Tropical Depression Ten was a precursor of Hurricane Katrina during the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed on August 13 from a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa, but the depression faced strong wind shear and remained weak. By August 14, it no longer met the criteria for a tropical cyclone, and the National Hurricane Center issued their final advisory on it. Moving westward, the storm produced occasional bursts of atmospheric convection. By August 18, only a remnant mid-level circulation persisted. This merged with a second tropical wave on August 23 to form Tropical Depression Twelve, which grew into Katrina, the third most intense tropical cyclone ever to make landfall in the United States. Katrina was the costliest US disaster until Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes, causing severe destruction along the Gulf Coast from central Florida to Texas, much of it due to storm surge and levee failure. At least 1,245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Depression_Ten_(2005)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1355:

A tavern dispute between Oxford University students and townsfolk turned into a riot that left about 90 people dead. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Scholastica_Day_riot

1814:

War of the Sixth Coalition: A French army led by Napoleon effectively destroyed a small Russian corps led by Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Champaubert

1930:

The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launched the failed Yên Bái mutiny in the hope of ending French colonial rule in Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%AAn_B%C3%A1i_mutiny

1984:

Kenyan security forces massacred approximately 5,000 ethnic Somalis at the Wagalla Airstrip in Wajir County, Kenya. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagalla_massacre

2008:

The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Namdaemun_fire

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

echelon: 1. A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society. 2. (cycling) A line of riders seeking maximum drafting in a crosswind, resulting in a diagonal line across the road. 3. (military) A formation of troops, ships, etc., in diagonal parallel rows. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/echelon

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It has always been assumed that the most important things in the Gospels are the ethical maxims and commandments. But for me the most important thing is that Christ speaks in parables taken from life, that He explains the truth in terms of everyday reality. The idea that underlies this is that communion between mortals is immortal, and that the whole of life is symbolic because it is meaningful.   --Boris Pasternak https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Boris_Pasternak