Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville (29 August 1785 – 25 November 1862), was a British society hostess and writer. The younger daughter of Lady Georgiana Spencer and the 5th Duke of Devonshire, she was a member of the wealthy Cavendish and Spencer families. In 1809, Harriet married Granville Leveson-Gower, a diplomat who had been her maternal aunt's lover for seventeen years. During intermittent periods between 1824 and 1841, Granville served as the British ambassador to France, requiring Harriet to perform an array of social duties in Paris that she often found exhausting. A prolific writer of letters, Harriet corresponded with others for most of her life, often describing her observations of those around her. Historians have since found her detailed accounts to be a valuable source of information on life as an ambassadress as well as life in the 19th-century aristocracy. Between 1894 and 1990, four edited collections of Harriet's correspondence were published. (Full article...)

• ... that Queen Sibylla agreed to divorce her unpopular husband, Guy, on the condition that she could choose her next husband, only for her to choose Guy again and crown him king (pictured)?
• ... that James Marriott's second album took its name from an incident involving a dog that was left behind during a childhood move?
• ... that singer Tati Penna was considered one of the first feminists on Chilean television?
• ... that in a speech at Howard University, novelist Toni Morrison described fascism as a marketing strategy for power?
• ... that RhonniRose Mantilla produced, directed and created her own musical to showcase her dancing?
• ... that Canadian football player Nigel Williams served two tours of duty during the war in Afghanistan?
• ... that Lego sued Nintendo over their N&B Block toys?
• ... that literary scholar Mitzi Myers tried to rescue her library as it burned in a house fire?
• ... that an 8th-century log of agarwood was enjoyed as incense for more than a millennium by Japanese leaders including Oda Nobunaga and Emperor Meiji?

• The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in the Gaza Governorate, Palestine.
• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

August 29: Feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist (Catholicism, Anglicanism); Qixi Festival in China (2025)

• 1475 – France signed the Treaty of Picquigny with England, freeing Louis XI to deal with the threat posed by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.
• 1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patented the world's first internal-combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen (replica pictured).
• 1911 – The last member of the Yahi, known as Ishi, emerged from the wilderness near Oroville, California, to join European American society.
• 1959 – Mona Best opened the Casbah Coffee Club with a performance by the Quarrymen, the precursor of the Beatles.
• 1960 – Air France Flight 343 crashed while attempting to land at Yoff Airport, Dakar, killing all 63 occupants.

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Harry Crerar (1888–1965) was a Canadian Army officer who was the country's senior field commander in the Second World War as the commander of the First Canadian Army in the campaign in North West Europe in 1944–1945. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, he was commissioned in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1909. He saw action in the First World War, for which he was mentioned in despatches and made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order. After the war, he attended the Staff College, Camberley, and the Imperial Defence College. In March 1944, he assumed command of the First Canadian Army, which also contained British, Polish and Czech troops. Under his command, it fought in the Battle of Normandy, cleared the Channel Coast, and liberated the western Netherlands in April 1945. He was promoted to full general on 16 November 1944, becoming the first Canadian officer to hold that rank in the field. (Full article...)

• ... that the namesake of the James R. Thompson Center (pictured) once called it a "scrap heap"?
• ... that by 2010 Yi Kŭmch'ŏl had written approximately one-fifth of all North Korean science fiction literature?
• ... that members of the Sole Front for Women's Rights staged a hunger strike outside the Mexican president's official residence?
• ... that the Royal Alderney Militia were described as "totally inefficient" and "useless" by two generals in the mid–19th century?
• ... that the voice actress for Marin Kitagawa said that she would get very hungry after recording lines for the role?
• ... that the person who coined the term "Barbenheimer" did not recall writing it?
• ... that medical doctor Jules LaDuron tried to stab someone with a bayonet?
• ... that the Carthaginians faked agreement to a peace deal after a battle to train their surviving forces for the next one?
• ... that Miriam Silverberg's academic career ended with Erotic Grotesque Nonsense?

• The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in the Gaza Governorate, Palestine.
• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

August 28

• 475 – Orestes took control of Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire, forcing Emperor Julius Nepos to flee.
• 1830 – Tom Thumb (replica pictured), the first American-built steam locomotive, took part in an impromptu race against a horse-drawn car in Maryland.
• 1950 – American tennis player Althea Gibson became the first African-American woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships.
• 1955 – African-American teenager Emmett Till was lynched near Money, Mississippi, for allegedly flirting with a white woman, energizing the nascent American civil rights movement.
• 1973 – Swedish police used gas bombs to end a seven-day hostage situation in Stockholm; the hostages had bonded with their captors during the incident, leading to the term Stockholm syndrome.

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Gateshead International Stadium is a multi-purpose, all-seater venue in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, built in 1955. The largest stadium in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, it has a history of use for athletics events, sports, and musical performances. Gateshead Harriers Athletic Club (which includes Jonathan Edwards) have used the site since 1956. At the 1974 "Gateshead Games", Brendan Foster broke the world record in the men's 3,000 metres. It has since hosted the British Grand Prix (2003–2010) and the European Athletics Team Championships in 1989, 2000 and 2013. Five world records have been set at the stadium, including two by pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and a tied 100 metres record by Asafa Powell in 2006. It has been used by Gateshead F.C. and its predecessors since 1973. The stadium was home to the rugby league club Gateshead Thunder during their spell in the Super League, and the replacement Gateshead Thunder club played home games in the main arena until 2015. (Full article...)

• ... that both El Salvador and Honduras claim to be the country of origin of the pupusa (examples pictured)?
• ... that Justin Nsengiyumva was appointed Rwanda's prime minister in the same year that he returned to the country after more than 15 years?
• ... that, before air conditioning, a company in the U.S. chocolate industry made confections at night to sell the next morning?
• ... that Julia Hagen plays a cello made by Francesco Ruggeri in 1684?
• ... that the ban on abortion in the Republic of the Congo is unchanged from a law from 1810?
• ... that sprinter George Short first started training at the age of 17, then competed in the Olympics two years later?
• ... that the former luxury passenger liner HMS Worcestershire carried reinforcements across the English Channel on the day after D-Day?
• ... that Alberic II of Spoleto appointed five popes and fathered another?
• ... that the submarine Dmitry Donskoy has a gym, a swimming pool, a sauna, and an aviary?

• The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in the Gaza Governorate, Palestine.
• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

August 27: Independence Day in Moldova (1991)

• 1776 – British forces led by William Howe defeated the Continental Army under George Washington at the Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War.
• 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeated the Royal Navy, preventing them from capturing the harbour of Grand Port on Mauritius.
• 1832 – Black Hawk (pictured), the leader of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans, surrendered to U.S. authorities to end the Black Hawk War.
• 1979 – The Troubles: the IRA ambushed and killed 18 British soldiers near Warrenpoint, and assassinated Lord Mountbatten on his boat at Mullaghmore.
• 1990 – American musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the most influential guitarists in the revival of blues in the 1980s, was killed in a helicopter crash.

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Zhao Chongguo (137 BCE – 52 BCE) was a Chinese military commander and official during the Western Han dynasty. Emperor Wu, impressed by Zhao's military service, promoted him, and he served as chief of staff for the supreme head of cavalry units. In 74 BCE, Zhao collaborated with the political leader Huo Guang to depose the newly enthroned emperor Liu He in favor of Emperor Xuan. For this, he was appointed Marquis of Yingping and promoted to general of the rear. He volunteered to lead a campaign against the Qiang people in 62 BCE. Joined by his son, he persuaded the Qiang to defect to the Han cause. Zhao rejected proposals by his fellow generals and the Emperor to continue offensive operations, believing that a protracted occupation would subdue the Qiang through attrition. He was able to implement a policy of tuntian (farming garrisons) in spite of imperial opposition. This gained him acclaim and influenced later tacticians. He retired in 60 BCE after his son caused a scandal. (Full article...)

• ... that Zhou Bingde, despite being the niece of the premier of China (both pictured), refused to use her family status for protection during the Cultural Revolution?
• ... that the video game Danan: The Jungle Fighter allows the player to summon either an armadillo, an eagle, or a chimpanzee for help?
• ... that, when the dying Patriarch Stephen was asked by his king how he was, he replied: "Sire, I am faring as you desire"?
• ... that actor Paul Nicholls made a surprise return on EastEnders after a 27-year absence?
• ... that it took more than two decades to complete the decorations to the Boston Central Library after it opened to the public?
• ... that Nina Negri was one of only two people to exhibit engravings at the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme?
• ... that the name of Diaphoretickes, a group containing a huge diversity of organisms including plants and kelps, is derived from a Greek word meaning diverse?
• ... that Kathleen Romoli became an anthropologist after witnessing the exploitation of natural resources while promoting a mining company?
• ... that a reviewer found the children's novel The Cat Mummy "really quite disturbing"?

• The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in the Gaza Governorate, Palestine.
• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

August 26: Heroes' Day in Namibia; Women's Equality Day in the United States

• 1346 – Hundred Years' War: At the Battle of Crécy, English forces established the military supremacy of English longbows over the French combination of crossbows and armoured knights.
• 1883 – A massive eruption (pictured) destroyed the island of Krakatoa, Indonesia, ejecting so much volcanic ash that average global temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) over the next year.
• 1955 – Pather Panchali, the first film in The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, was released and went on to win many Indian and international film awards.
• 1970 – Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women organized the Women's Strike for Equality in New York City, in which 50,000 women protested the continuing lack of gender equality.
• 2015 – Two American journalists were murdered on live television while conducting an interview in Moneta, Virginia.

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Born to Run is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen (pictured), released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. Co-produced by Springsteen with Mike Appel and Jon Landau, the album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream and create a commercially successful album. Sessions took place in New York between January 1974 and July 1975. The album incorporates a Wall of Sound production with musical styles such as rock and roll and R&B. Its character-driven lyrics describe individuals who feel trapped and fantasize about escaping to a better life. Born to Run was a commercial success, reaching number three in the U.S., and received highly positive reviews. It became Springsteen's breakthrough album. Over the following decades, the album has become widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of Springsteen's best records. (Full article...)

• ... that the exhibition Pirouette: Turning Points in Design at the Museum of Modern Art includes a data graphic (pictured) that was compared to a Morris Louis painting?
• ... that Hollywood makeup artist Bernadine Anderson supported herself in college by doing makeup on corpses?
• ... that around 700,000 calls were made using 5 Calls to members of the US Congress in one week?
• ... that Javier Gómez was the president of Valencia CF for 48 hours in June 2009?
• ... that in 1915 Prahran became one of the first railway stations in Victoria to be provided with automatic signalling?
• ... that Dercy Furtado advocated for the rights of Brazilian women to work at night?
• ... that the village of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home plans to turn it into a historic site?
• ... that sprinter Saidur Rahman Dawn first ran on a synthetic athletics track at the age of 19?
• ... that Shadow the Hedgehog's love for Latinas in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was borne from Sonic fandom shitposting?

• The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in the Gaza Governorate, Palestine.
• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

August 25

• 1270 – Philip III became King of France following the death of his father Louis IX during the Eighth Crusade.
• 1609 – Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (pictured) demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers.
• 1875 – Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, doing so in approximately 21 hours 40 minutes.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea.
• 2012 – The skeleton of King Richard III of England was discovered under a car park in Leicester.

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Satsu is a fictional character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics. She first appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight No. 1 (2007), a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers is a slayer, a fighter of supernatural foes. Satsu is activated as a slayer, trained by Buffy, and falls in love with her. They have sex together twice before Satsu returns to Japan. In later storylines, Satsu struggles to move on from Buffy, fights demonically-possessed stuffed animals, and briefly reappears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten. Satsu was developed by Buffy's creator Joss Whedon (pictured) and artist Georges Jeanty. Critics, fans, and industry insiders had a mixed response to Satsu's sexual relationship with Buffy. Academics have analyzed the unequal power dynamic between Satsu and Buffy, compared the representations of their sexuality, and discussed the depiction of Satsu's race and ethnicity. (Full article...)

• ... that Andrey Zaliznyak (pictured) invented self-contained linguistic problems that require no prior knowledge of the language to solve?
• ... that soccer games were still played at Marquette Stadium while it was being demolished?
• ... that Frederick E. Bakutis, then the US Navy commander in Antarctica, remarked in 1965 that it would "remain the womanless white continent of peace"?
• ... that the supreme state organ of power of a communist state holds unified power unless it constrains itself through a constitution and laws?
• ... that the abilities of a Jujutsu Kaisen character were based on a traditional method of inflicting curses?
• ... that Alca Electronics was liquidated after being sued by Sega for copying a game, even though their major distributor was one of Sega's founders?
• ... that Respati Ardi was announced as a candidate in a 2024 election a day before the registration deadline?
• ... that the creator of Reddit's cringe culture community originally intended it to foster empathy for awkward people, not to mock them?
• ... that actress Jessica Ellis has a phobia of ears?

• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in the Guzara District, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• American astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, dies at the age of 97.

August 24: Feast day of Saint Bartholomew (Western Christianity); Independence Day in Ukraine (1991)

• 1456 – The oldest known version of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book produced on a printing press, was completed.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Near present-day Aurora, Indiana, American Indians led by Joseph Brant killed or captured all members of a Pennsylvania militia.
• 1857 – The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail.
• 1941 – Adolf Hitler ordered the suspension of the T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and disabled, although killings continued in secret for the remainder of World War II.
• 1966 – Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang (depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet.

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White chocolate is a chocolate made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids. It is ivory in color as it does not contain the non-fat components of cocoa (cocoa solids). Of the three traditional types of chocolate (the others being milk and dark), white chocolate is the least popular; its taste and texture are divisive. White chocolate is sold in a variety of forms and it is common for manufacturers to pair white chocolate with other flavors. White chocolate is made industrially in a five-step process. The ingredients are mixed to form a paste; the paste is refined, reducing the particle size to a powder; then agitated for several hours (known as conching); further processing standardizes its viscosity and taste; and the chocolate is tempered by heating, cooling and then reheating. White chocolate was first sold commercially in tablet form in 1936 by the Swiss company Nestlé. It was not until the 1980s that white chocolate became popular in the United States. (Full article...)

• ... that the original type specimen of the fish species Cynodon gibbus (example pictured) may have been destroyed in a bombing raid?
• ... that Marty Norton, after leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 1925, was imprisoned in at least eight different years and escaped jail twice?
• ... that three Indonesian presidents have reportedly fallen victim to the "Kediri curse"?
• ... that Marc Mac made his early projects deliberately "faceless" to sidestep racism?
• ... that autocratic legalism allows leaders to use the law to undermine liberal democracy while appearing to uphold it?
• ... that Samuel S. Mayerberg was targeted in a drive-by shooting in 1932 for criticizing political boss Tom Pendergast?
• ... that, after Ustrzyki Górne was burnt down and depopulated following World War II, a students' club from Warsaw played the most important role in its reconstruction?
• ... that Marcel Schwerzmann, before becoming a Swiss cantonal council member, finished second in a transatlantic boat race from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia?
• ... that traditional methods of abortion in Niger often favor the color red?

• A multi-vehicle collision involving a bus carrying migrants deported from Iran kills at least 79 people in the Guzara District, Afghanistan.
• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• American astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, dies at the age of 97.

August 23: Black Ribbon Day

• 1305 – William Wallace, a leader of Scottish resistance against England during the Wars of Scottish Independence, was hanged, drawn and quartered.
• 1775 – King George III issued a proclamation that declared elements of the American colonies of Great Britain to be in a state of "open and avowed rebellion".
• 1960 – Congo Crisis: In order to stop the secession of South Kasai from the Republic of Congo, Armée Nationale Congolaise forces launched an invasion of South Kasai.
• 2006 – Natascha Kampusch (pictured), who had been abducted at the age of ten in Vienna, escaped from her captor's house in Strasshof an der Nordbahn after more than eight years in captivity.
• 2011 – A 5.8 M_W earthquake struck the Piedmont region of Virginia, and was felt by more people than any other quake in U.S. history.

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"Dance the Night" is a song by Dua Lipa (pictured) from the soundtrack to the 2023 fantasy comedy film Barbie. Lipa co-wrote the song with songwriter Caroline Ailin and its producers Andrew Wyatt and Mark Ronson. A disco, disco-pop, and synth-pop song with influences of dance-pop, it was inspired by a dance sequence in the film and is about always appearing perfect externally. Music critics overwhelmingly compared the sound of "Dance the Night" to Lipa's album Future Nostalgia (2020), which was viewed positively by some while others were disappointed. The song was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It reached number one in several countries, including the UK, and received multi-platinum certifications in others. The music video intersperses Lipa performing choreography with clips from a disco party in the film. The song was included as the primary musical motif in the film, and she performed it for the first time at the Royal Albert Hall in 2024. (Full article...)

• ... that Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat (pictured), Malaysia's first female chief justice, was dubbed "the only man in the Federal Court"?
• ... that Taylor Swift wrote a song that a critic considered to be a "piece of Ethel Kennedy fanfiction"?
• ... that Native American Ted Towendolly pioneered a fly-fishing technique that was independently reinvented in Europe fifty years later?
• ... that the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol once bought several firearms that it could not use?
• ... that cyclist Alexandra Yeung raced with one hand during the final 20 kilometres (12 miles) of a race in the Himalayas, and still finished in second place?
• ... that the Perth Panthers, a Scotland-based ice hockey team, were composed mainly of Americans and Canadians?
• ... that Undefeated's previous bassist was replaced by Lis Dunckel, who did not know how to play bass?
• ... that The Old Man and the Sea was one of Saddam Hussein's favourite books?
• ... that Baldwin, the first archbishop of Caesarea, allegedly confessed to faking a divine sign by carving a cross into his forehead?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 22: Madras Day in Chennai, India (1639)

• 1485 – At the Battle of Bosworth Field, Lancastrian forces under Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, defeated Yorkist forces under Richard III of England, decisively ending the Wars of the Roses.
• 1711 – Queen Anne's War: A British attempt to attack Quebec failed when eight ships wrecked on the St. Lawrence River.
• 1851 – The yacht America won the race for the Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns (trophy pictured), later renamed the America's Cup, near the Isle of Wight, England.
• 1985 – A fire broke out on British Airtours Flight 28M at Manchester Airport, causing 55 deaths mostly due to smoke inhalation, and leading to changes to make aircraft evacuation more effective.
• 2003 – Roy Moore, Alabama's chief justice, was suspended after refusing to comply with a U.S. federal court order to remove a rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Supreme Court of Alabama building.

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Flowers are the reproductive structures of flowering plants. Typically they are structured in four circular levels around the end of a stalk. These include: sepals, modified leaves that support the flower; petals, often designed to attract pollinators; male parts, where pollen is presented; and female parts, where pollen is received and its movement is facilitated to the egg. Pollen, produced in the male sex cells, is transported between the male and female parts of flowers in pollination. Pollen movement may be caused by animals or factors such as wind or water. After pollination, the female part of the flower forms a fruit, and the other floral structures die. The fruit protects the seed and aids in its dispersal. Flowers first evolved between 150 and 190 million years ago, in the Jurassic. Plants with flowers dominate the majority of the world's ecosystems, and themselves range from tiny orchids and major crop plants to large trees. (Full article...)

