Hurricane Iris of 2001 was the most destructive tropical cyclone in Belize since Hurricane Hattie in 1961. Iris was the second-strongest storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, behind Hurricane Michelle. While passing south of the Dominican Republic, Iris dropped heavy rainfall that caused landslides, killing eight people. Later, the hurricane passed south of Jamaica, where it destroyed two houses. On reaching the western Caribbean Sea, it rapidly intensified to Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. A small hurricane with an eye of only 7 miles (11 km) in diameter, it reached peak winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) before making landfall in Belize. The storm killed 24 people there, including 20 who died when a scuba diving boat capsized near Big Creek. It also killed eight people and damaged about 2,500 homes in neighboring Guatemala, and later dropped heavy rainfall in southern Mexico, where two people died. Destruction in Belize totaled US$250 million. Because Iris was compact, the damage was confined to 72% of the houses in the Toledo district and 50% of the houses in the Stann Creek district.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Iris
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1895:
The first US Open golf tournament was held on a nine-hole course at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Open_(golf)
1917:
First World War: The British devastated the German defence in the Battle of Broodseinde, which prompted a crisis among the German commanders and caused a severe loss of morale in the German Fourth Army. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Broodseinde
1941:
Willie Gillis, one of Norman Rockwell's trademark characters, debuted on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Gillis
1976:
British Rail's InterCity 125 service, the world's fastest diesel-powered train, began operations on the Western Region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_125
2003:
A suicide bomber killed 21 people and injured more than 50 others inside the Maxim restaurant in Haifa, Israel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_restaurant_suicide_bombing
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Sputnik moment: The moment when a country or a society realizes that it needs to catch up with apparent technological and scientific developments made by some other country or countries by increasing its investment into education, innovative research and development, etc. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sputnik_moment
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise. They are hurt less by undeserved censure than by undeserved commendation. Abuse helps; often praise hurts. --Rutherford B. Hayes https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes