Chris Gragg

Chris Gragg.
Chris Gragg (born June 30, 1990) is a former professional American football tight end who played three seasons for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Over 32 career games, Gragg totaled 24 career receptions with 2 touchdowns. Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Gragg played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he won the 2012 Cotton Bowl. Gragg was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft after he performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine. Gragg finished the 2013 season with 5 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. After playing in 2014 for the Bills, in 2015, Gragg set career highs in games played, receptions, and receiving yards. Gragg signed with the New York Jets in 2017, but did not play in any regular-season games for the team after a preseason injury. A Twitter account belonging to Gragg described him as "retired" as of December 31, 2019. Gragg's brother, Will, played college football for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3icKePJ

Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew.
Harmon Killebrew (June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011) was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Minnesota Twins, Killebrew was a prolific power hitter who, at the time of his retirement, had the fourth most home runs in major league history. Second only to Babe Ruth in home runs in the American League, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. He led the American League six times in home runs and three times in runs batted in (RBIs), and was named to thirteen All-Star teams. His finest season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs and recorded 140 RBIs. Known for his quick hands and exceptional upper body strength, Killebrew hit the longest measured home runs at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium, 520 ft (158 m), and Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, 471 ft (144 m). He was the first of four batters to hit a baseball over the left field roof at Detroit's Tiger Stadium.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2ZfK2Xj

Baby Driver

Baby Driver.
Baby Driver is an action film written and directed by Edgar Wright. First released on June 28, 2017, it tells the story of a young Atlanta-based getaway driver, played by Ansel Elgort (pictured), who is on a quest for freedom from a life of crime with his lover Debora (Lily James). The film also features Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie Foxx and Jon Bernthal in supporting roles. Baby Driver was a project Wright had contemplated for over two decades, and his early directing experience shaped his ambitions for the project. Filming took place over four months, using stunts, choreography and in-camera shooting. Baby Driver was praised by some critics, but the characterization and scriptwriting drew mixed responses. During its initial theatrical run, the film grossed $226 million at the global box office, boosted by word-of-mouth support and fatiguing interest in blockbuster franchises. Wright has completed a script for a possible sequel.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/38eWgUc

The Goldfinch (painting)

The Goldfinch (painting).
The Goldfinch is a painting of a chained goldfinch by Carel Fabritius, a Dutch Golden Age artist. Signed and dated 1654, it is now in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands. The work is a trompe-l'œil oil on panel measuring 33.5 by 22.8 centimetres (13.2 in × 9.0 in) that was once part of a larger structure, perhaps a window jamb or a protective cover. A common and colourful bird with a pleasant song, the goldfinch was used in Italian Renaissance painting as a symbol of Christian redemption and the Passion of Jesus. The Goldfinch is unusual for Dutch Golden Age painting in the simplicity of its composition and use of illusionary techniques. After Fabritius was killed in the gunpowder explosion that destroyed much of the city of Delft in 1654, the painting was lost for more than two centuries before its rediscovery in Brussels. It plays a central role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and its film adaptation.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2Nvu1Ha

Black Moshannon State Park

Black Moshannon State Park.
Black Moshannon State Park is a 3,480-acre (1,410 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Rush Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is just west of the Allegheny Front, 9 miles (14 km) east of Philipsburg on Pennsylvania Route 504, and is largely surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. The park surrounds a lake formed by a dam on Black Moshannon Creek. A bog in the park provides a habitat for diverse wildlife not common in other areas of the state, such as carnivorous plants, orchids, and species normally found farther north. The Seneca tribe used the Black Moshannon area as hunting and fishing grounds. European settlers clear-cut the vast stands of old-growth forest during the late 19th century. The forests were rehabilitated by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Many of the buildings built by the Corps stand in the park today and are protected on the National Register of Historic Places in three historic districts.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/382yJFL

