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From today's featured article

School in Sketty, Swansea, photographed in 1854

The period between 1701 and 1870 saw an expansion in access to formal education in Wales, though schooling was not yet universal. Several philanthropic efforts were made to provide education to the poor during the 18th century. In the early to mid-19th century, charitable schools were established to provide a basic education. Private schools aimed at the working classes also existed. State funding was introduced to schools from 1833. Some use of the Welsh language was made in 18th-century philanthropic education, at a time when most agricultural workers in Wales spoke only Welsh. In the 19th century, public opinion was keen for children to learn English, and many schools punished children for speaking Welsh, though studies found such methods ineffective. The government did little to promote bilingual education. Grammar schools experienced difficulties and, by the end of the period, secondary education was limited. Dissenter academies and theological colleges offered higher education. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

T. brachyglossum seedheads

... that Taraxacum brachyglossum (pictured) can reproduce both sexually and asexually, depending on environmental conditions?
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... that a 19th-century water-pumping station is now a wedding venue?
... that Washington University in St. Louis holds one of the few surviving printed broadsides of the United States Declaration of Independence?
... that Jerzy Broszkiewicz, a louse-feeder during World War II, later became a writer of youth literature and drama?
... that Lorde wrote a song about herself titled "Man of the Year" the day after attending GQ's "Men of the Year" party in 2023?
... that American football player Curtis Burrow, the fourth different kicker used by the Green Bay Packers in 1988, played one game before being released?
... that Bukit Brown Cemetery is believed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, with over 100,000 burials?
... that an eight-week UK number-one single co-written by Audrey Hobert has a sexually explicit version?

In the news

Vera Rubin Observatory

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory (pictured) in Chile releases the first light images from its new 8.4-meter (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 25

Original rainbow flag

1658 – Anglo-Spanish War: The largest battle ever fought on Jamaica, the three-day Battle of Rio Nuevo, began.
1910 – The United States Congress passed the Mann Act, which prohibited the interstate transport of females for "immoral purposes".
1944 – World War II: U.S. Navy and Royal Navy ships bombarded Cherbourg, France, to support U.S. Army units engaged in the Battle of Cherbourg.
1978 – The rainbow flag (original version pictured) representing gay pride was first flown at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade.
2009 – Singer Michael Jackson died as a result of the combination of drugs in his body.

Giovanni Battista Riccioli (d. 1671)
Eloísa Díaz (b. 1866)
George Michael (b. 1963)
Farrah Fawcett (d. 2009)

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Today's featured picture

1795 Turban Head eagle with original reverse
1797 Turban Head eagle with heraldic eagle reverse

The Turban Head eagle was a ten-dollar gold piece, or eagle, struck by the United States Mint from 1795 to 1804. The piece was designed by Robert Scot, and was the first in the eagle series, which continued until the Mint ceased striking gold coins for circulation in 1933. The common name is a misnomer; Liberty does not wear a turban but a cap, believed by some to be a pileus or Liberty cap: her hair twisting around the headgear makes it appear to be a turban. The number of stars on the obverse was initially intended to be equal to the number of states in the Union, but with the number at 16, that idea was abandoned in favor of using 13 stars in honor of the original states. The initial reverse, featuring an eagle with a wreath in its mouth, proved unpopular and was replaced by a heraldic eagle. Increases in the price of gold made it profitable for the coins to be melted down, and in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson ended coinage of eagles; the denomination was not struck again for circulation for more than 30 years. These Turban Head eagles are in the National Numismatic Collection at the National Museum of American History.

Coin design credit: United States Mint; photographed by Jaclyn Nash

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