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.

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Constans II (died 411) was the son of the Western Roman emperor Constantine III. When his father rebelled against the ruling emperor Honorius and the army in Britain acclaimed him as emperor in early 407, Constans was a monk. He was summoned to Gaul, appointed to the position of caesar (heir) and swiftly married so that a dynasty could be founded. Honorius acknowledged Constantine as co-emperor in early 409 and Constantine immediately raised Constans to the position of emperor, theoretically equal in rank to Honorius as well as to Constantine. Later in 409 Constans was sent to Hispania (Spain) to quash a revolt, but suffered a defeat and withdrew to Arelate (modern Arles). In 410, Constans was again sent to Hispania with an army. The rebels had strengthened their forces with barbarians and won a battle against Constans; he withdrew north and was defeated again and killed at Vienne early in 411. The rebels then besieged Constantine in Arelate and killed him. (Full article...)

• ... that Frederick L. Scarf (pictured) developed the plasma-wave detector for the Voyager program, which recorded the "sounds of space", described as "an eerie symphony of hisses, pops, and whistles"?
• ... that "On Eagle's Wings" was quoted in Joe Biden's presidential victory speech, and featured in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
• ... that Randy Winkler was the "Jolly Green Giant", while Gérard Lefranc was just the "Green Giant"?
• ... that after a building in Poland was wrecked by one explosion then demolished by a second, a cat was found alive among the rubble?
• ... that readers looked forward to a second novel by Walter J. Muilenburg that never happened?
• ... that the song "Bésame" blends afrobeat and flamenco?
• ... that sources do not identify with certainty when or why university students began throwing shoes onto the Shoe Tree in Minneapolis?
• ... that Serge de Beaurecueil, having spent a "wretched childhood" dreaming of journeying to a faraway land, became the only Catholic priest in Afghanistan?
• ... that a reviewer for Rolling Stone said that a 2024 concert tour by Weezer resembled a cross between an Iron Maiden concert and the Disneyland attraction Star Tours?

• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (pictured) wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• 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.
• In cycling, Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France.

August 6

• 1777 – The Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolutionary War, was fought about 6 mi (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, New York.
• 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan (mushroom cloud pictured), killing about 70,000 people instantly.
• 1965 – U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disfranchisement of African Americans.
• 1991 – British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee posted a public invitation to collaborate on a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessible via the Internet, known as the World Wide Web.
• 2008 – Mauritanian president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high-ranking generals that he had dismissed from office several hours earlier.

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The collapse of the Belvidere Apollo Theatre took place on the evening of March 31, 2023, when a tornado struck Belvidere, Illinois, in the United States. The show, headlined by the death metal band Morbid Angel, began despite advance knowledge of imminent severe weather. Winds of 90 to 100 miles per hour (140 to 160 km/h) caused the failure of the lower roof structure and large amounts of debris fell into the sold-out venue burying many people. Concertgoers removed debris prior to the arrival of the Belvidere Fire Department. One concertgoer was pronounced dead at the scene and 27 were taken to the hospital, of 48 who suffered non-fatal injuries. The street-facing facade and the upper roof structure were found on the street after the tornado. Following the collapse, the lack of safety protocols despite warning became the subject of multiple lawsuits. The Apollo Theatre was condemned the next day, but reopened that September. (Full article...)

• ... that when the Westhope house (pictured) was being built, neighbors were confused as to its design, so its owners said it was supposed to be a pickle factory?
• ... that actress Arielle Prepetit was cast in the first African American daytime soap opera in 34 years, Beyond the Gates?
• ... that a public debate in the 2024 Bojonegoro regency election was cancelled because one of the candidates entered the stage?
• ... that Swiss national Charles Champaud represented Bulgaria at the 1896 Summer Olympics?
• ... that a TV station went from being potentially named after a deceased investor to being named after "the crossroads of Middle Georgia"?
• ... that actress Eva O'Hara pushed for her Hollyoaks character to be given "something more meaty" rather than have a happy ending?
• ... that Plotkin's Vaccines was written by the inventor of the rubella vaccine because he felt that vaccinology had become a distinct field of medicine?
• ... that Arthur Newnham was born in India, played first-class cricket in England, and served as a military attaché in Moscow?
• ... that an impostor traded to the Green Bay Packers disappeared after playing one game for the team?

• In cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (pictured) wins the Tour de France Femmes.
• 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.
• In cycling, Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France.

