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Depiction of the explosion aboard the ironclad Mound City (center)

The Battle of St. Charles was fought on June 17, 1862, at St. Charles, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Earlier in 1862, a force commanded by Samuel R. Curtis, a major general of the Union Army, became bogged down in northern Arkansas. A Union relief force was sent up the White River to resupply Curtis. The Confederates had constructed fortifications near St. Charles. An infantry unit was sent ashore to attack the fortifications on land, while Union ships attacked from the river. During the fight, a Confederate fired what has been referred to as the deadliest shot of the war, striking the ironclad USS Mound City, puncturing one of its steam drums, and filling the ship with scalding steam (depicted), killing 105 and wounding 25. Only about 25 aboard escaped unhurt. The infantrymen on land took the Confederate position. The supply mission was unable to reach Curtis, and withdrew back down the river. Curtis's army then cut loose from their supply line and marched to Helena, Arkansas. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Mechanitis polymnia chrysalis

... that the shiny chrysalis of Mechanitis butterflies (example pictured) might serve as temperature control during pupation?
... that Bob Neuwirth worked at an art supply store before becoming Bob Dylan's road manager?
... that Hurricane Agatha was the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall in Mexico in May since records began in 1949?
... that due to the efforts of James Markham Ambler, the Jeannette expedition became the first Arctic expedition "without a single case of scurvy"?
... that the Uzunköprü Bridge was the longest bridge in the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey for 530 years until 1973, when it was surpassed by the Bosphorus Bridge?
... that Ruth L. Bennett provided shelter for more than 2,000 black women and girls who migrated north to Chester, Pennsylvania, as part of the Great Migration?
... that after using a talent show to select Apostolos Psichramis to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, the Greek broadcaster instead sent Sakis Rouvas?
... that after serving as President of the Oregon State Senate, Brady L. Adams founded BearFest in Grants Pass, Oregon, which featured playful fiberglass bear statues placed around the town?

In the news

Stephen Curry

In basketball, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics to win the NBA Finals (MVP Stephen Curry pictured).
Former Bolivian president Jeanine Áñez is sentenced to ten years in prison on charges related to her succession to office during the 2019 political crisis.
Voters in Kazakhstan pass 56 constitutional amendments in a referendum, following the January 2022 unrest.
In Nigeria, at least 40 people are killed in an attack at a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State.

On this day

June 17

William Cornwallis

1397 – The kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway formed the Kalmar Union, a personal union under Eric of Pomerania.
1579 – Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England.
1795 – French Revolutionary Wars: Off the coast of Brittany, a Royal Navy squadron commanded by William Cornwallis (pictured) fended off a numerically superior French Navy fleet.
1952 – Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km²) in area to local peasants.
2015 – A white supremacist committed a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people during a prayer service.

M. C. Escher (b. 1898)
Annie S. Swan (d. 1943)
Grace Towns Hamilton (d. 1992)

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Durango, capital and largest municipality in the state.

The Northwest Mexico state of Durango is divided into 39 municipalities. According to the 2020 Mexican Census, Durango is the 25th most populous state with 1,832,650 inhabitants, but the 4th largest by land area spanning 123,575.36 square kilometres (47,712.71 sq mi). Durango has a population density of 14.8/km² (38.4/sq mi), making it Mexico's second-least dense state, after Baja California Sur. Municipalities in Durango are administratively autonomous of the state according to the 115th article of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico. Every three years, citizens elect a municipal president (Spanish: presidente municipal) by a plurality voting system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council (ayuntamiento) responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The largest municipality by population is the state capital Durango, with 688,697 residents or approximately 35.7% of the state population. The smallest municipality by population is San Pedro del Gallo with 1,633 residents. The largest municipality by land area is also Durango which spans 9,306.43 km² (3,593.23 sq mi). (Full list...)

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Bolungarvík is a small town and the only built-up area in the municipality of Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður in the northwest of Iceland, located on the peninsula of the Westfjords, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) from the town of Ísafjörður and 473 kilometres (294 miles) from the capital city Reykjavík. The town is near abundant fishing grounds and has been used as an outpost for fishing since the 17th century, making it one of the earliest in Iceland. Bolungarvík was not accessible by road until 1950, and in 2010 a tunnel was opened under the mountain to bypass the old road, which was frequently subject to avalanches and rock falls. This panoramic photograph of Bolungarvík was taken in early July 2018 from the avalanche dam that overlooks the town. Lupin, which covers much of this area of Iceland in summer, is visible at the extreme bottom left of the image.

Photograph credit: Veggies

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