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From today's featured article Léal Souvenir is a 1432 oil-on-oak panel portrait by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck. The panel was purchased in 1857 by the National Gallery, London, where it is on permanent display. The sitter has not been identified, but his individualistic features suggest a historical person rather than the hypothetical ideal usual in contemporary northern Renaissance portraiture. The portrait contains three layers of painted inscriptions, each rendered to look as if chiseled into stone. The first inscription is in a form of Greek and seems to spell "TYΜ.ωΘΕΟC", which has not been satisfactorily interpreted but has inspired some to title the work Timotheus. The middle lettering reads in French Leal Souvenir ("Loyal Memory") and indicates that the portrait is commemorative, completed after the man's death. The third records van Eyck's signature and the date of execution. The sitter's features have been described as "plain and rustic", yet he is presented as thoughtful and inward-looking. Art historians have detected mournfulness in his expression. (Full article...) Recently featured: Epsilon Eridani Marvel Science Stories Bobby Peel Did you know... Carved lacquer tray ... that in 1782, the Qianlong Emperor enquired "lacquer is cause for ten officials to protest; what if it is also carved?" (example pictured) ... that the Grammy-winning opera tenor Aaron Sheehan did not begin singing until his final year of high school? ... that Hanzo and his brother Genji from Overwatch were originally a single character that was split during development? ... that the particle physicist Jeff Forshaw works with data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and appeared on television to explain the Higgs boson to children under 12? ... that after gaining a partial victory over the Jaffna kingdom in 1560, the Portuguese successfully defeated their enemy in the invasion of 1591 and installed their own king? ... that Paul Dibb formulated an eponymous report of Australia’s defence capabilities? ... that We're Going on a Bear Hunt was the text used to break the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Reading Lesson"?

In the news Damien Chazelle La La Land wins in five categories, including Best Film and Best Director (Damien Chazelle, pictured), at the British Academy Film Awards. A suicide bombing at a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan, kills at least 15 people and injures more than 80 others. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is elected President of Germany. In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Cameroon defeating Egypt in the final. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is elected President of Somalia. Ongoing: U.S. immigration suspension Battle of Mosul Recent deaths: Ricardo Arias Calderón Kim Jong-nam Ren Xinmin Fab Melo On this day... February 15: National Flag of Canada Day; Statehood Day in Serbia (1804) Play media Chelyabinsk meteor (video) 1823 – James McBrien made the first official discovery of gold in Australia at Fish River in New South Wales. 1898 – The United States Navy battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba, killing more than 260 people and precipitating the Spanish–American War. 1942 – Second World War: Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita captured Singapore, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. 1989 – The Soviet Union officially announced that all of its troops had withdrawn from Afghanistan after a nine-year conflict. 2013 – A previously undetected meteor exploded in mid-air (pictured) over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, with the resulting shock wave injuring more than 1,500 people. More anniversaries: February 14 February 15 February 16

Today's featured picture The inlet at Fort Pierce, a city of nearly 43,000 in Florida. The area around the inlet is Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, which consists of beaches, dunes and a coastal hammock between the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of Tucker Cove. Photograph: Don Ramey Logan Jr. Recently featured: Saudade Clanculus corallinus Shrovetide

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