The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake that
occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on December 26 2004. The earthquake triggered
a series of lethal tsunamis that spread throughout the Indian Ocean,
killing large numbers of people and devastating coastal communities
across South and South East Asia, including parts of Indonesia, Sri
Lanka, India, Thailand and elsewhere. Initial estimates put the death
toll at over 275,000 with thousands of others missing. However, recent
analysis indicates the number of casualties were 186,983 dead and
42,883 missing, for a total of 229,866 affected. The catastrophe was
one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. The magnitude of the
earthquake was originally recorded as 9.0 (Richter scale), but has
been upgraded to between 9.1 and 9.3. At this magnitude, it is the
second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. The plight
of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread
humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more
than US$7 billion in humanitarian aid to those affected by the
earthquake.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
Union General Ulysses S. Grant pulled his troops out of the Battle of
Cold Harbor.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cold_Harbor)
1889:
The Armagh rail disaster killed 88 people near Armagh, Northern
Ireland.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagh_rail_disaster)
1964:
Anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison
by the South African government.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela)
1979:
A human-powered aircraft named Gossamer Albatross flew across the
English Channel.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"If one is but secure at the foundation, he will not be pained by
departure from minor details or affairs that are contrary to
expectation. But in the end, the details of a matter are important.
The right and wrong of one's way of doing things are found in trivial
matters." -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yamamoto_Tsunetomo)