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[[File:|180px|Ceilings of the Central Hall at the Natural History Museum, London ]]

The decorated ceilings of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, were designed by the museum's architect Alfred Waterhouse, and were unveiled at the building's opening in 1881. The ceiling of the large Central Hall (pictured) consists of 162 panels, 108 of which depict plants considered significant to the history of the museum, to the British Empire or to the museum's visitors. The remaining 54 are highly stylised decorative botanical paintings. The ceiling of the smaller North Hall consists of 36 panels, 18 of which depict plants growing in the British Isles. Both ceilings make extensive use of gilding for visual effect. Built of lath and plaster to save costs, the ceilings are unusually fragile and require extensive maintenance and restoration. Since 2016 the skeleton of a blue whale has been suspended from the ceiling of the Central Hall. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Rincón Chileno

... that Rincón Chileno (pictured) was nicknamed the "second Chilean consulate" by the Chilean immigrant community in Los Angeles?
... that before selling chicken and pies, 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) Eddie Sheldrake broke UCLA's single-game scoring record in basketball?
... that a book known as the "Polish Pinocchio" was published a hundred years ago?
... that Sun Jianai co-founded one of China's first national universities in 1898?
... that in its 1962 election campaign, the Socialist Party of India demanded that twice-yearly inter-caste dining be made a mandatory criterion for government employment?
... that the 2000 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was the first to be broadcast live over the internet?
... that the cast of The Perfect Couple created a WhatsApp group to avoid filming a dance sequence to the theme song?
... that Negussie Roba was an Olympic sprinter who later became a top marathon coach?
... that ontologists disagree on whether green is real?

In the news

Samantha Harvey

Samantha Harvey (pictured) wins the Booker Prize for her novel Orbital.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announces his resignation as a result of the John Smyth abuse scandal in the Church of England.
In Zhuhai, China, 35 people are killed in a vehicle-ramming attack.
Alliance for Change, led by Navin Ramgoolam, wins the Mauritian general election.

On this day

November 16

Mosaic of Justinian I in the Basilica of San Vitale

534 – The second edition of the Code of Justinian, a codification of Roman law by Byzantine emperor Justinian I (pictured), was published.
1532 – Spanish conquest of Peru: Conquistador Francisco Pizarro orchestrated a surprise attack in Cajamarca, capturing the Inca emperor, Atahualpa.
1914 – World War I: Austro-Hungarian forces launched an assault against Serbian defensive positions at the Kolubara river, beginning the Battle of Kolubara.
1944 – World War II: Operation Queen commenced with one of the heaviest Allied tactical bombings of the war, attacking German targets in the Rur valley.
1959 – The Sound of Music, a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based on The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Kalākaua (b. 1836)
Caroline Birley (b. 1851)
Panditrao Agashe (d. 1986)
A. S. Byatt (d. 2023)

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Today's featured picture

Artemis I was an uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission that was launched on November 16, 2022. It was the first major spaceflight of NASA's Artemis program and marked the agency's return to lunar exploration since the Apollo program after five decades. It was the first flight test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the mission's main objective was to test the Orion spacecraft in preparation for future Artemis missions. Artemis I was launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. After reaching orbit, the upper stage separated and performed a trans-lunar injection before releasing Orion and ten CubeSat satellites. Orion completed one flyby of the Moon on November 21 and completed a second flyby on December 5.

This picture shows Artemis I launching from Launch Complex 39B

Photograph credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

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