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INTEGRATION-LIEBE-LABSKAUS
Dinge, die Hamburg ausmachen.
..gesehen an einer Mauer, die für allerlei Aufkleber, meist politisch-anarchistisch, herhält
KORF (Norfolk International Airport) - 16 SEP 2018
"Coast Guard Two Thousand Five" from Elizabeth City Regional Airport (KECG) rolling out on RWY 5 after landing.
The USCG has been flying HC-130J aircraft since the first aircraft was delivered in 2003 and went into initial operational capability in 2008. There are currently eleven HC-130J aircraft in the USCG inventory with an additional three on order through the manufacturer (at the time of this photo). All operational aircraft are based at the air station in Elizabeth City, NC, and operate primarily off the eastern seaboard. The HC-130J aircraft are worldwide deployable and can often be found supporting counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific, long range Search and Rescue in the Atlantic, or marine safety missions operating International Ice Patrol from Newfoundland, Canada.
The HC-130J aircraft has a unique mission system suite installed on the aircraft. The mission system suite includes a two operator workstation on the flight deck, a nose-mounted EO/IR pod, a belly-mounted surface search radar, as well as other communication and surveillance sensors.
The HC-130J is a major upgrade from the legacy C-130’s employed by the USCG since 1959. The cockpit avionics upgrades, coupled with more efficient engine and propeller designs, allow the aircraft to fly higher, get on scene faster, stay on scene longer and fly safer than any other fixed wing aircraft in the USCG inventory. This allows for significant savings in terms of operational and logistical costs.
Air Station Elizabeth City has 8 "missionized" HC-130Js in the fleet to meet long-range maritime patrol requirements in areas that cannot be patrolled efficiently by medium range surveillance aircraft or cutters. The Long Range Surveillance (LRS) aircraft also provides heavy air transport for maritime safety and security teams, port security units and the National Strike Force personnel and equipment.
The Coast Guard accepted CGNR 2005, an HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft retrofitted with the Minotaur Mission System Suite, at the L3 Technologies Inc. Integrated Systems Platform Integration Division in Waco, Texas, June 14, 2018.
This photo from Northrop Grumman's clean room in Redondo Beach, California shows the start of the integration process of the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope is seen hanging from a crane, in the process of being moved over the sunshield.
Here's a recent video about the recent successful assembly of Webb into its final form: youtu.be/Trh9ohPo-cE
Image credit: Northrop Grumman
Three very different movements in very different lighting conditions, but generally struggling with fast moving clouds (black and white) resulting in ever changing settings even within he frame. I worked from home first thing this morning and then on my way to Rotherham called in at Darnall station, a place where I had never stopped for the Hope to Walsall tanks.
A variation on the normal route via the Dore West Curve and Dronfield today it ran via Sheffield station and Woodhouse Junction. 66615 is seen here climbing up from Nunnery and Woodburn Junctions on the 09:19 Hope (Earles Sidings) Fhh to Walsall Freight Terminal.
Next post meeting and needing some fresh air to battle a migraine, evidence that the Scots are doing everything they can to remain integrated into Europe. Scotrail - Saltaire liveried 68006 would be more at home on commuter services out of Edinburgh, but this week has been a regular performer on the 6C89 0945 Mountsorrel to Carlisle NY. The disappointment of this running a 664xx for the first few weeks now overcome and a useful diagram as the same loco appears to work the train all week.
Finally a VSTP numerically confusing 56087 and 56078 on the 0C51 12:00 Doncaster CHS to Whitemoor Yard LDC GBRF, only just about dropping on one of those elusive sunspots.
The Hispasat AG1 communications satellite completes the integration phase of testing in OHB System's cleanroom in Bremen, Germany. Hispasat AG1 will provide Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands and the Americas with faster multimedia services through its reconfigurable Redsat payload.
AG1 is now at the IABG (Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft) in Ottobrunn, Germany, undergoing environmental impact testing. There it will be placed in the thermal-vacuum chamber and its systems tested under ultra-high and low temperatures to simulate the conditions in space.
AG1 is the first satellite to use Europe’s new SmallGEO platform, developed through a public–private partnership between ESA and OHB. SmallGEO will strengthen the position of European industry in the commercial telecommunications market, expanding the current range of available products.
Credit:OHB
David Allega, mission manager for mission management and integration in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini launched at 12:00 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Australian Soldiers with Combat Team Alpha, 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, recently conducted a short notice cordon and search activity at the Green Bank Training Area.
A great opportunity for integration with the 5th Aviation and 2nd Combat Engineer Regiments, along with elements from the 6th and 17th Brigades and the Battalions Support Company.
Photos: 8th/9th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment
For those hard to reach places, technicians and engineers use various styles of lifts and platforms to ensure they have the best angle of approach to work on the James Webb Space Telescope observatory.
Here's a recent video about the recent successful assembly of Webb into its final form: youtu.be/Trh9ohPo-cE
Image credit: Northrop Grumman
Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Teams with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs integrate the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) atop the massive SLS core stage in the agency's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 5, 2021. The ICPS is a liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen-based system that will fire its RL 10 engine to give the Orion spacecraft the big in-space push needed to fly tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon. The next component to be stacked on top of ICPS will be the Orion stage adapter, which will connect the ICPS with the spacecraft. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon. As the first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The latest update on the Nova in Sagittarius (designation PNV J18365700-2855420). Magnitude dropped now to around 7.8 at this point. This is a combination of two data runs one night after the other as I accidentially reserved myself twice on the iTelescope T9 system and as a result the longer integration time makes for a little more space noise!
It's taken me a few days to put this together as I was messing about heavily with analysis in Astrometrica, approx 6-7 moving objects found within all the Green & Blue fits data over 2 nights, one of which I believe to be asteroid Lydina (1028) at 97km diameter found at 10 o'clock to the Nova, the other Seijin-Sanso (11442) found bottom lower left of image, both main belt asteroids. There are a few possibilities in the FOV with so many moving points of light over all these fits files. Astrometrica JPG data reductions for the two are here www.flickr.com/photos/76699751@N07/18763480968/in/datepos... and here www.flickr.com/photos/76699751@N07/18328581544/in/datepos...
Imaged using T9, iTelescope at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia.
Telescope details for T9:
CCD: SBIG ST8 XME
FOV: 13.6 x 20.4 arc-mins
Telescope Optics
OTA: RCOS 12.5"
Optical Design: Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrain
Aperture: 317mm
Focal Length: 2331mm
F/Ratio: f/7.4 (Focal Reducer)
Guiding: External
Mount: Paramount PME
CCD + Focal Reducer
9 x 60 sec Luminance
10 x 60 sec Red
10 x 60 sec Green
9 x 60 sec Blue
2 frames rejected from Lum & Blue
Aligned & combined in Maxim DL
Processed in CS5
Das ist Integration:
Mustafa, neben mir: "Ich ess ja auch schon mal Schweinefleisch."
Nachbar: "Mustafa - du bist doch Moslem?"
Mustafa: "Ich bin Deutscher."
Two U.S. Air Force Rockwell B-1B "Lancers" assigned to 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, fly alongside two Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-15s over the vicinity of the East China Sea, Sept. 9, 2017. Following the end of the operation, one B-1B flew to Misawa Air Base, Japan, to be a static display for the Misawa Air Festival, while the other B-1B returned to Andersen AFB, Guam. The integration of our aerial platforms with our allied nations advance and strengthen the long-standing military-to-military relationships in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
Taken during the rally on the Sunday before we left. The crowd were being spoken to and whatever was being said was most agreeable in the crowd judging by the fist pumping and shouting.
Euromaidan (Ukrainian: ??????????, Yevromaidan, literally "Eurosquare") is a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on the night of 21 November 2013 with public protests demanding closer European integration and culminated in a coup d'etat of the reigning Ukrainian government. The scope of the protests expanded, with many calls for the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych and his government. Many protesters joined because of the violent dispersal of protesters on 30 November and "a will to change life in Ukraine". By 25 January 2014, the protests had been fueled by the perception of "widespread government corruption", "abuse of power", and "violation of human rights in Ukraine".
The demonstrations began on the night of 21 November 2013, when protests erupted in the capital, Kiev, after the Ukrainian government suspended preparations for signing an Association Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, in order to seek closer economic relations with Russia. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had asked for 20 Billion Euros (US$27) billion in loans and aid. The EU and Russia both offered Ukraine the possibility of substantial loans. Russia also offered Ukraine cheaper gas prices. On 24 November 2013, first clashes between protesters and police began. Protesters strived to break cordon. Police used tear gas and batons, protesters also used tear gas and some fire crackers (according to the police, protesters were the first to use them). After a few days of demonstrations an increasing number of university students joined the protests. The Euromaidan has been repeatedly characterised as an event of major political symbolism for the European Union itself, particularly as
"the largest ever pro-European rally in history".
The protests are ongoing despite heavy police presence, regularly sub-freezing temperatures, and snow. Escalating violence from government forces in the early morning of 30 November caused the level of protests to rise, with 400,000–800,000 protesters demonstrating in Kiev on the weekends of 1 December and 8 December. In the weeks since, protest attendance has fluctuated from 50,000 to 200,000 during organised rallies. Violent riots took place 1 December and 19 January through 25 in response to police brutality and government repression. Since 23 January several Western Ukrainian Oblast (province) Governor buildings and regional councils have been occupied in a revolt by Euromaidan activists. In the Russophone cities of Zaporizhzhya, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk, protesters also tried to take over their local government building, and have been met with considerable force from both police and government supporters.
According to journalist Lecia Bushak writing in the 18 February 2014 issue of Newsweek magazine, EuroMaidan has grown into something far bigger than just an angry response to the fallen-through EU deal. It's now about ousting Yanukovych and his corrupt government; guiding Ukraine away from its 200-year-long, deeply intertwined and painful relationship with Russia; and standing up for basic human rights to protest, speak and think freely and to act peacefully without the threat of punishment.
