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From today's featured article
This Year's Model is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello (pictured), released on 17 March 1978 through Radar Records with his new backing band, the Attractions. It was recorded at Eden Studios in late 1977 and early 1978. Nick Lowe was the producer, and Roger Béchirian the engineer. The songs embrace new wave, power pop and punk rock; the lyrics explore subjects such as mass control and relationships. The cover art, by Barney Bubbles, shows Costello behind a camera, emphasising his role as an observer. The singles "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up" were commercially successful and the album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart. The US LP reached number 30 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart. The album received critical acclaim for its songwriting and performances; it has been described as one of Costello's best works and has appeared on several lists of all-time greatest albums. A new version of the album was released in 2021. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the country house Penrhyn Castle (interior pictured) is a mock castle?
- ... that it has been a goal of Oregon state senator Bill Hansell to get the potato officially designated as the state vegetable?
- ... that all stable group 5 elements are silvery-blue refractory metals?
- ... that excavations led by archaeologist Judith Marquet-Krause disproved that the Book of Joshua was a factual account of the city of Ai?
- ... that Mycobacterium bacterial species constantly remodel their cell wall layers to survive in stressful environments and avoid their host's immune defenses?
- ... that attempts to locate Stonewall Jackson's arm with a metal detector failed?
- ... that jazz composer Duke Ellington worked on his only opera, Queenie Pie, from the 1930s until his death in 1974 without finishing it?
- ... that the Newent Onion Fayre included a raw-onion-eating competition?
In the news
- The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for the abduction of children from Ukraine.
- At the Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once wins seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
- Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to re-establish diplomatic relations, seven years after they were severed.
- Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank both collapse over the span of three days, becoming the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history.
On this day
March 17: Saint Patrick's Day (Christianity); Anniversary of the Unification of Italy (1861)
- 1337 – Edward the Black Prince (pictured) was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.
- 1677 – Franco-Dutch War: France captured the town of Valenciennes in the Spanish Netherlands.
- 1917 – World War I: Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster led a force to rescue 92 prisoners of war from Bir Hakeim, killing the Senussi guards and their families.
- 1942 – The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation Reinhard camps to begin operation.
- 1963 – An eruption of Mount Agung on Bali, Indonesia, killed at least 1,100 people.
- Gertrude of Nivelles (d. 659)
- Walter Rudolf Hess (b. 1881)
- Chuck Muncie (b. 1953)
From today's featured list
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is a wildlife trust covering the English county of Norfolk in East Anglia. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts. It has more than 35,500 members and eight local groups, and it manages more than fifty nature reserves and other protected sites. It also gives conservation advice to individuals and organisations, provides educational services to young people on field trips and organises entertainment and information events at nature reserves. The NWT reserves include twenty-six Sites of Special Scientific Interest, nine national nature reserves, twelve A Nature Conservation Review sites, sixteen Special Areas of Conservation, twelve Special Protection Areas, eleven Ramsar sites, two local nature reserves, four Geological Conservation Review sites and five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
The Dark Hedges are an avenue of beech trees near Armoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Planted in the late 18th century for the Gracehill House estate of James Stuart, the trees form an atmospheric "tunnel" and became a tourist attraction after their use as a filming location in the HBO television series Game of Thrones. This photograph of the Dark Hedges was taken in 2016. Photograph credit: Colin Park
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