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Igor Judge, Baron Judge, a British judge

Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people are drawn to professions that fit their name. The term was first used in the magazine New Scientist in 1994, after its humorous Feedback column mentioned a book on polar explorations by Daniel Snowman and an article on urology by researchers named Splatt and Weedon. The hypothesis had been suggested by psychologist Carl Jung, citing as an example Sigmund Freud (German for 'joy'), who studied pleasure. A few recent empirical studies have indicated that certain professions are disproportionately represented by people with appropriate surnames, though the methods of these studies have been challenged. One explanation for nominative determinism is the theory of implicit egotism, which states that humans have an unconscious preference for things they associate with themselves. An alternative explanation is genetic: an ancestor might have been named Smith or Taylor according to their occupation, and the genes they passed down might correlate to aptitudes for those professions. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim

... that the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim (pictured) in Windsor, Ontario, was modelled after a synagogue in Montreal?
... that NASA promoted the "faster, better, cheaper" approach to spacecraft missions in the 1990s?
... that Black model Debra Shaw walked the runway in Bellmer La Poupée wearing a metal frame that generated controversy over a perceived reference to slavery?
... that a spokesman for the Kaw Nation credited Robert L. Rankin with single-handedly preserving their language?
... that multiple members of various royal families have competed in the Olympics?
... that The Westerlies folded a piece of tin foil over the bell of a trombone to make it hiss?
... that after runner Frej Liewendahl had broken Paavo Nurmi's five-year winning streak, he went to his hotel room with flowers to apologise?
... that the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Dione repeatedly attacked the shipwrecks of oil tankers, believing them to be German U-boats?
... that one issue facing tsunami sirens in New Zealand has been a youth subculture that steals sirens to compete for the loudest and clearest sound?

In the news

Trifid and Lagoon nebulae

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile releases the first light images (example shown) from its new 8.4-metre (28 ft) telescope.
In basketball, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA Finals.
An attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, Syria, kills at least 25 people.
The United States conducts military strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran.
In rugby union, the Crusaders defeat the Chiefs to win the Super Rugby Pacific final.

On this day

June 27: Helen Keller Day in the United States

Depiction of Pope Agatho

678 – Pope Agatho (depicted), later venerated as a saint in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, began his pontificate.
1800 – War of the Second Coalition: French forces won a victory at the Battle of Neuburg, ending Austrian control over the River Danube.
1905 – First Russian Revolution: The crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin began a mutiny against their officers.
1950 – Korean War: Five North Korean aircraft attacked an American air convoy above Suwon Air Base in the first air engagement of the Korean War.
2015 – Ignition of corn starch caused a dust fire at a water park in New Taipei City, Taiwan, killing 12 people and injuring more than 400 others.

Wilhelmina FitzClarence, Countess of Munster (b. 1830)
Frank Rattray Lillie (b. 1870)
Harry Pollitt (d. 1960)
Nico Rosberg (b. 1985)

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2024 variant of the Men's T20 World Cup logo

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup, formerly the ICC World Twenty20, is a biennial world cup for cricket in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was held in every odd year from 2007 to 2009, and since 2010 has been held in every even year with the exception of 2018 and 2020. In 2018, the tournament was rebranded from the World Twenty20 to the Men's T20 World Cup. As of the 2024 tournament, twenty-four nations have played in the T20 World Cup. Nine teams have competed in every tournament, six of which have won the title. The West Indies, England and India have won the title twice each, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia have won the title once each. Sri Lanka, England, Pakistan and India have each made three final appearances, while Pakistan have also made six semi-final appearances. The best result by a non-Test playing nation is the second round appearance by the United States in 2024, while the worst result by a Test playing nation is the second round appearance by Zimbabwe in 2022. (Full list...)

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Whitehead's trogon (Harpactes whiteheadi) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is an uncommon resident in primary mountain forest. One of Borneo's largest trogons, at 29 to 33 centimetres (11 to 13 inches) long, it is sexually dimorphic. The male is crimson on the head, nape, and underparts, with a black throat and grey chest; the rest of its upperparts are cinnamon-coloured. The female is similarly patterned, but cinnamon-brown where the male is scarlet. The species is primarily an insectivore, but also eats various plant materials, including fruits and seeds. Other than the timing of its breeding, typically between April and June, little is known about its breeding biology. It is classified as a near-threatened species, with population numbers thought to be declining and habitat loss a key threat. This male Whitehead's trogon was photographed perching on a branch near Mount Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

Photograph credit: John Harrison

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