A turning point came in late-February, when enough members of the president's party fled or defected to lose their majority in the parliament leaving the opposition large enough to form the necessary quorum. This allowed parliament to pass a series of laws that removed police from Kiev, canceled anti-protest operations, restored the 2004 constitution, freed political detainees, and allegedly impeached the president. Yanukovych then fled to Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv, refusing to recognise the parliament's decisions. The parliament has assigned early elections for May 2014.
A 35 man (plus guides) trip to the Ukraine exploring Chernobyl, the village, Duga 3, Pripyat and Kiev including Maidan (Independence Square) and observing the peaceful protests underway.
Some new faces, some old, made new friends and generally we were in our elements.
Rhetorical question but did we have a blast? You bet!
Amazing group, top guys. Till the next time!
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Virginia City's booming gold mines provided economic opportunities for a small number of African Americans after the Civil War. By 1866, at least thirty African Americans men & women resided in Virginia City. Aside from working in the mines, they worked as barbers, cooks, teamsters, or general laborers. Most marries women kept house but along with single women often worked as servants, cooks, & laundresses. By 1870, following the decline of the mining industry, only about twenty African Americans remained in the Virginia City. A few of those who remained owned successful businesses.
Born in the 1840s in Kentucky, Jack or "Jarrett" Taylor resided in Virginia City from 1866 until his death in 1926. After serving as a Union Army stable hand, Taylor made his way to Virginia City by working for a freighting company. He continues freighting on the vital Virginia City-Fort Benton Road for the F. R. Merk Company, formerly located in what is now the Pioneer Bar on Wallace Street. Taylor eventually became successful real estate entrepreneur & by 1875, he owned 160 acres in the Madison Valley.
In 1880 Taylor was boarding with African American sisters Minerva Coggswell & Parthenia Sneed. Shortly after Minerva's death in 1894, Taylor purchased this house from her estate. By 1905, he owned a number of cattle & horses that carried his brands. That same year, Thomas Thexton sued Taylor for horse theft. The court ruled in Taylor's favor largely due to testimony from white citizens. The integration of Taylor & other African Americans in the community suggests better race relations in Virginia City than other parts of the country. Sarah Bickford, a prominent local African American businesswoman, cared for Taylor in his final years & served as the executor of his estate. Taylor dies on September 16, 1926 & is buries in Hillside cemetery next to Bickford.
In 2009, with funding from the ford Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded Montana Heritage Commission (MHC) a Partnership in Scholarship Grant to conduct research into the lives of Virginia City's African American residents. This research conducted by MHC staff, public history faculty & students from Washington State University & the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire added great depth to the knowledge of Virginia City's African American Community.
Leica MP
Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 II
Fuji Neopan 400
Tetenal Ultrafin Plus 1+4
7 min 30 sec 20°C
Scan from negative film
Blois is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the department, and the 4th of the region.
Historically, the city was the capital of the county of Blois, created on 832 until its integration into the Royal domain in 1498, when Count Louis II of Orléans became King Louis XII of France. During the Renaissance, Blois was the official residence of the King of France.
Since 2013, excavations have been conducted by French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP in French) in Vienne where they found evidence of "one or several camps of late Prehistory hunter-gatherers, who were also fishermen since fishing traps were found there.. They were ancestors of the famous Neolithic farmer-herders, who were present in current France around 6,000 BCE [i.e.: 8,000 years ago]."
Ancient times
A major urban development begun in 1959 uncovered the remains of a late Gallic settlement and an urban centre from the Gallo-Roman period. At that time, the town was located on the road linking Chartres to Bourges. In the network of cities of the Carnutes people, Blois was a secondary settlement. Excavations carried out on the right bank between 2001 and 2016 and on the left bank in 2013-2014 revealed the presence of a largely developed town on the right bank and an occupation on the left bank during the Gallic and Gallo-Roman periods. The Loire river has undoubtedly always been a major axis route, although no traces of a port have been uncovered. However, there are remains of former bridges linking the two banks.
Middle Ages
Though of ancient origin, Blois is first distinctly mentioned by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, and the city gained some notability in the 9th century, when it became the seat of a powerful countship known as Blesum castrum.
Main article: County of Blois
Blois was first organised around a county, which was recreated in 956 by Count Theobald I of Blois, also known as The Trickster. His descendants, known as "Thibaldians", remained as Counts up until the county was incorporated into the royal domain in 1397. The House of Blois also succeeded in raising some of its members or descendants to the highest levels of the European nobility, notably by acceding to the thrones of France, England, Navarre, Spain and Portugal.
Main article: Counts of Blois
In 1171, Blois was the site of a blood libel against its Jewish community that led to 31 Jews (by some accounts 40) being burned to death. Their martyrdom also contributed to a prominent and durable school of poetry inspired by Christian persecution. In the Middle Ages, Blois was the seat of the County of Champagne it passed to the French crown in 1314, forming the province of Champagne. In 1196, Count Louis I of Blois granted privileges to the townsmen; a commune, which survived throughout the Middle Ages, probably dated from this time. The counts of the Châtillon dynastic line resided at Blois more often than their predecessors, and the oldest parts of the château (from the 13th century) were built by them. By 1397, Count Guy II of Blois-Châtillon offered the county to his cousin, Duke Louis I of Orléans, son of King Charles VI. In 1429, Joan of Arc made Blois her base of operations for the relief of Orléans. She rode the 35 miles on 29 April from Blois to relieve Orléans. In 1440, after his captivity in England, Duke Charles of Orléans (son of Duke Louis I) took up residence in the Château of Blois, where in 1462 his son was born, Duke Louis II of Orléans who would afterwards be known as Louis XII.
