Your random fact of the day:
Because it gets so little precipitation, the continent Antarctica is also technically the world’s largest desert.
britannica.com/place/Antarcti
📸U.S. Navy Photograph
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On this day in 1953, 27-year-old Elizabeth II, the elder daughter of King George VI, was crowned queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey, having taken the throne upon her father's death in February 1952.
britannica.com/biography/Eliz
📸Keystone/Getty Images
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When the final curtain falls on Bad Cinderella this weekend, it will mark the end of an incredible streak: For 43 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a show on Broadway.
britannica.com/biography/Andr
📸 Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premieres this weekend, the latest chapter in the superhero’s saga following Brooklyn-born teen Miles Morales
britannica.com/topic/Spider-M
📸Sony Pictures Animation and Marvel
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During Pride Month, it is not uncommon to see the rainbow flag being proudly displayed as a symbol for the LGBTQ rights movement. Here's how that flag become a symbol of LGBTQ pride.
britannica.com/story/how-did-
📸Narcis Parfenti/Shutterstock.com
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#OnThisDay in 1926, American motion-picture star Marilyn Monroe, who became a cultural icon, was born in Los Angeles.
britannica.com/biography/Mari
📸 1955 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
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Some food is more delicious when eaten outdoors. And today marks the start of meteorological summer, which means we are in peak picnic season.
britannica.com/story/when-doe
📸 Kankitti Chupayoong/Shutterstock.com
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June is Pride Month, a celebration that traces its origins back to the Stonewall riots on June 28, 1969—and the march held on its first anniversary.
britannica.com/story/celebrat
📸 Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com
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Your random fact of the day:
The fingerprints of koalas are almost indistinguishable from human fingerprints.
britannica.com/animal/koala
📸Freder—iStock/Getty Images
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Happy birthday to Clint Eastwood, who emerged as one of the most popular Hollywood stars in the 1960s and went on to become a prolific and respected director-producer.
britannica.com/biography/Clin
📸1992 Warner Brothers Entertainment Company
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#OnThisDay in 1921, the Tulsa race massacre began in Oklahoma; in the ensuing violence, Tulsa's prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood was destroyed, and as many as 300 people were killed, mostly African Americans.
britannica.com/event/Tulsa-ra
📸 Library of Congress
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This week marks the start of hurricane season, and it may be a busy one if recent trends continue.
britannica.com/science/tropic
📸 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski
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#OnThisDay in 1911, the first Indianapolis 500 automobile race was run in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it was won by Ray Harroun in about 6 hours 42 minutes.
britannica.com/sports/Indiana
📸 Archive Photos/Getty Images
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#OnThisDay in 1806, Andrew Jackson, who later served as president of the United States, fatally shot Charles Dickinson in a duel; during his life, Jackson was involved in numerous duels in defense of his wife, Rachel.
britannica.com/biography/Andr
📸The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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The Carter Center has announced that former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia and remains at home. This comes three months after her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, entered hospice care
britannica.com/biography/Rosa
📸 Jimmy Carter Library
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#OnThisDay in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial—honoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, and “the virtues of tolerance, honesty, and constancy in the human spirit”—was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
britannica.com/biography/Abra
📸 gchutka—E+/Getty Images
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Having led the French army in a momentous victory over England during the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc was charged with heresy and witchcraft and was burned at the stake on this day in 1431.
britannica.com/biography/Sain
📸Photos.com / Getty Images
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The 54th annual World Series of Poker begins today, an event that traces its roots back to a 1949 Las Vegas match between legendary players Johnny Moss and Nick (“the Greek”) Dandolos.
britannica.com/topic/poker-ca
📸solosergio/stock.adobe.com
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#OnThisDay in 1868, the impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson ended with his acquittal in the Senate.
britannica.com/biography/Andr
📸 Library of Congress—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Your random fact of the day:
Describing them as “not half beautiful as how they were painted,” Christopher Columbus reported seeing mermaids off the coast of what is now the Dominican Republic; they were manatees.
