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Illustration of the first wing-bone

The Mauritius sheldgoose (Alopochen mauritiana) is an extinct sheldgoose that was endemic to Mauritius. Accounts by visitors in the 17th century mentioned geese, with few details. In 1893, a wing-bone (depicted) and pelvis were attributed to a new species of comb duck, but later determined to belong to a relative of the Egyptian goose in Alopochen, a genus of sheldgeese. The bird may have descended from Egyptian geese that colonised the Mascarene Islands. This small sheldgoose had wings that were half black and half white. Although smaller than the Egyptian goose, it had more robust legs. Accounts indicate they were very tame, were grazers, lived in groups, and were usually found on the north side of the island except when seeking water to drink in the dry season. They were terrestrial, and avoided water. The species was eaten by travellers, and while abundant in 1681, it was declared extinct in 1698, probably due to overhunting and predation by introduced animals, particularly cats. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Anne Mills Archbold

... that two lion cubs that Anne Mills Archbold (pictured) brought to America as pets on the Lusitania became exhibits at the Bronx Zoo?
... that Zinkiv, Ukraine, was a center of Hasidic Judaism until almost the entirety of the city's 2,300-strong Jewish population was murdered during the Holocaust?
... that due to her leftist beliefs, journalist Ana Amado was told not to come to work by her public television employer while her husband was on the death list of the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance?
... that the Japanese manga series Minato's Laundromat originated as a story titled Wash My Heart! that was posted on Pixiv?
... that former Czech Army doctor Marek Obrtel returned his military decorations from NATO operations in 2014, citing his pro-Russian and anti-American views?
... that the text of the Acts of Peter and the Twelve was completely unknown until its discovery at Nag Hammadi in 1945?
... that when Doug McKechnie played the "Big Moog", he was sometimes fueled by psychoactive drugs?
... that If Books Could Kill, there would be a podcast about it?

In the news

Jair Bolsonaro

In Brazil, the Superior Electoral Court bars former president Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) from running for political office until 2030 for abuse of power before the 2022 general election.
Riots break out across France after a 17-year-old is fatally shot by police in Paris.
In Russia, the Wagner mercenary group stands down after rebelling against the government.
In China, an explosion at a restaurant in Yinchuan kills 31 people.

On this day

July 3

Battle of Gettysburg

324 – Civil wars of the Tetrarchy: Roman emperor Constantine the Great defeated his former colleague Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople.
1863 – Confederate forces were defeated by the Union Army on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg (pictured), a turning point in the American Civil War.
1940 – Second World War: The Royal Navy attacked the French fleet at Mers El Kébir, fearing that the ships would fall into Axis hands after the French–German armistice.
1973 – British singer David Bowie retired his stage persona Ziggy Stardust in a surprise announcement on the last day of a 17-month tour.
2013 – General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a coalition to depose President Mohamed Morsi in a coup d'état in Cairo, suspending the Egyptian Constitution of 2012.

Dong Chang (d. 896)
Susan Peters (b. 1921)
Peter van Geersdaele (b. 1933)
Lisa Kahn (d. 2013)

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From today's featured list

Pharrell Williams

The 2013 American computer-animated comedy film Despicable Me 2 won eight awards from fifty-three nominations. It was directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, and stars the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, and Ken Jeong. The film follows Gru (Carell) as he is recruited by agent Lucy Wilde (Wiig), who is investigating a theft of the mutagen called PX-41, stolen from the Arctic Circle. During their investigations, they extract Eduardo Pérez / El Macho (Bratt), a supervillain with the goal of causing world domination after faking his death. The film garnered a Golden Globe nomination at the 71st ceremony. Despicable Me 2 won one of ten nominations at the 41st Annie Awards. At the 86th Academy Awards, the film received two Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Feature, and Best Original Song for "Happy", composed by Pharrell Williams (pictured). (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

K. K. Usha (3 July 1939 – 5 October 2020) was an Indian judge who served as the chief justice of the Kerala High Court between 2000 and 2001. The first female judge on the court, she advocated for women's rights and for the elimination of all forms of discrimination. After retiring from the court, she served as the president of the Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal and then headed an Indian People's Tribunal enquiry in 2005 and 2006 into communal violence in Orissa. The enquiry was disrupted by activists from the Sangh Parivar. In 2011, she served as a member of an IPT panel on human rights issues in Manipur. This portrait photograph of Usha in court dress was taken in May 2020.

Photograph credit: Augustus Binu

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