Hurricane Ioke was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Central Pacific. The first storm to form in the Central Pacific in the 2006 Pacific hurricane season, Ioke was a record breaking, long-lived and extremely powerful storm that traversed the Pacific for 19 days, reaching the equivalent of Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale three times. The cyclone developed from the Intertropical Convergence Zone on August 20 far to the south of Hawaii. Ioke gradually weakened as it turned northwestward and northward, and by September 6 it had transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. The remnants of Ioke accelerated northeastward and ultimately crossed into Alaska. Ioke did not affect any permanently populated areas in the Central Pacific or Western Pacific basins as a hurricane or a typhoon. A crew of 12 people rode out the hurricane in a hurricane-proof bunker on Johnston Atoll; the crew estimated winds reached over 100 mph (160 km/h), which damaged trees on the island but did not impact the island's bird population. The hurricane left moderate damage on Wake Island totaling $88 million (2006 USD), including blown off roofs and damaged buildings, though the infrastructure of the island was left intact; all military personnel were evacuated from the island.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ioke

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1099:

First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Protector of the Holy Sepulchre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_of_Bouillon

1793:

Two days after becoming the first recorded European to complete a transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico, Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie reached the westernmost point of his journey and inscribed his name on a rock . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_MacKenzie

1812:

Peninsular War: An Anglo-Portuguese force led by Arthur Wellesley inflicted a severe defeat on Marshal Auguste de Marmont and his French troops near Salamanca, Spain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamanca

1864:

American Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union troops at the Battle of Atlanta. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Atlanta

1934:

Bank robber John Dillinger, whose exploits were sensationalized across the United States, was shot dead by police in an ambush outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dillinger

1944:

In opposition to the Polish government-in-exile, the Polish Committee of National Liberation published its manifesto, calling for radical reforms, a continuation of fighting in World War II against Nazi Germany, nationalisation of industry, and a "decent border in the West". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Committee_of_National_Liberation

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

shibboleth (n): 1. A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish someone as belonging to a particular nation, class, profession etc. 2. A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or truth http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shibboleth

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. --Emma Lazarus http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus