Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object
known to harbor life. It is the densest planet in the Solar System and
the largest and most massive of the four rocky planets. About 29% of
Earth's surface is land, with the remaining 71% covered with water and
much of Earth's polar regions covered in ice. Earth's interior is active
with a solid iron inner core, a liquid outer core that generates Earth's
magnetic field, and a convective mantle that drives plate tectonics.
Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Within the first billion years
of Earth's history, life appeared in the oceans and began to affect
Earth's atmosphere and surface. Since then, the combination of Earth's
distance from the Sun, physical properties and geological history have
allowed life to evolve and thrive. Almost 8 billion humans live on
Earth and depend on its biosphere and natural resources for their
survival, but increasingly impact Earth's surface, atmosphere and other
life. (This article is part of a featured topic: Solar System.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Solar_System>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1876:
The Boston Red Caps defeated the Philadelphia Athletics in the
first game of baseball's National League.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1876_in_baseball>
1951:
Korean War: The Chinese People's Volunteer Army attacked
positions occupied mainly by Australian and Canadian forces, starting
the Battle of Kapyong.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kapyong>
1993:
Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager, was murdered while
waiting for a bus in Eltham, London, leading to cultural changes of
attitudes on racism and the police, and to the law and police practice.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Stephen_Lawrence>
2013:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested two men who were
plotting to commit terrorist attacks against Via Rail Canada operations.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Via_Rail_Canada_terrorism_plot>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
agrology:
1. (rare) A subdiscipline of agronomy (the science of utilizing animals,
plants, and soils) and of soil science which addresses the influence of
edaphic (soil-related) conditions on crop production for optimizing it.
2. (chiefly Canada) The science and art of agriculture.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/agrology>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The advantage of poetry over life is that poetry, if it is sharp
enough, may last.
--Louise Glück
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louise_Gl%C3%BCck>
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