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Harry McNish (1874–1930) was the carpenter on Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 to 1917. At 40, he was one of the oldest members of the crew and was regarded as somewhat odd and unrefined, but was highly respected as a carpenter. He was responsible for much of the work that ensured the crew's survival after their ship, the Endurance, was destroyed when it became trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea. He modified the small boat, James Caird, that allowed Shackleton and five men (including McNish) to make a voyage of hundreds of miles to fetch help for the rest of the crew. He briefly refused to follow orders on the crew's long trek pulling the boats across the pack ice, and, despite his efforts during the journey, was one of only four of the crew not to receive the Polar Medal. After the expedition he returned to work in the Merchant Navy and eventually emigrated to New Zealand, where he worked on the docks in Wellington until ill-health forced his retirement. He died destitute in the Ohiro Benevolent Home in Wellington. McNish Island, which lies in the approaches to King Haakon Bay, South Georgia, was named in his honour. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that Mithun Chakraborty (pictured) won the National Film Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Ramakrishna in the 1998 film Swami Vivekananda?
... that the Ponn Humpback Covered Bridge, built to replace an arsoned bridge, was itself set alight three months ago?
... that the female Blue Mountains funnel-web spider is possibly more venomous because it injects more venom?
... that prior to their senior seasons Shane Morris and Max Browne were the only two 5-star rated quarterbacks in the high school class of 2013 according to Rivals.com?
... that the inactive Polish A.B. Dobrowolski Polar Station is still occasionally visited by explorers of the Antarctic?
... that most of the British airmen who attempted to bomb the German battleship Tirpitz during Operation Mascot in July 1944 could not see the ship?

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In the news

A center-right coalition led by the Conservative Party wins a majority in the Norwegian parliamentary election.
The painting Sunset at Montmajour (pictured) is shown to be a lost work of Vincent van Gogh.
The Liberal–National Coalition, led by Tony Abbott, wins the Australian federal election.
The International Olympic Committee selects Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
NASA launches the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer on the first Minotaur V rocket.
The G-20 summit concludes in Saint Petersburg.

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On this day...

September 11: Patriot Day in the United States

1775 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold's expedition departed from Cambridge, Massachusetts as part of the invasion of Quebec.
1897 – Gaki Sherocho (pictured) was captured by the forces of Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II, bringing an end to the Kingdom of Kaffa.
1945 – The Japanese-run camp at Batu Lintang, Sarawak, in Borneo was liberated by the Australian 9th Division, averting the planned massacre of its 2,000-plus Allied POWs and civilian internees by four days.
1965 – Indo-Pakistani War: Indian infantry captured the town of Burki near Lahore, Pakistan.
2001 – Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners for a series of suicide attacks against targets in New York City and the Washington, D.C., area.

More anniversaries: September 10 – September 11 – September 12

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Today's featured picture

Fencing is the sport of fighting with swords; in modern usage the word usually denotes competitive fencing, rather than classical fencing. Here, Fabian Kauter (right) hits Diego Confalonieri (left) with a flèche attack at the final of the Challenge Réseau Ferré de France–Trophée Monal 2012.

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen

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