The Thrill Book

The Thrill Book.
The Thrill Book was an American pulp magazine published by Street & Smith in 1919. The first eight issues, edited by Harold Hersey, were a mixture of adventure and weird stories. Contributors included Greye La Spina, Charles Fulton Oursler, J. H. Coryell, and Seabury Quinn. Ronald Oliphant, Hersey's replacement, printed more science fiction and fantasy, though this included two stories Hersey had purchased from Murray Leinster. The best-known story from The Thrill Book is The Heads of Cerberus, a very early example of a novel about alternate time tracks, by Francis Stevens. Oliphant's larger budget attracted popular writers such as H. Bedford-Jones, but the magazine ran for only eight more issues, the last dated October 15, 1919. Historians regard The Thrill Book as a forerunner of Weird Tales and Amazing Stories, the first true specialized magazines in the fields of weird fiction and science fiction, respectively.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2Z7enXR

Battle of Sluys

Battle of Sluys.
The Battle of Sluys was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France, in the roadstead of the since silted-up port of Sluys. The English fleet of 120–150 ships was led by Edward III of England and the 230-strong French fleet by Hugues Quiéret, Admiral of France, and Nicolas Béhuchet, Constable of France. It was one of the opening engagements of the Hundred Years' War. Edward sailed on 22 June and encountered the French the next day; they had bound their ships into three lines, forming large floating fighting platforms. The English were able to manoeuvre against the French and defeat them in detail. Most of the French ships were captured, and they lost 16,000–20,000 men killed, against 400–600 for the English. The English were unable to take strategic advantage, barely interrupting French raids on English territories and shipping. Operationally the battle allowed the English army to land and to then besiege the French town of Tournai, albeit unsuccessfully.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3fQzTa3

John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter

John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter.
John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter (c. 1315 – 1361), was a prominent Essex landowner who waged an armed campaign against the neighbouring town of Colchester. With connections to the powerful de Clare family, who had arrived in England at the time of the Norman conquest, the FitzWalter family was of a noble and ancient lineage. They held estates across Essex, as well as properties in London and Norfolk. John FitzWalter played a prominent role during the early years of King Edward III's wars in France. FitzWalter's dispute with Colchester was exacerbated when townsmen illegally entered his park in Lexden; in return, he banned them from one of their own watermills. In 1342, he ransacked Colchester, destroyed its market, and besieged the town, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. In 1351, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Marshalsea. He languished in the Tower of London for over a year until the king agreed to pardon him.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/37YYoz9

Randall Davidson

Randall Davidson.
Randall Davidson (1848–1930) was an Anglican priest who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928. Conciliatory by nature, he spent much of his term of office striving to keep the Church together in the face of deep and sometimes acrimonious divisions between evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics. Under his leadership the Church gained some independence from state control, but his efforts to modernise the Book of Common Prayer were frustrated by Parliament. Though cautious about bringing the Church into domestic party politics, Davidson did not shy away from larger political issues. He urged moderation on both sides in the conflict over Irish independence and campaigned against immoral methods of warfare in the First World War. He played a key role in the passage of the Parliament Act 1911 and led efforts to resolve the 1926 General Strike. He was the longest-serving Archbishop of Canterbury since the Reformation, and also the first to retire from the office.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3fJiyzH

High Explosive Research

High Explosive Research.
High Explosive Research was the independent British project to develop atomic bombs after the Second World War. The decision to undertake it was made in 1947 and publicly announced in 1948. The project was a civil, not a military, one. Production facilities were constructed under the direction of Christopher Hinton, including a uranium metal plant at Springfields, nuclear reactors and a plutonium processing plant at Windscale, and a gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment facility at Capenhurst, near Chester. The first nuclear reactor in the UK went critical at Harwell on 15 August 1947. William Penney directed bomb design from Fort Halstead, and later Aldermaston in Berkshire. The first British atomic bomb was successfully tested in Operation Hurricane (pictured) off the Monte Bello Islands in Australia on 3 October 1952. Britain thereby became the third country to test nuclear weapons. The project concluded with the delivery of the first Blue Danube atomic bombs to Bomber Command in 1953.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2V3DXf6

