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Anonymous double portrait of Qalaherriaq
Anonymous double portrait of Qalaherriaq

Qalaherriaq (c. 1834 – 1856) was an Inughuit hunter from Cape York in northwestern Greenland. Born around 1834 and baptized Erasmus Augustine Kallihirua, he was taken aboard the British barque HMS Assistance in 1850 as an interpreter during the search for Franklin's lost expedition. He guided the ship to Wolstenholme Fjord to investigate rumors of a massacre of Franklin's crew, but found the corpses of local Inughuit and crew from an unrelated British vessel. Poor sea conditions prevented the Assistance from returning to Qalaherriaq's family, and he was instead taken to England and placed in the custody of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. He was enrolled in St Augustine's College at Canterbury and studied English and Christianity. In 1855, he was tasked by Edward Feild, Bishop of Newfoundland, to join him on a mission to the Labrador Inuit. Qalaherriaq's health problems, which he had developed during his service as an interpreter, worsened after his arrival in Newfoundland, and he died at St. John's in 1856 around 22 years old. (Full article...)

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Arthur O. Austin

Arthur Oswin Austin (1879–1964) was an American electrical engineer and inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the Austin transformer, used to supply power for lighting circuits on radio towers. Austin's work included improvements to radio transmission equipment and the effects of lightning on high-voltage transmission lines and aircraft. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and of the Institute of Radio Engineers, and was known as an expert in high-voltage insulators and fittings. His work on transmitting antennas included both military and civilian projects. Born in California, Austin graduated from Stanford University with a degree in electrical engineering. He spent most of his adult life in Ohio where he worked for the Ohio Brass Company and founded the Austin Insulator Company. He bought a large estate in Barberton, Ohio, lived in the mansion, and built an extensive outdoor electrical laboratory on the grounds. (Full article...)

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Black Eagle Silver Certificate
Black Eagle Silver Certificate
LAPD helicopter
LAPD helicopter
A Bell 206 Jetranger helicopter of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) showing clearly the searchlight, loudspeakers, antennas and other law enforcement modifications.

Photo credit: Matthew Field

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Flooding in Kłodzko, Poland
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