Compulsory figures were formerly a segment of
figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Requiring skaters to trace precise circles while completing difficult turns and
edges, these exercises made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world until 1947. The simple figure-eight shape was executed by connecting two circles; other figures included the
three turn, the
counter turn, the
rocker turn, the
bracket turn, and the loop. Compulsory figures steadily declined in importance, and in 1990 the
International Skating Union voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions. Although few skaters continue to practice them, some skaters and coaches continue to use them to develop alignment, core strength, body control, and discipline. Since 2015, the World Figure Sport Society has conducted festivals and competitions of compulsory figures, endorsed by the
Ice Skating Institute. (Full article...)
... that the Darmstädter Ferienkurse ('Darmstadt Summer Courses') were initiated in 1946 to reconnect German
contemporary music to the international scene after the genre's suppression by the Nazis?
... that George Insole pioneered the introduction and early success of South Wales
steam coal in the London and international markets?
... that among those commemorated by the East Knoyle War Memorial are three brothers who died in the First World War, twelve soldiers killed in the Second, and one
killed by friendly fire in the Iraq War?
... that
punk pioneer band
X's 2020 album Alphabetland, released on the 40th anniversary of their debut album Los Angeles, was the first featuring the original lineup in 35 years?
1944 –
World War II:
U.S. Navy submarines began attacks on Japan's Take Ichi convoy as it sailed in waters between Taiwan and the Philippines, eventually sinking four vessels and killing more than 4,000 troops.
Nototropis falcatus is a species of
amphipod crustacean found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and
North Sea, where it lives on the seabed. Growing to a length of about 7 mm (0.3 in), the third
pereiopod or thoracic leg is particularly stout, and has a curved propodus (penultimate joint) and a powerful
dactylus (claw). It can swim using its abdominal legs and orienting itself on its side, and can also burrow in the soft substrate. The species probably feeds by grazing on plant material and consuming detritus.
This picture shows an N. falcatus individual collected at a dredge disposal site off
Zeebrugge, Belgium.
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