Renaissance era
By 1498, King Charles VIII died with no heirs in the Château of Amboise. As a result, Duke Louis II ran 22 miles between the Château and Blois, and was crowned as King Louis XII of France. He then married Charles VIII's widow, Queen Anne of Brittany, in 1499. The birth of their daughter, Claude of France, started the union of Brittany with France. Louis XII, as the last hereditary Count of Blois, naturally established his royal Court in the city. The Treaty of Blois, which temporarily halted the Italian Wars, was signed there in 1504–1505. During his reign, the city experienced a massive redevelopment, with some architectural elements inspired from the Italian Renaissance, as seen in the medieval castle immediately turned into a château, and the construction of many hôtels particuliers for the nobility throughout the entire kingdom. One of which, Hôtel d'Alluye, was built as a copy of an Italian palace for Florimond Robertet, who was an important French minister under King Charles VIII, King Louis XII and King Francis I.
On 1 January 1515, Louis XII died. His throne would be passed to Francis I, the husband to his daughter, Claude of France. In 1519, King Francis I ordered the construction of the Château of Chambord (10 miles away from Blois), but its construction lasted for one year before he died in 1547. In the meantime, he gradually expressed his will to move to Fontainebleau, near Paris, and started to abandon Bloisian. Much of the royal furniture was moved from Blois to Fontainebleau by 1539.
The French Wars of Religion was a significantly destructive conflict among the French people. The city's inhabitants included many Calvinists, and in 1562 and 1567 it was the scene of struggles between them and the supporters of the Catholic Church. On 4 July 1562, Blois and Beaugency, conquered by Protestants just before, were looted by Catholics led by Maréchal de St. André. On 7 February 1568, Protestants under Captain Boucard's command, looted and invaded the town, eventually killing many Catholics. Grey friars were also killed and thrown in the well of their own convent. In addition, all the churches were ransacked. In 1576 and 1588, King Henry III convoked the Estates General to Blois where he attained refuge after an uprising called the Day of the Barricades. In response, Duke Henry I of Guise was assassinated on 23 December 1588 for his involvement in the uprising. The following day, his brother, Cardinal Louis II of Guise, who was also archbishop of Reims, suffered the same fate. Their deaths were shortly followed by that of the Queen-Mother, Catherine de' Medici.
In the 16th century, the French Royal court often made Blois their leisure resort.
Modern era
After the departure of the Royal Court towards Paris, Blois lost the status of Royal residence, along with the luxury and economic activity that came with it. King Henry IV displaced the Royal library to Fontainebleau, which would later be the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France).
In 1606, Philippe de Béthune gave his ownership of Vienne-lez-Blois village, on the left bank of the Loire river, to Blois, making it a part of the city afterwards known as Blois-Vienne. From 1617 to 1619 Marie de' Medici, wife of King Henri IV, exiled from the court by his son, King Louis XIII, lived in the château. By 1622, the Counter-Reformation got establishment in Blois, founded a Society of Jesus and financed the construction of the St. Louis Chapel, which is today St. Vincent Church.
Then in 1634, Louis XIII exiled his brother, Gaston, Duke of Orléans and Count of Blois, who became attached to the city. The Duke in 1657, found a hospital in Blois-Vienne, now named Résidence Gaston d'Orléans, and financed the reconstruction of the Hôtel-Dieu. He remained in Blois until his death, in 1660.
Under Louis XIV's reign, Blois became un independent bishopric. David Nicolas de Bertier, first bishop of Blois from 1697, chose as seated cathedral St. Solenne Church, that had been destroyed by a storm and was under reconstruction, before being completed 3 years later in 1700, thanks to the intervention of Colbert's wife, who herself came from Blois. The new edifice became Blois Cathedral and got dedicated to St. Louis.
A wide episcopal palace is built by King Louis XIV's official architect, Jacques Gabriel, right next to the newly built cathedral, on a site overlooking the Loire Valley. Landscaping of terraced gardens began in 1703 and lasted nearly 50 years. The so-called Bishopric Gardens were first open to the public in 1791 by Henri Grégoire (known as the Abbot Grégoire), the first constitutional bishop after the French Revolution.
During the night between 6 and 7 February 1716, the medieval bridge collapsed. Construction of a new one is ordered during the following year. Jacques-Gabriel Bridge was inaugurated in 1724. All the levies were consolidated, and the river channel of La Bouillie in the prolongation of La Creusille Harbor was closed and dried out.
When Duke Gaston of Orléans died, the château ended up stripped by King Louis XIV, completely abandoned, to the point that King Louis XVI once considered to demolish it by 1788. The edifice was saved when the Royal-Comtois Regiment established their base within it.
In 1790, Orléanais province was dismantled, and the First Republic created the Loir-et-Cher department, with Blois as the local capital.
By 1814, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma and wife of Napoleon I, found refuge in Blois.
Contemporary era
Another wind blew in Blois in the 19th century. First, the railroad came in 1846 with the inauguration of the Paris–Tours railway, whose Blois Station is a stop. The competition against river transportation gradually forced La Creusille Harbor to reinvent its activity. In parallel, the city got more industrialised from 1848 thanks to a successful chocolate brand created by Bloisian, Victor-Auguste Poulain.
Like Paris, Blois urban organisation was redesigned during 1850 and 1870 by Mayor Eugène Riffault, who was friends with Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Thus, he had bound through a boulevard holding his name the modern upper town (where the cathedral, Hôtel of Préfecture, and Halle aux Grains are located), and the medieval lower town. He also paved the way to the construction of the boulevard Daniel Depuis, in the West of Blois. Between 1862 and 1865, the Denis-Papin staircase are built under La Morandière's supervision, in the axis of Jacques-Gabriel Bridge and Blois-Vienne's Wilson Avenue.
In the meantime, the lower town faced three of the most significant flooding of the Loire river: in 1846, 1856 (the worst), and 1866. The downtown districts of St. Jean and Blois-Vienne were under water, as well as La Bouillie spillway.
On 13 December 1871, the Prussian army took control of Blois during the Franco-Prussian War. The city was taken back by Lieutenant Georges de Villebois-Mareuil, General Joseph Pourcet, and General Bertrand de Chabron. Since then, a memorial stands on Wilson Avenue in Vienne.
In 1939, Blois Basilica construction was completed. That same year, between 29 January and 8 February, more than 3,100 Spanish refugees came to the Loir-et-Cher department, fleeing the Spanish Civil War and Dictator Francisco Franco. In June 1940, the German bombings destroyed a large part of the downtown, and the French destroyed the 10th arch of Jacques-Gabriel Bridge to prevent further advance for their enemies. The German army bombed the former Town Hall on 16 June, thus killing Mayor Émile Laurens in the process, and took over the city 2 days later, on 18 June, the exact same day of Charles de Gaulle's Appeal for Internal Resistance.
Between June and August 1944, US-English-allied bombings destroyed other infrastructures, like the railroad bridge between Blois and Romorantin. In total during WWII, 230 people were killed, and 1,522 buildings were entirely or partially destroyed. On 16 August 1944, the German troops ran to Blois-Vienne to get refuge there and destroyed the three central arches of the bridge. On 1 September, they surrendered. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened in December 1948.
In 1959, Mayor Marcel Bühler received President Charles de Gaulle and launched the construction of the ZUP, at the North of the city, on the same scheme of so-called banlieues of Paris or any other French city.
Landmarks and tourism
Since 1986, Blois is part of the French Towns of Art and History program, which promotes the cultural and historical estate.
Château of Blois
The Château of Blois, a Renaissance multi-style château once occupied by King Louis XII, is located in the centre of the city, and an 18th-century stone bridge spans the Loire. It was also the residence of many Counts of Blois, who were amongst the most closest vassals to the King of France between the 9th and the 14th century. Many gardens are located around the château, like:
House of Magic
Right in front of the château, La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin (i.e.: Robert-Houdin House of Magic) is a museum dedicated to illusionism. This is the only public museum in Europe which incorporates in one place collections of magic and a site for permanent performing arts, and directly reflects the personality of Robert-Houdin.
Louis-XII Place and Fountains
Opened after bombings in 1944, the place stands right below the château, closest to the Loire river, and is actually located at the center of Blois downtown. There are local shops and restaurants, and a 16th-century fountain stands below the Sycamores planted in the place. Known as Louis XII Fountain (Fontaine Louis XII), this is one of the greatest and oldest water inlets throughout the city, but far from being the only one. Among the other founts, there are:
St. Martin Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Martin), below the staircase between the château and Louis XII Place;
St. Nicholas Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Nicolas), within the St. Nicholas Church;
Elected Representatives' Fountain (Fontaine des Élus), in rue Foulerie;
Ave Maria Fountain (Fontaine Ave Maria), in place Ave Maria;
Town hall Fountain (Fontaine de l'Hôtel de Ville), below the
Denis Papin staircase (where was the former Town Hall before WWII);
St. Jack Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Jacques), in rue Denis Papin;
Corbigny Fountain (Fontaine de Corbigny), in Victor Hugo Square ;
Simple Fountain (Fontaine des Simples), in the Lily Garden, in remembrance of a monumental Versailles-style fountain lost after WWII bombings.
Comics Museum
Blois is also the location of so-called Maison de la BD, a museum devoted to the art of comic books. Since the 1980s, this museum hosts an annual comic festival in late November called BD Boum, described as "the leading free comic book festival in France".
Former Hôtel-Dieu
Already by 924, monks from the St. Lomer community were given some acres below the medieval castle, but outside the city walls, on the bank of the Loire river. In the 13th century, a proper church was built, then fortified because of the Hundred Years' War. St. Lomer Abbey was completely destroyed during the French Wars of Religion. The edifice was rebuilt until the early 18th century. When the French Revolution broke out by 1789, the church was turnt into a Hôtel-Dieu, namely a charity hospital for the have-nots, because Revolutionners destroyed many clergy- and royal-related monuments. After that, new buildings were added to the original St. Lomer Abbey, which became St. Nicholas Church, and the additional edifices remained dedicated to the Hôtel-Dieu of the city. Nonetheless, this part was gradually abandoned and taken back by some public services. A reconversion project is currently under study.
