The Courageous class was the first British multi-ship class of aircraft carriers. The three ships— Furious, Courageous and Glorious—were originally laid down as battlecruisers to be used in the Baltic Project during the First World War. They were very fast, but their minimal armour and guns limited their long-term utility in the post-war Royal Navy, until they were converted to aircraft carriers as permitted by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. Furious, already partially converted during the war, began reconstruction in 1921. As the first large carrier completed by the Royal Navy, the ship was used to evaluate aircraft handling and landing procedures, including the first-ever carrier night landing in 1926. During the Second World War, Courageous became the first British warship lost, torpedoed in September 1939 by a German submarine. Glorious, sailing home with minimal escort after the Norwegian Campaign, was sunk by two German battleships in June 1940. Furious ferried aircraft, escorted convoys and launched air attacks in support of British forces until late 1944. ( Full article...)

Part of the Courageous-class battlecruisers series, one of Wikipedia's featured topics.

Train of Tomorrow

• ... that the dome cars of the Train of Tomorrow (pictured) were inspired by a ride in the Rocky Mountains in either an F-unit or a caboose's cupola?
• ... that William T. Greenough is called a "towering figure in neuroscience" for showing that the structure of the brain changes throughout one's entire life, and not just in infancy?
• ... that a documentary on Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen's troubled 1972 concert tour was completed in 1974 but released theatrically in 2017?
• ... that Koh-i-Sultan volcano in Pakistan last erupted approximately 90,000 years ago and still displays fumarolic activity?
• ... that educational video game Opening Night allowed young players to direct their own plays?
• ... that St. Peter's Church, Colombo, was previously used as a banquet hall by the Dutch?
• ... that Amy Richlin teaches ancient sex?

Alan Turing

• Under the Alan Turing law (namesake pictured), more than 49,000 men in England and Wales are pardoned for breaching historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.
• Morocco is admitted to the African Union despite an ongoing dispute over Western Sahara.
• A gunman kills six people and injures eight others in a mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada.
• The Winter X Games conclude with the United States winning seven gold medals.
• A cold wave affects North India.

February 5

Bill Ponsford

• 1783 – The first of five strong earthquakes hit the region of Calabria on the Italian Peninsula killing more than 32,000 people over a period of nearly two months.
• 1818 – Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascended to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
• 1909 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced the creation of Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic.
• 1923 – Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford (pictured) made 429 runs to break the world record for the highest first-class score.
• 2009 – The United States Navy guided missile cruiser Port Royal ran aground on a coral reef off the island of Oahu.