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Regulus is an 1828 painting by the English artist J. M. W. Turner. He significantly overpainted it in 1829 to repair damage, and in 1837 to increase the Sun's brightness. The painting depicts the mythological tale of the Roman general Marcus Atilius Regulus, who was captured by the Carthaginian Empire and tortured to death after refusing to be part of a prisoner exchange. Whether the painting depicts Regulus's torture of being blinded by looking at the Sun, his departure from Rome or Carthage, or some other setting has been debated by scholars. Regulus's location in the painting is also uncertain. Regulus was controversial in its time, receiving both praise and critique from Turner's contemporaries. In 1863, it was stabbed by a man during viewing hours, who expressed contempt towards the painting's artistic technique and Turner himself. Several derivative works have been created from the painting, including two engravings and two depictions of its 1837 repainting. (Full article...)

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Spinning tops

This week's article for improvement is spinning top, a type of toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom that is designed to be spun on its vertical axis. Once set in motion, it will usually wobble for a few seconds, spin upright for a while, then start to wobble again as it loses energy, before finally tipping over and rolling on its side.

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Expanding the "History" section
Finding reliable sources about spinning methods and its physics

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In the news

Kraków Main Square

A mass shooting in the Main Square (pictured) of Kraków, Poland, leaves six people dead and sixteen others injured.
President of Paraguay Santiago Peña is impeached, arrested, and replaced by Vice President Pedro Alliana amid a banking crisis involving Ueno Bank.
In the United States, the Democratic Party wins a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections.
In motorsport, Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest ever winner of the Formula One World Championship.

On this day

November 10

Newspaper headline on the Wilmington massacre

1898 – White supremacists seized power and massacred black Americans during the Wilmington massacre (newspaper headline pictured), the only instance of a municipal government being overthrown in United States history.
1969 – The first episode of the children's television series Sesame Street was broadcast in the United States.
1975 – Angolan Civil War: The MPLA decisively defeated the FNLA at the Battle of Quifangondo, while Portugal simultaneously withdrew all its colonial and military personnel from Luanda.
2006 – Sri Lankan Tamil politician and human rights lawyer Nadarajah Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo.

Scipione Piattoli (b. 1749)
Leona Woods (d. 1986)
Taron Egerton (b. 1989)
Ken Kesey (d. 2001)

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Today's featured picture

Vaduz Castle is a medieval castle overlooking Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, and the official residence of the prince of Liechtenstein. Its oldest surviving structures date from the 12th century, including a keep with walls up to 4 metres (13 ft) thick. The castle was burned by Swiss forces during the Swabian War of 1499, and subsequently rebuilt and expanded. Acquired by the House of Liechtenstein in 1712, it underwent extensive restoration in the early 20th century. Since 1938, it has served as the princely family's primary residence and is not open to the public. This photograph shows Vaduz Castle as seen from the town in 2022.

Photograph credit: Alexander Savin

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