Hurricane Ioke was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Central
Pacific. The first storm to form in the Central Pacific in the 2006
Pacific hurricane season, Ioke was a record breaking, long-lived and
extremely powerful storm that traversed the Pacific for 19 days,
reaching the equivalent of Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale three times. The cyclone developed from the
Intertropical Convergence Zone on August 20 far to the south of Hawaii.
Ioke gradually weakened as it turned northwestward and northward, and
by September 6 it had transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. The
remnants of Ioke accelerated northeastward and ultimately crossed into
Alaska. Ioke did not affect any permanently populated areas in the
Central Pacific or Western Pacific basins as a hurricane or a typhoon.
A crew of 12 people rode out the hurricane in a hurricane-proof bunker
on Johnston Atoll; the crew estimated winds reached over 100 mph
(160 km/h), which damaged trees on the island but did not impact the
island's bird population. The hurricane left moderate damage on Wake
Island totaling $88 million (2006 USD), including blown off roofs and
damaged buildings, though the infrastructure of the island was left
intact; all military personnel were evacuated from the island.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ioke>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1099:
First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Protector of
the Holy Sepulchre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_of_Bouillon>
1793:
Two days after becoming the first recorded European to complete a
transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico,
Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie reached the westernmost
point of his journey and inscribed his name on a rock .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_MacKenzie>
1812:
Peninsular War: An Anglo-Portuguese force led by Arthur Wellesley
inflicted a severe defeat on Marshal Auguste de Marmont and his French
troops near Salamanca, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamanca>
1864:
American Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union
troops at the Battle of Atlanta.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Atlanta>
1934:
Bank robber John Dillinger, whose exploits were sensationalized across
the United States, was shot dead by police in an ambush outside the
Biograph Theater in Chicago.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dillinger>
1944:
In opposition to the Polish government-in-exile, the Polish Committee
of National Liberation published its manifesto, calling for radical
reforms, a continuation of fighting in World War II against Nazi
Germany, nationalisation of industry, and a "decent border in the
West".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Committee_of_National_Liberation>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
shibboleth (n):
1. A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish someone as
belonging to a particular nation, class, profession etc.
2. A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated
with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or
truth
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shibboleth>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned
lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles.
--Emma Lazarus
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus>