If you're participating in a Christmas Bird Count this year, thank ornithologist Frank Chapman. In 1900, he established the tradition in hopes it would counteract the then-common practice of trying to hunt as many birds as possible on Christmas Day.🌲🐦🌲 American Museum of Natural History @AMNH #ChristmasBirdCount #birds

Sir Christopher Lee met Rasputin's assassins, saw the last guillotine execution, hunted Nazis, recorded a heavy metal album, spoke 9 languages, was Ian Fleming's cousin (James Bond) and was the only actor in “The Lord of the Rings” to have met J.R.R. Tolkien #acting #history

Love it when bookshops or libraries arrange their books appropriately... @2tone4real.bsky.social‬ #bookshops #libraries #Musk

A 4th Century AD, Roman Glass Jug with a smaller glass jug inside; a so called joke jar that shows the skill of the glassmaker. Probably made in workshop in Cologne, found in burial in Stein am Rhein, Switzerland. #archaeohistories #glass

In the 1930s, a unique and striking scene unfolded at the Berlin Zoo, where a zookeeper gave Roland, a massive 4,000-pound elephant seal, a snow bath. Elephant seals, known for their immense size and distinctive, trunk-like noses, are typically found in the cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere. However, Roland, who had been brought to Berlin from the wild, was part of the zoo's growing collection of exotic animals. (see also reply)👇

Someone Is Sticking Googly Eyes on Public Sculptures in Oregon—and City Officials Are Not Amused. Many residents of Bend love the illicit adornments, which they say are sparking joy and driving engagement with public art. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/someone-is-sticking-googly-eyes-to-public-sculptures-in-oregon-and-city-officials-are-not-amused-180985679/?utm_source=globalmuseum #Sculpture #Oregon

A tree that is thought to be more than 1600 years old. In Apulia, Italy. #tree #Italy

What holiday happening in December involves exchanging gifts, feasting, playing games, and casual gambling? Saturnalia, of course. Learn how to celebrate:

The Wild Holiday That Turned Ancient Rome Upside Down

How the Romans celebrated Saturnalia

@GettyMuseum #Saturnalia #celbrations #museums

"The carnival-casino era of #cryptocurrencies has come back with a vengeance, riding a broader wave of investment in bitcoin that was itself spurred by the election of Donald Trump. It’s minting millionaires while potentially harming others — yet everyone, even the losers, seem to be in on the joke ... Yes, it’s called Fartcoin. Yes, it is totally useless. Nevertheless it tripled in value over the past week to a market capitalization of more than $700 million" @npub1vvw4...gcfw

NBC News

Memecoins like Fartcoin are riding Trump's victory to huge valuations. Experts say it may have only begun.

The carnival-casino era of cryptocurrencies has come back with a vengeance.

#FestiveTraditions at #Hogmanay in Fetlar, Shetland in the early 1900s. Straw-clad guisers would go from house to house. 📷 @NatMuseumScot https://ow.ly/zUBN50UnEZO #ArchiveAdventCalendar @ARAScot #museums #Scotland