Thomas Percy was a member of the failed Gunpowder Plot. Following King James's accession to the English throne in 1603, Percy became disenchanted with the new king, who he supposed had reneged on his promises of toleration for English Catholics. He joined Robert Catesby's conspiracy to kill the King and his ministers by blowing up the House of Lords with gunpowder. Percy helped fund the group and secured the leases to properties in London, including the undercroft beneath the House of Lords where the gunpowder was placed. When the plot was exposed on 5 November 1605, Percy fled to the Midlands, catching up with other conspirators travelling to Dunchurch. At the border of Staffordshire, they were besieged by the Sheriff of Worcester and his men. Percy was reportedly killed by the same musket ball as Catesby and was buried nearby. His body was later exhumed, and his head exhibited outside Parliament. (This article is part of a featured topic: Gunpowder Plot.)

• ... that a screen based on the circuitry of a rat brain (pictured) is displayed on the façade of the Jerusalem-based Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences?
• ... that the Korean War allowed Don Bragg to set a UCLA basketball record for the most rebounds by a varsity freshman, which stood for almost 40 years?
• ... that the Indonesian pulp and paper industry collectively controls over 10 million hectares of land?
• ... that Tore Skeie's first book, written while he faced severe financial hardship, won him a prize of NOK 100,000?
• ... that 1977's Typhoon Thelma was the most destructive event in Taiwan since World War II?
• ... that Sammy Basso was the oldest known person with progeria?
• ... that the 2024 psychological horror game Mouthwashing utilises non-diegetic scene transitions that mimic glitches and crashes?
• ... that John W. Keogh killed an attorney to encourage redistricting?
• ... that Methuselah likes belly rubs?

• Maia Sandu (pictured) is re-elected President of Moldova.
• In baseball, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars defeat the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to win the Japan Series.
• A canopy collapse at Serbia's Novi Sad railway station kills fourteen people.
• The ruins of a Maya city, dubbed Valeriana, are discovered in Campeche, Mexico.
• Duma Boko becomes the president of Botswana after the general election is won by the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change.

November 5: Election Day (United States) (2024); Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries

• 1138 – Lý Anh Tông was enthroned as the emperor of Đại Việt at the age of two, beginning a 37-year reign.
• 1943 – World War II: An unknown aircraft dropped four bombs on Vatican City, which maintained neutrality during the war.
• 1995 – Aline Chrétien (pictured) thwarted André Dallaire's attempt to assassinate her husband, Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien, by locking the bedroom door in 24 Sussex Drive, their official residence in Ottawa.
• 2003 – American serial killer Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of first-degree murder.
• 2013 – The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary probe.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Marina Bay MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North–South (NSL), Circle (CCL) and Thomson–East Coast (TEL) lines in Singapore. Located in the Downtown Core district near Marina Bay, it serves the Marina One Residences, Marina Bay Suites and the Marina Bay Financial Centre. It was one of the last stations to be completed in the early phases of the MRT network, opening on 4 November 1989. The station was the terminus of the NSL until the line's extension in 2014. It became an interchange station with the CCL when the two-station branch extension from Promenade station was completed in January 2012. The TEL station platforms were completed in November 2022, becoming a triple-line interchange on the MRT network. The station features art as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit programme. The sculpture Flowers in Blossom II is over the CCL mezzanine. The CCL platforms feature photographs by Nah Yong En and the TEL station features murals by Tang Ling Nah. (Full article...)

• ... that Chinese sculptor Pan He created the Zhuhai Fisher Girl (pictured), an icon of Zhuhai?
• ... that Toby Keith's last recording before his death was a cover of Joe Diffie's "Ships That Don't Come In" on the tribute album Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape?
• ... that swimmer Alex Portal and his brother Kylian Portal both won medals in the same event at the 2024 Paralympics?
• ... that the Chinese community of Kota Kinabalu sponsored the creation of the Malaysia Monument just 20 days before it needed to be completed to mark the formation of Malaysia?
• ... that Marine chaplain Francis W. Kelly was known as "Father Foxhole" for his presence on the front lines of the Pacific Theater?
• ... that in October 2024 Manawanui became the first Royal New Zealand Navy vessel to be lost in peacetime?
• ... that self-help author Beth Kempton held positions at both the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Tokyo and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London?
• ... that when the E-Defense was commissioned in 2005, it was the world's largest 3D earthquake shake table?
• ... that the Puck Building has two gilded Pucks?

• In baseball, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars defeat the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to win the Japan Series (MVP Masayuki Kuwahara pictured).
• Maia Sandu is re-elected President of Moldova.
• A canopy collapse at Serbia's Novi Sad railway station kills fourteen people.
• The ruins of a Maya city, dubbed Valeriana, are discovered in Campeche, Mexico.
• The Botswana general election is won by the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change.

November 4: Constitution Day in the Dominican Republic (2024); National Unity and Armed Forces Day in Italy

• 1890 – The City and South London Railway, the first deep-level underground railway in the world, officially opened, running 3.2 mi (5.1 km) between the City of London and Stockwell.
• 1912 – The keel of USS Nevada was laid down, beginning construction on the United States Navy's first "super-dreadnought".
• 1938 – The Hlinka Guard and Slovakian police began the deportation of several thousand Jews from the country.
• 1964 – Ruhollah Khomeini was arrested by SAVAK, the Iranian secret police, and exiled to Turkey.
• 2008 – Barack Obama (pictured) became the first African American to be elected President of the United States.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

On November 3, 1964, Illinois chose all 177 members of the state's House of Representatives in a single at-large election. The government was required to draw new electoral districts before the election, each of which would choose three representatives, but both the legislative process and a special commission failed to produce a district map. As a result, the state's constitution mandated that all 177 representatives were to be elected from a statewide at-large district. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party each nominated 118 candidates to appear on the ballot (specimen pictured); voters were allowed to choose up to 177. All 118 Democratic candidates were elected, flipping the Illinois House of Representatives from its previous narrow Republican control, alongside the concurrent presidential election won by Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson in a landslide. This election is the only time in American history that a state legislative chamber has been elected at-large. (Full article...)

• ... that convict James Davis (pictured) escaped custody in Australia and lived with Aboriginal Australians for 13 years?
• ... that America's first small-size silver certificate was referred to as a Funnyback?
• ... that the British Army deployed companies of aliens to France during the First World War?
• ... that Cate Blanchett played 13 different characters in the multi-screen film installation Manifesto?
• ... that Marie Marcks sarcastically caricatured gender roles like no one before, according to Jutta Limbach?
• ... that the tenants of a New York City apartment building protested against its owner by going to a racetrack and betting on his horse?
• ... that one of the last surviving women from Rapa Nui to receive traditional facial tattoos was queen consort Ana Eva Hei?
• ... that the Nualas' 2015 novelty song "Yes 2 Love" was created to promote a yes vote?
• ... that Ivan Ivan played for the Eagles and the Eagles?

• A Maya city, dubbed Valeriana, is discovered in Campeche, Mexico.
• The Botswana general election is won by the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change, led by Duma Boko (pictured).
• In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series.
• Flooding in Spain kills more than 200 people.

November 3: Culture Day in Japan

• 1793 – French Revolution: Playwright, journalist and outspoken feminist Olympe de Gouges was guillotined.
• 1898 – The Fashoda Incident ended with French forces withdrawing after several months of military stalemate with the British in Fashoda (now in South Sudan).
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Marines and U.S. Army forces began an attempt to encircle and destroy a regiment of Imperial Japanese Army troops on Guadalcanal.
• 1948 – The Chicago Daily Tribune published the erroneous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" (pictured) in its early morning edition shortly after incumbent U.S. president Harry S. Truman officially upset the heavily favored governor of New York Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.
• 1957 – The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the space dog Laika as the first living creature to enter orbit around Earth.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Daniel Boone (November 2, 1734 – September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman. In 1775, he blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, despite resistance from Native Americans; by the end of the 18th century, more than 200,000 people had entered Kentucky by following the route marked by Boone. He was adopted into the Shawnee tribe in 1778 but resigned after his son was killed by members. In April 1781, Boone was elected to the Virginia General Assembly. An account of his adventures was published in 1784, making him famous in America and Europe. After the Revolutionary War, he worked as a surveyor and merchant but went into debt as a Kentucky land speculator. In 1799, Boone resettled in Missouri, where he spent most of his remaining life. After his death, he was the subject of works of fiction; his adventures helped create the archetypal frontier hero of American folklore. (Full article...)

• ... that the basement of the Edmonds Band Rotunda (pictured) was once used as a kitchen?
• ... that a member of the second Adrian Hasler cabinet was expelled in 2019 following an embezzlement scandal?
• ... that after Liam and Noel Gallagher's band Oasis announced "the most controversial band reunion since the Sex Pistols' 1996 Filthy Lucre Tour", Noel's daughter Anaïs Gallagher criticised some fans for ageism and sexism?
• ... that oral repositories are individuals trusted with memorising a society's oral traditions, and have been termed "walking libraries"?
• ... that David de Pomis published a trilingual Hebrew–Aramaic, Latin and Italian dictionary in 1587?
• ... that Come In was recorded on a hands-free microphone attached to a pair of headphones?
• ... that a poultry farmer was the first woman to compete for the Sovereign's Prize, the highest honour in British rifle shooting?
• ... that Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures excludes mentions of Nazism that are present in the Indiana Jones films?
• ... that Mitch Torres is a "self-proclaimed damper destroyer"?

• In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series (MVP Freddie Freeman pictured).
• Flooding in Spain kills more than 200 people.
• The Social Democrats, led by Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, win the Lithuanian parliamentary election after the second voting round.
• In the Japanese general election, the LDP-led ruling coalition loses its majority in the House of Representatives.

November 2

• 619 – Emperor Gaozu of Tang allowed the assassination of a khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate by Eastern Turkic rivals, one of the earliest events in the Tang campaigns against the Western Turks.
• 1932 – The Australian military began a "war against emus" (man with dead emu pictured), flightless native birds blamed for widespread damage to crops in Western Australia.
• 1943 – World War II: A U.S. Navy task force turned away an Imperial Japanese Navy formation at the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, thus protecting the landings at Cape Torokina.
• 1960 – In the trial R v Penguin Books Ltd, publisher Penguin Books was acquitted of obscenity for the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence.
• 2007 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the allegedly corrupt government of president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

William de Ros, 6th Baron Ros (c. 1370 – 1 November 1414), was an English nobleman, politician and soldier. He inherited his father's feudal barony and extensive estates centred on Lincolnshire in 1394. Shortly afterwards he married Margaret, daughter of Baron Fitzalan, whose family, like that of de Ros, was well-connected and implacably opposed to King Richard II. In 1399 Richard confiscated the estates of his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, and exiled him. When Henry invaded England several months later, de Ros took his side almost immediately. After Henry declared himself King Henry IV, de Ros voted in the House of Lords for the former king's imprisonment. He became an important aide and counsellor to King Henry, and regularly spoke for him in parliament. He also supported Henry in his military campaigns, participating in the invasion of Scotland in 1400 and assisting in the suppression of Richard le Scrope's rebellion five years later. (Full article...)

• ... that a photograph of Chili Williams, known as the "Polka Dot Girl" (pictured), was one of the "two most famous pin-up pictures" of World War II?
• ... that diverse fields study the mind, including psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and philosophy?
• ... that NFL player Muadianvita Kazadi viewed football as "war", according to a teammate?
• ... that, despite Delibird being directly inspired by Santa Claus, TheGamer refused to give it the title of Christmas Pokémon?
• ... that a German court's decision involving football stadiums may preclude Facebook from arbitrarily banning users?
• ... that Yang Pao'an refused to forsake the Chinese Communist Party, reportedly even after a telephone call with Chiang Kai-shek?
• ... that despite being commonly found off the coast of Argentina, Diplodus argenteus is not named after the country?
• ... that the music video for John Lennon's "You Are Here", issued half a century after the song was released, shows previously unseen footage of Lennon?
• ... that politician Teleke Lauti unseated a former prime minister, was himself unseated by a future prime minister, and later ran again to replace a former prime minister?

• In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series (MVP Freddie Freeman pictured).
• Flooding in Spain kills more than 160 people.
• In the Japanese general election, the LDP-led ruling coalition loses its majority in the House of Representatives.
• Georgian Dream wins the parliamentary election in Georgia amidst allegations of voting irregularities.

November 1: Samhain and Beltane in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively; Rajyotsava (Formation Day) in Karnataka, India (1956)

• 1214 – Byzantine–Seljuk wars: Seljuq Turks captured the important port city of Sinope.
• 1921 – Frances Kyle was called to the Bar of Ireland, becoming the first female barrister in Ireland or Great Britain.
• 1941 – American photographer Ansel Adams (pictured) shot Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, one of his most famous photographs.
• 1944 – World War II: An American F-13 Superfortress made the first flight by an Allied aircraft over Tokyo since the Doolittle Raid in April 1942.
• 1963 – Lê Quang Tung, loyalist head of the South Vietnam Special Forces, was executed in a U.S.-backed coup against president Ngô Đình Diệm following a period of religious unrest.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

"The Raven" is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. Noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere, it tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing his slow descent into madness. The lover is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. The raven, sitting on a bust of Pallas, seems to further instigate his distress with its repeated word "Nevermore". Throughout, Poe alludes to folklore and classical works. Poe explained in a follow-up essay, "The Philosophy of Composition", that his intention was to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes. The poem was inspired in part by a talking raven in Charles Dickens's 1841 novel Barnaby Rudge. The publication of "The Raven" made Poe widely popular in his day. The poem was soon heavily reprinted, parodied, and illustrated. Though some critics disagree about the value of the poem, it remains well known and popular. (Full article...)

• ... that slime monsters (example pictured) have been described as both "a tool for questioning the idea of human exceptionalism" and "loyal punching bags"?
• ... that some Idaho mountain deathcamas are pollinated by carrion and flesh flies rather than bees?
• ... that What a Merry-Go-Round closed with evil clowns cavorting around a carousel?
• ... that the ghost of Margaret C. Waites is said to haunt an undergraduate suite at Harvard College's Cabot House, protecting her book collection?
• ... that trunk-or-treating was created as a safer alternative to regular trick-or-treating?
• ... that Vincent Darré had a Parisian apartment decorated with skulls?
• ... that the song "Haunted" "blends cuteness and spookiness"?
• ... that the Australian spider Progradungula barringtonensis has been called a "ghost of Gondwana"?
• ... that Brian David Gilbert released a series of monster-themed ABBA covers under the name AAAH!BBA?
• ... that the zombie film Get the Hell Out was shot at the currently abandoned Kaohsiung City Council Hall, which had neither water nor electricity?
• ... that the Devil's Doorway is found in Wisconsin?

• Flooding in Spain kills more than 95 people.
• In the Japanese general election, the LDP-led ruling coalition loses its majority in the House of Representatives.
• Georgian Dream wins the parliamentary election in Georgia amidst allegations of voting irregularities.
• Daniel Chapo (pictured) is announced as the president-elect of Mozambique following protests against his party during the Mozambican general election.

October 31: Halloween

• 1917 – World War I: Allied forces defeated Turkish troops in Beersheba in Southern Palestine at the Battle of Beersheba, with the battle involving one of the last successful cavalry charges.
• 1941 – 100 crew members of the USS Reuben James (pictured) perished when their vessel became the first U.S. Navy ship sunk by hostile action during World War II after it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-552.
• 1963 – A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis killed 81 people and injured about 400 others.
• 1973 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the prison's exercise yard.
• 2003 – After 22 years in power, Tun Mahathir Mohamad retired as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The tomb of Philippe Pot is a life-sized funerary monument commissioned by the military leader and diplomat Philippe Pot. Pot was a godson of Philip the Good and became a knight of the Golden Fleece; he later served the French king, Louis XI, who appointed him grand seneschal of Burgundy, and Louis's son Charles VIII. His effigy shows him recumbent on a slab, his hands raised in prayer, wearing armour and a heraldic tunic. Pot commissioned the tomb when he was around 52 years old, some 13 years before his death in 1493. The inscriptions written on the sides of the slab emphasise his achievements and social standing. The tomb is made of limestone, paint, gold and lead. Although its sculptor is unrecorded, art historians generally cite Antoine Le Moiturier as the most likely designer. The monument was stolen during the French Revolution; since 1899 it has been in the Louvre, where it is on permanent display. The tomb underwent a major restoration between 2016 and 2018. (Full article...)

• ... that Wing Sam Chinn combined Chinese and Beaux-Arts architecture in his design for a building in Seattle (pictured)?
• ... that the Labour Party of Turkey was banned by the Constitutional Court in 1980 due to its support for the use of the Kurdish language in schools?
• ... that Michael Sugrue became an "internet phenomenon" during the COVID-19 pandemic for his lectures on YouTube, recorded in 1992, that covered "the last 3,000 years of Western intellectual history"?
• ... that Ready Set Learn! was TLC's answer to the PBS children's lineup?
• ... that Shawn Mendes's song "Nobody Knows" was recorded in one take on a "tough night"?
• ... that in 2018 thieves stole 40 percent of the cocoa produced by the São Toméan Organic Cocoa Production and Export Cooperative?
• ... that Matthew Webb died attempting to swim down the Niagara Rapids?
• ... that Mobtown Ballroom and Café enlisted volunteers to build its sprung wood floor by hand – twice?
• ... that an attempt to portray Abbess Hathumoda as a Christian saint after her death failed because everyone knew that she could be quite petulant?

• In the Japanese general election, the LDP-led ruling coalition loses its majority in the House of Representatives.
• Georgian Dream wins the parliamentary election in Georgia amidst allegations of voting irregularities.
• Tropical Storm Trami (satellite image shown) leaves more than 140 people dead in the Philippines.
• An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.

October 30: Mischief Night

• 1938 – CBS Radio broadcast the radio drama The War of the Worlds, causing panic among some listeners who believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress.
• 1948 – A luzzu (Maltese fishing boat) overloaded with passengers capsized and sank in the Gozo Channel off Qala, killing 23 of the 27 people on board (monument pictured).
• 1991 – The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through negotiations, convened.
• 1993 – The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight people and wounding nineteen others.
• 2002 – After his terminal-cancer diagnosis, Warren Zevon made his last public appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, giving the advice to "enjoy every sandwich".

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game was a regular-season collegiate American football game played on October 29, 1921, at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. The contest featured the undefeated Centre Praying Colonels, representing Centre College, and the undefeated Harvard Crimson, representing Harvard University. Centre entered the game as heavy underdogs, as Harvard had received 3-to-1 odds to win prior to kickoff. The only score of the game came less than two minutes into the third quarter when Centre quarterback Bo McMillin rushed for a touchdown. The conversion failed but the Colonels' defense held for the remainder of the game, and Centre won the game 6–0. The game is widely viewed as one of the largest upsets in college football history. It is often referred to by the shorthand "C6H0"; this originated shortly after the game when a Centre professor remarked that Harvard had been poisoned by this "impossible" chemical formula. (Full article...)

• ... that Maroon 5, Kali Uchis, and Wilco have all used the same effects unit (pictured)?
• ... that Shah Budak, a prince of the Dulkadir dynasty in Anatolia, blinded his nephew Shahruh in retaliation for his son's similar fate?
• ... that at one point the Lyons Pool Recreation Center had three employees whose only job was to maintain water filters?
• ... that a 19th-century newspaper editor went to prison after protesting the Isle of Man's lack of democracy?
• ... that Stephen Tung was cast in Stuntman because the directors envisioned someone who had co-starred with Bruce Lee for the lead role?
• ... that Prussian-born Samuel Conrad Schwach founded the first newspaper in Norway in 1763?
• ... that "So American" is considered the first love song in Olivia Rodrigo's discography by critics?
• ... that the law of reentry is cited as an explanation for a character's abrupt exit from the stage in Richard II?
• ... that Gao Qifeng, a founder of the Lingnan School, slept in a room filled with explosives?

• Tropical Storm Trami (satellite image shown) leaves more than 120 people dead in the Philippines.
• An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.
• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.

