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James G. Blaine (1830–1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the House from 1869 to 1875, and then in the Senate from 1876 to 1881. Born in Pennsylvania and a newspaper editor before entering politics, he twice served as the U.S. secretary of state, first in 1881 under President James A. Garfield and President Chester A. Arthur, and then from 1889 to 1892 under President Benjamin Harrison. Blaine unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1876 and 1880. He gained the nomination in 1884, but in the election, he was narrowly defeated by Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland. A charismatic speaker in an age that prized oratory, Blaine was a leading Republican of the late 19th century and a champion of the party's moderate reformist faction, later known as the "Half-Breeds". (This article is part of a featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.)

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Did you know ...

Stieler's portrait of Beethoven

... that in Stieler's portrait of Beethoven (pictured), the composer's arms "are not convincingly attached to his shoulders"?
... that Fumiya Takahashi was referred to as "the most handsome highschooler in Japan"?
... that popular garden plants like malfurada often escape from cultivation and become invasive?
... that Olivia Olson won state championships as a soccer goalkeeper and a basketball guard?
... that the Jewish cemetery in the Dutch city of Hoorn was cleared in 1968 to make room for a roadway, and the bodily remains and gravestones removed to the public cemetery?
... that Nilüfer Gürsoy's memoirs detail the 1960 Turkish coup d'état, which overthrew her father?
... that during the 1997 Spring Creek flood, a railroad embankment suppressing 8,250 cubic feet (234 m³) of water per second overflowed, causing a train to derail?
... that Elizabeth II's childhood toys at 145 Piccadilly included 30 toy horses and a farm set collected from Woolworths?

In the news

Shehbaz Sharif

Following the general election, Shehbaz Sharif (pictured) is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan, forming a coalition government between the PML-N and the PPP.
Former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney dies at the age of 84.
Following the general election, Feleti Teo is appointed Prime Minister of Tuvalu.
Dahomey wins the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

On this day

March 4: Feast day of Saint Casimir (Catholicism)

Władysław II Jagiełło

1386 – Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, was crowned King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło (pictured), beginning the Jagiellonian dynasty.
1773 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart departed Italy after the last of his three journeys there.
1899 – Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Queensland, killing over 300 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Australian history.
1918 – A case of influenza was recorded at Camp Funston, Kansas, conventionally marking the beginning of the Spanish flu pandemic.
2017 – Construction began on a 69-metre (226 ft) statue of the Buddha at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok.

Hindal Mirza (b. 1519)
Rosalind Pitt-Rivers (b. 1907)
Harold Barrowclough (d. 1972)
Gary Gygax (d. 2008)

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Michael Giacchino

The Batman, a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman, won eleven awards from eighty-seven nominations, with particular recognition for its acting, make-up, musical score, production design, and visual effects. It received three nominations at the 95th Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects. At the 76th British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hair, and Best Special Visual Effects. It received three nominations at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards. Composer Michael Giacchino (pictured) received a nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards' 65th ceremony. The film won two of twelve nominations at the 50th Anniversary Saturn Awards. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Haane Manahi (1913–1986) was a New Zealand Māori soldier who served in the Second World War with the Māori Battalion. He joined the battalion in 1939 and fought in the German invasion of Greece, the Battle of Crete and the North African campaign. In April 1943, during the Tunisian campaign, his gallantry in an action at Takrouna resulted in a recommendation, supported by four generals, that he be awarded the Victoria Cross. This was downgraded to an award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which disappointed many of his fellow soldiers. After his death in a car crash in 1986, representations were made for a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross for his valour at Takrouna. These representations were unsuccessful but eventually resulted in a special award in 2007 of an altar cloth for use in a local church, a ceremonial sword, and a personal letter from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his gallantry. This June 1943 photograph of Manahi was taken in Maadi, Egypt, by George Robert Bull, the official photographer of the New Zealand armed forces.

Photograph credit: George Robert Bull; restored by Adam Cuerden

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