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The Oregon State Capitol houses the legislature of the U.S. state of Oregon and the offices of the state governor and other officials. It is located in the state capital, Salem. Built from 1936 to 1938 and expanded in 1977, the current building is the third to house the Oregon state government in Salem, with the earlier ones destroyed by fire. New York architects Trowbridge & Livingston conceived its Art Deco stripped classical design in association with Francis Keally. The Public Works Administration partially financed construction; the building's central portion cost $2.5 million. The wings, which doubled the building's floor space, were added as part of the 1977 expansion. Much of the interior and exterior is made of marble. The Oregon State Capitol was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1988. The grounds contain artwork, fountains, and flora, including the state tree (the Douglas fir) and the state flower (the Oregon grape). (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Mother and Child by a Fountain by Pablo Picasso

... that the four paintings stolen in the 1972 Worcester Art Museum robbery (one pictured) were discovered hidden on a pig farm?
... that many of the people who carved the Healing Heart totem pole had no previous carving experience?
... that the death of a general's bodyguard led to a decisive Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Mucellium even though they outnumbered the Ostrogoths?
... that the queen mother of the last king of Awadh is buried near Marcel Proust?
... that Olivia Rodrigo teased her song "Drop Dead" by placing pink padlocks in cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hoboken?
... that Olympic bobsledder Arturo Gramajo is attributed with the invention of a popular Argentine hash dish?
... that the fashion trends of French high school girls inspired the "Olive Girl" style in Japan?
... that Sylvain Bromberger described a state in which all actual answers to a question are known to be false, even though the question has a correct answer?
... that "no one told the eels to stop acting like eels" beneath the streets of Wellington?

In the news

Virat Kohli

In Twenty20 cricket, the Indian Premier League concludes with Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeating Gujarat Titans in the final (player of the match Virat Kohli pictured).
Pope Leo XIV issues his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which expresses concerns about artificial intelligence.
The Democratic Rally, led by Annita Demetriou, wins the most seats in the Cypriot legislative election.
American jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins dies at the age of 95.

On this day

June 2: International Whores' Day; Festa della Repubblica in Italy (1946); Telangana Day in Telangana, India (2014)

Sketch of the wedding by Thure de Thulstrup

1805 – Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond Rock, an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, Martinique.
1886 – The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom (wedding depicted) took place in the White House, in the only time that a U.S. president has married in the building.
1962 – One of the most violent football matches took place at the World Cup as Chile defeated Italy in a group match.
2008 – Artist Tim Buckley published "Loss" as part of his webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Al-Muwaffaq (d. 891)
Adelaide Casely-Hayford (b. 1868)
Phebe A. Hanaford (d. 1921)
Sergio Agüero (b. 1988)

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Today's featured picture

The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which occurs widely across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, inhabiting both temperate and tropical regions. It is an opportunistic feeder, hunting small animals but also scavenging on carrion, household refuse and fish. Black kites are highly adaptable and often thrive in urban environments, especially in South Asia, where they frequently live close to humans. The bird has an average weight of 735 grams (26 oz) and features a forked tail and a distinctive shrill whistle followed by a rapid whinnying call. It is a skilled soarer, commonly using thermal currents to search for food and migrate. Several subspecies are recognised, including the Indian govinda and the Australian affinis. This black kite of the subspecies M. m. affinis was photographed in flight by the Adelaide River, east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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