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From today's featured article
The Rani of Jhansi (died 1858) was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After the death of the raja of Jhansi in 1853, the British East India Company, the overlord of Jhansi, refused to acknowledge his young wife—the Rani—as regent. They instead annexed Jhansi, ignoring her vigorous protests. In May 1857, the Indian troops at Jhansi joined the ongoing rebellion and massacred the town's British residents; the Rani's complicity in the killing remains uncertain. She took control of Jhansi and attempted to rule peacefully, but the British decided to consider her an enemy and attacked Jhansi in March and April 1858. The Rani escaped on horseback and continued to fight, before dying in battle near Gwalior Fort. Her story and legend became closely associated with Hindu mythology, Indian nationalism and the developing independence movement. She remains revered in most of modern India, and has been extensively depicted in artwork, cinema, and literature. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
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- ... that Elizabeth Gunning (caricature pictured) was the subject of a pamphlet war about forged love letters, and used her notoriety to market her first novel?
- ... that part of the Bolton Percy hoard was discovered by schoolboys?
- ... that Jake Larson went viral on TikTok for discussing his experiences of World War II?
- ... that the Mesola red deer survived only in a single woodland in Italy until 2023?
- ... that a university building designed in 1952 was built in 2020, needing only minor adjustments to meet building codes?
- ... that sportsman Nándor Dáni competed in athletics, cycling, rowing, and speed skating during his career?
- ... that government-owned grocery stores in the United States include city-owned supermarkets and military commissaries?
- ... that more than 200 British warships assembled for a fleet review just days before the start of the First World War?
- ... that Victor Hall, who died twice in 1986, is still alive?
In the news
- Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
- American astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, dies at the age of 97.
- A helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region, Ghana, kills eight people on board including ministers Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
- In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
On this day
August 15: Independence Day in India (1947); National Liberation Day of Korea (1945)
- 1018 – Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles captured and blinded Ibatzes of Bulgaria by means of a ruse, ending the last resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.
- 1461 – Byzantine–Ottoman wars: The Empire of Trebizond, the longest-surviving Byzantine successor state, was conquered by Ottoman forces following a month-long siege.
- 1812 – War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors ambushed a United States Army convoy after it had evacuated Fort Dearborn (site pictured), in present-day Chicago, and razed the fort.
- 1963 – President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
- 2005 – The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending more than 28 years of fighting.
- Stephen Breyer (b. 1938)
- Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950)
- Rosalía Mera (d. 2013)
- Gerd Müller (d. 2021)
From today's featured list
There are an estimated two thousand ghost towns in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. These towns began for a number of reasons, often as liquor towns, boomtowns, or mining towns, with some pre-dating statehood. The population and activity later declined in these locations due to the exhaustion of natural resources, manmade or natural disasters, urbanization, the creation of a water source, or after being bypassed by highways and interstates. These places vary in their current states with some having completely disappeared while others still have small communities. A small number have also gained notability for other reasons, such as being part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, for existing in an unusual location, or for crimes. The earliest known ghost town in Oklahoma was said to have been one by 1839 while the latest were evacuated in 2010. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
The Great Trigonometrical Survey was a project that aimed to survey the entire Indian subcontinent with scientific precision. It was begun in 1802 by the British infantry officer William Lambton, under the auspices of the East India Company. Under the leadership of his successor, George Everest, the project was made the responsibility of the Survey of India. Everest was succeeded by Andrew Scott Waugh, and after 1861, the project was led by James Walker, who oversaw its completion in 1871. Among the many accomplishments of the Survey were the demarcation of the British territories in India and the measurement of the heights of Mount Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga. The Survey had an enormous scientific impact as well, being responsible for one of the first accurate measurements of a section of an arc of longitude, and for measurements of the geodesic anomaly, which led to the development of the theories of isostasy. The native surveyors employed in the Himalayas, especially in Tibet (where Europeans were not allowed), were called pundits, and included cousins Nain Singh Rawat and Krishna Singh Rawat. This image shows the 1922 index to the Great Trigonometrical Survey.
Image: Survey of India
