User:Gog the Mild/Blurbs

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Wolverton Viaduct

The east side of the viaduct

Wolverton Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Great Ouse to the north of Wolverton, part of Milton Keynes, in south-eastern England. Built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to the design of Robert Stephenson, it was the largest viaduct on the L&BR's route. It is in the centre of Wolverton Embankment, itself the largest on the line. It has six brick arches and covers a distance of 660 feet (200 metres), reaching a maximum height of 57 feet (17 metres) above the river, and terminating in substantial abutments which contain decorative arches. Several contemporary commentators likened Stephenson's bridges to Roman aqueducts. The viaduct was widened to take four tracks in the 1880s with a blue-brick extension, in contrast to the red-brick original. Masts for overhead electrification were added in the 1950s but otherwise the bridge is little changed since it was built and it is now a Grade II listed building. (Full article...)

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The Girl Who Lived in the Tree

Two dresses from the collection

The Girl Who Lived in the Tree is the thirty-second collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2008 season. The primary inspirations were British culture and national symbols, particularly the British monarchy, as well as the clothing of India during the British Raj. It was presented through the narrative of a fairy tale about a feral girl who lived in a tree before falling in love with a prince and descending to become a princess. The collection's runway show was staged on 29 February 2008 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris. Forty-two looks were featured in two phases: during the first the ensembles were all in black and white, with most having a slim, tailored silhouette; those from the second were richly coloured, with luxurious materials and embellishments. Critical response was positive, and in retrospect it is regarded as one of McQueen's best collections. Garments from the collection are held by various museums. (Full article...)

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Laysan honeycreeper

Adult and juvenile Laysan honeycreepers

The Laysan honeycreeper (Himatione fraithii) is an extinct species of finch, first recorded in 1828, that was endemic to Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its length was 13–15 cm (5–6 in) with a 64–69 mm (2.5–2.7 in) long wing. It was bright scarlet vermilion with a faint tint of golden orange on the head, breast and upper abdomen; the rest of its upper parts were orange scarlet. The lower abdomen was dusky gray fading into brownish white. The wings, tail, bill, and legs were dark brown. The bill was slender and downturned. It was nectarivorous and insectivorous, gathering nectar and insects from flowers. The breeding season was probably between January and June, and the clutch size was four or five eggs. In 1903, domestic rabbits were introduced to the island and destroyed its vegetation. In April 1923, only three Laysan honeycreepers were found, one of which was filmed. On April 23, a sandstorm hit the island, and the last birds perished due to lack of cover. (Full article...)

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Ole Miss riot of 1962

James Meredith (centre) being escorted to class after the riot

The Ole Miss riot of 1962 was a violent disturbance at the University of Mississippi—commonly called Ole Miss—in Oxford, Mississippi, as Segregationist rioters sought to prevent the enrollment of an African American applicant, James Meredith. In the wake of the Supreme Court's 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education, Meredith applied to Ole Miss in 1961. His admission was delayed and obstructed, including by Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett. Barnett even had Meredith temporarily jailed. Multiple attempts by Meredith, accompanied by federal officials, to enroll were physically blocked. A riot erupted on campus when a mob assaulted reporters and federal officers, burned and looted property, and hijacked vehicles. Two civilians were murdered and 160 marshals were injured, including 28 who received gunshot wounds. Kennedy invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807, mobilized more than 30,000 troops, and quelled the riot. A statue of James Meredith on campus commemorates the event. (Full article...)

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Hudson Volcano

Hudson Volcano is a volcano in the rugged mountains of southern Chile. Lying in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, it was formed by the subduction of the oceanic Nazca Plate under the continental South American Plate. Hudson has the form of a 10-kilometre-wide (6-mile) volcanic caldera filled with ice. The volcano has erupted numerous times in the past 2.5 million years forming widespread tephra deposits, and is the most active volcano in the region. Four large eruptions have taken place in the past 20,000 years: 17,300–17,440 before present (BP), 7,750 BP, 4,200 BP, and in 1991. The 7,750 BP eruption was among the most intense volcanic eruptions in South America during the Holocene, devastated the local ecosystem and may have caused substantial shifts in human settlement and lifestyle. During the 1991 eruption, volcanic ash covered a large area in Chile and Argentina, and was deposited as far as Antarctica. The last eruption was in 2011. (Full article...)

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Cross Temple, Fangshan

A Yuan-era stele in the ruins of the Cross Temple

The Cross Temple is a former place of worship in Fangshan, Beijing. Built as a Buddhist temple, it may have seen Christian use during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The temple was used by Buddhists during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), by Christians during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), returned to Buddhist use during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and was sold by them in 1911. Its first modern mention was in 1919. Cross Temple was damaged during the Cultural Revolution but recognised as a national-level protected site in 2006. Some scholars consider it to be the only place of worship of the Church of the East (also known as Nestorian Christianity) discovered in China. In the early 20th century, two stone blocks carved with crosses were discovered, one of them had an inscription in Syriac; they are presently on display at Nanjing Museum. Today, the site features two ancient steles dating to the Liao and Yuan dynasties, some groundwork and the bases of several pillars. (Full article...)

