Sonic Spinball is a pinball video game developed by the Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It was originally released for the Mega Drive/Genesis in North America and Europe in November 1993 and in Japan the following month. It was later ported to the Game Gear and Master System in 1994 and 1995 respectively. The game has been re-released on eleven different consoles and has been included in Genesis-related compilations. The player controls Sonic the Hedgehog, who is manipulated like a pinball in various machine-like environments for most of the game, while the series antagonist Doctor Robotnik tries to enslave the population on the planet Mobius. Sonic Spinball was commissioned by Sega when it became clear that a new Sonic the Hedgehog game could not be completed in time for the 1993 holiday season, since the majority of their staff were developing Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The game was hastily developed, with most work completed within two months. It received mixed reviews upon release; most critics praised the game's novelty and graphics but faulted its control scheme.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

649:

War against the Western Turks: The forces of Kucha surrendered after a siege, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in what is now Xinjiang. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_campaign_against_Kucha

1795:

The Batavian Republic was established, a day after William V, Prince of Orange fled the Dutch Republic as a result of the Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavian_Revolution_in_Amsterdam

1945:

World War II: Soviet forces liberated the Łódź Ghetto; only 877 Jews of the initial population of 164,000 remained there at that time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA_Ghetto

1975:

A magnitude 6.8 Ms earthquake struck northern Himachal Pradesh in India, causing extensive damage to the region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Kinnaur_earthquake

2012:

The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload (founder Kim Dotcom pictured) was shut down by the FBI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaupload

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ununennium: The systematic element name for the (as yet undiscovered) chemical element with an atomic number of 119 (symbol Uue). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ununennium

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

A man is none the less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years. Neither are a people any the less slaves because permitted periodically to choose new masters. What makes them slaves is the fact that they now are, and are always hereafter to be, in the hands of men whose power over them is, and always is to be, absolute and irresponsible.   --Lysander Spooner https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lysander_Spooner