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Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Operation Obviate

Operation Obviate.
Operation Obviate was an unsuccessful British air raid of World War II that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz (pictured in 1943 or 1944). Conducted by Royal Air Force heavy bombers during the early hours of 29 October 1944, it sought to destroy the damaged battleship after she moved to a new anchorage near Tromsø in northern Norway. The attack followed the previous month's successful Operation Paravane, during which Tirpitz was crippled by British heavy bombers. In Operation Obviate, 38 bombers and a film aircraft departed from bases in northern Scotland. Obscured by clouds, the battleship was not directly hit, but was damaged by a bomb that exploded near her hull. A British bomber made a crash landing in Sweden after being hit by German anti-aircraft fire, and several others were damaged. The plans for the attack were reused for the next raid on the battleship, Operation Catechism, on 12 November, when Tirpitz was sunk with heavy loss of life.

Monday, 28 October 2019

Rodrigues solitaire

Rodrigues solitaire.
The Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria) was a flightless bird that was endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues. With the extinct dodo of Mauritius, it formed a subfamily of the pigeons and doves. The male solitaire was much larger than the female and his plumage was a darker grey-brown. Both sexes had a black band at the base of the hooked beak and a long neck. They were territorial, using bony knobs on their wings in combat. The female laid a single egg that was incubated by both sexes. Their diet included fruits and seeds. The solitaire was first described in detail by François Leguat, the leader of French Huguenot refugees who were marooned on Rodrigues in 1691–1693, but little else was known about the bird until the first of thousands of subfossil bones were found in 1786. Hunted by humans and introduced animals, the solitaire was extinct by the late 18th century. A former constellation was named after it. (This article is part of a featured topic: Raphinae.)

Sunday, 27 October 2019

Sandringham House

Sandringham House.
Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, is the private home of Elizabeth II. Although architecturally undistinguished (Pevsner Architectural Guides describing it as "frenetic Jacobean"), the house has been a favoured residence of the Royal family for over 150 years. The estate was bought in 1862 for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Between 1870 and 1900 the house was rebuilt and Edward developed the wider property into one of the best sporting estates in England. George V inherited it in 1910 and in 1932 made the first ever Christmas broadcast from the house. George died at Sandringham on 20 January 1936. The property passed to his son Edward VIII, and at the abdication, it was purchased by Edward's brother, George VI. As devoted to the house as his father, he died there on 6 February 1952. On the King's death, Sandringham was inherited by Elizabeth II. The Queen spends much of the winter at the house, including the anniversary of her father's death and of her own accession.