Hurricane Daniel was the second strongest storm of the 2006 Pacific
hurricane season. The fourth named storm of the season, it originated on
July 16 from a tropical wave off the coast of Mexico. It tracked
westward and intensified steadily, reaching Category 4 on the
Saffir–Simpson scale on July 20 and attaining peak winds of 150 mph
(240 km/h) on July 22. An annular hurricane with a large and symmetric
eye surrounded by a thick ring of intense convection, it gradually
weakened as it entered an area of cooler water temperatures and
increased wind shear. After crossing into the Central Pacific Ocean, it
degenerated into a remnant low pressure area on July 26, and dissipated
southeast of Hawaii within two days. The storm brought light to moderate
precipitation to the Island of Hawaii and Maui, causing minor flooding,
with no fatalities or major damage reported.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Daniel_(2006)>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1790:
U.S. President George Washington signed the Residence Act,
selecting a new permanent site along the Potomac River for the capital
of the United States, which later became Washington, D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_Act>
1994:
Fragments of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 began hitting the planet
Jupiter (impact site pictured), with the first one causing a fireball
which reached a peak temperature of about 24,000 K.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker%E2%80%93Levy_9>
2008:
A tainted milk powder scandal broke in China which ultimately
involved an estimated 300,000 victims, the vast majority infants, with
54,000 hospitalized with kidney problems and 6 deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
champagne:
1. (countable, uncountable) A sparkling white wine made from a blend of
grapes, especially Chardonnay and pinot, produced in Champagne, France,
by the méthode champenoise.
2. (countable, uncountable, informal) Any sparkling wine made with
the méthode champenoise.
3. (countable, uncountable, informal) Any sparkling white wine.
4. (countable) A glass of champagne.
5. (countable) A very pale brownish-gold colour, similar to that of
champagne.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/champagne>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Not many years before the Happening, one of your country's
largest religious bodies officially declared that their book was holier
than their God, thus simultaneously and corporately breaking several
commandments of their own religion, particularly the first one. Of
course they liked the book better! It was full of magic and
contradictions that they could quote to reinforce their bigoted and
hateful opinions, as I well know, for I chose many parts of it from
among the scrolls and epistles that were lying around in caves here and
there. They're correct that a god picked out the material; they just
have the wrong god doing it.
--Sheri S. Tepper
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper>