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St Oswald's Church, Winwick
St Oswald's Church, Winwick

The Battle of Winwick was fought on 19 August 1648 between a Scottish Royalist army and a Parliamentarian army during the Second English Civil War. The Scottish army invaded north-west England and was attacked and defeated at Preston on 17 August. The surviving Royalists fled south, closely pursued. Two days later, hungry, cold, soaking wet, exhausted and short of dry powder, they turned to fight at Winwick. Parliamentarian infantry launched a full-scale assault which resulted in more than three hours of furious but indecisive close-quarters fighting. The Parliamentarians fell back, pinned the Scots in place with their cavalry and sent their infantry on a circuitous flank march. When the Scots saw this force appear on their right flank they broke and fled. Parliamentarian cavalry pursued, killing many. The surviving Scottish infantry surrendered either at Winwick church (pictured) or in nearby Warrington; their cavalry on 24 August at Uttoxeter. Winwick was the last battle of the war. (Full article...)

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Tomb of Joseph Crocé-Spinelli and Théodore Sivel
Tomb of Joseph Crocé-Spinelli and Théodore Sivel
  • ... that the two victims of the Zénith balloon incident are depicted holding hands on their tomb (pictured)?
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  • ... that, according to a local myth, a headless priest cursed León Viejo with earthquakes?
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Paetongtarn Shinawatra in October 2023
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Edward I of England
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Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Drive My Car, a 2021 Japanese drama film, won 91 awards from 160 nominations. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (pictured) and written by Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, the film received particular recognition for Hamaguchi's direction, Hidetoshi Nishijima's performance, and the screenplay. At the 94th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won Best International Feature Film. It was the first Japanese film to receive a Best Picture nomination. Drive My Car won nine awards at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize, including Picture of the Year, Director of the Year, and Screenplay of the Year. (Full list...)

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Dusky seaside sparrow

The dusky seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima nigrescens) was a non-migratory subspecies of the seaside sparrow, found in Florida in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. Johns River. Discovered in 1872 by Charles Johnson Maynard, it was distinguished from other seaside sparrows by its dark coloration and distinct song. From the 1940s onwards, the dusky seaside sparrow population declined and eventually went extinct. This was the result of human activity in the area including pesticides and flooding applied to reduce mosquito populations, industrial expansion, and highway construction. The last definite known individual died on Discovery Island in Walt Disney World in 1987, and the subspecies was declared extinct in 1990.

Photograph credit: P. W. Sykes, United States Fish and Wildlife Service

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