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Battle Birds

Cover of the first issue

Battle Birds was an American air-war pulp magazine, published by Popular Publications. It was launched at the end of 1932, but did not sell well, and in 1934 the publisher turned it into an air-war hero pulp titled Dusty Ayres and His Battle Birds. Robert Sidney Bowen, an established pulp writer, provided the lead novel each month, and also wrote the short stories that filled out the issue. Bowen's stories were set in the future, with the United States menaced by an Asian empire called the Black Invaders. The change was not successful enough to be extended beyond the initial plan of a year, and Bowen wrote a novel in which, unusually for pulp fiction, Dusty Ayres finally defeated the invaders, to end the series. The magazine ceased publication with the July/August 1935 issue. It restarted in 1940, under the original title, Battle Birds, and lasted for another four years. All the cover art was painted by Frederick Blakeslee. (Full article...)

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Blackrocks Brewery

Blackrocks' original premises

Blackrocks Brewery is a craft brewery and taproom in Marquette, Michigan. Taking the name from a local landmark, former pharmaceutical salesmen David Manson and Andy Langlois opened Blackrocks in 2010. At the time, it was a nanobrewery with a small brewing system in the basement of a Victorian-style house. Two other floors formed the brewery's taproom. High demand for Blackrocks' beer quickly led them to add to their brewing capacity with larger systems and by purchasing a former Coca-Cola bottling plant. The brewery's taproom was expanded into an adjacent property in the early 2020s, doubling its available indoor area. An outdoor patio with firepits is also available. Blackrocks produced about 12,687 barrels of beer in 2023, up about 11% from the year prior, and As of 2024 is the largest brewery in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Their most popular beer is 51K, an American IPA named for a local ski marathon. (Full article...)

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Cerro Panizos

Landsat image of the Cerro Panizos region

Cerro Panizos is a late Miocene-age shield-shaped volcano, made up of two depressions formed by the collapse of volcanos (calderas) and a group of lava domes. It consists of ignimbrites and is in the Potosí Department of Bolivia and the Jujuy Province of Argentina. It is one of several ignimbrite or caldera systems that, along with 44 active stratovolcanoes, are part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ). Subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath South America is responsible for most of the volcanism in the CVZ. Panizos is the source of two major ignimbrites: Cienago ignimbrite erupted about 7.9 million years ago; and the more recent Panizos ignimbrite, erupted 6.7 million years ago. The Panizos ignimbrite has a total volume exceeding 650 cubic kilometres (160 cu mi). Several volcanic cones such as Limitayoc were active between the ignimbrite eruptions, and a plateau of lava flows and lava domes formed in the central area of the Panizos ignimbrite after the last eruptions. (Full article...)

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Snooker

Four-time world champion Mark Selby playing at a practice table during the 2012 Masters tournament

Snooker is a cue sport played on a rectangular billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets. First played by British Army officers stationed in India in c. 1875, the game uses twenty-two balls, comprising a white cue ball, fifteen red balls, and six other balls—collectively called the colours. Using a cue stick, the individual players or teams take turns to strike the cue ball to pot other balls in a predefined sequence, accumulating points for each successful pot and for each time the opposing player or team commits a foul. An individual frame of snooker is won by the player who has scored the most points. A snooker match ends when a player wins a predetermined number of frames. The standard rules of the game were first established in 1919. As a professional sport, snooker is now governed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Top players of many nationalities compete in regular tournaments around the world, earning millions of pounds. (Full article...)

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Kes (Star Trek)

One of Kes's costumes along with her wig and ear prosthetics

Kes is a fictional character on the science fiction television show Star Trek: Voyager, played by Jennifer Lien. Kes joins the crew of the starship USS Voyager in the pilot episode, opening an aeroponics garden and working as a medical assistant. She is a member of a telepathic alien species with a life span of only nine years. She leaves the ship in the fourth season after her powers threaten to destroy it. She reappears in a season six episode and features in Star Trek: Voyager novels and short stories. Voyager's creators intended Kes to provide audiences with a different perspective on time. Although Kes is portrayed as fragile and innocent, she is also shown as having hidden strength and maturity. Voyager's producers reluctantly fired Lien after her personal issues affected her reliability on set. Kes was a fan favorite character while Voyager was airing, although critics reacted more negatively, finding her boring and without a clear purpose. Lien was praised for her performance. (Full article...)

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Bäckadräkten

Worn by Fredy Clue

Bäckadräkten is Sweden's first unisex folk costume, designed in 2022 by musician Fredy Clue and textile designer Ida Björs. Their mission was to encourage wider participation in folk traditions by providing an outfit that is not restricted to any gender or geographic region. The design merges elements traditionally considered either male or female and borrows heavily from older folk costumes. The release generated international press attention and discussions on social media, much of the latter about the relationship between folk arts and gender. Many welcomed the design, saying it provides an opportunity for non-binary Swedes to be more involved in folk culture. Others reacted negatively, resisting the social change they see as associated with it. Clue released a sewing pattern in 2023 and started taking custom orders by 2024, encouraging users to modify as they see fit. Said Clue: "The real work continues with us learning to listen to oneself and others." (Full article...)

