Cyclone Waka was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to impact the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. Waka originated within the near-equatorial trough in mid-December 2001. The storm gradually matured and attained tropical cyclone status on December 29. Subsequently, Waka underwent rapid intensification in which it attained its peak intensity as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on December 31, with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Shortly thereafter, it passed directly over Vava'u, Tonga, resulting in widespread damage. By January 1, 2002, the cyclone began to weaken as it underwent an extratropical transition. The remnants of Waka persisted for several more days and were last observed near the Southern Ocean on January 6. Although the storm affected several countries along its path, Waka left the most significant losses in Tonga, where it killed one person and wrought 104.2 million paʻanga ($51.3 million USD) in damage. Hundreds of structures, including 200 in the island's largest city, and much of the nation's agriculture were destroyed. Due to the severity of damage, the name Waka was later retired and replaced with Wiki.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

68:

Roman Emperor Nero (bust pictured) committed suicide after he was deposed by the Senate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero

1772:

In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American patriots led by Abraham Whipple attacked and burned the British schooner Gaspée. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasp%C3%A9e_Affair

1873:

Sixteen days after it was built, Alexandra Palace in North London, England, was destroyed by fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Palace

1928:

Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith

1954:

During the Army–McCarthy hearings investigating conflicting accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy, Army lawyer Joseph N. Welch famously asked McCarthy, "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army%E2%80%93McCarthy_hearings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

colloquy: 1. A conversation or dialogue. 2. (law) A discussion during a trial in which a judge ensures that the defendant understands what is taking place in the trial and what their rights are. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/colloquy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

One thing most of us agree on is that the universe exists (people who deny that usually follow some trade other than science), so if some theoretical particle interaction would lead ultimately to the nonexistence of the universe, then you can save a lot of electricity by not trying to demonstrate it. --Joe Haldeman https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Haldeman