Former Poulain Chocolate Factory
In the late 19th century, Bloisian industrialist and chocolatier Victor-Auguste Poulain established his brand's factory next to Blois station. The premises moved in the 1980s. Nowadays, those are housings and host the National Institute and School of Applied Sciences (INSA).
Denis-Papin Staircase
As Blois is built on a pair of steep hills, winding and steep pathways run through the city, culminating in long staircases at various points. The most iconic of them is the monumental Denis-Papin staircase which overlooks the town, provides a panoramic view by overlooking the downtown and the Loire Valley, and regularly enlivens urban space with original decorations. The fountain next to the staircase is a reminder of the location of the first Town Hall, destroyed after bombings on 16 June 1940.
Town Hall and Bishopric Gardens
Blois achieved independence from the Diocese of Chartres in 1697, and the cathedral was completed by 1700. As a result, the first bishops engineered wide gardens on several levels, next to the premises. Since the destruction of the former Blois town hall during World War II, local authorities requisitioned the bishop's apartments to establish there the new town hall. Now organised as an urban park, the gardens offer a panoramic view on the downtown, the Loire river, and Blois-Vienne. A statue of Joan of Arc, given to the city by American patron J. Sanford Saltus, stands in the middle of the park. Bishopric gardens are open to public all the year, and a remarkable rose garden can be visited from 15 May and 30 September, each year.
Hôtels Particuliers and Timber Framing Houses
Since Count Louis II of Orléans became King Louis XII of France in 1498, the city started to host many noblepersons from all the Kingdom. All would build their own mansion as close from the château as they could. King Louis XII also imported Renaissance style from Italy due to his successful military campaigns there. Among these so-called hôtels particuliers, there are:
the Hôtel d'Alluye;
the Hôtel d'Amboise;
the Hôtel de Belot;
the Hôtel de la Capitainerie (a.k.a. Hôtel de Bretagne);
the Hôtel de la Chancellerie (i.e.: Chancellery Hotel);
the Hôtel Denis-Dupont;
the Hôtel d'Épernon;
the Hôtel de Guise;
the Hôtel de Jassaud;
the Hôtel de Lavallière, built for Louise de Lavallière;
the Hôtel de Rochefort;
the Hôtel Sardini;
the Hôtel Viart;
the Hôtel de Villebresme, in which Denis Papin lived;
the Château de la Vicomté (i.e.: Château of Viscounty), in the hamlet of Les Grouëts.
Blois-Vienne and the Loire river
Please note all the above edifices have been listed as Blois-Vienne (or merely Vienne) is the name given to the southern part of the city, on the left bank of the Loire river. Independent from the city until 1606, there are many traces of the river's past. The main link between both banks is the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge, built in the early 18th century. From the levees circling the surroundings to other abandoned bridges, Vienne has also conserved a harbour, named La Creusille, which is now an urban park right on La Loire à Vélo bike route. Beyond the levees, La Bouillie Park is getting rehabilitated, and actually is a spillway in the event of floodings. Further to the south of the city, the Forêt de Russy is a reminder of the thick woods that once covered the area.
Religious Buildings
The city also is provided with many religious edifices, including:
Blois Cathedral, dedicated to both Kings Louis IX and Louis XII, built between 1564 and 1700.
St. Vincent Blois Church, dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul, built between 1625 and 1660.
St. Nicholas Blois Church, dedicated to bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra, built in the 12th century.
Blois-Vienne Church, dedicated to Saint Saturnin of Toulouse, built between c. 1500 and 1528.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Trinité, dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, built between 1932 and 1939.
Historical and political figures
Ivomadus (5th century), Breton chieftain who would have conquered Blois and established there an independent Kingdom until Clovis I's conquest.
Count William of Orléans (died 834), first count of Blois.
Count Theobald I (913–975), viscount who declared himself Count when Duke Hugh the Great died in 956.
Thubois (c. 1044–1090)[citation needed]
Lady Adela of Normandy (c. 1067 – 1137), daughter of William the Conqueror, married to Stephen II, Count of Blois.
King Stephen of England (c. 1096 – 1154), second son of Count Stephen II and Lady Adela, he became King of England from 1135 to 1154.
Lady Adela of Champagne (c. 1140 – 1206), daughter of Count Theobald IV of Blois, she married King Louis VII and gave to him future King Philip II.
Duke Charles of Blois (1319–1364), notable stakeholder during the Hundred Years' War.
King Louis XII (1462–1515), Count of Blois from 1465 to 1498, then King of France up to 1515.
Queen Anne of Brittany (1477–1514), last Queen of Brittany, she remarried King Louis XII in 1499, then moved to Blois until her death.
King Francis I (1494–1547), King of France born in Cognac, but he lived in Blois since his marriage in 1506 with Louis XII and Anne's daughter.
