Shootin' hoops with the Prez. I kinda miss those days. youtu.be/_HEzeeRT5_0?...

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian children are growing up without their dad nearby, because their fathers are defending Ukraine from russian aggression. Thank you to Ukrainian fathers who defend their children and their entire country at the same time 🧵

Kyiv’s Motherland Monument was illuminated in the colors of the US flag as Americans mark Independence Day. #Ukraine

An elf's work goes year round. Santa is a hard, hard man. #makingstuff

July 4th, 1940. Soapbox racers lined up during Independence Day celebrations, Salisbury, Maryland. Photo by Jack Delano. (Library of Congress)

Independence Day, 1906. Photo by FA Loumis. (Library of Congress)

On our 250th birthday, celebrating the contribution of immigrants and international collaboration —46% of people with doctoral-level degrees working in US science and engineering fields are foreign-born

On this date in 1863 Confederate General John Pemberton sent a rider into Union lines surrounding Vicksburg, Mississippi to ask what terms Union General US Grant would offer. The city would formally surrender on July 4th, Independence Day. From this point forward the mighty river would be cut.

On this date in 1863, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain ordered his men of the 20th Maine to charge downhill from embattled Little Round Top outside of Gettysburg, PA. The move shocked and rattled the besieging Confederates and was a key turning point in the battle.

Everybody knows Franz Kafka, but almost no one knows his sister Ottla. She was gassed on arrival at Auschwitz on Oct 7, 1943 after volunteering to escort a group of orphans from the Terezin ghetto so they wouldn’t be afraid. Original post

Congrats to England on their football win. Just a thought. Estadio Azteca is at 2200m altitude.

Spent years building up a big following on Twitter, essential for publicising my aviation blog, which I live from. Desperate to leave it & publicise on nicer platforms, but I have too few follows. If you want to help me escape, do give this a share. Much obliged. My blog here: hushkit.substack.com

"For more than 40 years, Carol Highsmith wakes up every single day with one mission: to document every nook and cranny of the United States, from its majestic mountains and quirky roadside attractions to its most unforgettable characters, known and unknown." 🧵

Canadian recruiting poster, 1914. Happy birthday Canada. (Library of Congress)

Happy Canada Day. Sooke Harbor, BC.

Get that gasoline. youtu.be/bwkJJD25IMo?...

Bunny in the yard, cats go to defcon 3.

Tuesday Tuney youtu.be/PrU9iI2VxPE?...

“Sleep, my sunshine, for both of us. Take care of our son — the one with my eyes. I’m hugging you.” These are the words rescuer Anton wrote to his wife the night before he was killed by a russian strike while rushing to help the victims of an attack. Eternal memory to Anton🕯️

American Gothic. Doris and Faro Caudill photographed in Pie Town, New Mexico by Russell Lee, 1940. The Caudills live in a dugout home. (Library of Congress)

Dust bowl refugees are photographed near Bakersfield, CA in this 1935 Dorothea Lange photo. (Library of Congress)

30 June 1928 | A Polish Jew, Oskar Müller, was born in Chorzów. His family emigrated to Norway. He was deported to #Auschwitz on 25 February 1943, he was registered in the camp. Most probably he perished during the Death March in January 1945.

Teredo worms, actually skinny little clams, were famous for attacking ship's timbers. This was fashioned from a chunk of driftwood I found on a Canadian beach. Well done my little bivalve friends. #makingstuff

Archie and the potato of love

Moments of joy captured against the backdrop of russia’s daily destruction. People keep finding reasons to smile, holding on to the small moments that make life worth living. It’s how Ukrainians endure for the 5th year of full-scale war.  Protect the skies: u24.gov.ua/sky-defense?...

The King turns 100 today.

Lysenkoism

A father-defender made it back to his daughter’s graduation. At the very moment the graduate was watching her dad’s video message on the screen, she had no idea he was already there. Despite the war, he was there for his daughter. Not as a hero from the headlines, but as a father for his child 💛

The seeds of Texas Ebony (brown) are edible. The seeds of Texas Mountain Laurel (red) are definitely not. But both have their uses.

“Comedy is a very powerful component of life. It has the most to say about the human condition because if you laugh you can get by. You can struggle when things are bad if you have a sense of humor. Laughter is a protest scream against death, against the long goodbye. ...

Caturday and the livin' is easy

27 June 1936 | A Slovak Jewish boy, Joachim Gerstl, was born in Veľké Kapušany. In June 1944 he was deported to #Auschwitz and murdered in a gas chamber. --- ▶ A short video showing the ruins of gas chamber and crematorium III: https://bit.ly/4ql4LTV

A flight of Lockheed Hudsons is photographed flying by Denali (Mt. McKinley) in this 1942 USAAC shot. Nice photo, Sarge. (Library of Congress)

Chufut Kale in Crimea was one of a handful of mountain refuges for the Karaim, who had lived there for centuries. It still exists but the Karaim are gone, killed by the Nazis.

Tinker Bell, is that you?

Friday cat heads into the weekend.

Interesting story about "mercy" dogs: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/doing-t...

On this day in 1924, Rosalind Walter, the woman who inspired the character of Rosie the Riveter was born. These stunning photos of real "Rosies" from the U.S. Office of War Information are in the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-25?loclr=blsky

25 June 1911 | A Polish man, Piotr Jańczuk, was born. A teacher. In #Auschwitz from 6 April 1941. No. 14677 He was executed by shooting on 28 October 1942.

We went out for a walk, and then the air raid siren started. I noticed that when Solomiуа hears the air raid alert, she becomes very focused and listens carefully. She probably feels some kind of anxiety. I don’t know whether she fully understands what’s happening or not.

Will SpaceX stick the landing?

“The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. ...

Nice little video on mesquite. Edible, medicinal, fixer of nitrogen and producer of strong wood, it sustained people in the Southwest for thousands of years. A tiny but dedicated minority of folks still gather the beans for food. youtu.be/wa7cjUiPrpY?...

NEW | The EU’s battery fleet is set to QUADRUPLE from 43 GW in 2025 to 178 GW by 2030 🔋 As every country sees growth in battery capacity, the EU can absorb far more wind and solar power and reduce its reliance on gas for grid balancing. The full clean flex story below👇 🧵 1/6

In this photo taken in 1863 by Haas and Peale, Charleston Harbor's Fort Sumter has taken a pounding, first by Rebel guns in the first shots of the Civil War, and by this time by Union guns. It's original (Union) flag would be raised on April 14, 1865, four years to the day after its surrender.

Vandals attacking a reflecting pool, Karl Briullov, 1836.

Just when you think it can’t get more weird….. Fencing going up around Reflecting Pool

Jack and Jackie on their wedding day. Photo by Toni Frissell, 1953. (Library of Congress)

Just an ordinary man, walking through an extraordinary world.