October 29: Republic Day in Turkey (1923)

• 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Wauhatchie, one of the few night battles of the war, concluded with the Union Army opening a supply line to troops in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• 1960 – A C-46 airliner carrying the Cal Poly Mustangs football team crashed during takeoff from Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, U.S., resulting in 22 deaths.
• 1986 – British prime minister Margaret Thatcher officially opened the M25, one of Britain's busiest motorways.
• 1991 – Galileo became the first spacecraft to visit an asteroid when it made a flyby of 951 Gaspra.
• 2013 – The first phase of the Marmaray project opened with an undersea rail tunnel (train pictured) across the Bosphorus strait.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) is a genus of vines in the gourd family, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five species are grown worldwide, variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd depending on species, variety, and local parlance. The fruits have played a role in human culture for at least 2,000 years. First cultivated in the Americas before being brought to Europe by returning explorers, the plants remain an important food source. Most Cucurbita species are herbaceous vines that grow several meters in length and have tendrils, but bush cultivars of C. pepo and C. maxima have also been developed. Many North and Central American species are visited by honey bees, as well as specialist bees that pollinate only a single species. Most of the domesticated species can be considered winter squash, since the full-grown fruits can be stored for months. Their extracts have many uses, including in cosmetics. The fruits are also good sources of vitamins and minerals. (Full article...)

• ... that the traditional Rapa Nui tattoos of Viriamo (pictured) included motifs similar to an adze and a paddle?
• ... that in the Littlehampton libels, Edith Swan fooled three juries and two judges, had another woman sent to prison twice, and was declared not guilty before finally being convicted?
• ... that Filomena Fortes once said that she was "a bit critical of top-level sports in Cape Verde" despite being the president of its National Olympic Committee?
• ... that on the same day that the members of Heaven's Gate died in a mass suicide, five members of an unrelated group did likewise?
• ... that American stage actress Verna Mersereau performed her traditional classical dances before royalty in Calcutta?
• ... that the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival canceled the screening of a politically themed film due to the "inability to locate suitable copies", despite the film having been showcased three years earlier?
• ... that the owners of Jumbo's claimed it became the first white-owned restaurant in Miami to serve and employ black people in the late 1960s?
• ... that Gerda Philipsborn, a German woman, dedicated her life to the development of Jamia Millia Islamia, a national university in New Delhi?
• ... that one 1886 night 150 people broke into a courthouse and began moving it 15 miles (24 km), before getting stuck in a blizzard?

• Tropical Storm Trami (satellite image shown) leaves more than 120 people dead in the Philippines.
• An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.
• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.

October 28

• 1707 – The Hōei earthquake ruptured all segments of the Nankai megathrust simultaneously – the only earthquake recorded to have done so.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: As George Washington's Continental Army retreated northward from New York City, the British Army captured the village of White Plains.
• 1928 – Indonesian composer Wage Rudolf Supratman introduced "Indonesia Raya", now the country's national anthem.
• 1971 – Prospero (flight spare pictured), the first British satellite launched on a British rocket, lifted off from Launch Area 5B in Woomera, South Australia.
• 1992 – Hans-Adam II threatened to dismiss the Landtag of Liechtenstein over disagreements on the date of a referendum for the country's accession to the EEA.
• 2013 – The first terrorist attack in Beijing's recent history took place when members of the Turkistan Islamic Party drove a vehicle into a crowd, killing five people and injuring thirty-eight others.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Hadji Ali (c. 1888–1892 – 1937) was a vaudeville performance artist famous for acts of controlled regurgitation. Thought to be of Egyptian extraction, his feats included water spouting, smoke swallowing and nut and handkerchief swallowing followed by disgorgement in an order chosen by the audience. The mainstay of Ali's act was water spouting (poster pictured). After swallowing 60 to 100 glasses of water at a time, he spouted it in a continuous stream sometimes for up to one minute. Ali's most famous stunt, and the highlight of his act, was drinking water followed by kerosene, and then acting by turns as a human flamethrower and fire extinguisher as he expelled the two liquids onto a theatrical prop. Ali had a dedicated following on the vaudeville circuit in the United States and performed for heads of state, including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. After he died in England, his body was offered to Johns Hopkins University for study, though the offer was declined. (Full article...)

• ... that a nuclear reactor was nearly built at the New York Hall of Science (pictured), but the money for the institution instead went to Yankee Stadium?
• ... that George Bernard Shaw jokingly threatened to torture Hilaire Belloc if it would get G. K. Chesterton to write his first play?
• ... that Norman warrior Hugh Bunel lived for years among the Saracens before turning against them to join the First Crusade?
• ... that after reading American Writers, William Lloyd Garrison told John Neal to be on guard should he return to the United States?
• ... that Druze rower Saleh Shahin won a bronze medal for Israel at the 2024 Paris Paralympics 19 years after he was injured in a terrorist attack?
• ... that the Hong Kong–based holding company now known as Nan Nan Resources went by three different names in 2011?
• ... that Dusko Doder reported the 1984 death of Yuri Andropov, the leader of the Soviet Union, before any official announcement?
• ... that Queen Victoria supported Clare embroidery by purchasing dresses for her family?
• ... that chocolate is included as an ingredient in 18th-century Italian recipes for pappardelle, fried liver, black polenta, and lasagna sauce?

• An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (perpetrators pictured) on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.
• Tropical Storm Trami kills at least 97 people in the Philippines.
• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.

October 27

• 1904 – The first underground segment of the New York City Subway opened, connecting New York City Hall (station pictured) with Harlem.
• 1914 – World War I: The Royal Navy dreadnought HMS Audacious was sunk by a mine, but its loss was kept secret for four years.
• 1946 – Inter-religious riots in which Hindu mobs targeted Muslim families began in the Indian state of Bihar, resulting in 2,000 to 30,000 deaths.
• 1967 – American Catholic priest Philip Berrigan led a protest against the Vietnam War by pouring blood over Selective Service records in Baltimore, Maryland.
• 1993 – Widerøe Flight 744 suffered a controlled flight into terrain while on approach to Namsos Airport, Norway, killing two crew members and four passengers.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Katy Perry (born October 25, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She released her debut album in 2001, then signed to Capitol Records in 2007. Perry rose to fame in 2008 with the release of the single "I Kissed a Girl". She has released seven studio albums, most recently 143 in September 2024. Perry has the second-most US diamond certified singles for any female artist (six). She has received various accolades, including a Billboard Spotlight Award, four Guinness World Records, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. Perry is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 143 million units worldwide. She made her film debut voicing Smurfette in The Smurfs in 2011, released a documentary film in 2012, and launched her own shoe line, Katy Perry Collections, in 2017. Perry served as a judge on American Idol between 2018 and 2024. (Full article...)

• ... that Wigwam (pictured) formed four days before their first concert?
• ... that a 1920s reviewer considered Hammond's Hard Lines "dangerously experimental ground for boys' fiction"?
• ... that Eddie Canales set up nearly 200 water stations along an area of the US–Mexico border to save the lives of undocumented immigrants?
• ... that before his victory at the 1128 Battle of Axspoele, William Clito ordered his knights to cut their hair and remove opulent clothing as a sign of penance?
• ... that Canadian punk rock musician Talli Osborne had only briefly spoken to the frontman of NOFX before the band wrote a song about her?
• ... that a red light in the corner bay window of the Ansorge Hotel told rumrunners of revenue men in town?
• ... that some delegates elected in the Qing Dynasty's first provincial elections were secretly affiliated with republican revolutionaries?
• ... that neurocysticercosis has been referred to as the "great imitator" because it can mimic many other neurological disorders?
• ... that the only two Venezuelans ever to make the NFL, Pat Ragusa and Alan Pringle, played a combined total of four games?