• ... that Thos. W. Ward Ltd. used camels and an elephant named Lizzie (pictured) to replace horses during World War I?
• ... that Rendon Labador was invited by the Philippine National Police to lead a 93-day fitness program, but his involvement ended abruptly after just a few days?
• ... that Indonesia's current state apparatus minister, Rini Widyantini, was appointed as spokesperson in a coffee morning event?
• ... that Frank Page built roads in France during World War I and was put in charge of North Carolina's highway system after the war?
• ... that "New York City" has been described as a "stupidly fun B-side"?
• ... that American football player Willie Culpepper said that he was fined for dropping a pass in practice?
• ... that "Je te laisserai des mots" was the first French-language song to reach one billion streams on Spotify?
• ... that Caquetá Department, despite its high Human Development Index score, had a 44.8% poverty rate in 2021?
• ... that a New Zealand dairy co-operative adjusted their collection schedule so that Andy Oliver could go to bed on time?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 21

• 1717 – Austro-Turkish War: Austrian troops under Prince Eugene of Savoy captured the strategically important city of Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1808 – Peninsular War: British and Portuguese forces put an end to the first French invasion of Portugal at the Battle of Vimeiro.
• 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army lost the Battle of the Tenaru, the first of its three major land offensives during the Guadalcanal campaign.
• 1963 – South Vietnamese special forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, the brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm, raided and vandalised Buddhist pagodas (one pictured) across the country, arresting thousands and leaving hundreds dead.
• 2015 – Passengers on a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris confronted and subdued an attacker who attempted a mass shooting.

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Rose Cleveland (1846–1918) was the acting first lady of the United States from 1885 to 1886, during the first presidency of her brother, Grover Cleveland, until his wedding with Frances Folsom in 1886. Receiving an advanced education in her youth, Rose Cleveland rejected traditional gender norms and worked in literary and academic positions. She used the role of first lady as a platform for her support of women's suffrage. After leaving the White House, Cleveland authored several fiction and nonfiction works, many relating to women's rights. She was editor of a literary magazine, and continued teaching and lecturing. She met Evangeline Marrs Simpson in 1889, and the two became romantic partners, interrupted for several years by Simpson's marriage to Henry Benjamin Whipple. After reuniting, they moved to Italy in 1910. There, Cleveland spent her final years aiding refugees during World War I and cared for Spanish flu patients before contracting the disease herself and dying in 1918. (Full article...)

• ... that Orthetrum japonicum (pictured) was one of the first species of Japanese dragonfly to be recognized and described by Europeans?
• ... that Graham Crowley's painting Spider with Mushroom Soup uses a jagged tin can to evoke the image of vagina dentata?
• ... that Jacqueline Wilson wrote Rent a Bridesmaid (2016) to reflect the "current craze" for weddings?
• ... that an NAACP chapter successfully protested the appointment of an African bishop to a role at Dartmouth College?
• ... that many reviewers described the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer as an odd pairing, but their 2024 co-headling concert tour received generally positive reviews?
• ... that American MILF porn star Serenity Cox was a nurse for fifteen years?
• ... that the 1926 book The New Household sought to elevate housework to the status of serious professional labor?
• ... that Hans Ephraimson-Abt began advocating for better support for families of aviation-accident victims after his daughter's death on Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in 1983?
• ... that the Green Bay Packers' victory in the 1997 NFC Championship Game was the third straight year in which they beat the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 20

• 1710 – War of the Spanish Succession: A Spanish Bourbon army commanded by the Marquis de Bay was soundly defeated by a multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg.
• 1920 – The American Professional Football Association, a predecessor of the National Football League, was founded.
• 1988 – Fires in the United States' Yellowstone National Park ravaged more than 150,000 acres (610 km²) on the single worst day of the conflagration.
• 1989 – The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Australia, was finished, completing at the time the world's longest and fastest guided busway, with buses (example pictured) travelling 12 km (7.5 mi) at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph).
• 2018 – Silent Sam, a Confederate monument on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was toppled by protestors.

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Proceratosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic in what is now England. The holotype and only known specimen (pictured) consists of a mostly complete skull with an accompanying lower jaw and a hyoid bone, found near Minchinhampton, a town in Gloucestershire. It was originally described as a species of Megalosaurus, M. bradleyi, in 1910, but was moved to its own genus in 1926. The genus was named after a supposed close relationship with Ceratosaurus, later shown to be erroneous, due to the presence of an incomplete cranial crest considered to resemble Ceratosaurus's nasal horn. Proceratosaurus is now considered to be one of the oldest members of Tyrannosauroidea (the broader group that includes the tyrannosaurids, including Tyrannosaurus). During the Bathonian age when Proceratosaurus lived, Britain and the rest of Western Europe formed a subtropical island archipelago, with contemporary dinosaurs including stegosaurs, Megalosaurus and Cetiosaurus. (Full article...)

• ... that Queen Melisende was so infuriated by her husband's treatment of Count Hugh II of Jaffa (attack pictured), her cousin and alleged lover, that her husband feared for his own life?
• ... that recent coups in Sudan, Mali, Tunisia and Niger have been described as "coupvolutions"?
• ... that Ardian Wicaksono adopted an orangutan during his posting as consul general in Hamburg?
• ... that a house in Jackson, Mississippi, was named in reference to an Ayn Rand novel, whose main character was reportedly based on the house's architect?
• ... that Rusiate Rogoyawa saw snow for the first time in 1982 and competed at the Winter Olympics six years later?
• ... that it took 14 years for the city of San Antonio to get a public radio station?
• ... that Broadway musical composer Jacques Presburg led a popular jazz orchestra in Berlin prior to his 1943 death in Auschwitz?
• ... that the first Spark by Hilton hotel was a converted Days Inn?
• ... that Samoa Samoa was from American Samoa?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 19: Afghan Independence Day

• 1725 – J. S. Bach led the first performance of Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137, a cantata setting the unchanged text of Neander's hymn.
• 1745 – Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in an attempt to regain the British throne for his father, beginning the Jacobite rising of 1745.
• 1897 – The Bersey Electric Cab (pictured) entered service as the first electric taxi in London.
• 1920 – Russian Civil War: Peasants in Tambov Governorate began a rebellion against the Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia.
• 2005 – Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.

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Maltese nationality law is primarily governed by the Maltese Citizenship Act, which came into force on 21 September 1964. All persons born in Malta between 21 September 1964 and 1 August 1989 automatically received citizenship at birth regardless of the nationalities of their parents. Individuals born in the country since that date receive Maltese citizenship at birth if at least one of their parents was a Maltese citizen or was born in Malta. Foreign nationals may become Maltese citizens by naturalisation after meeting a minimum residence requirement (usually five years). Malta is a member state of the European Union, and all Maltese nationals are European Union citizens. Maltese citizens are also Commonwealth citizens under British law. (Full article...)

• ... that the Munich kitchen was developed because the Stuttgart kitchen (example pictured) did not allow a housewife to look after her children?
• ... that football manager Juan Álvarez was nicknamed the "king without a crown" after his team lost a championship due to the away goals rule?
• ... that an estimated three-quarters of New Zealand's population saw Elizabeth II during her 1953–1954 tour of the country?
• ... that Thomas Lincoln Tally, considered the pioneer movie-theater exhibitor of Los Angeles in 1916, is credited with coining the term "moving picture"?
• ... that a line delivered by Pelé in the 1980 movie Os Trombadinhas went viral as a meme in Brazil?
• ... that Perdiccas, the regent of Alexander the Great's empire after his death, was nominated as king with great support, but he hesitated to accept the role?
• ... that Magical Girl Witch Trials received full voice acting after crowdfunding raised more than 30 times the original goal?
• ... that Greek Revival buildings like Edgewood were unknown to most people in the surrounding area when they were built?
• ... that toy designer Shunsaku Tamiya was placed under government surveillance for speaking to Soviets about their tanks?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 18

• 1783 – A meteor procession blazed across the night sky over Great Britain.
• 1891 – A hurricane struck the Caribbean island of Martinique, killing about 700 people, injuring at least 1,000 others, and causing severe damage.
• 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in the country.
• 1966 – Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan (helicopter pictured), but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived.
• 2008 – Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf resigned under pressure from a movement to impeach him.

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The battle of Preston took place on 17 August 1648. It was part of the Second English Civil War, which began with a series of mutinies and Royalist uprisings. The Scots raised an army under the command of James, Duke of Hamilton, which marched into England to support King Charles I. It combined with English Royalists and continued south some 24,000 strong. Oliver Cromwell concentrated 9,000 Parliamentarians in north Yorkshire and fell on the flank of the much larger Royalist army. Not anticipating this reckless assault, Hamilton was caught with his army dispersed. A blocking force of Royalist infantry was outflanked after a ferocious hour-long fight. A second round of prolonged infantry hand-to-hand fighting took place for control of the bridge south of Preston (pictured); the Parliamentarians fought their way across as night fell. In total 1,000 Royalists were killed and 4,000 captured; Parliamentary casualties were low. (This article is part of a featured topic: Scottish invasion of England (1648).)

• ... that the dispute over the fundamental nature of the leader of the devils in Islam (pictured) dates back to the religion's formative stages?
• ... that 223 East 25th Street was auctioned off in 1973, triggering a bidding war that drove the price up ninefold?
• ... that Sudanese politician Mohammed Hassan al-Ta'ishi is the prime minister of a government that opposes a council on which he once served?
• ... that the teams of five countries set seven national records during a women's 4 × 400 metres relay event in 2024?
• ... that Pope Leo XIV planned to attend Tolentine College, but it closed before he could enroll?
• ... that Tomoya Machino ate five pounds (2.3 kg) of rice daily for a year to put on the necessary weight to be an American football lineman?
• ... that a hermit lived at the hermitage and chapel of Saint-Thibaut until 1968?
• ... that eight poems to the 6th-century Brittonic king Urien Rheged may be among the oldest works of vernacular literature in post-classical Europe?
• ... that the Strong Court had a weak leader?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured), 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.

August 17: Independence Day in Indonesia (1945)

• 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: The Bulgarians defeated Byzantine forces at the Battle of the Gates of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Emperor Basil II barely escaping.
• 1560 – The Scottish Reformation Parliament approved a Protestant confession of faith, initiating the Scottish Reformation and disestablishing Catholicism as the national religion.
• 1907 – Pike Place Market (pictured), one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opened in Seattle, Washington.
• 1950 – Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea.
• 2008 – Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games.

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Kitty Marion (1871–1944) was an activist who advocated for women's suffrage and birth control. Born in Germany, she immigrated to England in 1886 when she was 15 years old. She sang in music halls throughout Britain and became known in the industry for bringing attention to the sexism and sexual assaults that were common in the business. Marion was a prominent member of the British suffrage movement. She began her advocacy by selling copies of the newspaper Votes for Women, then progressed to militant protests, including riots, bombing and arson attacks; she was imprisoned several times for arson and bombing. On the outbreak of World War I, she left Britain for the United States. She joined the American birth control movement, and spent 13 years campaigning on street corners, selling the magazine Birth Control Review. Marion was arrested several times for distributing birth control information in violation of anti-obscenity laws. She died in New York in 1944. (Full article...)

• ... that according to a 1994 paper, the Okanogan fameflower (pictured) spent the last ice age in a glacial refugium?
• ... that swimmer Yu Zidi qualified for the World Aquatics Championships at just twelve years old?
• ... that a community vote allowed players of the "wholesome" city-building game The Wandering Village to feed their villagers to a giant beast?
• ... that Olympic silver medallist Eduard von Lütcken captured a Russian general before being killed in an early action of the First World War?
• ... that 4chan users found a Burger King restaurant based on a photo of someone standing on lettuce within 15 minutes of its posting?
• ... that Lindsay de Sausmarez was elected head of government of Guernsey only a few days after deciding to run for the position?
• ... that a French abortion ban in Mali dating from 1920 was in place until 2002?
• ... that Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Company employees participated in a walkout that precipitated the 1919 Seattle General Strike?
• ... that, according to tradition, after Saint Vidal was martyred, his body was separated into pieces but reassembled itself three times?

• Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay (pictured), a pre-candidate in the 2026 presidential election, dies two months after being shot.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a declaration to formalize a future peace treaty, ending the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 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.

August 16

• 1513 – War of the League of Cambrai: English and Imperial forces defeated French cavalry, forcing them to retreat.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: A 10,000-strong column of soldiers led by Lord Kitchener broke a 13-day siege of a small garrison.
• 1920 – The British parliament's Blind Persons Act received royal assent, becoming the first first disability-specific legislation to be passed anywhere in the world.
• 1977 – American singer and actor Elvis Presley (pictured) was found dead in his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 2015 – Suicide bombers assassinated Pakistani politician Shuja Khanzada and killed at least 21 others at his home in Attock District.

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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...)

• ... 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?

• 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.

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.

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Mandell Creighton (1843–1901) was a British historian and clergyman. He studied at the University of Oxford, then became a don in 1866. He was appointed the first occupant of the Dixie Chair of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge in 1884. The following year, he also was engaged as the founding editor of The English Historical Review, the first English-language academic journal in its field. In these posts, he helped to establish history as an independent academic discipline in England. Creighton was a parish priest of the Church of England who rose to be Bishop of London from 1897 and, but for his death, was thought likely to become Archbishop of Canterbury. His moderation and practicality drew praise from Queen Victoria. He was firm in asserting that public figures should be judged for their public acts, not private ones. He believed that the Church of England was uniquely shaped by its particular English circumstances, and he saw it as the soul of the nation. (Full article...)

• ... that the tomb (pictured) of Louis Adrian is surmounted by a sculpture of the helmet that he developed for the French Army?
• ... that the coconut octopus walks on two legs to look like a floating coconut?
• ... that a theme-park attraction based on Harry Potter's Diagon Alley cost approximately US$400 million to build?
• ... that Matt Koart forced himself to eat 2000 calories in addition to his regular meals to increase his weight?
• ... that a cruise ship off the coast of Tahiti was the first floating Olympic Village?
• ... that Erna Meyer urged the Jewish immigrant readers of How to Cook in Palestine to try olives and eggplants, but doubted their ability to eat spicy food like the "native population"?
• ... that suicide by electrocution, while usually very rare, was one of the most common suicide methods in Nazi concentration camps due to the surrounding high-voltage electric fences?
• ... that hurdler Ahmed Hamada was the Bahraini flagbearer for two Olympic Games – sixteen years apart?
• ... that an annual festival attracts fans of a defunct car company to its former manufacturing complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured), 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.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.

August 14: Arba'in (Shia Islam), Independence Day in Pakistan (1947)

• 1720 – The Spanish Villasur expedition, intended to slow the progress of French influence on the Great Plains of North America, ended in failure when it was ambushed (depicted) by Pawnee and Otoe forces.
• 1888 – One of the first recordings of music, of Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost Chord", was played at a press conference in London to introduce Thomas Edison's phonograph.
• 1975 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London, the first in its record-breaking run in cinemas, which continues in limited release.
• 2005 – Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into a mountain north of Marathon, Greece, killing all 121 people on board.
• 2007 – Four coordinated suicide bomb attacks detonated in the Yazidi communities of Qahtaniya and Jazeera, Iraq, killing 796 people and wounding 1,562 others.

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The dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) is a small oceanic dolphin found in coastal waters of the Southern Hemisphere. Major populations occur around South America, southwestern Africa, New Zealand, and several oceanic islands. It has a somewhat stocky body with a short beak, a curved dorsal fin and flippers, and a multi-coloured pigmentation of black, grey, and white. The species prefers cool currents and inshore waters. It lives in a fission–fusion society where groups change size based on social and environmental conditions. The dolphin feeds on several fish and squid species, sometimes using daytime bait ball herding and nightime feeding in deep scattering layers. Mating is polygynandrous – several males will chase after a single female. Young are raised by females in nursery groups. The dusky dolphin is known for its acrobatics, displaying leaping behaviours. It is a popular tourist attraction and the object of whale watching tours. (Full article...)

• ... that Enriqueta Duarte (pictured) swam the English Channel despite having no previous experience with open water swimming?
• ... that Bath fire station, a rare example of a design by a female architect from the pre-WWII era, is proposed for demolition?
• ... that wrestler Din Mohammad celebrated his gold medal at the Asian Games by riding an elephant?
• ... that the withdrawn medication diethylstilbestrol caused uterine hypoplasia?
• ... that Adam Hall is the first person from Bermuda to play professional baseball in the United States?
• ... that a negotiated truce in the Breton Civil War included a commitment to end the Hundred Years' War just six years after it started?
• ... that Pope Paul VI ordained more than 350 men as priests in a ceremony that lasted over three hours?
• ... that Shakira considered sending an apology note to Matt Damon's wife after mentioning him in the lyrics of her song "Men in This Town"?
• ... that Altuntash, a former slave-soldier, tried to redraw the political map of southern Syria—until his wife surrendered to his enemies?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured), 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 two ministers, Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.

August 13

• 582 – Maurice was crowned Byzantine emperor to succeed Tiberius II Constantine.
• 1650 – General George Monck founded the predecessor to the Coldstream Guards, the oldest regular regiment of the British Army in continuous active service.
• 1918 – Opha May Johnson (pictured) became the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.
• 1940 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launched an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, to destroy the British Royal Air Force; its failure indefinitely postponed the German invasion of the United Kingdom.
• 2010 – After being boarded by Canadian authorities, MV Sun Sea docked in British Columbia and the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee claimants on board were placed into detention.

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Eritha (fl. c. 1180 BCE) was a Mycenaean priestess, based at the cult site of Sphagianes in the southwest Peloponnese. Sphagianes is believed to have been near the palatial centre of the Mycenaean state of Pylos, possibly at modern Volimidia. Eritha held authority over several other people, including at least fourteen women probably assigned to her as servants by the palatial state. Around 1180 BCE, she was involved in a legal dispute over the status of her lands against the damos, an organisation representing the other landholders of Sphagianes. While the exact nature of the dispute is unclear, Eritha seems to have claimed that part of her land was held on behalf of her deity, and therefore subject to reduced taxes or obligations. The record of the matter constitutes the longest preserved sentence of Mycenaean Greek and the oldest evidence of a legal dispute from Europe. The outcome of the dispute is unknown. (Full article...)

• ... that despite a reputation as a weed and its invasive species status in New Zealand, Drosera capensis (pictured) is uncommon in its native habitat?
• ... that ChatGPT developer John Schulman said that his first period of serious self-directed study was inspired by the television show BattleBots?
• ... that the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty held elections in El Salvador that "the entire country" knew were fraudulent?
• ... that George Zurcher was suspended as a Catholic priest for six years because he gave a critical homily on All Saints' Day 1899?
• ... that the fossil osoberry Oemleria janhartfordae was described from a single flower just starting towards fruiting?
• ... that Arthur J. Ruhlig was the first person to record observations of deuterium–tritium fusion?
• ... that there was once a proposal to demolish the Paul Schweikher House and Studio to make way for a sewage plant?
• ... that the design of Death in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was inspired by Christian imagery?
• ... that Marmaduke Tudsbery Tudsbery formed part of "The Sofa" at the Athenaeum Club?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured), the commander of Apollo 13, dies at the age of 97.
• A helicopter crash in Ashanti Region, Ghana, kills eight people on board including two ministers, Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.

