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Today's featured article
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 Alboin (530s–572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy. He had a lasting impact on Italy and the Pannonian Basin. The period of Alboin's reign as king in Pannonia following the death of his father, Audoin, was one of confrontation and conflict between the Lombards and their main neighbors, the Gepids. The Gepids initially gained the upper hand, but in 567, thanks to his alliance with the Avars, Alboin inflicted a decisive defeat on his enemies, whose lands the Avars subsequently occupied. The increasing power of his new neighbours caused Alboin some unease however, and he therefore decided to leave Pannonia for Italy, hoping to take advantage of the Byzantine Empire's reduced ability to defend its territory in the wake of the Gothic War. After succeeding in gathering together a large coalition of peoples, Alboin began his trek in 568. After crossing the Julian Alps he entered an almost undefended Italy, and rapidly took control of most of Venetia and Liguria. In 569, unopposed, he took northern Italy's main city, Milan. Pavia offered stiff resistance however, and was only taken after a siege lasting three years. During that time Alboin turned his attention to Tuscany, but signs of factionalism among his supporters and Alboin's diminishing control over his army increasingly began to manifest themselves. Alboin was assassinated on June 28, 572, in a coup d'état instigated by the Byzantines. (more...)
Recently featured: "Hey Baby" – Malmö FF – W. E. B. Du Bois
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Today's featured picture
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The Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) is a finch native to northern North America. The plumage is drab, being brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout. They have yellow patches in their wings and tail, which are not always visible. They grow to 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) in length and typically weigh 12–18 g (0.4–0.6 oz).
Photo: Simon Pierre Barrette
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Yesterday's featured picture
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A 360° fog bow, an optical phenomenon similar to a rainbow that occurs when a spectrum of light appears due to the Sun's rays shining through fog. Because of the very small size of water droplets that cause fog—smaller than 0.05 mm (0.0020 in)—fog bows have only very weak colors, with a red outer edge and bluish inner. In many cases when the droplets are very small, fog bows may appear white, in which case they are known as "white rainbows".
Photo: Mila Zinkova
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Featured Picture from Day before Yesterday
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Two specimens of Pectinaria koreni, a species of ice cream cone worm, polychaete worms that build sand tubes that roughly resemble ice cream cones. The upper one is ensconced within its tube, and the lower one is the worm by itself. In both individuals, the head is to the right.
Photo: Hans Hillewaert
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Featured Picture from Two Days before Yesterday
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A fossil of Thrissops formosus, a member of the extinct fish genus Thrissops that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Thrissops were fast predatory fish, about 24 inches (60 cm) long, that fed on other bony fish. They had a streamlined body with a deeply cleft tail and only very small pelvic fins.
Photo: H. Zell
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