• An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (perpetrators pictured) on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.
• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.

October 26

• 1341 – The Byzantine army proclaimed chief minister John VI Kantakouzenos as emperor, triggering a civil war between his supporters and those of John V Palaiologos, the heir to the throne.
• 1871 – Liberian president Edward James Roye was overthrown in modern Africa's first coup d'état.
• 1892 – Ida B. Wells (pictured) began publishing her research on lynching in the United States, for which she was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2020.
• 1955 – Ngô Đình Diệm proclaimed himself president of the newly created Republic of Vietnam after defeating former emperor Bảo Đại in a fraudulent referendum supervised by his brother Ngô Đình Nhu.
• 2004 – Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, considered one of the best video games ever made, in North America.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The Fusō-class battleships were a pair of dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War I: Fusō was launched in 1914, and Yamashiro (pictured) in 1915. During the 1930s, both ships underwent a series of modernizations and reconstructions. This increased their armor, replaced and upgraded their machinery, and rebuilt their superstructures into a distinctive pagoda-mast style. Despite the expensive reconstructions, both vessels were considered obsolescent by the eve of World War II, and neither saw significant action in the early years of the war. In 1944 both underwent upgrades to their anti-aircraft suite before transferring to Singapore. Fusō and Yamashiro were the only two Japanese battleships at the Battle of Surigao Strait, the southernmost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and both were lost in the early hours of 25 October 1944 to torpedoes and naval gunfire. Only ten crewmembers from each ship survived. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Japan.)

• ... that cartoonist Anna Haifisch (pictured) has been "bend[ing] the rules of comics"?
• ... that MyRadar uses a custom satellite constellation to help forecast the weather?
• ... that the early woman explorer Adèle de Dombasle travelled to Polynesia in 1847 and worked as an illustrator, drawing people such as Queen Pōmare IV?
• ... that song lyrics were allowed as evidence in the YSL Records racketeering trial?
• ... that imprisoned Afghan politician Abdur Rahman Mahmudi wrote poems using onion juice as ink in his prison cell?
• ... that part of the site of Granville Colliery is now used as a dry ski slope?
• ... that the parents of Mathias Nkwenti, the second Cameroonian ever to play in the NFL, initially opposed his football career?
• ... that a small golden bell found at the site of the Mount Gerizim Temple is believed to have been part of the ephod of a high priest, as described in Exodus 28?
• ... that because the lord chancellor of England did not freeze assets before trial in 1789, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 1999 that U.S. courts cannot either?

• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar (pictured), the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.

October 25

• 1616 – Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog left a plate on an island in Shark Bay, the oldest-known artefact of European exploration in Australia still in existence.
• 1854 – Crimean War: The ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade (pictured) was decisively repelled by Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava.
• 1950 – The People's Volunteer Army ambushed the South Korean II Corps at the Battle of Onjong, and elsewhere engaged the 1st Infantry Division at the Battle of Unsan, marking China's entry into the Korean War.
• 2001 – Windows XP, one of the most popular and widely used versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, was released for retail sale.
• 2022 – At 49 days, Liz Truss concluded the shortest tenure as prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Umbriel is the third-largest moon of Uranus. It was discovered on October 24, 1851, by William Lassell. Named after a character in the 1712 poem The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope, Umbriel is composed mainly of ice with a substantial fraction of rock. It may be differentiated into a rocky core and an icy mantle. Its surface, the darkest among Uranian moons, appears to have been shaped mostly by impacts, but the presence of canyons suggests early endogenic processes. This shows Umbriel may have undergone an early endogenically driven resurfacing event that erased its older surface. Covered by numerous impact craters reaching 210 km (130 mi) in diameter, Umbriel is the second-most heavily cratered satellite of Uranus after Oberon. Like all moons of Uranus, Umbriel likely formed from an accretion disk that surrounded the planet just after its formation. The only close study of Umbriel was conducted in January 1986 by Voyager 2, which captured images of about 40 percent of its surface during the spacecraft's flyby of Uranus. (Full article...)

• ... that for nearly 65 years, Wuhan trolleybus route 1 (pictured) included a loop around a statue of Sun Yat-sen?
• ... that a Stradivarius cello once owned by Ernest de Munck is now named after him?
• ... that the Félag hljómplötuframleiðenda tried to close the file-sharing website Istorrent in 2007–2008, but the Supreme Court of Iceland dismissed the case?
• ... that a banker was named the prime minister of Equatorial Guinea after his predecessor resigned during an economic crisis?
• ... that while shooting his first short film, Jean-Luc Godard was barred from his mother's funeral for stealing?
• ... that Brenden Bates "loves moving people against their will"?
• ... that a fort in Baguia was restored to be converted into tourist accommodation?
• ... that The New York Times Simulator was inspired by its creator's frustration with media coverage of the Israel–Hamas war?

• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar (pictured), the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.

October 24: Simchat Torah begins at sunset (Jewish diaspora)

• 1260 – Qutuz (bust pictured), the sultan of Egypt, was assassinated and replaced by fellow Mamluk leader Baybars.
• 1796 – War of the First Coalition: The Battle of Schliengen was fought between the French and Austrian armies, who both claimed victory.
• 1945 – The Charter of the United Nations entered into force after being ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and a majority of the other signatories.
• 1975 – In protest against wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices, 90 percent of Iceland's female population went on strike for a day.
• 2003 – The inaugural Afro-Asian Games opened in Hyderabad, with 2,040 athletes from 96 nations competing.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Wells Cathedral is an Anglican place of worship in Wells, Somerset, dedicated to Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a Roman Catholic cathedral from around 1175 to replace an earlier church on the site since 705, it became an Anglican cathedral when Henry VIII split from Rome. Its Gothic architecture is mostly inspired from Early English style of the late 12th to early 13th centuries. The stonework of its pointed arcades and fluted piers bears pronounced mouldings and carved capitals in a foliate, "stiff-leaf" style. The east end retains much ancient stained glass. Unlike many cathedrals of monastic foundation, Wells has many surviving secular buildings linked to its chapter of secular canons, including the Bishop's Palace and the 15th-century residential Vicars' Close. It is a Grade I listed building. (Full article...)

• ... that in fiction, neutron stars (pictured) harbour exotic lifeforms in their vicinity, on their surface, and even in their interior?
• ... that an Australian wildlife conservationist has trapped and killed more than 1,450 feral cats?
• ... that the original exhibition of art installation Chocolate Room was shut down after attracting an "army of ants"?
• ... that Iowa politician June Franklin wrote to ten members of the US Congress urging them to declare Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday?
• ... that an ancient Canadian archaeological site was discovered during the construction of a dump?
• ... that Chris Collier is the first NFL player from his college in 37 years?
• ... that Veto, inspired by the history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, is considered to be the first Polish collectible card game?
• ... that a man's body, found wearing only a woman's wedding ring and a pair of socks in 1971, is the oldest unsolved missing persons case in Staffordshire, England?
• ... that Mdou Moctar's 2021 album Afrique Victime was distributed on pre-loaded Nokia 6120 classic cellphones?

• Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
• Yahya Sinwar (pictured), the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.

October 23: Mole Day

• 1798 – War of the Second Coalition: The Ottoman–Albanian forces of Ali Pasha of Janina defeated French troops and captured the town of Preveza at the Battle of Nicopolis.
• 1850 – The inaugural National Women's Rights Convention, presided over by American activist Paulina Wright Davis (pictured), began in Worcester, Massachusetts.
• 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont flew his biplane 14-bis for 50 metres (160 ft) at an altitude of about four metres (13 ft).
• 2001 – Grand Theft Auto III was released, helping to popularize open-world and mature-content video games.
• 2022 – Myanmar civil war: Burmese military forces launched airstrikes that killed at least 80 concertgoers in Kachin State.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is an interactive drama and survival horror video game, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the third game of the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology and was released on 22 October 2021. Ashley Tisdale (pictured) was marketed as the game's lead. Set during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the plot follows four Americans working for the US Armed Forces and one Iraqi Republican Guard who fall into a subterranean Akkadian temple where they must work together to survive the vampiric creatures that infest the area. The game features two single-player gameplay modes and two that are multiplayer, with one played online, while the other can be played locally. House of Ashes received mixed reviews from critics upon release. The fourth game in the series, The Devil in Me, was revealed in a teaser trailer at the end of House of Ashes, and released on 18 November 2022. (Full article...)

• ... that rabbits can control their body temperature with their ears (pictured)?
• ... that both Christian Albright and De'Montre Tuggle were born on the same day, named second-team all-Mid-American Conference in 2020, signed with the Chicago Bears in 2022, and debuted in the CFL in 2023?
• ... that thrash metal band Hermética has a failed project to release a version of their debut album in English?
• ... that Oxford suffragist Myvanwy Rhys earned first-class honours from Newnham College, Cambridge, but was denied a degree?
• ... that the verdict of Pell v The Queen could not be reported on properly for two months?
• ... that approximately 85 per cent of Welsh children were not in school in 1821?
• ... that the scenes set in the United States in the Taiwanese film Daughter's Daughter were nearly omitted during the writing process but were retained at the insistence of lead actress Sylvia Chang?
• ... that an Oklahoma TV station returned to its original call sign after the death of its founder, Gene Autry?
• ... that Indonesian legislator Jamaludin Malik wore an Ultraman costume to his swearing-in ceremony?

• Yahya Sinwar (pictured), the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.
• Kenyan Ruth Chepng'etich breaks the women's marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon.

October 22

• 1724 – J. S. Bach led the first performance of the chorale cantata Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (Adorn yourself, O dear soul), based on the communion hymn of the same name, in Leipzig.
• 1727 – George II and Caroline of Ansbach (pictured) were crowned king and queen of Great Britain in Westminster Abbey.
• 1895 – At Gare Montparnasse in Paris, an express train derailed after overrunning the buffer stop and crashed through the station wall, with the locomotive landing on the street below.
• 1924 – The educational non-profit organization Toastmasters International was founded at a YMCA in Santa Ana, California.
• 2014 – In Ottawa, Canada, the downtown core was placed on lockdown after a series of shootings at Parliament Hill.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga (pictured) from her third extended play, The Fame Monster (2009). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. It is an electropop and dance-pop song with a spoken bridge. The lyrics, which describe Gaga's attraction to unhealthy romantic relationships, were drawn from the paranoia she experienced while on tour. "Bad Romance" topped charts in more than 20 countries and sold 12 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. It won two Grammy Awards and was named one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Its music video received critical praise, won various accolades (including seven MTV Video Music Awards) and was briefly the most-viewed video on YouTube in 2010. Gaga has performed "Bad Romance" on multiple occasions, including at the Super Bowl LI halftime show in 2017. (Full article...)

• ... that Karađorđeva šnicla (pictured) was accidentally created as an improvisation of chicken Kiev?
• ... that activist Joan McIntyre left Friends of the Earth to start her own organization focused on stopping Japanese and Russian whaling?
• ... that Sandra Ng wore her own clothes while filming Love Lies to help the production crew save on the budget?
• ... that the world's largest video game studio is headquartered in a former textile factory?
• ... that Renaissance-era weapons designer Abramo Colorni performed magical illusions and card tricks for his patrons?
• ... that Ogeretsu Tanaka was inspired to create the manga series Happy of the End after taking a morning walk in Shinjuku?
• ... that in 1825 the Suquamish leader Kitsap led an alliance of tribes stretching from the Columbia River to Puget Sound to stop the Cowichan slave raids wreaking havoc on the Sound?
• ... that a judge is threatening to shut down Wikipedia in India over a defamation lawsuit?
• ... that a South Dakota radio station went from a university to "Guns, Gold & Rock 'n' Roll"?

• Yahya Sinwar (pictured), the acting leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.
• Kenyan Ruth Chepng'etich breaks the women's marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon.
• The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the Japanese atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo.

October 19

• 1579 – A ceremony was held in Edinburgh marking the coming of age of James VI of Scotland as an adult ruler.
• 1752 – The Pennsylvania Gazette published a statement by Benjamin Franklin describing a kite experiment (depicted) to determine the electrical nature of lightning.
• 1914 – First World War: Allied forces began engaging German troops at the First Battle of Ypres.
• 1987 – Iran–Iraq War: U.S. Navy forces destroyed two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in response to an Iranian missile attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker three days earlier.
• 2013 – British YouTube collective the Sidemen were formed as a Rockstar Games Social Club group in Grand Theft Auto Online.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The Galileo project was an American robotic space program that studied Jupiter and its moons (including Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto), as well as several other Solar System bodies. Named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Galileo spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and an atmospheric entry probe. It was launched in 1989 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission. Despite suffering major antenna problems, Galileo achieved the first asteroid flyby (of 951 Gaspra), discovered the first asteroid moon (Dactyl, around 243 Ida), and observed Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9's collision with Jupiter. After gravity-assisted flybys of Venus and Earth, Galileo became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It then launched the first probe to directly measure Jupiter's atmosphere. In 2003, the mission was terminated by sending the orbiter into Jupiter's atmosphere to eliminate the possibility of contaminating the Jovian moons with terrestrial bacteria. (Full article...)

• ... that the Ferrari FF (pictured) was, upon its release, the world's fastest four-seater car?
• ... that a Paralympic gold medalist originally did not know that she qualified for parasports?
• ... that Karan Aujla's Hindi-language single "Tauba Tauba" from the 2024 film Bad Newz became a Canadian Hot 100 top-25 song ahead of the film's release?
• ... that Dani Sanchez-Lopez wanted to be an actor but switched to cinematography after realizing that actors deliver others' lines?
• ... that in UnMetal, the player has to heal any enemies whom they shoot?
• ... that manga artist Shinichi Ishizuka was told that becoming a manga artist would be "absolutely impossible"?
• ... that two Wisconsin radio stations purchased and reassembled the Wisconsin Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair for use as their studios?
• ... that the extension to the Yumeshima Station was originally supposed to be opened in 2008 for when the Osaka Olympics was being bid for?
• ... that Tonia Ko once composed a three-part concerto played on bubble wrap?

