Today's featured article
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 Norton Priory is an historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, North West England, comprising the remains of an abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house. The remains are a scheduled ancient monument and have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. They are considered to be the most important monastic remains in Cheshire. In 1966 the site was given in trust for the use of the general public. Excavation of the site began in 1971, and became the largest to be carried out by modern methods on any European monastic site. It revealed the foundations and lower parts of the walls of the monastery buildings and the abbey church. Important finds included: a Norman doorway; a finely carved arcade; a floor of mosaic tiles, the largest floor area of this type to be found in any modern excavation; the remains of the kiln where the tiles were fired; a bell pit used for casting the bell; and a large medieval statue of Saint Christopher. The site, including a museum, the excavated ruins, and the surrounding garden and woodland, was opened to the public in the 1970s. In 1984, a redesigned walled garden was also opened. Norton Priory is now a visitor attraction, and the museum trust organises a programme of events, exhibitions, educational courses, and outreach projects. (more...)
Recently featured: Edmund Evans – Benjamin Morrell – Constantine II of Scotland
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Did you know...
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From Wikipedia's newest articles:
... that Bristol Central Library moved into its current location next to the Abbey Gatehouse on College Green in 1906, and its former building on King Street is now a restaurant (pictured)?
... that John Idzik, University of Detroit head coach until it discontinued its football program, was fired by the Baltimore Colts, along with the entire coaching staff, on two separate occasions?
... that in a letter of 22 April 772 to Probatus, who later served as his ambassador, Pope Adrian I claimed to rule a "republic of the Romans"?
... that Olav Hoprekstad had eight of his plays staged at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo from 1913 to 1940?
... that Norman Mailer and Isaac Asimov attended the same Boys High School?
... that former Michigan running back Chuck Heater coached national championship football teams at Notre Dame and Florida?
... that there is a legend that the body of Saint Oswald, king of Northumbria, rested on the present site of St Oswald's Church, Kirk Sandall, South Yorkshire, after his death in 642?
... that the Phoenix Suns were featured in all of the National Basketball Association's outdoor games?
... that despite their names, Little Bolton had a larger acreage than Great Bolton?
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In the news
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A federal election is held in Australia, with results indicating a hung parliament with neither the incumbent Labor Party (leader, Julia Gillard, pictured) nor the Liberal/National Coalition able to form a majority government.
Iran begins loading fuel into its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, preparing it to begin producing electricity.
Bolivia declares a state of emergency as forest fires rage across 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 sq mi).
At least seven people are killed and fourteen others wounded in a bomb attack in Aksu, Xinjiang, north-western China.
Elon Lindenstrauss, Ngô Bảo Châu, Stanislav Smirnov, and Cédric Villani are awarded the Fields Medal for their work in mathematics.
A bombing outside an Iraqi Army recruitment centre in Baghdad kills more than sixty people.
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On this day...
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1485 – Lancastrian forces under Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, defeated Yorkist forces under Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field (pictured), decisively ending the Wars of the Roses.
1639 – The British East India Company bought a small strip of land on what is today Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from the King of the Vijayanagara Empire, Peda Venkata Raya.
1791 – A slave rebellion erupted in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, starting the Haitian Revolution.
1864 – The Red Cross movement led by Henry Dunant officially began when twelve European nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1910 – Korea was annexed by Japan with the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of World War II.
More anniversaries: August 21 – August 22 – August 23
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Quirky corner...
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