The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane was the second deadliest tropical cyclone
ever in the United States, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane. The only
major hurricane of its season, it struck Guadeloupe as a Category 4
storm on September 12, causing 1,200 deaths. The islands of
Martinique, Montserrat, and Nevis also reported damage and fatalities.
After sustained winds peaked at 160 mph (260 km/h) the next day, the
storm became the only Category 5 hurricane ever to hit Puerto Rico;
24,728 homes were destroyed and 192,444 were damaged, leaving 312
people dead and over 500,000 homeless. Early on September 17, the storm
made landfall in Florida near Lake Okeechobee with winds of 145 mph
(233 km/h). The storm surge forced water out of the southern edge of
the lake, spreading floodwaters as high as 20 feet (6.1 m) over
hundreds of square miles. Houses were swept away in the cities of Belle
Glade, Canal Point, Chosen, Pahokee, and South Bay, and at least
2,500 people drowned. The tropical storm also hit Georgia and the
Carolinas. Overall, the system caused $100 million in damage and at
least 4,079 deaths.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Okeechobee_hurricane>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
457:
Leo I was crowned Byzantine emperor, and went on to rule for
nearly 20 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_I_the_Thracian>
1497:
Supporters of the Dominican priest Girolamo Savonarola
collected and publicly burned thousands of objects such as cosmetics,
art, and books in Florence, Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_of_the_Vanities>
1904:
The Great Baltimore Fire in Maryland began, and destroyed over
1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Baltimore_Fire>
1907:
More than 3,000 women in London participated in the Mud March,
the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women's
Suffrage Societies, seeking women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_March_(Suffragists)>
1986:
President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country after
a popular uprising, ending 28 years of one-family rule in the nation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Duvalier>
1999:
Abdullah II became the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan following the death of his father King Hussein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_II_of_Jordan>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chuchotage:
The interpretation or translation of speech in a whisper to a single
person in proximity to other people.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chuchotage>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof.
Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions. Then, in the
alleged proof, be alert for inexplicit assumptions. Euclid's notorious
oversights drove this lesson home.
--Eric Temple Bell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Temple_Bell>