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From today's featured article

Ficus macrophylla, the Moreton Bay fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia. A strangler fig, it usually germinates in the canopy of a host tree and lives as an epiphyte until its roots establish contact with the ground; it then enlarges, reaching up to 60 m (200 ft) in height. The large leathery, dark green leaves are 15–30 cm (6–12 in) long. The fruit is small, round and greenish, ripening and turning purple at any time of year. Inverted inflorescences, with flowers lining an internal cavity, are pollinated only by fig wasps. Many bird species, including pigeons, parrots and various passerines, eat the fruit. Old specimens of F. macrophylla can reach tremendous size with imposing buttress roots, and the species is widely used as a feature tree in public parks and gardens in warmer climates. Its aggressive root system renders it unsuitable for all but the largest private gardens. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Clarence E. Willard, with a photographic effect showing his increase in height

... that vaudeville performer Clarence E. Willard could add 7 ¹⁄₂ inches (19 cm) to his height by stretching (pictured)?
... that the 2021 Challenge Cup will not feature any amateur rugby league teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
... that gestural abstract painter Jackie Saccoccio experimented with randomness in her works by pouring paint, tilting canvases, and even pressing wet canvases together?
... that Harper Pass, a remote hiking trail crossing the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana in New Zealand, was once the most important overland connection between Canterbury and the West Coast?
... that Anil Kapoor called AK vs AK "the fastest film I have done in my career"?
... that in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had members of Congress distribute millions of free seed packets to Americans?
... that while Ute Trekel-Burckhardt was a leading mezzo-soprano of the State Opera of East Berlin, she appeared as the Rosenkavalier in Vienna, and in the premiere of Sutermeister's Le roi Béranger in Munich?
... that the largest heroin seizure in the New York City Police Department's history occurred at the luxury apartment tower Central Park Place in 1993?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Vaccines; Portal

Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 aircraft

Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 (aircraft pictured), carrying 62 people, crashes north of Jakarta, Indonesia.
Rioters supporting Donald Trump storm the United States Capitol, disrupting certification of the presidential election and forcing Congress to evacuate.
In the United States, the Democratic Party wins control of the Senate, with victories in regular and special Senate elections in Georgia.
Saudi Arabia reopens its border with Qatar, ending a three-year diplomatic crisis.

On this day

January 9

Ernest Shackleton and his team with the British flag

1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition, planted the British flag (pictured) 97.5 nautical miles (180.6 km; 112.2 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest south explorers had reached at the time.
1917 – First World War: Troops of the British Empire defeated Ottoman forces at the Battle of Rafa on the Sinai–Palestine border in present-day Rafah.
1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched raids in the city of Kizlyar, Dagestan, which turned into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
2011 – In poor weather conditions, Iran Air Flight 277 crashed near Urmia Airport, Iran, killing 78 people.

Caleb Strong (b. 1745)
Thomas William Robertson (b. 1829)
Makinti Napanangka (d. 2011)

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Today's featured picture

This historical depiction of the coat of arms of Connecticut was illustrated by the American engraver Henry Mitchell in State Arms of the Union, published in 1876 by Louis Prang. The three grape vines on the shield may represent either the early towns of Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, or the three original colonies. An 1889 article by the state librarian stated: "The vines symbolize the Colony brought over and planted here in the wilderness. We read in the 80th Psalm: 'Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it' ... and the motto expresses our belief that He who brought over the vine continues to take care of it – Qui transtulit sustinet."

Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Andrew Shiva

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