Podokesaurus

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 16, 2021 is Podokesaurus. Podokesaurus is a genus of coelophysoid dinosaur that lived in what is now the eastern United States during the Early Jurassic Period between 201 and 190 million years ago. Its only fossil was discovered by the geologist Mignon Talbot near Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1910. Talbot described and named the new genus and species Podokesaurus holyokensis based on it, becoming the first woman to find and describe a dinosaur. The holotype fossil (pictured) was recognised as significant and was studied by other researchers, but was lost when the building it was in burned down in 1917; no unequivocal Podokesaurus specimens have since been discovered. It was nominated as the…

Bombing of Yawata (June 1944)

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 15, 2021 is Bombing of Yawata (June 1944). The Bombing of Yawata on the night of 15/16 June 1944 was the first air raid on the Japanese home islands conducted by United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) strategic bombers during World War II. The attack was undertaken by 75 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers (examples pictured) staging from bases in China. Only 47 of these aircraft dropped bombs near the raid’s primary target, the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata, and little damage was caused. Five B-29s were lost in accidents during the operation and two were destroyed by Japanese aircraft. While the raid did not achieve its aims, it raised Japanese civilians’ awareness that…