Five of the best science fiction books of 2024 chosen by Adam Roberts... theguardian.com/books/2024/dec…

Iran has released the Nobel peace laureate Narges Mohammadi for three weeks on medical grounds. Jailed since 2021 for her campaigning against capital punishment and the hijab, temporary release is inadequate her family and supporters say, urging for unconditional release...

The Montgomery bus boycott lasted from December 5, 1955 — after Rosa Parks was arrested for her refusal to surrender her seat to a white person — to December 20, 1956, with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

"Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun." The poet Christina Rossetti, #botd in 1830, was inextricably tied to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, inspiring and collaborating with artists including her brother Dante Gabriel.

Painted by David Bomberg #botd during his first visit to Toledo in 1929. One of the exceptional generation of artists who studied at the Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks, and which included Mark Gertler, Stanley Spencer, C.R.W. Nevinson, and Dora Carrington.

Metropolis, the expressionist epic by Fritz Lang #botd, the Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked in Germany and later the United States.

"His 1948 noir classic Force of Evil is first and foremost a film about money and power set in the world of the numbers racket in New York, that deserves more, much more, than cult status..." — Mark Kidel Abraham Polonsky #botd

"Joan Didion #botd inspired countless writers and readers to put pen to paper and write about the world as they see it. Her unique style, restrained yet honest, affecting yet never sentimental, is peerless..." — Ella Alexander

J. J. Cale #botd shunned the spotlight but gained fame penning such hits as After Midnight. His blues-inflected rock inspired some of the genre’s biggest names. "His influence is immeasurable" suggests Rolling Stone.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791

Christmas markets...

American lyricist Ira Gershwin #botd collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century...

“In a photograph, a person’s eyes tell much. Sometimes they tell all...” 📷 Alfred Eisenstaedt #botd

"That's the beauty of music. You can take a theme from a Bach sacred chorale and improvise. It doesn't make any difference where the theme comes from. The treatment of it can be jazz..." Dave Brubeck #botd

"Wallace and Gromit's contraptions are created purely for gags, but we all have the urge to invent - especially children. If they're bored, kids will make something from cardboard boxes, tape and elastic bands...." Nick Park #botd British animator | 4-time Oscar winner

"Your gender becomes irrelevant when you are in a performance-based environment..." Susie Wolff #botd

He appeared in several of Elio Petri’s films, and his performance in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion is outstanding, in large part because he so thoroughly erases the gap between actor and character... Gian Maria Volonte April 9, 1933 – December 6, 1994

In 1965, jazz pianist and composer Stan Tracey recorded the album Jazz Suite, inspired by Dylan Thomas's radio play Under Milk Wood. It is widely acclaimed as one of the great jazz performances. Stan Tracey December 30, 1926 – December 6, 2013