Tropical Storm Nicole was a short-lived and unusually asymmetric
tropical cyclone that caused extensive flooding in Jamaica during the
2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the last of a record eight
tropical storms to form in September. Originating from a broad monsoonal
low, Nicole became a tropical depression over the northwestern Caribbean
Sea on September 28. As it tracked northeastward, its wind circulation
was poorly defined, and most of its strongest thundershowers were well
removed from the center. In Jamaica, the storm triggered widespread
power outages affecting more than 288,000 residences. Precipitation of
up to 37.42 inches (950Â mm) caused disastrous flooding in several
parishes, severely damaging or destroying 528 houses. The island's
farmland suffered from extensive water pollution. Nicole wrought an
estimated US$245.4 million in damage throughout Jamaica, and there were
sixteen fatalities.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Nicole_%282010%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
During a peaceful labor rally in Chicago, an unknown assailant
threw a bomb into a crowd of police, which resulted in the deaths of
seven police officers and at least four bystanders.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair>
1979:
Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, following the defeat of James Callaghan's incumbent
Labour government in the previous day's general election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher>
2015:
The Parliament of Malta moved from the Grandmaster's Palace to
the purpose-built Parliament House.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_House_%28Malta%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
walking carpet:
(slang, derogatory or humorous) An exceptionally hairy person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/walking_carpet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Science has taught to me … to be careful how I adopt a view
which jumps with my preconceptions, and to require stronger evidence for
such belief than for one to which I was previously hostile. My business
is to teach my aspirations to conform themselves to fact, not to try and
make facts harmonise with my aspirations. Â
--T. H. Huxley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._H._Huxley>
Scientific Detective Monthly was a pulp magazine published by Hugo
Gernsback, first appearing in January 1930. It was intended to focus on
detective and mystery stories with a scientific element, but there were
also one or two science fiction stories in every issue. The title was
changed to Amazing Detective Tales with the June 1930 issue, perhaps to
avoid the word "scientific", which may have given readers the impression
of "a sort of scientific periodical", in Gernsback's words, rather than
a magazine intended to entertain. At the same time, the editor—Hector
Grey—was replaced by David Lasser, who was already editing Gernsback's
other science fiction magazines. The title change apparently did not
make the magazine a success, and Gernsback closed it down in October
after releasing 10 issues. He sold the title to publisher Wallace
Bamber, who produced at least five more issues in 1931 under the title
Amazing Detective Stories.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_Detective_Monthly>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1855:
American adventurer William Walker and a group of mercenaries
sailed from San Francisco to conquer Nicaragua.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_%28filibuster%29>
1939:
Subhas Chandra Bose formed the All India Forward Bloc of the
Indian National Congress in opposition to Gandhi's tactics of
nonviolence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Forward_Bloc>
1971:
Erich Honecker was elected First Secretary of the Socialist
Unity Party of Germany, remaining in power until 1990.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Honecker>
1999:
A Doppler on Wheels team measured the fastest winds recorded on
Earth (301 ±20 mph, or 484 ±32 km/h) in a tornado near Bridge Creek,
Oklahoma, U.S.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Bridge_Creek%E2%80%93Moore_tornado>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Betteridge's law:
(journalism) An adage stating that any headline ending in a question
mark can be correctly answered by the word "no".
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to
look at the men he has around him. Â
--Niccolò Machiavelli
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli>
The Pyramid of Unas is a smooth-sided pyramid built in the 24th century
BC for the Egyptian pharaoh Unas, the ninth and final king of the Fifth
Dynasty. Although Unas reigned for around 30 to 33 years, his pyramid is
the smallest from the Old Kingdom. It was built between the complexes of
Sekhemket and Djoser in North Saqqara. The pyramid's underground
chambers remained unexplored until the Egyptologist Gaston Maspero
gained entry in 1881. Inside, Pyramid Texts containing 283 spells for
the king's afterlife were found incised into the walls of the
subterranean chambers; they constitute the oldest and best-preserved
corpus of religious writing from the Old Kingdom. Unas's pyramid is the
oldest one in which these funerary texts have been found. Unlike the
later Coffin Texts and Book of the Dead, the Pyramid Texts were reserved
for pharaohs and were not illustrated. Their function was to guide the
ruler into eternal life. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Unas>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: Confederate general Stonewall Jackson was
wounded by friendly fire during the Battle of Chancellorsville, leading
to his death by pneumonia eight days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chancellorsville>
1953:
Hussein bin Talal was enthroned as King of Jordan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein_of_Jordan>
1999:
Mireya Moscoso became the first woman to be elected President
of Panama.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mireya_Moscoso>
2014:
Two mudslides in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, killed at
least 350 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Badakhshan_mudslides>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
turn turtle:
1. (intransitive) Especially of a boat or ship, or some other vehicle:
to turn upside down.
2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fail; to go belly up.
3. (intransitive, surfing) To roll upside down with one's surfboard
(usually a longboard) to allow a wave, especially a wave that has
already broken, to pass over.
4. (intransitive, historical) To capture a turtle by turning it on to
its back.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turn_turtle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 There is but one Temple in the World; and that is the Body of
Man. Nothing is holier than this high form. Bending before men is a
reverence done to this Revelation in the Flesh. We touch Heaven, when we
lay our hand on a human body. Â
--Novalis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Novalis>
Green Park is a London Underground station on the north side of Green
Park, with entrances on both sides of Piccadilly. It is in fare zone 1
and is a busy interchange between the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria
lines, used by over 39 million passengers in 2017. The station was
opened on 15 December 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and
Brompton Railway and was originally named Dover Street. It was
modernised in the 1930s when escalators replaced lifts and new entrances
were provided on Piccadilly. The Victoria line platforms opened on 7
March 1969 and the Jubilee line platforms opened on 1 May 1979 with the
official opening journeys by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles
starting from this station. Improvements in the 2000s made the station
wheelchair accessible throughout. The original station building designed
by Leslie Green has been demolished. Decorative elements around the
station include tiling schemes by Hans Unger and June Fraser and
stonework by John Maine.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Park_tube_station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1169:
Norman mercenaries landed at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking
the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_invasion_of_Ireland>
1794:
War of the Pyrenees: France regained nearly all the land it
lost to Spain the previous year with its victory in the Second Battle of
Boulou.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Boulou>
1931:
New York City's Empire State Building, at the time the tallest
building in the world, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building>
1994:
Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, a three-time Formula One
World Champion, was killed in a crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand
Prix.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ayrton_Senna>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
synaesthesia:
1. (neurology, psychology) A neurological or psychological phenomenon
whereby a particular sensory stimulus triggers a second kind of
sensation.
2. (by extension) The association of one sensory perception with, or
description of it in terms of, a different perception that is not
experienced at the same time.
3. (art, literature) A literary or artistic device whereby one kind of
sensation is described in the terms of another.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/synaesthesia>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified
that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were
real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and
could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he
would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would
be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane,
he had to fly them. If he flew them, he was crazy and didn't have to;
but if he didn't want to, he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved
very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and
let out a respectful whistle. "That's some catch, that Catch-22," he
observed. Â
--Catch-22
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Catch-22>
Pittas (Pittidae) are a family of birds found in Asia, Australasia and
Africa. There are numerous species in three genera, Pitta, Erythropitta
and Hydrornis, all similar in general appearance and habits. They are
Old World suboscines, closely related to the broadbills. Pittas are
medium-sized by passerine standards, at 15 to 25 cm (5.9–9.8 in) in
length, and stocky, with strong, longish legs and long feet. They have
very short tails and stout, slightly decurved bills. Many have brightly
coloured plumage. Most pitta species are tropical, although a few
species can be found in temperate climates. They are mostly found in
forests, but some live in scrub and mangroves. They usually forage alone
on wet forest floors in areas with good ground cover. They eat
earthworms, snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey, as well as
small vertebrates. The main threat to pittas is habitat loss in the form
of rapid deforestation; they are also targeted by the cage-bird trade.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitta>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1894:
A crowd of workers unemployed due to the Panic of 1893
conducted the first significant popular protest march on Washington,
D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coxey%27s_Army>
1945:
World War II: As Allied forces were closing in on Berlin, Adolf
Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in the Führerbunker after being
married for one day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Adolf_Hitler>
1982:
Sixteen monks and a nun belonging to Ananda Marga in Calcutta,
India, were dragged out of taxis by persons unknown in three different
locations, beaten to death and then set on fire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijon_Setu_massacre>
2009:
A Dutch man drove his car at high speed into a parade in an
attempt to kill the Dutch royal family.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_attack_on_the_Dutch_royal_family>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
desiccate:
1. (transitive) To remove moisture from; to dry.
2. (transitive) To preserve by drying.
