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From today's featured article

Model of Steller's sea cow

Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a sirenian that lived until 1768 around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, named for the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller. He discovered the species in 1741 on Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition, when the crew was shipwrecked on Bering Island, and described it in The Beasts of the Sea, published after his death. The sea cow reached weights of 8–10 metric tons (8.8–11.0 short tons) and lengths of up to 9 metres (30 ft). Its closest living relative, the 3-metre-long (9.8 ft) dugong, is the sole surviving member of its family, Dugongidae. It had a thicker layer of blubber than other sirenians, and its tail was forked like those of whales and other cetaceans. Instead of teeth, the sea cow had an array of white bristles on its upper lip and two keratinous mouth plates for chewing. It fed mainly on kelp, and communicated via sighs and snorting sounds. There is evidence that it was a monogamous and social animal, living in small family groups and raising its young. Twenty-seven years after its discovery, the slow-moving species had been hunted to extinction for its meat, fat, and hide. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Auesee in wintertime

... that the artificial lake Auesee (pictured) has become a popular recreation spot known as the "jewel" of Wesel?
... that tango music composer Cátulo Castillo was once featherweight champion of Argentina, and went to the 1924 Summer Olympics?
... that Transformers character Bumblebee will feature in his own film, which is currently in production in California?
... that Carol Smith appeared as Verdi's Eboli, Amneris and Azucena at the Opernhaus Zürich, and recorded his Mrs. Quickly in German?
... that prior to the season, the 2016–17 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team lost two players to graduation, three others who transferred, and two assistant coaches who took head coaching jobs?
... that the navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders is thought to be buried under Platform 15 at Euston railway station?
... that American socialite Isabel Pell joined the Maquis and rescued a contingent of American soldiers in France during World War II?
... that Bohemia Interactive bought a T-72 tank, stating: "A massive tanks goes out to everyone who has supported the studio and its games throughout the past 16 years"?

In the news

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The Supreme Court of Kenya nullifies the results of the country's presidential election and orders it redone, citing irregularities.
In boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (pictured) defeats Conor McGregor.
The Women's Rugby World Cup concludes with New Zealand defeating England in the final.
Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas, causing severe flooding and at least 48 fatalities.
At least 36 people are killed in riots in Northern India after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is convicted of rape.

On this day...

September 2: National Day in Vietnam (1945); Victory over Japan Day in the United States

Jawaharlal Nehru

1792 – French Revolution: Due to an overwhelming fear that foreign armies would attack Paris and prisoners would revolt, thousands of people were summarily executed.
1864 – American Civil War: Union forces entered Atlanta, Georgia, a day after the Confederate defenders fled the city, bringing the Atlanta Campaign to a close.
1946 – The interim government of India, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru (pictured), was formed to assist the transition of India from British rule to independence.
1957 – President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam became the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia.
1992 – An estimated magnitude 7.2 earthquake off the coast of Nicaragua was the first tsunami earthquake to be captured on modern broadband seismic networks.

Mary Cecil Allen (b. 1893) · Roekiah (d. 1945) · Barbara McClintock (d. 1992)

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Today's featured picture

A folio from an 8th or 9th-century Quran, written in Kufic script during the Abbasid Caliphate. The central religious text of Islam, the Quran is believed by Muslims to have been revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The Quran consists of 114 chapters (surah), each comprising a different number of verses (ayat). Shown in this folio is parts of Al-Fath (48), verses 27-28.

Folio: Unknown

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