Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar

Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar.
The Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar is a half dollar commemorative coin struck by the United States Mint in 1937, though it bears the date 1936. Designed by William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson, the coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of Norfolk being designated as a royal borough, and the 100th anniversary of it becoming a city. Virginia Senator Carter Glass sponsored a bill for a Norfolk half dollar, but it was amended in committee to provide for commemorative medals instead. Unaware of the change, Glass and other advocates shepherded it through Congress. A bill calling for coins was passed in 1937, but by then, the anniversaries had passed, and sales were poorer than hoped; almost a third of the coins could not be sold. The Norfolk half dollar is the only U.S. coin to depict the British crown, shown on the reverse on the city's ceremonial mace.

Coprinellus micaceus

Coprinellus micaceus.
Coprinellus micaceus is a common species of fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae with a cosmopolitan distribution. The species typically grows in dense clusters on or near rotting hardwood tree stumps or underground tree roots. Depending on their stage of development, the tawny-brown mushroom caps may range in shape from oval to bell-shaped to convex, and reach diameters up to 3 cm (1.2 in). In young specimens, the cap surface is coated with a fine layer of reflective mica-like cells, inspiring the species name as well as the common names "mica cap", "shiny cap", and "glistening inky cap". A few hours after collection, the gills will start to dissolve into a black, inky, spore-laden liquid. The fruit bodies are edible before the gills blacken and dissolve, and cooking will stop the process. Chemical analysis of the fruit bodies has revealed the presence of antibacterial and enzyme-inhibiting compounds.

1907 Tiflis bank robbery

1907 Tiflis bank robbery.
A bank robbery was committed by Bolsheviks on 26 June 1907 in the city of Tiflis, Russian Empire, what is now Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. Planned by Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Maxim Litvinov, Leonid Krasin, and Alexander Bogdanov, it was carried out by revolutionaries led by Stalin's early associate Kamo. The attack killed forty people and injured fifty others; the robbers escaped with 341,000 rubles. The Bolsheviks were unable to use most of the large banknotes they had stolen because the serial numbers were known to the police. Lenin thought of a plan to have the notes cashed simultaneously throughout Europe, but this strategy failed. Kamo was imprisoned for this and other crimes, but was released after the Russian Revolution; no other major conspirator was ever tried. After his death, Kamo was buried under a monument constructed near the robbery site, but the grave and monument have since been removed.

Raymond Leane

Raymond Leane.
Raymond Leane (1878–1962) was an Australian Army brigadier general. Twice decorated for gallantry, he was wounded three times during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, and temporarily commanded the 11th Battalion there before the Australian force was withdrawn to Egypt. Leane led the 48th Battalion in fighting on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918 before commanding the 12th Brigade during the last part of the war. He was described by the Australian Official War Historian, Charles Bean, as "the foremost fighting leader" in the Australian Imperial Force. Leane was also called "the head of the most famous family of soldiers in Australian history", as four of his brothers and six of his nephews served in World War I, with two of each being killed. After the war, he served as Commissioner of the South Australia Police from 1920 to 1944, for which he was knighted in 1945.

Shergar

Shergar.
Shergar (1978–1983) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1981 Shergar ran in six races, winning five of them. In June that year he won the 202nd Epsom Derby by ten lengths—the longest winning margin in the race's history. Three weeks later he won the Irish Sweeps Derby by four lengths; a month after that he won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by four lengths. He was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland, but was stolen by an armed gang in February 1983. In 1999 Sean O'Callaghan, a former member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, published details of the theft and said it was an operation to raise money for arms. An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph concluded that the horse was shot four days after the theft. No arrests were made for the theft, and Shergar's body was never recovered. In his honour the Shergar Cup was inaugurated in 1999.

Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies

Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.
Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau (pictured). It was first published in October 1981 by Ticknor & Fields. Covering a variety of genres with a focus on rock music, the book compiles approximately 3,000 capsule album reviews, most of which were originally written for his "Consumer Guide" column in The Village Voice throughout the 1970s. Many of the older reviews were rewritten for the guide to reflect his matured perspective and style, informed by an interest in the aesthetic and political dimensions of popular music and a desire to communicate his ideas to readers in an entertaining, provocative way. The guide was critically well received, with praise given for its extensive discography, Christgau's judgment, and colorful writing. A staple of rock-era reference works, it became a source for popular music studies and a guide for fellow critics, record collectors, and music shops.

SOLRAD 1

SOLRAD 1.
SOLRAD 1 was a science and surveillance satellite launched into orbit on June 22, 1960. Developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, it was the first satellite to successfully observe solar X-rays, the first to conduct surveillance from orbit, and the first to be launched with another instrumented satellite (the unrelated navigation satellite, Transit 2A). The scientific mission was a success, sending data that determined normal solar X-ray output and confirmed the connection between increased solar X-ray activity and radio fade-outs. The Galactic Radiation and Background electronic surveillance package on board had a covert mission: mapping the Soviet Union's air defense radar network. This mission was also successful, operating through September 22, 1960, and revealing that the network was more extensive than had been expected. SOLRAD 1 was switched off in April 1961, making it the first satellite to be remotely deactivated.