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National color of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment

The 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Formed mostly from a militia unit in Norristown in southeastern Pennsylvania, the regiment enlisted at the start of the war in April 1861 for a three-month period of service under the command of Colonel John F. Hartranft. The regiment served as part of the garrison of Washington, D.C., until late June, when it was sent into Northern Virginia to join the army of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. The regiment suffered its only combat casualties in a picket action on June 30 and was sent back to be mustered out on the eve of the First Battle of Bull Run owing to disagreement among the men over remaining after their term of service expired. Its men were denounced as cowards for being members of the only regiment to refuse to fight at the July 21 battle. Hartranft and a company commander stayed with the army and both later received the Medal of Honor for their actions at Bull Run. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Cyrtodactylus santana

... that when unable to catch Cyrtodactylus santana (holotype pictured) during the day, surveyors returned to its caves under the cover of darkness?
... that Cora Slocomb di Brazza designed the peace flag adopted by the International Council of Women, and her mother Abby Day Slocomb designed the Connecticut state flag?
... that girls at a school for children deemed "educationally subnormal" were given far less freedom than boys in order to prevent "sexual misbehaviour"?
... that Justin Schultz was personally recruited by Hockey Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey to join the Edmonton Oilers in 2012?
... that in 2019 the South African army's Natal Carbineers were renamed the Ingobamakhosi Carbineers, after a Zulu regiment that had fought against them at the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana?
... that to attend the 1915 Women at the Hague Congress, Eugénie Hamer and the Belgian delegates drove, were frisked, walked two hours, and took a train?
... that "Spelling on the Stone", released in 1988 by an uncredited vocalist purporting to be Elvis Presley, inspired a number of Elvis sightings eleven years after his death?
... that Tolkien was not sure if Orcs were made of slime or were corrupted Elves?

In the news

Shohei Ohtani

The World Baseball Classic concludes with Japan defeating the United States for the championship (MVP Shohei Ohtani pictured).
Swiss bank UBS announces its intention to acquire its competitor Credit Suisse in a government-brokered deal.
The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for the abduction of children from Ukraine.
At the Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once wins seven awards, including Best Picture.

On this day

March 22: World Water Day

The Emerald Buddha in winter attire

1312 – Pope Clement V issued a bull dissolving the Order of the Knights Templar.
1784 – The Emerald Buddha (pictured), considered to be the sacred palladium of Thailand, was installed in its current location at Wat Phra Kaew on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
1942 – Second World War: British and Italian naval forces fought the Second Battle of Sirte in the Gulf of Sidra north of Libya.
1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashed in Flushing Bay shortly after takeoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport, killing 27 people, and leading to studies into the effects of ice on aircraft.
2014 – A massive landslide in Oso, Washington, killed 43 people after engulfing a rural neighborhood, the largest death toll for a standalone landslide in U.S. history.

Reese Witherspoon (b. 1976)
Juan Uribe (b. 1979)
Kenzō Tange (d. 2005)

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Today's featured picture

The pomelo (Citrus maxima) is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Growing on a tree 5–15 meters (16–50 feet) in height, the fruit is 15–25 cm (6–10 in) in diameter with a usual weight of 1–2 kilograms (2–4 pounds) and has a thicker rind than a grapefruit. It is divided into 11 to 18 segments and its flesh tastes like a mild grapefruit, with little of its common bitterness. The fruit generally contains few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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