Robin Friday (1952–1990) was an English football forward who played for Reading and Cardiff City during the mid-1970s. Born and raised in Acton in west London, Friday joined Reading in 1974, quickly becoming a key player and helping Reading win promotion to the Third Division during the 1975–76 season. Friday won Reading's player of the year award in both of his full seasons there as their leading goal scorer. Many contemporaries would later assert that he was good enough to play for England, but his habit of unsettling opponents through physical intimidation contributed to a heavily tarnished disciplinary record, and his personal life was one of heavy smoking, drinking, womanising and drug abuse. His intensifying drug habit led Reading to sell him to Cardiff in 1976. Following incidents on and off the field—including kicking Mark Lawrenson in the face mid-game—Friday retired from football in 1977. He died in Acton in 1990, aged 38, after suffering a heart attack. Despite his short career, Friday remains prominent in the memory of Reading and Cardiff supporters, as a player and a personality. He has been voted Reading's best ever player three times. ( Full article...)

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• ... that Shaker-style pantry boxes (pictured) are associated with Shaker folklife because they "express the utility and uniformity valued in Shaker culture"?
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• ... that Miss Alabama 2015 Meg McGuffin's childhood nickname was Egg McMuffin?

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June 29: Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Christianity, Gregorian calendar); Independence Day in Seychelles ( 1976)

• 1149 – Second Crusade: An army led by Nur ad-Din Zangi destroyed the forces of Antioch led by Prince Raymond.
• 1444 – Albanians led by Skanderbeg scored a resounding victory in their rebellion against the Ottoman Empire.
• 1776 – Lieutenant José Joaquin Moraga and Father Francisco Palóu founded Mission San Francisco de Asís (pictured), the oldest surviving building in San Francisco.
• 1985 – The European Economic Community adopted the Flag of Europe, a flag previously adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955.
• 1995 – The Shuttle–Mir Program began when Space Shuttle Atlantis became the first space shuttle to dock with the Russian space station Mir.

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The children's television program Sesame Street has featured many Muppets, a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson (pictured). Henson's involvement in Sesame Street began when he and Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the creators of the show, met in the summer of 1968, at one of the show's five three-day curriculum planning seminars in Boston. Author Christopher Finch reported that director Jon Stone, who had worked with Henson previously, felt that if they could not bring him on board, they should "make do without puppets". Henson was initially reluctant, but agreed to join Sesame Street in support of its social goals. He also agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and to split any revenue they generated with the Children's Television Workshop (renamed to the Sesame Workshop in 2000), the series' non-profit producer. The Muppets were a crucial part of the show's popularity and it brought Henson national attention. The Muppet segments of the show were popular since its premiere, and more Muppets were added during the first few seasons. ( Full list...)

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The great knot (Calidris tenuirostris) is a small, strongly migratory wader which breeds in the tundra of north eastern Siberia and winters on coasts from southern Asia through Australia. The species feeds on molluscs and insects. Photograph: JJ Harrison Recently featured: The Church at Auvers San Francisco Ferry Building Darwan Singh Negi Archive More featured pictures...