American media personality Courtney Stodden attends the Mercy For Animals 20th Anniversary Gala at The Shrine Auditorium on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Barclays Center on December 16, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Two sloth bear cubs save their paws from the hot ground during a search for food in the Daroji Bear Sanctuary in Karnataka, India in the second decade of January 2025. (Photo by Baiju Patil/Solent News)
British TV personality and actress Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, former Love Islander on February 23, 2024. Commissioned by Fabulous Magazine and shot by Mark Hayman. (Photo by News Group Newspapers Limited)
The earliest historic references to Minsk date to the 11th century 1067, when it was noted as a provincial city within the principality of Polotsk. The settlement developed on the rivers. In 1242, Minsk became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It received town privileges in 1499.