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From today's featured article

The Manufacturers Trust Company Building is a commercial building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1954, it was the first bank building in the United States to be built in the International Style. It was commissioned by the Manufacturers Trust Company and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The façade is made largely of glass panes and aluminum mullions, while the first story includes a bank vault door visible from the street. After its opening, it became one of Manufacturers Trust's busiest branches and a tourist attraction. Manufacturers Trust's successor, Chase Bank, sold the building in 2000 but remained there until 2010. SOM renovated the building in 2012, converting it into a commercial structure, and Reuben Brothers acquired the property in 2023. The building was praised for its exterior design, ceilings, and visible vault door. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the exterior and interior as official landmarks. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Corn tortillas

... that the tortilla (examples pictured) has been eaten for thousands of years, but it has only been considered a national symbol of Mexico since the 20th century?
... that magician Sterling Dietz used $1,200 in prize earnings from a chess tournament to pay for tuition at a Las Vegas magic school?
... that permanent human settlements emerged independently in multiple regions approximately 5,000 to 10,000 years ago?
... that a transgender-owned bookshop in Leeds ran a fundraiser in which people paid to deface pages of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?
... that the fossil redwood Metasequoia milleri was described from its pollen cones?
... that four people and three hundred sheep died after sixteen carriages broke off a mixed-use train and collided with a goods train in Bathurst?
... that the Princedom of Zhou, unlike most other Ming princedoms, developed a strong tradition of cultural and literary learning?
... that practical normativity covers what people should do, while theoretical normativity is about what to believe?
... that the first volume of a yuri manga was criticized for not having enough yuri?

In the news

Beth Mooney

Thirteen people are killed and twenty-three others are reported missing in a wildfire in Los Gallardos, Spain.
A series of coordinated attacks across Pakistan's Balochistan province leaves at least forty-two people dead.
The IOC provisionally lifts its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.
In cricket, the Women's T20 World Cup concludes with Australia defeating England in the final (player of the match Beth Mooney pictured).

On this day

July 13: Kashmir Martyrs' Day in Pakistan

William Chaney

1643 – English Civil War: Royalist forces defeated the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Roundway Down near Devizes, Wiltshire.
1794 – The Battle of Trippstadt between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria began.
1831 – Wallachian officials adopted the Regulamentul Organic, which engendered a period of reforms that provided for the westernization of the local society.
1962 – In an unprecedented reshuffle, British prime minister Harold Macmillan dismissed seven members of his cabinet.
1999 – William Chaney (pictured), a historian of Anglo-Saxon England, retired after a half a century at Lawrence University, by which time 80% of living alumni had attended the school during his tenure.

Afonso, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (d. 1491)
Kate Sheppard (d. 1934)
Ernő Rubik (b. 1944)
Ken Jeong (b. 1969)

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From today's featured list

Ming edict referring to the Zhengde era

The Ming dynasty continued the use of era names, a system introduced by Emperor Wu of Han in 114 BC, or more formally in 110 BC. A Chinese era name, or "reign motto", was chosen at the beginning of an emperor's reign to reflect the political, economic, or social conditions of the time. During the Ming dynasty, with the exception of Emperor Yingzong, who had two separate reigns, each emperor used only one era name throughout his reign, whereas emperors of earlier dynasties often adopted multiple era names. As a result, Ming emperors are commonly referred to by their era names. There were seventeen era names during the Ming dynasty. The first era, Hongwu, was inaugurated by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368, and the last era, Chongzhen, ended when the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide during the fall of Beijing in 1644. The longest Ming era was Wanli, lasting 48 years, and the shortest was Taichang, which succeeded Wanli and lasted only about four months. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The Great Mosque of Central Java is a mosque in Semarang, the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Java. Dedicated in 2006, the mosque complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres). Up to 15,000 worshippers can be accommodated in the mosque and the central courtyard. This aerial photograph, taken in 2014, shows the Great Mosque of Central Java as seen from the viewing deck of the adjacent 99-metre-tall (325 ft) Asmaul Husna Tower, which also houses a museum and a radio station for dakwah.

Photograph credit: Chris Woodrich

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