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Edward VII (1841–1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1901 until his death. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Edward was largely excluded from political influence during his mother's reign, coming to personify the leisured, fashionable elite. Despite a reputation as a playboy prince, his tours of North America in 1860 and of India in 1875 proved to be popular successes. Edward inherited the throne upon his mother's death in 1901. He broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised, and fostered good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially France. Nevertheless, his relationship with German emperor Wilhelm II was poor. The Edwardian era, which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded major changes in technology and society. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, George V. (Full article...)

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Float at the Gasparilla Pirate Festival

... that since 1904 the Gasparilla Pirate Festival (float pictured) in Tampa, Florida, has featured a pirate-themed parade?
... that S. Iswaran was the first Singaporean cabinet minister to be investigated by the country's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau since 1986?
... that the 2023 Argentine provincial elections were overshadowed by the disappearance of Cecilia Strzyzowski?
... that Steven A. Shaw, one of the first food bloggers, decided to pursue the career that he loved after the early death of his father?
... that due to a misunderstanding, Catodontherium was moved from its original genus name?
... that after becoming "convinced of the evils of slavery", James Townsend left Kentucky for Indiana?
... that a bust of South Korean president Park Chung Hee in Mullae Park had a Japanese Rising Sun Flag tied to it and was dragged through the streets?
... that a well-publicised conflict with a superior officer led British cavalry officer John Williams Reynolds to take a break from his military career, study chemistry and discover propylene?

In the news

Brian Mulroney

Former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney (pictured) dies at the age of 84.
Following the general election, Feleti Teo is appointed Prime Minister of Tuvalu.
Dahomey wins the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The Odysseus robotic lander of the IM-1 mission performs the first commercial soft landing on the Moon.

On this day

March 2

Wilt Chamberlain

1484 – The College of Arms, one of the few remaining official heraldic authorities in Europe, was incorporated by royal charter in the City of London.
1776 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot militiamen from Georgia and South Carolina attempted to resist the British action to seize and remove supply ships anchored at Savannah, Georgia.
1949 – The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II landed in Fort Worth, Texas, to complete the first non-stop circumnavigation of the world by airplane.
1962 – Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, American basketball player Wilt Chamberlain (pictured) scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks, which remains an NBA record.
2022 – Russian forces captured the city of Kherson, the only regional capital to be taken during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Pope Adrian VI (b. 1459)
Alexander Bullock (b. 1816)
Bedřich Smetana (b. 1824)
Ida Maclean (d. 1944)

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Today's featured picture

The European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It is found across Europe, as far east as Ukraine and the South Caucasus, and in parts of North Africa. It breeds in heathland, coastal dunes and rough grassland, and is either short-distance migratory or non-migratory, with part of the population moving south to winter further south in Europe and more widely in northern Africa. European stonechats are 11.5 to 13 centimetres (4.5 to 5.1 in) long and weigh 13 to 17 grams (0.46 to 0.60 oz), with both sexes having short wings. The summer male has black upperparts, a black head, an orange throat and breast, and a white belly and vent, while the female has brown upperparts and head, and no white neck patches, rump or belly. This male European stonechat was photographed in Beaulieu in Hampshire, England.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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