Queen Catherine de' Medici (1519–1589), Queen consort of France, who died in the Château of Blois.
Queen Marie de' Medici (1575–1642) was exiled to the Château of Blois by her son, King Louis XIII.
Duke Henry I of Guise (1550–1588), assassinated on 23 December 1588 in the château.
Duke Gaston of Orléans (1494 in Fontainebleau – 1547), uncle of King Louis XVI, he got establishment in the château, and died there.
Jean Morin (1591–1659), theologian and biblical scholar of Protestant parents
Michel V Bégon (1638–1710), officier de plume of the French Navy.
Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739), also known as Mademoiselle de Blois, daughter of King Louis XIV.
Michel VI Bégon de la Picardière, (1669–1747). Commissioner in the French Navy; intendant of New France and Le Havre.
Thomas de Mahy, Marquis de Favras (1744–1790), royalist
Jean-Marie Pardessus (1772–1853).
Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo (1773–1828).
Eugène Riffault (1803–1888).
Joséphine Marchais (1842–1874).
Émile Laurens (1884–1940).
Georges Litalien (1896–1952), deputee of the Loir-et-Cher department.
Henri de La Vaissière (1901–1944).
Pierre Sudreau (1919–2012).
Jack Lang (1939–).
Bernard Boucault. Préfet de Police in Paris (from 2012 to 2015).
Artists
Pierre de Ronsard (1524–1585), poet from Vendôme but he met his muse Cassandre in the Château of Blois in 1549.
Jacob Bunel (1568–1614), Bloisian painter who studied in the Royal School of Fontainebleau.
Antoine Boësset (1587–1643), composer of secular music, and superintendent of music at the Ancien Régime French court.
Jean Monier (1600–1656), painter close to Queen Marie de' Medici.
Étienne Baudet (1638–1711), engraver born in Vineuil.
Pierre Monier (1641–1703), painter and son of Jean Monier.
Jacques Gabriel (1667–1742), Parisian architect who designed the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge in Blois.
Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871), watchmaker, magician and illusionist, widely recognized as the father of the modern style of conjuring.
Ulysse Besnard (1826–1899), painter, then ceramist.
Daniel Dupuis (1849–1899), painter, sculptor and medal artist.
Jules Contant (1852–1920), painter born in Blois-Vienne, son of a politician.
Émile Gaucher (1858–1909), sculptor.
Alfred Jean Halou (1875–1939), sculptor from Blois, who designed the Franco-Prussian War memorial in Blois.
Étienne Gaudet (1891–1963), engraver and painter from Nevers but who lived and died in Blois.
Bernard Lorjou (1908–1986), painter.
Claudine Doury (born 1959), photographer.
Jean-Louis Agobet (born 1968), composer.
Christian Jui (born 1973), poet.
Niro (born 1987), rapper born in Orléans but he grew up and currently lives in Blois.
Hildegarde Fesneau (born 1995), violinist.
Artisans
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Blois was the hometown of many artisans in the watchmaking and goldsmithing industries. Among them:
Julien Coudray, who was one of the first watchmakers in Blois according to Tardy, worked for Kings Louis XII and Francis I. There is a street in Blois that holds his name.
the Cuper family : the Louvre museum, Paris, possesses two watches made by Michel Cuper, and two other ones by P. Cuper. A street also holds their name in the city.
the Bellanger family : Martin with a first wife got 2 sons born between 1594 and 1597 (among them, one was called Isaac), then at least 3 other ones with a Suzanne, named Pierre (born in 1603), Jean (married in 1641 and dead in 1678), and Théophile.
Guillaume Couldroit, from whom the British Museum, London, has a table clock.
Jacques de la Garde, from whom the British Museum has a striking clock, and from whom a table clock can be found in the National Museum of the Renaissance in Écouen, France.
Charles Perras, from whom 2 watches can be found in the British Museum, as well as in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
the Duduict brothers.
Blaise Foucher, Duiduict's disciple, from whom the British Museum possesses one watchcase.
the Vautier family, among whom the British Museum has several Louis' watchcases.
the Gribelin family, among whom Simon was watchmaker and engraver for the King, and his son Abraham (1589–1671) succeeded to him. Nowadays, the Louvre Museum has a watch made by Abraham.
the Girard family, among whom Marc came from the Netherlands and established in Blois, his son Théodore and grandson Marc II were both watchmakers.
Christophe Morlière (born in Orléans in 1604 – 1643), who moved to Blois. By 1632, he was ordered a watch for Lady Marguerite of Lorraine when she married Gaston, Duke of Orléans and Count of Blois.
Pierre Brisson.
Paul Viet, from whom the British Museum got a painted watchcase.
Jean Bonbruict, from whom the British Museum has a silver coach watch.
Nicolas Lemaindre, who was watchmaker and valet for Queen Catherine de' Medici. The British Museum also possesses one of his works, as well as the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Pierre Landré, from whom a watch is visible in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City.
the Chartier family, among whom Pierre had a son registered as T. Chartier in the Louvre where a cylindrical table clock is exposed.
François Laurier.
Londonian watchmaker Henry Massy was son of Nicolas Massy, born in Blois.