• Yahya Sinwar, the acting leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu (pictured), Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies of prosperity between nations.
• The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.
• Kenyan Ruth Chepng'etich breaks the women's marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon.
• The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the Japanese atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo.

October 18: Alaska Day (1867)

• 1565 – The first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese occurred when a flotilla of samurai attacked two Portuguese trade vessels at the Battle of Fukuda Bay in Nagasaki.
• 1748 – The War of the Austrian Succession ended with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
• 1873 – Renton defeated Kilmarnock 2–0 in the opening match of the inaugural Scottish Cup.
• 1968 – At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American athlete Bob Beamon (pictured) achieved a distance of 8.90 m (29.2 ft) in the long jump event, setting a world record that stood for 23 years.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Changi Airport MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in Changi, Singapore. The station directly connects to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of Changi Airport and serves other airport amenities. Glass atrium walls at the ends of the station support an illuminated bridge that spans the island platform while allowing maximum sunlight into the station. A rail connection to the airport had been planned in the 1980s but these plans were shelved due to the low financial viability of such a branch. With increased air traffic to Changi Airport and the proposal of Terminal 3 in 1994, the plans were revived, and finalised in 1996. Construction for the line began in 1998. The station opened on 8 February 2002 with lower passenger demand than expected, but it continues to provide an alternative transport option to the airport. In May 2019 it was announced that the station would be incorporated into the Thomson–East Coast Line by 2040 as it extends to the airport's Terminal 5. (Full article...)

• ... that the first silver dollars of the Republic of China were crudely designed mementos (example pictured)?
• ... that the Haitian Revolution began when Cécile Fatiman sacrificed a black pig, a ritual that was later repeated by Haitians resisting the United States occupation and the Duvalier dynasty?
• ... that a shark cost a competitor a silver medal in the spearfishing event at the 2014 Micronesian Games?
• ... that the number 1 is its own square, square root, and factorial?
• ... that Deep Cut Gardens in New Jersey contains a stone replica of Mount Vesuvius that once erupted smoke at the behest of mobster Vito Genovese?
• ... that the Hillbilly Thomists, a band made up of friars from the Dominican Order, reached the number-two spot on Billboard's bluegrass chart?
• ... that Pituamkek National Park Reserve, Canada's newest national park, protects a chain of barrier islands that have been used for fishing and hunting by the Mi'kmaq for 4,000 years?
• ... that the Palace Theater light bulb has been running since 1908?
• ... that a sensational story in 1888 claimed that James Wickham, a British scientist, introduced two whales to the Great Salt Lake in an attempt to start a whale oil industry?

• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu (pictured), Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their studies of global inequality.
• The comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is visible in the western sky after sunset.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang.

October 17

• 1604 – German astronomer Johannes Kepler began observations of an exceptionally bright object, now known as Kepler's Supernova, that had appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus.
• 1777 – American Revolutionary War: British general John Burgoyne's Saratoga campaign ended with his surrender to the Americans, later convincing France to enter the war in alliance with the United States.
• 1814 – A wooden beer-fermenting vat in London burst, destroying a second vat and causing a large flood of at least 128,000 imperial gallons (580,000 l; 154,000 US gal) of porter that killed eight people.
• 1914 – Off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel, a British naval squadron sank the German 7th Half Flotilla of torpedo boats in the Battle off Texel.
• 1964 – Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurated the artificial Lake Burley Griffin (pictured) in the centre of the Australian capital Canberra.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

New York Dolls is the debut album by the American hard rock band New York Dolls (pictured). It was released in 1973 by Mercury Records. In the years leading up to the album, the Dolls had developed a local fanbase by playing regularly in lower Manhattan after forming in 1971. Most music producers and record companies were reluctant to work with them because of their onstage cross-dressing and blatant vulgarity. The album – a mix of carefree rock and roll, influences from Brill Building pop, and campy sensibilities – explores themes of urban youth, teen alienation, adolescent romance, and authenticity, as rendered in lead singer David Johansen's colloquial and ambiguous lyrics. New York Dolls was met with widespread critical acclaim but sold poorly and polarized listeners. Despite its commercial failure, New York Dolls was an influential precursor to the 1970s punk rock movement. It has been named in various publications as one of the best debut records in rock music. (Full article...)

• ... that although Uzun-Hajji and Najmuddin of Gotzo (both pictured) were originally political allies, they later fought on opposing sides of the Russian Civil War?
• ... that rebel fighters pursued their fleeing enemies during the Battle of Kembogo because they wanted new boots?
• ... that Abdul Ahad Azad is recognised for laying the foundations of literary criticism in Kashmiri literature?
• ... that Episode 7921 of Neighbours features Australia's first televised same-sex wedding since the country voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage?
• ... that the 2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony featured dancing Phryges?
• ... that Albert Bumgardner's design for an architectural press office was highly publicized in the architectural press?
• ... that the song "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" features the former text-to-speech voice of TikTok?
• ... that drivers "dodge[d] track blemishes" more than each other during the first race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway?
• ... that football coach Dim Montero was considered such a great recruiter that it was said he "could pick up a rock and find an outstanding football prospect"?

• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their studies of global inequality.
• The comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) (pictured) is visible in the western sky after sunset.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang.

October 16

• 1813 – The Sixth Coalition attacked French forces led by Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig, the largest conflict in the Napoleonic Wars, with over 500,000 troops involved.
• 1834 – Most of the Palace of Westminster in London was destroyed in a fire caused by the burning of wooden tally sticks.
• 1916 – Margaret Sanger (pictured) established the United States' first family planning clinic in Brooklyn, New York.
• 1943 – The Holocaust: The Gestapo conducted a raid on the Roman Ghetto, capturing 1,259 members of the Jewish community, most of whom were sent to Auschwitz.
• 1944 – A four-day air battle over Taiwan ended with a decisive American victory, destroying hundreds of Japanese aircraft and military facilities.
• 2013 – In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people aboard.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

The Battle of Glasgow was fought on October 15, 1864, at Glasgow, Missouri, as part of Price's Missouri Expedition during the American Civil War. In late 1864, the Confederate leadership in the trans-Mississippi theater planned a campaign into the state of Missouri. Major General Sterling Price led the expedition, and hoped to capture St. Louis. The early defeat at Pilot Knob led him to abandon this plan. Price sent Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr. with two brigades on a side raid to capture a weapons cache at Glasgow. The Union garrison of Glasgow was commanded by Colonel Chester Harding Jr., and was mostly composed of militia and men of the 43rd Missouri Infantry Regiment. After Confederate artillery fired on the Union position, the Union commander rejected a surrender offer; the main attack drove Harding's men back into the town and they burned 50,000 rations to prevent them from falling to the Confederates. They surrendered at 13:30. Clark paroled the Union soldiers and captured needed weapons. The Confederate column rejoined Price's army the next day. (Full article...)