3. (intransitive, rare) To become dry; to dry up.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/desiccate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 To receive everything, one must open one's hands and give. Â
--Taisen Deshimaru
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Taisen_Deshimaru>
Teresa Sampsonia (1589–1668) was a noblewoman of the Safavid Empire of
Iran. She was born into a noble Orthodox Christian Circassian family and
grew up in Isfahan in the Iranian royal court. In 1608 she married the
Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, who attended the Safavid
court in an effort to forge an alliance against the neighbouring Ottoman
Empire. She accompanied him on the Persian embassy to Europe
(1609–15), where he represented the Safavid king Abbas the Great. She
was received by many of the royal houses of Europe, including the
English prince Henry Frederick and Queen Anne, who were her son's
godparents. The historian Thomas Herbert considered Robert Shirley "the
greatest Traveller of his time", but admired the "undaunted Lady Teresa"
even more. Following the death of her husband from dysentery in 1628,
she left Iran and lived in a convent in Rome for the rest of her life.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Sampsonia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1522:
Italian War of 1521–26: The combined forces of Spain and the
Papal States defeated a French and Venetian army at the Battle of
Bicocca.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bicocca>
1810:
Ludwig van Beethoven composed his "Bagatelle No. 25 in A
minor", better known as "Für Elise" (audio featured), one of his most
popular compositions.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCr_Elise>
1865:
An explosion destroyed the steamboat Sultana on the Mississippi
River, killing an estimated 1,700 of the 2,400 passengers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultana_%28steamboat%29>
1949:
In response to the treatment of Lorenzo Gamboa under the White
Australia policy, the Philippine House of Representatives passed a bill
banning Australians from the country.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Gamboa>
2012:
Unknown perpetrators committed a series of four bombings in
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Dnipropetrovsk_explosions>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
recrudescence:
1. The condition or state being recrudescent; the condition of something
(often undesirable) breaking out again, or re-emerging after temporary
abatement or suppression.
2. (medicine, by extension) The acute recurrence of a disease, or its
symptoms, after a period of improvement.
3. (botany) The production of a fresh shoot from a ripened spike.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recrudescence>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Tempt me no more, for I Have known the lightning's hour, The
poet's inward pride, The certainty of power. Â
--Cecil Day Lewis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cecil_Day_Lewis>
The Benty Grange helmet is a boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet from the
7th century. It was excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from a burial
mound at the Benty Grange farm in Monyash in western Derbyshire. The
grave had likely been looted by the time of Bateman's excavation, but
still contained other high-status objects suggestive of a richly
furnished burial, such as the fragmentary remains of a hanging bowl. The
ornate helmet was constructed by covering the outside of an iron
framework with plates of horn and the inside with cloth or leather, now
decayed. It would have provided some protection against weapons, but may
have also been intended for ceremonial use. It was the first Anglo-Saxon
helmet to be discovered; others have been found at Sutton Hoo, York,
Wollaston, Shorwell, and Staffordshire. The helmet is displayed at
Sheffield's Weston Park Museum, which purchased it from Bateman's estate
in 1893.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benty_Grange_helmet>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington
(statue pictured) rode forty miles through the night to warn militiamen
under the control of her father that British troops were planning to
invade Danbury, Connecticut.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_Ludington>
1944:
World War II: U.S. Navy submarines began attacks on Japan's
Take Ichi convoy as it sailed in waters between Taiwan and the
Philippines, eventually sinking four vessels and killing more than 4,000
troops.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Ichi_convoy>
1989:
A tornado struck the Manikganj District of Bangladesh, killing
an estimated 1,300 people, making it the deadliest tornado in history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daulatpur%E2%80%93Saturia_tornado>
2002:
Expelled student Robert Steinhäuser murdered sixteen people
and wounded seven others before committing suicide at the Gutenberg-
Gymnasium Erfurt in Erfurt, Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_school_massacre>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
prozymite:
(Roman Catholicism, historical, derogatory) One who administers the
Eucharist with leavened bread, in particular a member of the Eastern
Orthodox Church.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prozymite>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 There was an idea … called the Avengers Initiative. The idea
was to bring together a group of remarkable people — see if they could
become something more — see if they could work together when we needed
them to to fight the battles we never could. Â
--The Avengers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Avengers_%282012_film%29>
Alodia was a medieval Nubian kingdom in what is now Central and Southern
Sudan. Its capital was Soba, near modern-day Khartoum at the confluence
of the Blue and White Nile rivers. In 580 it became a part of the
Christian world, following the other two Nubian kingdoms, Nobadia and
Makuria. Alodia reached its peak during the 9th–12th centuries, when
it exceeded its northern neighbor and close ally, Makuria, in size,
military power and economic prosperity. A large, multicultural state,
Alodia was ruled by a powerful king and provincial governors appointed
by him. Soba was a prosperous town and trading hub, and literacy in
Nubian and Greek flourished. Goods arrived from Makuria, the Middle
East, western Africa, India and even China. Alodia began a slow decline
in the 12th century, possibly because of invasions from the south,
droughts and a shift of trade routes, before finally collapsing around
1500.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alodia>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
The Ming dynasty of China fell when the Chongzhen Emperor
committed suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty>
1792:
The French highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the
first person to be executed by guillotine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Jacques_Pelletier>
1920:
At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of
World War I decided upon the League of Nations mandates for
administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Remo_conference>
1960:
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) completed the
first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sandblast>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chur:
1. (New Zealand, informal) A strong voicing of agreement, approval, or
thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!.
2. (New Zealand, informal) A parting salutation: bye, see you later.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chur>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
 The layman always means, when he says "reality" that he is
speaking of something self-evidently known; whereas to me it seems the
most important and exceedingly difficult task of our time is to work on
the construction of a new idea of reality. Â
--Wolfgang Pauli
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Pauli>