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From today's featured article Prototype K class No. 790 The SECR K class was a type of tank locomotive designed in 1914 by Richard Maunsell for express passenger duties on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). The Southern Railway (SR) K1 class was a three-cylinder variant of the K class, designed in 1925 to suit a narrower loading gauge. They were among the first non-Great Western Railway (GWR) types to use and improve upon the basic design principles of power and standardisation established by George Jackson Churchward, the GWR's chief mechanical engineer. The locomotives were based on the GWR 4300 class, improved by the Midland Railway's ideals of simplicity and ease of maintenance. The K class was designed to be mechanically similar to the SECR N class mixed-traffic locomotives. The class was the earliest large-scale use of the 2-6-4 wheel arrangement in Britain. Production began towards the end of the First World War, and the prototype rolled out of Ashford Works three years after design work was completed due to wartime production constraints. They continued in service with British Railways until 1966. One K class rebuild (No. 31806) is preserved on the Swanage Railway in Dorset. (Full article...) Recently featured: William Brill Blonde on Blonde Epacris impressa Did you know... Coconut shrimp with a dipping sauce ... that coconut shrimp (pictured) is a popular dish at tiki bars in the Caribbean and the Florida Keys? ... that in 1931, John Polando and Russell Boardman set a flying distance record of 5,011.8 miles (8,065.7 km)? ... that the next main entry in the Battlefield series after Battlefield 4 is Battlefield 1? ... that graffiti by artist Heba Amin which appeared in an episode of the television series Homeland included phrases in Arabic such as "Homeland is racist"? ... that the Amara War Cemetery in Iraq contains the graves of three Victoria Cross winners from the First World War? ... that Canadian football player Tony Akins returned two punts exactly 65 yards for touchdowns in 2000? ... that the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio short story "The Painted Skin" has been praised for its "powerful theme and the sheer gruesomeness of its detail"? ... that Netty Herawaty began acting at age 13 and was married within a year?

In the news Max Verstappen Max Verstappen (pictured) becomes the youngest driver to win a Formula One race by winning the Spanish Grand Prix at the age of 18. Jamala, representing Ukraine with the song "1944", wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is suspended after both houses of the National Congress vote to impeach her. A series of bombings in Baghdad kills at least 93 people and injures more than 165. Werner Faymann resigns as Chancellor of Austria and leader of the Social Democratic Party. In horse racing, Nyquist, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, wins the Kentucky Derby. Ongoing events Recent deaths: Dick McAuliffe Sammy Ellis Mike Agostini Susannah Mushatt Jones On this day... May 18: Flag and Universities Day in Haiti; Day of Revival, Unity, and the Poetry of Magtymguly in Turkmenistan; Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Crimean Tatar Genocide in Ukraine Sada Abe 1388 – During the Battle of Buyur Lake, General Lan Yu led a Chinese army forward to crush the Mongol hordes of Toghus Temur, the Khan of Northern Yuan. 1863 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant led his Army of the Tennessee across the Big Black River in preparation for the Siege of Vicksburg. 1936 – In a crime that shocked Japan, Sada Abe (pictured) strangled her lover Kichizo Ishida, cut off his genitals, and carried them around with her for several days until her arrest. 1991 – The Somali National Movement declared the independence of Somaliland, a de facto state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia, following the collapse of central government during the Somali Civil War. 2006 – The Parliament of Nepal unanimously voted to strip King Gyanendra of many of his powers. More anniversaries: May 17 May 18 May 19

Today's featured picture The Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Aspherical is an ultra wide angle prime lens produced by Samyang Optics for the 35 mm film format. Released in 2009 as a replacement for the short-lived Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical, this manual focus-only lens has an aperture ring which manually adjusts the aperture with half-stop clicks. Photograph: David Iliff Recently featured: Charlie Murder STS-134 Birdy

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