britannica.com/animal/manatee
📸Izanbar/Dreamstime.com
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Getting ready to see The Little Mermaid this weekend? Learn about Hans Christian Anderson, the Danish author who wrote the story that the movie was inspired by
britannica.com/biography/Hans
📸PHOTOS.com / Getty Images Plus
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#OnThisDay in 1907, motion-picture actor John Wayne, who embodied the image of the taciturn cowboy or soldier, was born in Winterset, Iowa.
britannica.com/biography/John
📸1956 Warner Brothers, Inc.
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Taking out the grill for Memorial Day weekend? We're helping you hit that ideal internal temperature for a perfect meal
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The new Little Mermaid movie is out this weekend! What's the lore behind these mythical creatures? Read more about them and the story that inspired the movie
britannica.com/topic/mermaid
📸 Williammacgregor/Dreamstime.com
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A new documentary on Mary Tyler Moore will explore her impact on the entertainment industry. You can stream it on Max or watch it on HBO
britannica.com/biography/Mary
📸Columbia Broadcasting System
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Happy birthday to British actor Tony Award winner, Sir Ian McKellen. Ian McKellen is noted for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and for his eclectic filmography.
britannica.com/biography/Ian-
📸 2001 New Line Cinema
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#OnThisDay in 1895, the trial of acclaimed Irish writer Oscar Wilde ended with him being found guilty of “committing acts of gross indecency with certain male persons”; he was sentenced to two years of hard labor.
britannica.com/biography/Osca
📸Photos.com/Getty Images Plus
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#OnThisDay in 1935, American track-and-field standout Jesse Owens set three world records and equaled one other at a meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
britannica.com/biography/Jess
📸 Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
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Your random fact of the day:
George Washington did not wear a powdered wig. He powdered his own hair (otherwise a light brown) to make it appear so.
britannica.com/biography/Geor
📸 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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In a speech before Congress, on this day in 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade; the goal was achieved with Apollo 11 in 1969.
britannica.com/topic/Apollo-11
📸 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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#OnThisDay in 1977, George Lucas's space opera film Star Wars (later known as Star Wars: Episode IV—New Hope) was released, launching one of the most successful and influential franchises in history.
britannica.com/topic/Star-War
📸Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
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#OnThisDay in 2011, the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired; the long-running TV program had helped make Winfrey one of the richest and most influential women in the United States.
britannica.com/biography/Opra
📸 Ron Galella/Getty Images
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The music world lost an icon as Tina Turner died in Switzerland. She was 83. Turner was a leading light in the development of R&B and soul music and was also known as “the queen of rock n’ roll”
britannica.com/biography/Tina
📸 Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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A study found that lightning bolts on Jupiter move in pulses as they do on Earth—and lightning may have played a role in life's evolution on Earth.
britannica.com/place/Jupiter-
📸 NASA/JPL
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Tina Turner, the iconic singer and performer, has passed away at the age of 83
britannica.com/biography/Tina
📸 Steve Mandamadiotis/Dreamstime.com
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With 150 million monthly American active users, should the U.S. government or state governments enact TikTok bans? We look at the pros and cons
procon.org/headlines/tikt
📸SNL/Giphy
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A brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge—spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan Island in New York City—opened this day in 1883, designed by civil engineer John Augustus Roebling.
📸 Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to launch his presidential run today in an unconventional format.
britannica.com/biography/Ron-
📸 Office of the Governor of Florida
In the past year since Uvalde, the country has seen another 18 mass shootings, defined as at least three deaths, not including the shooter. Do you remember these as well?
britannica.com/topic/mass-sho
A year ago today, tragedy struck Uvalde, Texas, when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School and killed 19 students and two teachers. It was the worst school shooting in Texas history
britannica.com/place/Uvalde
📸 Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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