The decorated ceilings of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, were designed by the museum's architect Alfred Waterhouse, and were unveiled at the building's opening in 1881. The ceiling of the large Central Hall (pictured) consists of 162 panels, 108 of which depict plants considered significant to the history of the museum, to the British Empire or to the museum's visitors. The remaining 54 are highly stylised decorative botanical paintings. The ceiling of the smaller North Hall consists of 36 panels, 18 of which depict plants growing in the British Isles. Both ceilings make extensive use of gilding for visual effect. Built of lath and plaster to save costs, the ceilings are unusually fragile and require extensive maintenance and restoration. Since 2016 the skeleton of a blue whale has been suspended from the ceiling of the Central Hall. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilings_of_the_Natural_History_Museum,_London> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1865: Off the coast of Crescent City, California, the steamship Brother Jonathan (depicted) struck an uncharted rock and sank, killing 225 people; its cargo of gold coins was not retrieved until 1996. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Jonathan_%28steamer%29> 1930: Uruguay defeated Argentina at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to win the inaugural FIFA World Cup. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup> 1950: At the height of the political crisis known as the Royal Question, four workers were shot dead by the Belgian Gendarmerie at a strike in Grâce-Berleur. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Question> 2006: Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force attacked a three-story building near the Southern Lebanese village of Qana, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qana_airstrike> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: tajine: 1. (cooking) An earthenware cooking pot of North African origin, consisting of a shallow, round dish without handles and a tall, conical or dome-shaped lid. 2. (by extension) A stew, originally from Morocco, the ingredients of which are traditionally cooked slowly in such a pot; the dish is normally served with couscous. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tajine> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   The civilised keep alive The territorial war… Erase the race that claim the place And say we dig for ore, Or dangle devils in a bottle And push them from the pull of the Bush. … See the sun set in the hand of the man.   --Kate Bush <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush>