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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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