Brown thrasher strikes a pose

Today in 1911-in a ceremony presided over by US President #WilliamHowardTaft -the #NewYorkPublicLibrary , the largest marble structure ever constructed in America, was dedicated in New York City. The monumental beaux-arts structure took 14 years to complete at a cost of $9 million.

Today is #WorldTurtleDay , an annual observance begun in 2000 by #AmericanTortoiseRescue . This awareness day was created to help people celebrate and protect #turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive & thrive.

Good Morning ☀️🌵 White-winged Dove samples a Saguaro blossom

Today in 1785, #BenjaminFranklin revealed his design for what would later be called #bifocal glasses. The Pennsylvania inventor, printer, author, diplomat & U.S. Founding Father had grown tired of alternating between two different pairs of glasses to help his near or far vision.

I had a very emotional experience holding this bird today. It was such a remarkable privilege to be deep in the forest, sharing a moment with this stunning animal. I was simply overcome with appreciation for the beauty and splendor of the natural world.

(Blackburnian Warbler)

Today in 1969, #TheWho released the double-album rock opera #Tommy —the story of a 'deaf, dumb, and blind' boy who finds redemption through pinball and becomes a spiritual leader. The album went on to sell tens of millions of copies, and was adapted as a film and a stage musical.

Today is the birthday of the author of the classic children's book  #GoodnightMoon :  #MargaretWiseBrown , born in #Brooklyn , NY (1910-1952). Brownie-as she was known to her friends-had the idea that kids would rather read about things from their own world than fairy tales & fables.

Today is #WorldTurtleDay , an annual observance begun in 2000 by #AmericanTortoiseRescue . This awareness day was created to help people celebrate and protect #turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive & thrive.

This colt (a young Sandhill Crane) is the oldest colt at the park that hangs around the nature trails. He/she is almost a month old. Love the little tail waggle

A stolen Ford Deluxe was met with a hail of bullets OTD in 1934 as it passed an ambush of lawmen lying in wait on a rural highway in Louisiana. #BonnieParker & #ClydeBarrow 's car was hit by 130 rounds, and the #FBI 's most wanted criminals were brought down after a 2-year manhunt.

'We need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.' – author/journalist #MitchAlbom , born OTD in Passaic, NJ (1958). Author of the memoir #TuesdaysWithMorrie (1997).

'When the impossible has been eliminated, all that remains no matter how improbable is possible.' -- British writer & physician Sir #ArthurConanDoyle , born OTD in Edinburgh, Scotland (1859-1930). His #SherlockHolmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction. R.I.P.

A Least Bittern (aka Fun-sized Bittern) and his lovely googly eyes

How marvellous.

Late-night legend #JohnnyCarson signed off OTD in 1992 after 30 years of hosting #TheTonightShow . His final show featured no guests, focusing instead on clips and remembrances from Carson, sidekick #EdMcMahon & bandleader #DocSeverinsen . Jay Leno subsequently took over the show.

Today in 1980, Japanese company #Namco debuted 'Puck Man,' an arcade maze game based on the idea of eating. Introduced months later in America and renamed #PacMan , it grew in popularity to become the most famous, most profitable & most influential arcade video game ever released.

Today in 1960, the magnitude 9.5 #ValdiviaEarthquake -the most powerful in recent history-rocked the southern coast of #Chile for >10 minutes, killing thousands, causing landslides, triggering volcanic eruptions & spawning tsunamis so enormous that they caused 61 deaths in Hawaii.

Today in 1843, some 1,000 pioneers began their journey to America's West Coast via the #Oregon Trail , a 2,200-mile wagon road from the Missouri River to the Willamette Valley in the future state of #Oregon . Upwards of 400,000 more emigrants followed in the subsequent decades.

Today in 1849, #AbrahamLincoln was issued a patent for an invention to lift boats over shoals & obstructions in a river. The device was never built, and it is hard to say today whether it would have actually worked. Still, Lincoln remains the only U.S. president to be a patentee.