aleksandra Boiko (b. 1918)
- Ramón Hernández (b. 1976)
- Doug the Pug (b. 2012)
From today's featured list
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino, an American filmmaker, actor and author, has made ten feature films and six short films. He has additionally directed several television episodes, and been an actor or producer for multiple other projects. Tarantino first began his career in the 1980s by directing and writing Love Birds In Bondage, and as an independent filmmaker, he directed, wrote, and appeared in the violent crime thriller Reservoir Dogs (1992), which proved to be his breakthrough film. Several films for which he was the writer and director since were major critical or commercial successes, including the 1994 neo-noir black comedy Pulp Fiction, the two-part martial arts film Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (2003–2004), the 2012 Western film Django Unchained, and his most recent theatrical release, the 2019 drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Tarantino has additionally been honored for his direction of "Grave Danger", a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
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The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small North American songbird in the family Paridae, the tits and chickadees. Native to eastern North America, it inhabits deciduous and mixed woodland as well as parks, gardens and suburban areas, and has expanded its range northwards in recent decades. The species has a gray crest, black forehead, pale underside and rust-colored flanks, with a song usually described as a whistled peter-peter-peter. The tufted titmouse's diet includes insects, seeds, berries and nuts, and it is a regular visitor to bird feeders, sometimes storing food for later use. It nests in tree cavities or nest boxes lined with soft materials, sometimes including hair taken from live mammals. Family groups may remain together beyond the breeding season, with older offspring occasionally helping to raise younger siblings. It is currently listed as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This tufted titmouse was photographed in Central Park, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites
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