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The Battle of Warsaw was fought on 31 July 1705 as part of a power struggle for the Polish–Lithuanian throne during the Great Northern War. Augustus II the Strong, the elector of Saxony and king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, was allied with Denmark–Norway and Russia against Stanisław Leszczyński, who had seized the Polish throne in 1704 with the support of the army of Charles XII of Sweden. The Polish nobility of the Sandomierz Confederation supported Augustus and his allies, while the Warsaw Confederation supported Leszczyński and Sweden. Augustus helped to develop a grand strategy to crush the Swedish forces and restore himself to the Polish throne, sending an allied army of up to 10,000 cavalry under the command of Otto Arnold von Paykull towards Warsaw to interrupt the Polish parliament. A 2,000-strong Swedish cavalry contingent under the command of Carl Nieroth defeated Paykull's army on the plains west of Warsaw, and Leszczyński was crowned in early October. (Full article...)

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Tres Marias cottontail

... that the Tres Marias cottontail (example pictured) does not fear humans?
... that Olympian Dick Mize designed multiple cross-country skiing trails in Anchorage, Alaska, over a 40-year period?
... that the Atari 2600 version of Space Invaders led to Atari rescheduling its entire release line-up?
... that Harriet Converse Moody's restaurant and catering business failed after almost 40 years in part because of her lavish spending as a patron of poets?
... that the winter of 1917–18 caused Nantucket to connect to mainland Massachusetts via an ice bridge?
... that Eduard Hermann was a race walker, boxer, and farmer?
... that Sentient is a satellite AI system of the National Reconnaissance Office, described as an artificial brain?
... that Claude-Charles Bourgonnier was barred from exhibiting his art after tearing up one of his own paintings while it was on display?
... that Astoria the turkey evaded capture by the New York City Police Department?

In the news

Hannah Hampton

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.
In association football, the UEFA Women's Euro concludes with England defeating Spain in the final (player of the match Hannah Hampton pictured).
In cycling, Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France.
American professional wrestler Hulk Hogan dies at the age of 71.

On this day

July 31: Lā Hae Hawaiʻi (Flag Day) and Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day) in Hawaii (1843)

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

1009 – Sergius IV became the 142nd pope, succeeding John XVIII.
1777 – The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution commissioning the Marquis de Lafayette (pictured) as a major general in the American revolutionary forces.
1941 – The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS General Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for "the Final Solution of the Jewish question".
1975 – The Troubles: In a botched paramilitary attack, three members of the popular Miami Showband and two Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen were killed in County Down, Northern Ireland.
2002 – Hamas detonated a bomb at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, killing nine students and injuring about 100 more.

Marion Talbot (b. 1858)
Charles Inglis (b. 1875)
Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd (d. 1948)
Bảo Đại (d. 1997)

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Today's featured picture

Dendrelaphis punctulatus, also known as the Australian tree snake or the common tree snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to many parts of Australia, especially in the northern and eastern coastal areas, and to Papua New Guinea. It is found at altitudes from sea level to 500 metres (1,600 feet), in a variety of habitats including bushland, river banks, forests and rainforest edges, heathland and grassy areas, especially near water. It is an agile snake, with a very slender body and tail, and is also a strong swimmer, using the water for hunting and avoiding predation. Its dorsal body colour varies from golden yellow, bright green or olive-green to black or sometimes even blue, while its back is typically dark in colour. In a study, D. punctulatus snakes had an average snout–vent length of 101 centimetres (40 inches), with males slightly shorter at 93 centimetres (37 inches). This D. punctulatus snake was photographed by the Daintree River, near Daintree in rural northern Queensland, Australia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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