Black mamba

Black mamba.
The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is a species of extremely venomous snake native to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra; mature specimens generally exceed 2 metres (6.6 feet) and commonly grow to 3 m (10 ft). Specimens of 4.3 to 4.5 m (14.1 to 14.8 ft) have been reported. Its skin colour varies from grey to dark brown. The species is both terrestrial (ground-living) and arboreal; it inhabits savannah, woodland, rocky slopes and, in some regions, dense forest. It is diurnal and is known to prey on birds and small mammals. Over suitable surfaces, it can move at speeds up to 16 km/h (10 mph) for short distances. It is capable of striking at considerable range and may deliver a series of bites in rapid succession. Its venom, primarily composed of neurotoxins, is frequently fatal unless antivenom is administered. Despite its reputation as a formidable and highly aggressive species, the black mamba rarely attacks humans.

Droxford railway station

Droxford railway station.
Droxford railway station was a rural station on the Meon Valley Railway in Hampshire, England. In 1944 it was used by Winston Churchill during preparations for the Normandy landings. Based in an armoured train parked in its sidings, he met with numerous ministers, military commanders and leaders of allied nations. On 4 June 1944, shortly before the landings were due to take place, Free French leader Charles de Gaulle visited Churchill at Droxford, and was informed of the invasion plans. Churchill told de Gaulle that if ever forced to choose between France and the US he would always side with the US, a remark which instilled in de Gaulle a suspicion of Britain and caused long-term damage to the relationship between France and the UK. In 1955 the station closed to passengers and in 1962 to goods, after which the station and a section of its track were used for demonstrating an experimental railbus and as a driving school, before becoming a private residence.

Kaiman-class torpedo boat

Kaiman-class torpedo boat.
The 24 Kaiman-class ships were high-seas torpedo boats built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1904 and 1910. Yarrow Shipbuilders built the lead ship (launched on 3 June 1905), Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino of Trieste built 13 boats, and Ganz-Danubius constructed the remaining 10 boats at their shipyards at Fiume. The class was considered to be a very successful design, and all boats saw extensive active service during World War I, undertaking a range of tasks, including escort duties, shore bombardments and minesweeping. All survived, although several were damaged by naval mines and collisions. One was torpedoed and badly damaged by a French submarine, and two sank an Italian submarine. All the boats were transferred to the Allies and scrapped at the end of the war, except for four that were allocated to the navy of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. These were discarded and broken up between 1928 and 1930.

Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini.
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) was an Italian composer known for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. In the period 1810–1823 he wrote his most popular works including the comic operas L'italiana in Algeri, Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and La Cenerentola, building on the traditions of masters such as Domenico Cimarosa. He also composed opera seria works such as Otello, Tancredi and Semiramide. All of these show innovation in melody, harmonic and instrumental colour, and dramatic form. In 1824 he was contracted by the Opéra in Paris, for which he produced an opera to celebrate the coronation of Charles X, Il viaggio a Reims, later cannibalized for Le comte Ory, and in 1829 his last opera, Guillaume Tell (William Tell). He retired from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra.
Cleopatra (69–30 BC) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, though nominally survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. After the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the Hellenistic period that had lasted since the reign of Alexander (336–323 BC). While her native language was Koine Greek, she was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language. Cleopatra's legacy survives in numerous works of art. She has been a pop culture icon of Egyptomania since the Victorian era, appearing in burlesque satire, Hollywood films such as Cleopatra (1963), and commercial brands.

Good Girl Gone Bad

Good Girl Gone Bad.
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna, released on May 31, 2007, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Inspired by Brandy Norwood's album Afrodisiac (2004), Good Girl Gone Bad is a pop, dance-pop and R&B album with 1980s influences. It marks a departure from the Caribbean sound of Rihanna's previous releases. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, praising its composition and Rihanna's new musical direction, though some criticized the lyrics. The album received seven Grammy Award nominations at the 2008 ceremony; the single "Umbrella" won in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category, and later came in at number 412 on Rolling Stone's updated 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, reached number one in Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and had sold over 9 million copies worldwide as of 2017. It spawned five singles, including "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop the Music".

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson.
Scarlett Johansson (born 1984) is an American actress and singer. Her performance in Lost in Translation (2003) won her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for this film and for playing a 17th-century housemaid in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), an estranged teenager in the drama A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), and a seductress in the psychological thriller Match Point (2005). Her albums Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008) and Break Up (2009) charted on the Billboard 200. In 2010, Johansson debuted on Broadway in a revival of A View from the Bridge, which won her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. Later that year, she began portraying Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She voiced an intelligent computer operating system in the 2013 comedy-drama Her, played an alien in the 2013 science fiction film Under the Skin and a woman with psychokinetic abilities in the 2014 science fiction action film Lucy. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.