August 12

• 1881 – Franco-American children as young as seven years old began striking against Cabot Mill in Brunswick, Maine, shutting down operations for three days.
• 1952 – Thirteen Jewish poets were executed in Moscow for espionage based on false confessions.
• 1985 – Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (aircraft involved pictured) crashed into Mount Takamagahara in Gunma Prefecture, killing 520 of 524 people on board, including singer Kyu Sakamoto, in the world's worst single-aircraft aviation disaster.
• 2000 – Kursk, an Oscar-class submarine of the Russian Navy, suffered an on-board explosion and sank in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing 118 people.
• 2016 – The state-owned Taedonggang Brewing Company inaugurated the first beer festival in North Korea.

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The Berners Street hoax was perpetrated by the writer Theodore Hook in London in 1810. He made a bet that he could transform any property into the most talked-about address in London. He spent six weeks sending between 1000 and 4000 letters to tradespeople and businesses ordering deliveries of their goods and services to 54 Berners Street, London, at various times on the same day. Several well-known people were also invited to call on the address, including the chairmen of the Bank of England and the East India Company, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Lord Mayor of London. Chimney sweeps began arriving at the address at 5:00 am on the day, followed by hundreds of traders and businessmen; goods deliveries included organs, furniture, coal and a coffin. The police were not able to clear the street until after the final influx of visitors at 5:00 pm. Hook was unidentified at the time, but admitted his involvement in a semi-autobiographical novel published twenty-five years later. (Full article...)

• ... that after an earthquake wiped out Shaizar's ruling family, crusaders tried to seize the city (pictured) but quarreled and left?
• ... that Anacaona was the subject of a popular salsa song centuries after her death?
• ... that the song "Michelle Pfeiffer" has been described as possessing "a cresting emotionality grand enough to fill the tallest IMAX screen"?
• ... that the printed edition of the Woodstock Letters runs almost 50,000 pages, covering nearly 13 feet (4 metres) of shelving?
• ... that some exoplanets are evaporating catastrophically?
• ... that 11 of the 27 Italian generals who died during the First World War perished during the last six months?
• ... that American football kicker Brian Hall used a prosthetic leg?
• ... that Jacqueline Wilson worked with Disability Rights UK when writing The Best Sleepover in the World?
• ... that Laila Friis-Salling took up skiing due to a bet?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured) dies at the age of 97.
• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.
• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

August 11

• 106 – The region of Dacia, comprising parts of modern Romania, became a province of the Roman Empire.
• 1952 – King Talal of Jordan was forced to abdicate due to mental illness and was succeeded by his eldest son Hussein.
• 1975 – The Timorese Democratic Union launches a coup in Portuguese Timor, starting the East Timorese civil war.
• 1977 – The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the alleged vulnerability of the Ford Pinto (example pictured) to fuel leakage and fire in a rear-end collision.
• 1999 – The Salt Lake City Tornado hit downtown Salt Lake City, damaging 120 homes and injuring over 100 people.

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Hurra-yi Khuttali (fl. c. 1006 – c. 1040) was a princess from the Ghaznavid dynasty and the daughter of Sabuktigin, ruler of Ghazna (now in Afghanistan); her date and place of birth are unknown. Her intelligence and tactfulness gave her an influential role in governmental matters. She was married to two Maʽmunid rulers of the Khwarazm region, Abu al-Hasan Ali and, after his death, his brother Maʽmun II. It is not known if she had children with either of her husbands. Her marriages were a direct cause of the annexation of Khwarazm by her brother, Mahmud of Ghazni. In 1030, upon Mahmud's death, she wrote a letter to her favourite nephew, Masʽud, urging him to claim the throne from his brother, Muhammad. After receiving her missive, Masʽud quickly marched to Ghazna and usurped the throne. Hurra's letter is considered the most prominent political act of a woman during the Ghaznavid era. She is last mentioned in 1040, leaving Ghazna for India; her ultimate fate is unknown. (Full article...)

• ... that there are eleven ways (pictured) to unfold a cube?
• ... that Jeong Haneul went from being a North Korean soldier to a South Korean YouTuber?
• ... that the mosaic effect is the act of combining seemingly unrelated data to reveal sensitive or classified information that individual pieces of data would not disclose?
• ... that Simón Radowitzky was forced to pay a fare for his own deportation?
• ... that Palaeocarpinus fruit fossils have been recovered from Cold Ash and Hells Half Acre?
• ... that painter Low Kway Song founded the first Straits Chinese Methodist church in Malacca?
• ... that Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in Pyongyang features Dennis Rodman singing "Happy Birthday" to Kim Jong Un?
• ... that a worker attempted to kill labor activist Luisa Moreno with an ice pick at a union meeting?
• ... that Karma held the flag of Bhutan at the Olympics multiple times?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured) dies at the age of 97.
• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.
• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

August 10

• 955 – Hungarian invasions of Europe: Forces under Otto the Great were victorious at the Battle of Lechfeld near present-day Augsburg, Germany, holding off the incursions of the Magyars into Central Europe.
• 1897 – German chemist Felix Hoffmann discovered an improved method of synthesizing aspirin (package pictured).
• 1966 – The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Canada, collapsed during its construction, killing nine workers.
• 2007 – Amid large protests against the impending demolition of the Queen's Pier, the High Court of Hong Kong dismissed legal attempts to preserve the landmark.
• 2019 – Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York.

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The 1883 FA Cup final was played between Blackburn Olympic F.C. and Old Etonians F.C. on 31 March 1883 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the 12th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest football competition. Old Etonians had defeated Blackburn Rovers, in the 1882 final. Blackburn Olympic had not previously progressed beyond the first round of the competition. Old Etonians took the lead in the first half with a goal from Harry Goodhart, but Alfred Matthews scored an equaliser for Blackburn and, with the scores level, the game went into extra time. Blackburn's James Costley scored and Blackburn won the match 2–1. It was the first time that a working-class team had won the Cup; it had previously been won exclusively by wealthy amateurs. The victory intensified a debate over professionalism in football; following threats to break away by teams which wished to pay players to break away, professionalism in football was legalised in 1885 and the dominance of amateurs quickly ended. (Full article...)

• ... that after losing a Shanghai mansion (pictured) to the Empire of Japan in World War II, British hotelier Victor Sassoon abandoned repossession plans following a communist takeover?
• ... that Randy D had his first chance to join radio while working as a parking attendant at Lincoln Center?
• ... that the goal of "peace" may mean different things to Israelis and Palestinians?
• ... that actress Montana Manning initially had a speaking role in the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but it was cut?
• ... that a Virginia TV station broadcast an all-Black variety show on its first day in 1950?
• ... that Phyllis Lightbourn-Jones and Phyllis Edness both competed in the 1948 Olympics and were respectively the first woman and first black woman to compete for Bermuda?
• ... that the novel Vera, or Faith was described by a reviewer as "probably the most endearing book about anxiety ever written"?
• ... that the jury of matrons who assessed whether Ann Davis was pregnant after she was sentenced to death were the first civilian jurors for a criminal trial in New South Wales?
• ... that in Burundi there is a belief that healers can perform temporary abortions?

