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Tatannuaq (c. 1790s – early 1834) was an Inuk interpreter for two of John Franklin's Arctic expeditions in Canada. Originally from a group of Inuit living 320 km (200 mi) north of Churchill, he was employed as an interpreter at the Hudson's Bay Company trading post in Churchill, becoming proficient in English and Cree. Tatannuaq was an interpreter for Franklin's Coppermine expedition; Franklin would sometimes send him ahead of the party to scout the terrain, and he helped to communicate with groups they encountered. He accompanied Franklin on the Mackenzie River expedition, serving in a diplomatic role and dissuading Inuit groups from attacking the expedition. After working as an interpreter at Fort Chimo, he left to assist in locating John Ross's expedition and died due to bad weather a short distance from Fort Resolution in early 1834. The butterfly species Callophrys augustinus and a Northwest Territories lake were named after him. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Detail of the Canadian totem

... that one of the original carvers of a totem pole (detail pictured) described efforts to restore it as akin to "sending a carpenter to repaint the Mona Lisa"?
... that Jean Varraud once put football star Zinedine Zidane on cleaning duty?
... that the number of damage claims lodged after the 1974 Dunedin earthquake was unusually high for an earthquake of its magnitude?
... that Richard M. Hotaling maintained a herd of Holstein cattle from Holland at his house in California?
... that the music video for the PinkPantheress song "Girl Like Me" evokes a "pre-Brexit utopia", according to the New Statesman?
... that a history of New York City examines its subject from the metaphorical viewpoints of a satellite, a jet airliner, a helicopter, a bird, and ground level?
... that Indonesian politician Muhadi Suyono threatened legal action after a Malaysian government website listed reog as one of their cultural traditions?
... that Eiga.com withdrew an April Fool's Day prank mocking Donald Trump?
... that Kris Lindahl's billboards have been reacted to with anger, annoyance, and fandom?

In the news

Jordan Staal

In ice hockey, the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal pictured).
In basketball, the New York Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Finals.
Elon Musk becomes the world's first US-dollar trillionaire after his company SpaceX raises the largest initial public offering.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand, a possible heir to the throne, dies at the age of 47 after a three-year comatose state.

On this day

June 21: Fête de la Musique; International Day of Yoga; National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada; Xiazhi in China (2026)

Replica of the Manchester Baby

217 BC – Second Punic War: Commanded by Hannibal, the Carthaginians ambushed a Roman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, capturing or killing 25,000 men.
1848 – In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Christian Tell proclaimed a new republican government in present-day Romania.
1898 – The United States captured Guam from Spain in a bloodless event during the Spanish–American War.
1948 – The Manchester Baby (replica pictured), the world's first stored-program computer, ran its first program.

Joko Widodo (b. 1961)
Lana Del Rey (b. 1985)
Soad Hosny (d. 2001)
Wendy Saddington (d. 2013)

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Today's featured video

Phagocytosis is the process in cell biology in which a cell engulfs a large particle, such as a bacterium, by extending its plasma membrane around it to form an internal phagosome. It is a type of endocytosis and is used both for feeding, especially by many protists, and for defence in multicellular organisms. The phagosome may fuse with lysosomes to form a phagolysosome, where enzymes and antimicrobial chemicals break down the engulfed material. In the immune system, phagocytosis is carried out by cells such as neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic cells, which remove pathogens, dead cells and debris. These cells are classed as phagocytes. This video, captured through a optical microscope and played back at eight times speed, shows a neutrophil in a drop of human blood engulfing a bacterium through phagocytosis.

Video credit: Andrei Savitsky

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