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From today's featured article John Balmer (3 July 1910 – 11 May 1944) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF in 1932, and gained attention as a cross-country motorist before the war. In 1940 he became the inaugural commanding officer of No. 13 Squadron, operating Lockheed Hudsons in Northern Australia. He was raised to temporary wing commander in 1941, and within a year had taken charge of the RAAF's first Bristol Beaufort unit, No. 100 Squadron. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942, he led the Beauforts on bombing and torpedo missions against Japanese targets during the New Guinea campaign. Posted to England in 1943, Balmer took command of No. 467 Squadron RAAF, flying Avro Lancasters in the air war over Europe. He led his unit through the Battle of Berlin from November 1943 to March 1944. In April he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the following month promoted to temporary group captain. Days later, on the night of 11 May, Balmer's last scheduled operation as the squadron's commanding officer, he and his crew were killed when their plane was shot down. He was buried outside Brussels. (Full article...) Recently featured: Barn owl The Man in the Moone Covent Garden Did you know... Raynald's execution at Hittin ... that Raynald of Châtillon (execution pictured) was described as a "monstrous infidel and terrible oppressor" by Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad in his biography of Saladin? ... that between 1889 and 1917, the campus of East Texas Normal College burned on three separate occasions? ... that changes to T'Pol's costume in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Xindi" were made to appeal to the 18–49 male demographic? ... that Constance of Antioch was kidnapped to be married at the age of nine? ... that Brad Kern cited the nature versus nurture debate as one of the issues related to Christy Jenkins? ... that the Ferrari 330 TRI/LM, the last front engined racecar to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was driven regularly in New York City after the end of its racing career? ... that in 1880, the sixteen-year-old composer Richard Strauss wrote his First Symphony in just three months, whilst still at school?

In the news Alexander Van der Bellen (left) and Norbert Hofer (right) At least 20 people are killed in a terrorist attack on a bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Constitutional Court of Austria annuls the second round of voting in the 2016 presidential election, requiring the round to be re-held (candidates Alexander Van der Bellen and Norbert Hofer pictured). An armed attack at Istanbul Atatürk Airport leaves at least 42 people dead and 230 others injured. The conservative People's Party, led by Mariano Rajoy, gains the most seats in the Spanish repeat election but remains short of a majority. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is elected President of Iceland. Ongoing events Recent deaths: Gordon Murray Buddy Ryan Pat Summitt Alvin Toffler On this day... July 3 French destroyer Mogador 987 – Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, becoming the first monarch of the Capetian dynasty, which ruled France continuously until overthrown during the French Revolution in 1792. 1767 – Midshipman Robert Pitcairn sighted Pitcairn Island, subsequently named after him, during an expeditionary voyage led by Philip Carteret. 1898 – In one of the key naval engagements of the Spanish-American War, the United States Navy destroyed the Spanish Navy's Caribbean Squadron. 1940 – Second World War: The British Navy attacked the French fleet (French destroyer Mogador pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into German hands after the armistice between those two nations. 1970 – The Troubles: The British Army imposed the Falls Curfew on Belfast, Northern Ireland, which only resulted in greater Irish republican resistance. More anniversaries: July 2 July 3 July 4

Today's featured picture Profile of Kimiha, a geisha from Miyagawa-chō, a hanamachi or geisha district in Kyoto. She is wearing a formal black kimono and a Shimada-styled nihongami wig. Her obi is tied in the "taiko" style. These details distinguish her from an apprentice, or maiko. Geisha are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses and perform classical music, dance, games and conversation, mainly to entertain male customers. Photograph: JPNEX Recently featured: Pont du Gard Map of the Battle of the Somme Dustforce

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