• American astronaut Jim Lovell (pictured) dies at the age of 97.
• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.
• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

August 9: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples; National Women's Day in South Africa (1956)

• 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops counter-attacked and won the Battle of Cedar Mountain, after nearly being driven from the field in the early part of the battle.
• 1902 – In a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Edward VII and Alexandra were crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor and Empress of India.
• 1965 – The state of Singapore (flag pictured) was expelled from the Malaysian federation due to a heated ideological conflict between their ruling parties; the day is now celebrated as Singapore's National Day.
• 2001 – Second Intifada: A suicide bomber attacked a pizza restaurant in Jerusalem, killing 15 people and wounding 130 others.
• 2006 – British police arrested 24 people for conspiring to detonate liquid explosives carried on board airliners travelling from the UK to the US and Canada.

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The Diamond Smugglers is a non-fiction book by Ian Fleming published in November 1957. The book is based on two weeks of interviews Fleming undertook with John Collard, a member of the International Diamond Security Organisation (IDSO) and a former member of MI5; the IDSO was headed by Sir Percy Sillitoe (pictured), the ex-head of MI5 who worked for the diamond company De Beers. The IDSO was formed by Sillitoe to combat the smuggling of diamonds from Africa; it was estimated that £10 million worth of gems were being smuggled every year out of South Africa alone. The book expands upon a series of articles that Fleming wrote for The Sunday Times in 1957. The Diamond Smugglers is one of two non-fiction books written by Fleming. It received mixed reviews, although critics thought the subject was interesting and that the facts were as interesting as works of fiction. There was interest in turning the book into a film, but the plans did not come to fruition. (Full article...)

• ... that Meg White (pictured), a key figure in the 2000s garage-rock revival, has not made any public appearances since 2009?
• ... that Italian football clubs could have a third reserve team in the early 20th century?
• ... that Lourdes Klitzkie took up running in her late thirties to combat boredom, then qualified for the Olympics?
• ... that Herb Alpert's 2024 album 50 commemorates both his 50th studio album and his golden wedding anniversary?
• ... that Margarethe Hardegger established an illegal abortion clinic in her own home?
• ... that in July 2025 Elon Musk opened a flying saucer–shaped diner on Route 66 in Hollywood?
• ... that Queen Melisende wanted to get rid of her husband's friend Elias, so she made him an offer that he could not refuse?
• ... that the joint-most successful team in the Indian Premier League finished last in 2025?
• ... that Bishop Anselm, Abbot Geoffrey, and Viscount Rohard were sent in 1142 to delicately inform the Byzantine emperor that he was welcome in Jerusalem—just not with an army?

• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (pictured) wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.
• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.
• In association football, the UEFA Women's Euro concludes with England defeating Spain in the final.

August 8

• 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Amid a succession dispute, the forces of Duke Zhuang of Lu, who was attempting to install a claimant to the Qi throne, were defeated at the Battle of Qianshi.
• 1695 – The foundation for what is now known as the Wren Building, the oldest surviving college building in the United States, was laid in a ceremony at Middle Plantation, Virginia.
• 1918 – The Battle of Amiens began in northern France, marking the start of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive through the German front lines that ultimately led to the end of World War I.
• 1991 – The Warsaw radio mast (pictured), then the tallest structure ever built, at 646.38 metres (2,120.7 ft), collapsed due to an error in exchanging the guys on the highest telecommunications equipment of the mast.
• 2010 – A massive mudslide in the Chinese province of Gansu killed at least 1,471 people.

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Roy Marshall (1930–1992) was a Barbadian cricketer who played in four Test matches for the West Indies and had an extensive domestic career with Hampshire in English county cricket. He was born in Saint Thomas, Barbados. Marshall made his debut in first-class cricket at the age of 15 for Barbados in January 1946, and established himself in the side as an attacking opening batter. He was selected in the West Indian team and played Test cricket between 1951 and 1952, making two appearances apiece against Australia and New Zealand. With players surpassing him for Test selection, he decided to end his brief international career and pursue a career in English county cricket. He joined Hampshire in 1953 and established himself as an opening batsman. Marshall became a consistent and attacking batsman; in 1959, he was chosen as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He won his first County Championship in 1961, and was appointed Hampshire's first professional captain between 1966 and 1970. (Full article...)

• ... that Olympic champion Franco Testa (pictured) quit cycling to become a butcher?
• ... that a writer from The Spinoff called the children's book Cliffhanger a "win for the nerds"?
• ... that South African politician Jabu Mbalula is the older brother of Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the African National Congress?
• ... that an English translation of At 25:00, in Akasaka was released as a launch title of a boys' love manga reading service?
• ... that a nomad known as "Mule" sued to protect the "sacred relationship between man and horse to travel together with reverence and respect for this beautiful place in which we all reside called Earth"?
• ... that a killing resulted in five company-sized units of police, soldiers and marines being sent to secure the 2024 Sampang regency election?
• ... that Charles Winckler, a Danish national shot put and discus champion, won his only Olympic medal in a tug-of-war tournament?
• ... that goo from a ship might contain a previously undescribed life form?
• ... that wildlife rehabilitator Mikayla Raines housed two "lesbian goth foxes" at her SaveAFox Rescue in Minnesota?

• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (pictured) wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• In association football, the Copa América Femenina concludes with Brazil defeating Colombia in the final.
• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.
• In association football, the UEFA Women's Euro concludes with England defeating Spain in the final.

August 7: Assyrian Martyrs Day (1933)

• 1461 – Ming Chinese general Cao Qin staged a failed coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Marines initiated the first American offensive of the Guadalcanal campaign, with landings on Tulagi (pictured), Gavutu–Tanambogo and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
• 1946 – The Soviet Union informed Turkey that the way in which the latter was handling the Turkish straits no longer represented the security interests of its fellow Black Sea nations, escalating the Turkish Straits crisis.
• 1970 – Jonathan Jackson kidnapped Harold Haley, a judge in Marin County, California, to coerce the release of the Soledad Brothers, including Jackson's brother George.
• 1985 – Five members of the Bamber family were found murdered at a farmhouse in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, England.