• ... that as the 1979 computer chess game Chesmac (pictured) could not display a chessboard on screen, players had to replicate the game on a physical chessboard?
• ... that Samuel Barber said that he could not adequately play his own Piano Sonata?
• ... that geographer Michael Chisholm and contemporaries became known as "Caesar's Praetorian Guard", in reference to their teacher Gus Caesar?
• ... that Anne Morrow Lindbergh tried to warn her husband Charles Lindbergh of the backlash that his antisemitic Des Moines speech would receive?
• ... that Rose Betts wrote the song "Driving Myself Home" as a joke after a blind date, only for it to go viral on TikTok?
• ... that an art critic felt that Rooms by the Sea was one of Edward Hopper's "strangest" works?
• ... that when Swedish soccer player Beata Olsson transferred from Florida to Florida State, she said that she did not really know about the schools' rivalry?
• ... that John Passmore Edwards erected a library in memory of his mother?
• ... that researchers want Hymenophyllum axsmithii rhizomes so that they can tell whether the filmy fern was up a tree?

• The comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) (pictured) is visible to the western sky after sunset.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang.
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is divided, with half awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction and the other half to David Baker for his work on computational protein design.

October 15

• 1529 – Ottoman–Habsburg wars: The siege of Vienna ended with Austrian forces repelling the invading Turks, turning the tide against almost a century of conquest in Europe by the Ottoman Empire.
• 1888 – The "From Hell" letter, allegedly from Jack the Ripper, was sent to George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London.
• 1965 – Vietnam War protests: At an anti-war rally in New York City, David J. Miller burned his draft card (example pictured), the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act.
• 1979 – President Carlos Humberto Romero of El Salvador was overthrown and exiled in a military coup d'état.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

Stephen Waldorf, a 26-year-old film editor, was shot and injured in 1983 by police in London after they mistook him for David Martin, an escaped criminal who had previously shot a police officer. Martin, who was known to carry firearms, had previously shot a police officer. He escaped from custody in December 1982 and the police placed his girlfriend under surveillance. On the day of the shooting, they followed her as she travelled in a car with Waldorf, who resembled Martin. When the car stopped, an armed officer went forward to confirm his identity. The officer believed that Waldorf was Martin and fired six rounds, first at the car's tyres and then at the passenger. Another officer fired through the rear windscreen. As the passenger slumped across the seats and out of the driver's door, a third officer opened fire. Two officers were charged with attempted murder but were acquitted. Waldorf subsequently recovered. Martin was captured two weeks after the shooting. The event led to reforms in the training of armed police in the UK. (Full article...)

• ... that the Niederdollendorf stone (pictured), the Grésin plaque, and the Landelinus buckle are each controversially conjectured to depict a pagan-inspired Jesus Christ?
• ... that composer Gonzalo Brenes was a politician in the National Assembly of Panama and served for seven years as Panama's secretary of culture?
• ... that the undefeated 1961 Pittsburg State Gorillas shut out seven opponents, featured four All-Americans, and won three national championships?
• ... that Cathy Merrick was the first woman to be elected grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs?
• ... that Maystorm, a character from Ultimate X-Men, was initially created for a variant cover for the comic X-Men?
• ... that Mike Veeck's baseball promotions include Disco Demolition Night, a game with no fans, and the world's largest pillow fight?
• ... that a clergyman from London established 87 schools in Wales in the 17th century?
• ... that Harold C. Hinton was one of the only American academics under McCarthyism to study communist China?
• ... that South African president Jacob Zuma requested a tour of a Sainsbury's supermarket during his state visit to the United Kingdom in 2010?

• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang (pictured).
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is divided, with half awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction and the other half to David Baker for his work on computational protein design.
• Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the U.S. state of Florida.
• John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research in machine learning with artificial neural networks.

October 14: Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States (2024); Thanksgiving in Canada (2024)

• 1758 – Third Silesian War: At the Battle of Hochkirch, an Austrian army under Leopold Joseph von Daun surprised the Prussians commanded by Frederick the Great, overwhelming them and forcing a general retreat.
• 1888 – French inventor Louis Le Prince filmed Roundhay Garden Scene (pictured), the earliest surviving motion picture, in Leeds, England.
• 1956 – B. R. Ambedkar, a leader of India's "Untouchable" caste, publicly converted to Buddhism and became the leader of the Dalit Buddhist movement.
• 2021 – Approximately 10,000 John Deere employees went on strike in one of the largest private-sector strikes in the United States.

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured lists

Recently featured:

• Archive
• More featured pictures

"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is the third episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by the programme's creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales, it first aired on 28 February 2017 on BBC Two. It stars Alexandra Roach as Nina, a young woman seeking answers to the Varsity cryptic crossword, Pemberton as Professor Squires, who sets the crossword using the pseudonym Sphinx, and Shearsmith as Dr Tyler. The same crossword was published in The Guardian on the day the episode aired, and the episode is filled with references to the puzzle. Influences for the episode include Anthony Shaffer's 1970 play Sleuth, the works of Anton Chekhov, and the 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Critics lauded the writing and the precise attention to detail in the production. Roach's performance was praised, as was the direction of Morales. (Full article...)

• ... that Santa opened the 2024 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony (pictured)?
• ... that researchers speculate that cocoa butter forms crystals on sugar while chocolate is tempered?
• ... that the noken system used for voting in parts of Indonesia can produce turnouts of 100%?
• ... that for 19 years Tonya Burns had the only retired jersey number in Iowa State women's basketball history?
• ... that Northamptonshire has had ninety-two railway stations, but now has only six?
• ... that Joe Wirkkunen coached the Finland men's national ice hockey team after receiving a recommendation from Canada?
• ... that the music video for "...Well, Better Than the Alternative" uses software to render handmade paintings over live-action footage of musician Will Wood?
• ... that British conscientious objector Henry Firth died in 1918 while being held at a work camp in Dartmoor?
• ... that the ongoing premiere of Gregory Markopoulos's Eniaios started 20 years ago?

• The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang (pictured).
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is divided, with half awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction and the other half to David Baker for his work on computational protein design.
• Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the U.S. state of Florida.
• John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research in machine learning with artificial neural networks.

October 13

• 645 – Goguryeo–Tang War: Led by Emperor Taizong, the Tang army was forced to abandon a siege of Ansi Fortress.
• 1843 – B'nai B'rith (membership certificate pictured), the world's oldest continually operating Jewish service organization, was founded in New York City.
• 1917 – At least 30,000 people witnessed the Miracle of the Sun in the fields of Cova da Iria near Fátima, Portugal.
• 1961 – Newly elected Burundian prime minister Louis Rwagasore was assassinated by his political rivals.
• 2013 – During the Hindu festival of Navaratri at a temple in Madhya Pradesh, India, rumours about an impending bridge collapse caused a stampede that resulted in 115 deaths.