California State Route 76

California State Route 76.
State Route 76 (SR 76) is a state highway 52.63 miles (84.70 km) long in the U.S. state of California. It is a much-used east–west route in the North County region of San Diego County that begins in Oceanside near Interstate 5 (I-5) and continues east. It passes through the community of Bonsall and provides access to Fallbrook. East of the junction with I-15, SR 76 goes through Pala and Pauma Valley before terminating at SR 79. A route along the corridor has existed since the early 20th century, as has the bridge over the San Luis Rey River near Bonsall. The route was added to the state highway system in 1933, and was officially designated by the California State Legislature as SR 76 in the 1964 state highway renumbering. Originally, the entire highway was two lanes wide. Conversion of the highway to an expressway west of I-15 was completed in May 2017. East of I-15, SR 76 is mostly a two-lane highway.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3hN5nj2

George Washington and slavery

George Washington and slavery.
George Washington was a slaveowner and Founding Father who became uneasy with the institution of slavery but provided for the emancipation of his slaves only after his death. Most of his slaves worked on his Mount Vernon estate. They built their own community around marriage and family, and resisted the system by various means, from feigning illness to absconding. As a young planter, Washington demonstrated no qualms about slavery. His first doubts about the institution were economic, prompted when the transition from tobacco to grain crops in the 1760s left him with a costly surplus of slaves. After the American Revolution, he privately expressed support for the abolition of slavery by a gradual legislative process but never spoke publicly on the issue. In the mid-1790s, he considered plans to free his slaves, but his business remained dependent on slave labor. He stipulated in his will that his slaves were to be freed on the death of his wife.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2NnnyhD

Meinhard Michael Moser

Meinhard Michael Moser.
Meinhard Moser (1924–2002) was an Austrian mycologist. His work principally concerned the taxonomy, chemistry, and toxicity of gilled mushrooms (Agaricales), especially the genus Cortinarius. Moser completed his doctorate at the University of Innsbruck in 1950, then briefly worked in England. He joined Austria's Federal Forestry Research Institute in 1952, conducting research on the use of mycorrhizal fungi in reforestation. He began lecturing at Innsbruck in 1956, becoming a professor in 1964. He became the inaugural head of Austria's first Institute of Microbiology in 1972. He remained with the Institute until his retirement in 1991, and his scientific studies continued until his death in 2002. He was an influential mycologist, describing around 500 new fungal taxa and publishing several important books. In particular, his 1953 book on European mushrooms, published in English as Keys to Agarics and Boleti, saw several editions both in German and in translation.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2YNDK0y

Nestor Lakoba

Nestor Lakoba.
Nestor Lakoba (1893–1936) was an Abkhaz Communist leader. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Lakoba helped establish Bolshevik power in Abkhazia in the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union. As the head of Abkhazia after its conquest by the Bolshevik Red Army in 1921, Lakoba saw that Abkhazia was initially given autonomy as the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia. Though nominally a part of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic with a special status of "union republic", Abkhazia was effectively a separate republic, made possible by Lakoba's close relationship with Joseph Stalin. In 1931 Lakoba was forced to accept a downgrade of Abkhazia's status to that of an autonomous republic within Georgia. Another confidant of Stalin, Lavrentiy Beria, summoned Lakoba to visit him in Tbilisi in December 1936. Lakoba was poisoned, allowing Beria to consolidate his control over Abkhazia and all of Georgia.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3hAmsgc

1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane

1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane.
The 1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane was a large Category 4 tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage across the western Caribbean Sea and the Southeastern United States. It inflicted over US$100 million in damage and was responsible for at least 318 deaths. The unprecedented availability of meteorological data during the hurricane marked a turning point in the United States Weather Bureau's ability to forecast tropical cyclones. The system became a tropical storm on October 12 and intensified into a hurricane the next day. On October 18, it made landfall on western Cuba at peak strength with reported winds of 145 mph (230 km/h). At least 300 people were killed in Cuba, which suffered extensive damage from winds and storm surge, especially in the Havana area. Numerous ships sank in Havana Harbor. On October 19 the storm made a final landfall near Sarasota, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane. Eighteen people were killed in Florida, half of those from the loss of a ship in Tampa Bay.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2UMAf9E

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

A Song Flung Up to Heaven.
A Song Flung Up to Heaven is the sixth book in a series of autobiographies by author Maya Angelou (pictured). Set between 1965 and 1968, it begins where her previous book All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes ends, with her return to the United States from Accra, Ghana, where she had lived for four years. The assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. frame the beginning and end of the book. Angelou describes how she dealt with these events and the sweeping changes both in the country and in her personal life, and how she coped with her return home. The book ends with Angelou writing the opening lines to her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou wrote Song in 2002, sixteen years after All God's Children. By that time she had received recognition as an author, poet and spokesperson. A recorded version of the book received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2003. (This article is part of a featured topic: Maya Angelou autobiographies.)

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2N0bmCZ

Operation Inmate

Operation Inmate.
Operation Inmate was an attack by the British Pacific Fleet against Japanese positions on the isolated islands of Truk Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean during the Second World War. On 14 June 1945, British aircraft from the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable conducted a series of raids against Japanese positions. The next morning, several islands were bombarded by British and Canadian cruisers, though with little success. Further air strikes took place in the afternoon and night of 15 June before the Allied force returned to its base. The attacks were conducted to provide combat experience ahead of the fleet's involvement in more demanding operations off the Japanese home islands. The attack was considered successful by the Allies, with ships and air units gaining useful experience while suffering two fatalities and the loss of seven aircraft to combat and accidents. The damage to the Japanese facilities in the atoll was modest.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2MXWHZb

Omphalotus nidiformis

Omphalotus nidiformis.
Omphalotus nidiformis, or ghost fungus, is a bioluminescent gilled mushroom that occurs primarily in southern Australia and Tasmania, and has been reported from India. The cream-coloured fan- or funnel-shaped caps, up to 30 cm (12 in) across, have shades of orange, brown, purple, or bluish-black. The white or cream gills run down the length of the stalk, which is up to 8 cm (3 in) long and tapers in thickness to the base. The fungus is both saprotrophic and parasitic, and its fruit bodies are generally found growing in overlapping clusters on a wide variety of dead or dying trees. First described scientifically in 1844, O. nidiformis (from Latin for 'nest-shaped') was known by several names before Orson K. Miller Jr. assigned its current name in 1994. Similar in appearance to the common edible oyster mushrooms, O. nidiformis is poisonous, with compounds called illudins that can produce severe cramps and vomiting.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3cXUabY

Milorad Petrović

Milorad Petrović.
Milorad Petrović (18 April 1882 – 12 June 1981) was a lieutenant general in the Royal Yugoslav Army who commanded the 1st Army Group during World War II. He was commissioned into the Royal Serbian Army in 1901 and served in staff positions during the Balkan Wars and the Serbian campaign of World War I. After the 27 March 1941 Yugoslav coup d'état, he was appointed to command the 1st Army Group, responsible for the northern borders of Yugoslavia with Italy, Germany and Hungary. His formations were only partially mobilised when the German-led invasion of Yugoslavia began on 6 April. Significant fifth column activities affected the Yugoslav units from the outset. On 10 April, two determined armoured thrusts by the Germans caused the 1st Army Group to disintegrate, and the following day Petrović was captured by fifth columnists. He was soon handed over to the Germans and spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp in Germany. After the war, he chose to return to communist-led Yugoslavia, living in Belgrade, and remaining active, swimming daily in the Sava well into his nineties. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia).)

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3hlTX5G

First Silesian War

First Silesian War.
The First Silesian War was a conflict between Prussia and Austria lasting from 1740 to 1742, which resulted in Prussia's seizure of most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland). The war was fought mainly in Silesia, Moravia and Bohemia and was part of the wider War of the Austrian Succession. The war commenced in late 1740 with an invasion of Habsburg Silesia when Maria Theresa's contested succession to the Habsburg Monarchy provided an opportunity for Prussia to expand. It ended in a Prussian victory with the 1742 Treaty of Berlin. The War of the Austrian Succession continued, and would draw Austria and Prussia into the Second Silesian War only two years later, which also ended in Prussian control of Silesia. The First Silesian War marked the unexpected defeat of the Habsburg Monarchy by a lesser German power and initiated the Austria–Prussia rivalry that would shape German politics for more than a century. (This article is part of a featured topic: Silesian Wars.)

