The Pioneer Helmet is a boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet dating from the late seventh century. During a March 1997 excavation, it was found in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, in a young man's grave, probably the burial mound of a high-status warrior, along with a hanging bowl and a pattern welded sword. The sparsely decorated helmet is one of only six Anglo-Saxon helmets yet discovered, joined by finds from Benty Grange, Sutton Hoo, York, Shorwell and Staffordshire. Like most of these, it is one of the crested helmets that flourished in England and Scandinavia from the sixth through the eleventh centuries. Boar-crested helmets are a staple of Anglo-Saxon imagery, evidence of a Germanic tradition in which the boar invoked the protection of the gods. In the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, such helmets are mentioned five times. Unveiled at the New Walk Museum in Leicester, the helmet is on display at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. ( Full article...)

Leptinella filiformis

• ... that the slender button daisy Leptinella filiformis (pictured), thought by botanists to be extinct, was rediscovered in 1998 growing on a hotel lawn?
• ... that 23-year-old Japanese voice actress and singer Yurika Endō is retiring for health reasons after her solo concert today?
• ... that the United States Semiquincentennial will be celebrated in 2026?
• ... that Ian Meadows discovered both the Anglo-Saxon Pioneer helmet and the first conclusive evidence for viticulture in Roman Britain?
• ... that Saudi women are organising an anti male-guardianship campaign?
• ... that according to legend, the governor who ordered the execution of 17th-century Thai poet Si Prat was later executed with the same sword, fulfilling the poet's curse?
• ... that within a year of its inception, members of Operation Vanguard arrested more than 1,000 illegal miners?
• ... that after winning the lottery, Jay Sommers used the money to fund a career in NASCAR?

Gareth Bale in 2015

• In association football, the UEFA Champions League concludes with Real Madrid defeating Liverpool in the final ( man of the match Gareth Bale pictured) to win their third consecutive title.
• In a referendum, Ireland votes to allow the legalisation of abortion.
• The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect, imposing strict privacy controls for its residents.
• A joint investigation team concludes that the Buk missile system used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 originated from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade.

June 1

Scotch whisky

• 1495 – An entry in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland made the first recorded mention of Scotch whisky (bottle pictured).
• 1813 – War of 1812: Mortally wounded during a battle against the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon, American commander James Lawrence of the USS Chesapeake ordered his crew "Don't give up the ship!", today a popular battle cry.
• 1916 – Louis Brandeis became the first Jew to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
• 1943 – Eight German Junkers Ju 88s shot down British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 777 over the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Spain and France, killing actor Leslie Howard and several other notable passengers.

Kitabatake Chikafusa (d. 1354) · Tiedemann Giese (b. 1480) · Helen Keller (d. 1968)