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Tiger

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The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail, and orange fur with black stripes. It inhabits mainly forests, and is an apex predator preying mainly on ungulates such as deer and wild boar, which it takes by ambush. It lives a mostly solitary life and occupies home ranges, which it defends from individuals of the same sex. The range of a male tiger overlaps with that of multiple females with whom he mates. Females give birth to usually two or three cubs that stay with their mother for about two years before establishing their own ranges. Since the early 20th century, the tiger has lost at least 93% of its historic range and is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The tiger featured prominently in the ancient mythology and folklore of cultures throughout its historic range and continues to appear in culture worldwide. (Full article...)

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U.S. Route 101

US 101 with Downtown Los Angeles in the background

U.S. Route 101 is a north–south highway traversing the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States and running for over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) along the Pacific Ocean. It was established in 1926 and followed several historic routes linking California's early Spanish missions, pueblos, and presidios. Several sections were rebuilt in the mid-20th century to eliminate curves and address traffic congestion. Later projects expanded or relocated sections of the highway. The highway's southern terminus is at a major interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) and I-10 in Los Angeles. It notably traverses San Francisco on city streets to reach the Golden Gate Bridge. In Washington US 101 travels north, east and then south around the Olympic Peninsula to its northern terminus in Tumwater, near Olympia. Several portions of the highway are designated as scenic byways, and it serves three national parks: Pinnacles, Redwood, and Olympic. (Full article...)

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St Melangell's Church

St Melangell's Church is a medieval building of the Church in Wales located in the Tanat Valley, Powys, Wales. It was founded c. the 8th century to commemorate the reputed grave of Melangell, a local hermit and abbess. The church is built of several types of stone, and has a single nave and a square tower. It is a Grade I listed building. On the east end is an apse, which by tradition contains Melangell's grave. The current church was built in the 12th century, with major restoration work in the 19th and 20th centuries. The interior of the church holds a 15th-century rood screen depicting Melangell's legend, two 14th-century effigies, paintings, and liturgical fittings. It also contains the reconstructed 12th-century shrine to Melangell, considered the oldest surviving Romanesque shrine in northern Europe. it was a major centre of cult activity in Wales until the Reformation and continues to attract pilgrims into the 21st century. (Full article...)

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Homeric Hymns

The Dionysus Cup, a kylix painted by the Athenian Exekias around 530 BCE, possibly showing the narrative of the seventh Homeric Hymn

The Homeric Hymns are a collection of thirty-three ancient Greek hymns and one epigram praising individual deities of the Greek pantheon and retelling mythological stories. In antiquity, the hymns were generally attributed to the poet Homer: modern scholarship has established that most are of a later date. They may originally have been performed by singers accompanying themselves on a lyre. The hymns influenced Alexandrian and Roman poets, and both pagan and early Christian literature. The Homeric Hymns were first published in print by in 1488–1489, while George Chapman made the first English translation in 1642. They have inspired or influenced Handel, Goethe, Shelley and Tennyson. Their influence has also been traced in the novels of James Joyce and Neil Gaiman, and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Their textual criticism progressed considerably over the nineteenth century, though the text continued to present substantial difficulties into the twentieth. (Full article...)

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Battle of Winwick

St Oswald's Church, Winwick

The Battle of Winwick was fought on 19 August 1648 between a Scottish Royalist army and a Parliamentarian army during the Second English Civil War. The Scottish army invaded north-west England and was attacked and defeated at Preston on 17 August. The surviving Royalists fled south, closely pursued. Two days later, hungry, cold, soaking wet, exhausted and short of dry powder, they turned to fight at Winwick. Parliamentarian infantry launched a full-scale assault which resulted in more than three hours of furious but indecisive close-quarters fighting. The Parliamentarians fell back, pinned the Scots in place with their cavalry and sent their infantry on a circuitous flank march. When the Scots saw this force appear on their right flank they broke and fled. Parliamentarian cavalry pursued, killing many. The surviving Scottish infantry surrendered either at Winwick church or in nearby Warrington; their cavalry on 24 August at Uttoxeter. Winwick was the last battle of the war. (Full article...)

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Alice of Champagne

1295 dipiction of Alice arriving at Acre

Alice of Champagne {c. 1193 – 1246) was the was the eldest daughter of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem and Count Henry II of Champagne. In 1210, Alice married her stepbrother King Hugh I of Cyprus, receiving the County of Jaffa as dowry. After her husband's death in 1218, she assumed the regency for their infant son, King Henry I. Alice attempted to bolster her claim to Champagne and Brie, but the kings of France refused to acknowledge her title. In 1223 she married Bohemond, heir apparent to the Principality of Antioch and the County of Tripoli, but their marriage was annulled because they were too closely related. In 1229, she unsuccessfully laid claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem against the infant Conrad IV. In 1240, she married Raoul of Nesle and the High Court of Jerusalem proclaimed them regents for Conrad in 1243, although their power was only nominal. Raoul left the kingdom, and Alice, before the end of the year. Alice retained the regency until her death in 1246. (Full article...)

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