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The Rolling Stones performing in 1966
The Rolling Stones in 1966

"Paint It Black" is a song by the Rolling Stones (pictured), recorded in 1966 and released as a single in May. Two months later, London Records included it as the opening track on the American version of the band's studio album Aftermath. The song's unconventional instrumentation includes a prominent sitar, a Hammond organ, and castanets. Reviews at the time were mixed. Some music critics believed the sitar was used to attempt to copy the Beatles; others criticized its experimental style and doubted its commercial potential. Retrospectively, however, it is considered a turning point in the band's development; Pitchfork called it "rock's most nihilistic hit to date". It spent 11 weeks (including 2 at number one) on the US Billboard Hot 100, and 10 weeks (including 1 at the top) on the UK Record Retailer chart. A 2007 re-issue spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018, the song is ranked 213th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. (Full article...)

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1910 International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park
1910 International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park

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May 16

Junko Tabei
Junko Tabei
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"The Geography Lesson" or "The Black Spot", a painting depicting students being taught about Alsace–Lorraine

Alsace–Lorraine, now known as Alsace–Moselle, is a historical region located in modern day France. It was created by the German Empire in 1871, after it had seized the region from France in the Franco-Prussian War with the Treaty of Frankfurt and forced France to pay an indemnity of five billion francs. Anger in the French Third Republic about the loss of the territory was one of the contributing factors that led to World War I, and the region reverted to France in 1918 as part of the Treaty of Versailles and Germany's defeat in the war. This oil-on-canvas painting, titled The Geography Lesson or The Black Spot, was painted around 1887 by Albert Bettannier. It depicts a school teacher showing pupils a map of France in which Alsace–Lorraine is coloured black, portraying French resentment of the loss of the region to Germany. The painting is in the collection of the German Historical Museum in Berlin.

Painting credit: Albert Bettannier

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