Robert Vauquer, who has now 2 watches in the Louvre and 1 in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
Intellectuals
Peter of Blois (c. 1130 – c. 1211), theologian, poet and diplomat born in Blois.
Paul Reneaulme (c. 1560 – c. 1624), doctor and botanist born in the city.
Florimond de Beaune (1601–1652), jurist and mathematician born in Blois.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687), first explorer of Louisiana, born in Rouen, then teacher at the Royal College of Blois.
Denis Papin (1647–1713), physicist, mathematician and inventor from Blois.
Angel Baffard (1655–1726), genealogist specialist of Bloisian.
Jean Marie Pardessus (1772–1853), lawyer.
Augustin Thierry (1795–1856), historian born in the city.
Amédée Thierry (1797–1873), historian like his elder brother, and journalist.
Félix Duban (1798–1870), Parisian architect who restored the Château of Blois.
Louis de La Saussaye (1801–1878), numismatist and historian from Blois.
Jules de La Morandière (1813–1905), architect, and Duban's disciple.
Victor-Auguste Poulain (1825–1918), chocolatier who created the Chocolat Poulain brand in 1848.
Albert Poulain (1851–1937), chocolatier and industrialist, son of the precedent.
Tiburce Colonna-Ceccaldi (1832–1892), diplomat and archaeologist born in Blois.
Édouard Blau (1836–1906), dramatist and opera librettist from Blois.
Arthur Trouëssart (1839–1929), architect, historian, and genealogist specialized in Bloisian history.
Adrien Thibault (1844–1918), ceramist born in La Chaussée-Saint-Victor, then historian of Bloisian.
René Guénon (also Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya; 1886 – 1951), author, philosopher, social critic, the founder of the Traditionalist School.
Philippe Ariès (1914–1984), medievalist and historian.
Albert Ronsin (1928–2007), 20th-century French scholar, historian, librarian, and curator.
Françoise Xenakis (1930–2018), novelist and journalist.
Maxime Schwartz (born 1940), molecular biologist who has been a research director at the CNRS, and Director General of the Pasteur Institute.
Henri Tézenas du Montcel (1943–1994), economist
Pierre Rosanvallon (born 1948), historian and sociologist.
Christophe Lebreton (1950-1996), Trappist monk and one of the Tibhirine monks.
Luc Foisneau (born in 1963), philosopher and director of research at CNRS.
Sportspersons
Marcel Lehoux (1888–1936), racing driver
Philippe Gondet (1942–2018), footballer.
Nicolas Vogondy (born 1977), cyclist.
Sonia Bompastor (born 1980), female footballer.
Aly Cissokho (born 1987), footballer of Senegalese descent.
Bernard Onanga Itoua (born 1988), footballer.
Alexis Khazzaka (born 1994), Lebanese footballer.
Corentin Jean (born 1995), footballer.
Alpha Kaba (born 1996), basketball player
Located at the corner of Bayswater and Somerset W. How is it possible to walk by a building and never really notice it? Very easy,
A Redhead pair seems to be socially integrated into a group of Coots... somehow; they still seem to stand out just a bit.
An F-15 Eagle from the Massachusetts National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Ma., takes flight during the first day of Exercise Red Flag 16-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 25, 2016. Red Flag is a large scale integration exercise held quarterly in an effort to train Airmen in preparation for overseas deployment (Air Force National Guard photos by Senior Airman Loni Kingston/released).
Looking south-southeastward at the low, surf-cut cliff of Burnt Bluff Group along the Big Bay de Noc shore. We're down the coast a bit from the park's ghost town.
This post complements Part 10 of this set, which was taken six years before. Both shots document the same locale: the same bedrock, the same flaggy beach.
A very common sight along the upper reaches of the Lake Michigan littoral is Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis, also known as Northern White Cedar) growing a top of an exposure of Regional Silurian Dolostone. Here it's the darker-green tree species of narrowly pyramidal habit. It's a conifer that loves to grow in soils derived from calcium-rich carbonate rock.
And the most obvious hardwood present here is the white-barked Paper Birch, Betula papyrifera. The most prominent example in this frame has already passed on, bought the farm, joined the choir invisible, or kicked the bucket, depending on your preferred euphemism.
As the next two photos in this series will demonstrate, there's ample evidence that the lowest Burnt Bluff formation, the Byron, outcrops here. In addition, there may well be some overlying Hendricks Dolomite, too. It's definitely found up the coast a bit, at Middle Bluff.
All this stone first formed as lime mud deposited in tidal-flat to deeper conditions in a warm saltwater sea that covered this part of Laurentia, North America's forerunner, about 425 Ma ago. Now, exposed to the powerful forces of weathering and erosion, it temporarily fronts a huge freshwater lake that is the legacy of a much different climate—the Pleistocene ice age.
To see the other photos and descriptions in this set, visit my Integrative Natural History of Fayette Historic State Park album.
This image by Duncan Rawlinson explores the intersection of photography and artificial intelligence, portraying a modern subject with an AI chip embedded in her head. Through innovative techniques, Rawlinson delves into the latent space, creating a compelling narrative of human augmentation and technological integration.