Cyclone Joy led to the government of Queensland, Australia, issuing a disaster declaration for about 30% of the state. The cyclone began in late 1990 as a weak tropical low near the Solomon Islands, and initially moved westward. On 18 December, it was named Joy, becoming the 2nd named storm of the season. After turning southwest, Joy strengthened to maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) while approaching Cairns in Far North Queensland. Brushing the city with strong winds, the cyclone soon weakened and dissipated on 27 December. There was torrential rainfall over Queensland for two weeks, and severe flooding caused most of the storm-associated damage. Rains significantly increased water levels on 10 rivers, among them the Fitzroy River, which discharged about 18 trillion freshwater litres (4.9 trillion gallons) into Keppel Bay over 25 days. In turn, the Great Barrier Reef suffered biological damage from coral bleaching and decreased salinity. Overall, Joy killed six people and caused A$300 million in damage. Afterwards, the name Joy was retired from the list of tropical cyclone names.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Joy

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1556:

The thirteen Stratford Martyrs were burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratford_Martyrs

1760:

Anglo-Cherokee War: Cherokee warriors defeated British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, North Carolina, US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Echoee

1927:

Prime Minister of Japan Tanaka Giichi led a conference to discuss Japan's plans for China, out of which came the Tanaka Memorial, a strategic document detailing these plans (now believed to be a forgery). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanaka_Memorial

1986:

In Nicaragua v. United States, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United States had violated international law by supporting the Contras in their rebellion against the Nicaraguan government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua_v._United_States

1989:

The International Labour Organization Convention 169, a major binding international convention concerning indigenous peoples, and a forerunner of the 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, was adopted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_and_Tribal_Peoples_Convention,_1989

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

philander: To make love to women; to play the male flirt. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/philander

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail. I try to increase the power God has given me to see the best in everything and every one, and make that Best a part of my life.   --Helen Keller https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Keller