Red-throated loon

Red-throated loon.
The red-throated loon or red-throated diver (Gavia stellata) is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. It breeds mainly in Arctic regions, and winters in northern coastal waters. It is the smallest of the loons. In winter, it is a plain bird, greyish above and white below; in the breeding season, it has a distinctive reddish throat patch. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though amphibians, invertebrates, and plant material are also sometimes eaten. A monogamous species, the red-throated loon forms long-term pair bonds. Both members of the pair help to build the nest, incubate typically two eggs and feed the hatched young. The red-throated loon has a large global population and a significant global range, though some populations are declining due to oil spills, habitat degradation, pollution, and entrapment in fishing nets. Natural predators, including various gull species and foxes, will take eggs and young. This species is protected by international treaties.

1989 Tour de France

1989 Tour de France.
The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th edition of one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 3,285 km (2,041 mi) race began in Luxembourg with a prologue time trial on 1 July. It reached French soil during stage 4, ending in Paris on 23 July after 21 stages. Often cited as one of the most competitive runnings of the Tour, the race was decided by only eight seconds in favour of Greg LeMond (pictured), the smallest victory margin to date. Laurent Fignon, who was never separated from LeMond by more than fifty-three seconds throughout the event, finished second overall, ahead of defending champion Pedro Delgado. Fignon performed well during the mountain stages to enter the final-day individual time trial with a 50-second advantage. LeMond utilised aerodynamic triathlon tribars to gain an advantage and managed to win the Tour on the last stage. Sean Kelly won the points classification for a record fourth time, while Gert-Jan Theunisse took the King of the Mountains prize.

1678 Kediri campaign

1678 Kediri campaign.
The Kediri campaign took place from August to December 1678 in Kediri (in modern-day East Java, Indonesia) during the Trunajaya rebellion. The forces of the Mataram Sultanate, led by Amangkurat II, and the Dutch East India Company, led by Anthonio Hurdt, moved inland into eastern Java against Trunajaya's forces. After a series of marches beset by logistical difficulties and harassment by Trunajaya's forces, the Javanese–Dutch army crossed the Brantas River on the night of 16–17 November. They marched on Trunajaya's capital and stronghold at Kediri and took it by direct assault on 25 November. Kediri was plundered by the victors, and the Mataram treasury—captured by Trunajaya after his victory at Plered—was completely lost in the looting. Trunajaya himself fled Kediri and continued his greatly weakened rebellion until his capture at the end of 1679.

Ralph Neville

Ralph Neville.
Ralph Neville (died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor of England. Neville first appears in the historical record in 1207 in the service of King John, and remained in royal service for the rest of his life. By 1213 Neville had custody of the Great Seal of England, although he was not named chancellor, the office responsible for the seal, until 1226. He was rewarded with the bishopric of Chichester in 1222. He was briefly Archbishop-elect of Canterbury and Bishop-elect of Winchester, but both elections were set aside, or quashed, and he held neither office. As keeper of the seal, and later as chancellor, Neville was noted for his impartiality and for overseeing changes in the way the chancery operated. Neville was deprived of the Great Seal in 1238 after quarrelling with the king, but continued to hold the title of chancellor until his death.

Orpheus in the Underworld

Orpheus in the Underworld.
Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphée aux enfers, 1858) is a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach (pictured) and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was extensively revised and expanded in 1874 for a run that broke box-office records at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Paris. In the opera, a lampoon of the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus is a rustic violin teacher who is glad to be rid of his wife when she is abducted by the god of the underworld. The reprehensible conduct of the gods of Olympus was widely seen as a veiled satire of the court and government of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Some critics expressed outrage at the librettists' disrespect for classic mythology and the composer's parody of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice; others praised the piece highly. It was Offenbach's first full-length opera and remains the one that is most often performed. Can-can cabaret acts still use its "Galop infernal", adopted later in the 19th century by the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergère.

History of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army

History of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army.
The Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army is the agency tasked with investigating the army. Its stated mission includes "advice and oversight to the army through ... inspection, assistance, investigations, and training". George Washington and members of the Continental Congress requested an inspector general for the Continental Army in 1777, and Thomas Conway was appointed the same year. His successor was Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a Prussian military officer who later served as Washington's chief of staff. The office has been reorganized many times, and has varied in size dramatically. In its early days, the inspectorate was frequently merged with, or proposed to be part of, the Adjutant General's department. It expanded greatly after the Civil War, and had grown to around 2,000 officers by 1993. Leslie C. Smith (pictured) has been the inspector general since February 2018.

Coinage Act of 1965

Coinage Act of 1965.
The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the United States dime (ten-cent piece) and quarter dollar, and also reduced the silver content of the half dollar from 90 percent to 40 percent. There had been coin shortages beginning in 1959, and the United States Bureau of the Mint expanded production to try to meet demand. Increased industrial demand for silver drove its price higher; there was widespread hoarding of silver coins. With government stocks of the metal being depleted, President Lyndon B. Johnson recommended that Congress allow silverless dimes and quarters, and debased silver half dollars. Congress passed the bill rapidly and Johnson signed it on July 23, 1965. The new coins began to enter circulation in late 1965, and alleviated the shortages. Precious metal coins vanished from circulation beginning in 1967 as the price of silver rose. The act also banned the production of silver dollars until at least 1970.