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2YrHKUm

Samuel J. Randall

Samuel J. Randall.
Samuel J. Randall (1828–1890) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1890. He was elected to the Philadelphia Common Council in 1852 and then to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1858. Randall served in a Union cavalry unit in the American Civil War, before winning a seat in the federal House of Representatives in 1862. He was reelected every two years thereafter until his death. Randall became known as a staunch defender of protective tariffs, designed to assist domestic producers of manufactured goods. His defense of smaller, less centralized government raised his profile among House Democrats, and he served as speaker from 1876 until 1881. He was considered a possible nominee for President in 1880 and 1884. He also served as head of the House Appropriations Committee. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.)

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2ASrsvJ

All Souls (TV series)

All Souls (TV series).
All Souls is an American paranormal hospital drama television series created by Stuart Gillard and Stephen Tolkin and inspired by Lars von Trier's miniseries The Kingdom. It originally aired for a six-episode season on UPN in 2001. The series follows the medical staff of the haunted teaching hospital All Souls. While working as a medical intern, Dr. Mitchell Grace, portrayed by Grayson McCouch (pictured), discovers that the doctors are running unethical experiments on their patients. Filming took place in Montreal, Canada, in a working psychiatric hospital. All Souls had low viewership, and has not been released on home video or through streaming services. Critical response was primarily positive; commentators praised its use of horror and paranormal elements. Critics had mixed reviews for the show's content and style when compared to other horror and science-fiction television series, such as The X-Files and the work of American writer Stephen King.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3f4UIyd

Mary van Kleeck

Mary van Kleeck.
Mary van Kleeck (1883–1972) was an American social scientist and social feminist who advocated for scientific management and a planned economy. She began her career in the settlement movement, investigating women's labor in New York City. In 1916 she became the director of the Russell Sage Foundation's Department of Industrial Studies, which she led for over 30 years. During World War I, she was appointed by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson to lead the development of workplace standards for women entering the labor force. After the war, she led the creation of the Women's Bureau, a federal agency that advocates for women in the workforce. By the 1930s, van Kleeck had become a socialist, arguing that central planning of economies was the most effective way to protect labor rights. During the Great Depression, she became a prominent left-wing critic of capitalism and the New Deal.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/30ia5zd

Wolf

Wolf.
The wolf (Canis lupus) is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. It is the largest extant member of Canidae, males averaging 40 kg (88 lb) and females 37 kg (82 lb). On average, wolves measure 105–160 cm (41–63 in) in length and 80–85 cm (31–33 in) at shoulder height. Compared to coyotes and jackals, wolves have more pointed ears and muzzles, as well as shorter torsos and longer tails. The fur of a wolf is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black. Up to 38 subspecies have been recognized, including the domestic dog. Wolves live in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair accompanied by their offspring. Fights over territory are among the principal causes of mortality. The wolf is mainly a carnivore and feeds primarily on large wild hooved mammals, though it also eats smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. Most recorded wolf attacks on people have been attributed to rabies. They have been both respected and feared in human societies.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/30f8I4c

Demetrius III Eucaerus

Demetrius III Eucaerus.
Demetrius III Eucaerus was a Seleucid ruler who reigned as King of Syria between 96 and 87 BC. He was a son of Antiochus VIII and, most likely, his Egyptian wife Tryphaena. After his father was assassinated in 96 BC, Demetrius III took control of Damascus. In 89 BC, he invaded Judaea and crushed the forces of its king, Alexander Jannaeus. By 87 BC, Demetrius III had most of Syria under his authority. He attempted to appease the public by promoting the importance of the local Semitic gods, and he might have given Damascus the dynastic name Demetrias. By late 87 BC, Demetrius III attacked his brother, and rival to the throne, Philip I, in the city of Beroea, where Philip I's allies called on the Parthians for help. The allied forces routed Demetrius III and besieged him in his camp; he was forced to surrender and spent the rest of his life in exile in Parthia. Philip I took Antioch, while Antiochus XII, another brother of Demetrius III, took Damascus.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2Mvb5Yy

