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The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower is a skyscraper in Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, it was constructed from 1927 to 1929 as the new headquarters for the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. At 41 stories and 512 feet (156 m) tall, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was the tallest building in Brooklyn until 2009. The bank occupied the lowest floors, while the remaining stories were rented as offices. By the late 20th century, dentists' offices occupied much of the structure. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower's exterior as a city landmark in 1977 and designated some of the interior spaces in 1996. The building's upper stories were converted to luxury condominium apartments from 2005 to 2007, while the banking hall became an event space. Over the years, local residents have used the building both as a clock and as a landmark for directions, and the tower has been used as a filming location. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Phomen Singh

... that Phomen Singh (pictured), an early Indian migrant to New Zealand, sold sweets and chutneys out of a suitcase?
... that the artiodactyl Ephelcomenus is thought to have been capable of burrowing?
... that after Nadezhda Bantle was exiled to the Russian North, she oversaw the development of the hospital in Nikolskoye to become the most advanced in its region?
... that the design of the Baldwin–Reynolds House, a mansion built for U.S. Supreme Court justice Henry Baldwin, may have been inspired by Andrew Jackson's home?
... that pathologist Vincent Marks helped reverse the conviction of socialite Claus von Bülow in a case that was adapted for the film Reversal of Fortune?
... that enrollment at a school for African-American students in Virginia grew from 14 pupils to 1,300 in its first ten years?
... that George Daniel submitted his band's demos as coursework while in college?
... that the only proposal from the 1749 book Free and Candid Disquisitions to be implemented by the Church of England was a prayer "for the ceasing of the distemper" of cattle?

In the news

Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor

Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor (pictured) is sworn in as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is sentenced to ten years in prison for leaking state secrets, fourteen years for corruption, and seven years for illegal marriage.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announce their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States.
Following damage to the helicopter's rotors, NASA ends the Ingenuity mission on Mars after seventy-two flights in almost three years.

On this day

February 5: Constitution Day in Mexico (1917)

Bakelite buttons

1909 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced his invention of Bakelite (samples pictured), the world's first synthetic plastic.
1913 – Claudio Monteverdi's last opera, L'incoronazione di Poppea, was performed theatrically for the first time in more than 250 years.
1958 – After a mid-air collision with a fighter plane during a practice exercise off Tybee Island, Georgia, a U.S. Air Force bomber jettisoned a Mark 15 nuclear bomb, which was presumed lost.
1985 – The mayors of Carthage and Rome signed a symbolic peace treaty to officially end the Third Punic War, 2,134 years after it began.
2019 – Pope Francis became the first pope to celebrate a papal Mass in the Arabian Peninsula.

Marcus Ward Lyon Jr. (b. 1875)
William Bostock (b. 1892)
Margaret Oakley Dayhoff (d. 1983)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (b. 1990)

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From today's featured list

Natalie Cole

The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality vocal performances in the "traditional" genre, referring to the body of music known as the Great American Songbook. The award was first presented to Natalie Cole (pictured) at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards (1992) for the song "Unforgettable". Tony Bennett holds the record for the most wins, with fourteen, while Barbra Streisand holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with thirteen. The award was most recently presented in 2024 to Laufey for Bewitched. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) is a species of damselfly in the family Calopterygidae. It is a Eurasian species, occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and northwestern China. Often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers, it is a common species throughout much of its range. This male banded demoiselle was photographed at Farmoor in Oxfordshire, England, near the River Thames. Males have a dark wing patch that starts at the nodus but can reach up to the wing tip in southern races.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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