Clare Stevenson

Clare Stevenson.
Clare Stevenson (1903–1988) was the inaugural director of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), from May 1941 to March 1946. As such, she was described in 2001 as "the most significant woman in the history of the Air Force". Formed as a branch of the Royal Australian Air Force in March 1941, the WAAAF was the first and largest uniformed women's service in Australia during World War II. Born and educated in Victoria, Stevenson was an executive with the Berlei company when she was appointed Director WAAAF. Initially ranked squadron officer, she rose to become group officer by April 1942. Stevenson resumed her civilian career following her discharge from the Air Force in 1946. Long active in adult education and social welfare, she helped form aid organisations including the Carers Association of New South Wales (now Carers NSW) after retiring from Berlei in 1960.

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Rainbow pitta

Rainbow pitta.
The rainbow pitta (Pitta iris) is a small passerine bird in the pitta family, Pittidae, endemic to northern Australia. The species is most closely related to the superb pitta of Manus Island. A colourful bird, it has a velvet black head with chestnut stripes above the eyes, olive green upper parts, black underparts, a bright red belly and an olive green tail. The rainbow pitta lives in the monsoon forests, as well as some drier eucalypt forests. As with other pittas, it is a secretive and shy bird. The diet consists mainly of insects, arthropods and small vertebrates. Pairs defend territories and breed during the rainy season, as this time of year provides the most food for nestlings. The female lays three to four eggs with blotches inside its large domed nest. Both parents defend the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. The species is common within its range, and is not threatened.

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Valley View (Romney, West Virginia)

Valley View (Romney, West Virginia).
Valley View is a mid-19th-century Greek Revival residence and farm overlooking the South Branch Potomac River northwest of Romney, West Virginia. Sitting atop a promontory where Depot Valley joins the South Branch Potomac River valley, the house was built by James Parsons Jr. in 1855. It is a two-story brick structure with a rectangular architectural plan. The front entrance is covered by a small portico, topped with a pediment supported by wooden Doric columns. The rear of the house, with a two-story wood porch stretching across it, faces Mill Creek Mountain. Each of the eight large rooms of the original structure contains a fireplace framed by a wooden trabeated mantelpiece with classical elements. The original windows, wooden trim, and materials in the main section of the house are intact. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 as a locally significant example of Greek Revival architecture.

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Wail al-Shehri

Wail al-Shehri.
Wail al-Shehri (1973–2001) was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11, which was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the September 11 attacks (memorial pictured). He and his younger brother Waleed joined an Al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in March 2000. They were chosen, along with other Saudis, to participate in the attacks. Shehri returned to Saudi Arabia in October 2000 to obtain a clean passport and went back to Afghanistan before arriving in the United States in early June 2001. He stayed in motels in the Boynton Beach area of south Florida. On September 5, 2001, Shehri traveled to Boston and checked into a motel with his brother. Six days later, he arrived early in the morning at Boston's Logan International Airport and boarded American Airlines Flight 11. Shehri, his brother and three other hijackers deliberately crashed the airliner into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m.