Chestnuts Long Barrow

Chestnuts Long Barrow.
The Chestnuts Long Barrow is a chambered tomb located near the village of Addington in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Constructed during Britain's Early Neolithic period, it belongs to a regional style of barrows produced in the vicinity of the River Medway. The long barrows built in this area are now known as the Medway Megaliths. Chestnuts Long Barrow lies near both Addington Long Barrow and Coldrum Long Barrow on the western side of the river, and was built on land previously inhabited in the Mesolithic period. It consisted of an earthen mound, estimated to have been 15 metres (50 feet) in length, with a chamber built from sarsen megaliths on its eastern end. Human remains placed within this chamber during the Neolithic period were found alongside pottery sherds, stone arrow heads, and a clay pendant. The mound gradually eroded away and was gone by the twentieth century, leaving only the ruined stone chamber.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2MsxHJl

Lythronax

Lythronax.
Lythronax is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America around 80.6–79.9 million years ago. Size estimates for Lythronax have ranged between 5 and 8 m (16 and 26 ft) in length, and between 0.5 and 2.5 t (1,100 and 5,500 lb) in weight. It was a heavily built tyrannosaurid; as a member of that group, it would have had small, two-fingered forelimbs, strong hindlimbs, and a very robust skull. The rear part of the skull of Lythronax appears to have been very broad, with eye sockets that faced forwards like those of Tyrannosaurus. Lythronax is the oldest known member of the family Tyrannosauridae, and it is thought to have been more basal than Tyrannosaurus. Due to its age, Lythronax is important for understanding the evolutionary origins of tyrannosaurids, including the development of their anatomical specializations. The forward-facing eyes of Lythronax gave it depth perception, which may have been useful during pursuit predation or ambush predation.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/302ipmB

Sega

Sega.
Sega is a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart on June 3, 1960; shortly after, the company acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega began to develop video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega released its next console, the Sega Genesis, in 1988; it found success outside Japan after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. In 2001, Sega stopped manufacturing consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega produces multi-million-selling game franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, and Yakuza, and is the world's most prolific arcade game producer.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2Xtx8VT

Adore (The Smashing Pumpkins album)

Adore (The Smashing Pumpkins album).
Adore is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins (vocalist Billy Corgan pictured), released on June 2, 1998, by Virgin Records. After the multi-platinum success of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and subsequent tour, the Pumpkins' follow-up album was highly anticipated, but drummer Jimmy Chamberlin had left the band, and the recording of Adore was challenging. The album featured a more subdued and electronica-tinged sound than the band's previous work; Greg Kot of Rolling Stone magazine called it "a complete break with the past". Sales for the album were far less than for the band's previous two albums, but it became the third straight Pumpkins album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance. It was well received by critics, and has gained a cult following. A remastered and expanded version of the album was released on CD, vinyl and other formats in September 2014.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2MhIiGX

SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a German pre-dreadnought battleship of the Kaiser Friedrich III class, built as part of a program of naval expansion under Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was laid down in January 1898, launched in June 1899, and completed in May 1901, and was armed with a main battery of four 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun turrets. The vessel served in the Home Fleet and later the High Seas Fleet for the first seven years of her career, participating in training cruises and maneuvers. Placed in reserve in 1910, the battleship was returned to active service in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, tasked with coastal defense in the North Sea. The ship was deployed briefly to the Baltic but saw no action. In 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was again withdrawn from service and relegated to secondary duties as a depot ship in Kiel and then a torpedo target ship. The vessel was sold for scrapping and broken up in 1920. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.)

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2ZVdraY