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Mandell Creighton (1843–1901) was a British historian and clergyman. He studied at the University of Oxford, then became a don in 1866. He was appointed the first occupant of the Dixie Chair of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge in 1884. The following year, he also was engaged as the founding editor of The English Historical Review, the first English-language academic journal in its field. In these posts, he helped to establish history as an independent academic discipline in England. Creighton was a parish priest of the Church of England who rose to be Bishop of London from 1897 and, but for his death, was thought likely to become Archbishop of Canterbury. His moderation and practicality drew praise from Queen Victoria. He was firm in asserting that public figures should be judged for their public acts, not private ones. He believed that the Church of England was uniquely shaped by its particular English circumstances, and he saw it as the soul of the nation. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Tomb of Louis Adrian

... that the tomb (pictured) of Louis Adrian is surmounted by a sculpture of the helmet that he developed for the French Army?
... that the coconut octopus walks on two legs to look like a floating coconut?
... that a theme-park attraction based on Harry Potter's Diagon Alley cost approximately US$400 million to build?
... that Matt Koart forced himself to eat 2000 calories in addition to his regular meals to increase his weight?
... that a cruise ship off the coast of Tahiti was the first floating Olympic Village?
... that Erna Meyer urged the Jewish immigrant readers of How to Cook in Palestine to try olives and eggplants, but doubted their ability to eat spicy food like the "native population"?
... that suicide by electrocution, while usually very rare, was one of the most common suicide methods in Nazi concentration camps due to the surrounding high-voltage electric fences?
... that hurdler Ahmed Hamada was the Bahraini flagbearer for two Olympic Games – sixteen years apart?
... that an annual festival attracts fans of a defunct car company to its former manufacturing complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana?

In the news

Jim Lovell in 1969

American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured), the commander of Apollo 13, dies at the age of 97.
A helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region, Ghana, kills eight people on board including ministers Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.

On this day

August 14: Arba'in (Shia Islam), Independence Day in Pakistan (1947)

Defeat of the Villasur expedition depicted on buffalo hide

1720 – The Spanish Villasur expedition, intended to slow the progress of French influence on the Great Plains of North America, ended in failure when it was ambushed (depicted) by Pawnee and Otoe forces.
1888 – One of the first recordings of music, of Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost Chord", was played at a press conference in London to introduce Thomas Edison's phonograph.
1975 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London, the first in its record-breaking run in cinemas, which continues in limited release.
2005 – Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into a mountain north of Marathon, Greece, killing all 121 people on board.
2007 – Four coordinated suicide bomb attacks detonated in the Yazidi communities of Qahtaniya and Jazeera, Iraq, killing 796 people and wounding 1,562 others.

Badr al-Mu'tadidi (d. 902)
Guangxu Emperor (b. 1871)
Connie Smith (b. 1941)
Enzo Ferrari (d. 1988)

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Today's featured picture

Arctocephalus forsteri, sometimes called the Australasian fur seal or the New Zealand fur seal, is a species of fur seal in the family Otariidae, the eared seals. It is found mainly around southern Australia and New Zealand, in coastal waters and on offshore islands. The male of this species has an average mass of around 126 kilograms (278 lb) and a length of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), while females are typically between 30 and 50 kilograms (66 and 110 lb), with a length of up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). Arctocephalus forsteri has a deeper and longer dive than any other fur seal, with males being able to descend to 380 metres and stay underwater for 15 minutes. It has a diet which includes cephalopods, fish, and birds, and makes use of vocalisations and olfactory recognition for communication. The population of the species has been significantly reduced by human activity, and it is protected by legislation in both Australia and New Zealand. This female A. forsteri seal with a suckling pup was photographed at Admiral's Arch on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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