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From today's featured article

Maurice Suckling (4 May 1726 – 14 July 1778) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He saw service in the English Channel and Mediterranean Sea during the War of the Austrian Succession. At the start of the Seven Years' War, he was promoted to captain and given a command on the Jamaica Station. There he played a major part in the Battle of Cap-Français, and fought against the French ship Palmier. Suckling was employed in the aftermath of the capture of Belle Île to destroy French fortifications on the Île-d'Aix and went on half-pay at the end of the war. He was given his next command during the Falklands Crisis in 1770, and took his nephew Horatio Nelson with him. In 1775, Suckling was appointed Comptroller of the Navy by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Suckling oversaw the Royal Navy's mobilisation when the American Revolutionary War began. In 1776, he was also elected member of Parliament for Portsmouth. He died unexpectedly in 1778. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Drawing of the Iron Gate, circa 1800

... that the Iron Gate (pictured), the only surviving ancient arch dam, still does its job?
... that contrary to folklore, Queen Victoria did not choose Ottawa as the seat of government of Canada by putting her finger at random on a map?
... that a bikeway was criticized by motorists, a labor union, local vendors, and sex workers?
... that the first thing Makmur Widodo did upon arriving in Ohio was to purchase a pair of jeans, a red shirt, and a cowboy hat?
... that a Wookiee holiday first depicted in the Star Wars Holiday Special was commemorated at Disney's theme parks 44 years later?
... that Rome fell in 550 to besieging Gothic forces because some of its defenders had not been paid?
... that the artists behind Dakota station's public artwork intended to create a "visual time capsule"?
... that Ruth Higgins will become the first woman to serve as Solicitor-General of Australia when her term begins in June 2026?
... that, in a Chinese bootleg DVD of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are part of the "Hopeless Situation Presbyterians"?

In the news

Gaston Browne

The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne (pictured), wins an increased majority in the Antiguan general election.
J. Craig Venter, who led the first commercial sequencing of the human genome, dies at the age of 79.
A train crash near Jakarta, Indonesia, kills 16 people and injures 91 others.
In the London Marathon, Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa win the men's and women's races, both setting world record times.

On this day

May 4: Youth Day in China; Literary Day in Taiwan; Star Wars Day

Jamie Chadwick

1626 – Having been appointed the director-general of New Netherland, Peter Minuit arrived in Manhattan.
1776 – American Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown.
1886 – During a labor rally in Chicago, a bomb explosion and gunfire led to the deaths of eight police officers and four members of the public.
1919 – The May Fourth Movement began in China with large-scale student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Peking.
2019 – The inaugural race of the W Series took place at Hockenheimring, Germany, and was won by Jamie Chadwick (pictured), who later became the season's champion.

Sebastián Kindelán (d. 1826)
Bety Nelly Andrés (b. 1926)
Dianna Cowern (b. 1989)
Joan Garcia (b. 2001)

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From today's featured list

Berdychiv Carmelite Monastery

There are 58 monuments of national significance in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. The State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine classifies cultural heritage monuments as either of local or national signficance. To be classified as nationally significant, a monument must have had a substantial impact on Ukrainian culture, be associated with major historical events or individuals who shaped national culture, represent a masterpiece of creative genius, or embody a disappeared civilisation or artistic style. Monuments of national significance are inscribed on the register by the Cabinet of Ministers and are protected and maintained by the Ministry of Culture. Zhytomyr Oblast is divided into four raions (districts) – Berdychiv, Korosten, Zhytomyr, and Zviahel – which respectively contain 12, 7, 34, and 5 monuments of national significance. Of these, 43 are classified as architectural monuments (one pictured), 12 as archaeological monuments, and 3 as historic monuments. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painter who was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters. Church was best known for painting large landscapes, often depicting mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. His paintings put an emphasis on realistic detail, dramatic light, and panoramic views. This portrait of Church was taken around 1868 by the Canadian-born American photographer Napoléon Sarony. The image is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

Photograph credit: Napoléon Sarony; restored by Adam Cuerden

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