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Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

Thomas J. Hudner Jr. (1924–2017) was a United States Navy officer and naval aviator. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Hudner attended Phillips Academy in Andover and the United States Naval Academy. Initially uninterested in aviation, he eventually took up flying and joined Fighter Squadron 32, flying the F4U Corsair at the outbreak of the Korean War. Arriving near Korea in October 1950, he flew support missions from the aircraft carrier USS Leyte. He later served in the Vietnam War. After retiring as a captain in 1973, he worked for various veterans' organizations in the United States. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner is named for him. (Full article...)

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Damage from the great fire of Smyrna
Damage from the great fire of Smyrna
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Side-by-side of insect species from 15 different orders
Side-by-side of insect species from 15 different orders

Insecta is a class of invertebrates that consists of around 30 individual orders. Orders are the fifth taxonomic rank used to classify living organisms, below the rank of class, but above the rank of family. With around 1 million insect species having been formally described and assigned a binomial name, insects are the most diverse group of animals, comprising approximately half of extant species on Earth. The total insect biodiversity has been estimated at around 6 million species. The most diverse orders are Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants and sawflies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Diptera (flies) and Hemiptera (true bugs). Taxonomists disagree on the exact number of orders, with opinions ranging from 26 to 32 distinct extant orders. (Full list...)

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Australian brushturkey

The Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami) is a species of bird in the Megapode family, Megapodiidae. It is found in eastern Australia, from Far North Queensland to the South Coast region of New South Wales, as well as on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, where it is an introduced species. The Australian brushturkey inhabits wet forests, as well as drier scrubs and open areas, and lives in both mountainous and lowland areas. It is also common in urban environments including on domestic properties in the cities of Brisbane and Sydney. A black-feathered bird with a red head, the Australian brushturkey is typically a large bird, with a total length of around 60–75 cm and a wingspan of around 85 cm, although the subspecies A. l. purpureicollis from the northern Cape York Peninsula is somewhat smaller. The species is known for its mound-building, which is carried out by a dominant male and visited by a succession of local females, for mating and egg-laying. It uses a large nest on the ground made of leaves, other compostable material, and earth. This female Australian brushturkey was photographed in Crater Lakes National Park, Queensland.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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