August 5: Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day in Croatia (1995)

• 1506 – Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania achieved one of the greatest Lithuanian victories against the Tatars at the Battle of Kletsk.
• 1600 – Scottish nobleman John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, was killed during what was most likely a failed attempt to kidnap King James VI.
• 1772 – Russia, Prussia and Habsburg Austria began the First Partition of Poland, with the primary motive to restore the regional balance of power in Eastern Europe.
• 1973 – Due to an athletics scandal, the National Collegiate Athletic Association applied the death penalty to the basketball program at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
• 2015 – United States Environmental Protection Agency personnel accidentally caused a spillage (aftermath pictured) of 3 million gallons (11 million litres) of mine waste water and tailings trapped inside the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado.

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2020 Missouri Amendment 2, also called the Medicaid Expansion Initiative, was a ballot measure to amend the Constitution of Missouri to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The initiative was on the August 4, 2020, primary ballot and passed with 53.27% of the vote. Following Medicaid expansion initiatives in other states, Republican lawmakers in Nebraska and Utah added work requirements to their states' expansions; supporters aimed to prevent this by proposing state constitutional amendments for future Medicaid expansion initiatives. The measure was supported most in urban areas and opposed in rural areas. After a delay due to a lack of funding from the Missouri General Assembly and resulting litigation, the initiative was slowly implemented in October 2021. Republican lawmakers attempted to roll back the program and add a work requirement through a state constitutional amendment, which failed after the United States Supreme Court prevented its implementation. (Full article...)

• ... that pastor, poet, teacher, and musician Wycliffe Smith (pictured) has served as lieutenant governor of Saba and prime minister of Sint Maarten?
• ... that during Operation Security and Order, Mbah Suro's followers fought against Indonesian Army special forces with clubs and headbands?
• ... that NFL player Henry Monroe retired after one season to enter medical school?
• ... that workers of Jakarta's Public Facility Maintenance Agency are known as "orange troops"?
• ... that Luis Aranaz was named an "adopted son" of Sabadell after captaining the city's football club to two Spanish second-division titles in the 1940s?
• ... that the SWAT unit in Regina recruited their first female officer from the Regina Police Service in May 1991?
• ... that Namibian activist Werner Mamugwe was banned from entering Bechuanaland Protectorate due to his political activities?
• ... that North Korea thanked the United States for helping its sailors defeat a group of pirates?
• ... that "the Psycho" controlled the drug trade in Finglas, Cabra and Ballymun from the early 1990s until his death in 1996?

• 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 (player of the match Hannah Hampton pictured).
• In cycling, Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France.
• American professional wrestler Hulk Hogan dies at the age of 71.

August 4

• 1265 – Second Barons' War: Royal troops led by Prince Edward defeated baronial forces under Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in Worcestershire, England.
• 1862 – In Brooklyn, a mob composed largely of Irish Americans attacked a group of African Americans in a riot.
• 1991 – An explosion on the Greek cruise ship MTS Oceanos ruptured its hull, causing it to sink off the east coast of South Africa, with all 571 people on board rescued.
• 2006 – Sri Lankan civil war: Seventeen employees of the French nongovernmental organization ACF International were massacred in Mutur.
• 2020 – A large explosion of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon killed 218 people and caused US$15 billion in damage.

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Red is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (pictured). It was released in October 2012 by Big Machine Records. Swift designated Red as a breakup album and her last to be promoted as country music. The album incorporates styles of pop, rock, folk and country, and is composed of acoustic instruments, electronic synths and drum machines. Initial reviews mostly praised Swift's songwriting for its emotional exploration and engagement, but critics deemed the production inconsistent and questioned her identity as a country artist. Swift supported Red with the Red Tour (2013–2014). Red topped the charts and received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the United States it spent seven weeks atop the Billboard 200. Red was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2013 Country Music Association Awards, and Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. (Full article...)

• ... that Trichogenes claviger (examples pictured) can climb nets using outgrowths from its head?
• ... that Philippe Housiaux took a law examination instead of competing in the 1972 Summer Olympics?
• ... that helical strakes can be used to reduce structural fatigue on structures such as chimneys and pipelines?
• ... that "Whistle" was composed because of a miscommunication between a film director and the songwriters?
• ... that Fletcher Ransom wrote and illustrated a book of satirical cartoons about Theodore Roosevelt titled My Policies in Jungleland?
• ... that art students designed the stained-glass windows of the Chapel at George Fox University?
• ... that Don Summers signed with an NFL team despite having gone more than 400 days without catching a football?
• ... that AHOF, a K-pop group formed on a reality show, includes two members who were not on the winning team?
• ... that Worrall Reed Carter wrote about beans, bullets and black oil?

• Former president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
• Clashes between Druze militias and the Syrian Armed Forces result in hundreds of deaths.
• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
• Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 140 people dead.

July 21: Belgian National Day (1831), Marine Day in Japan (2025)

• 905 – Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, was captured and blinded during his attempt to restore Carolingian power over Italy by King Berengar I.
• 1877 – Much of central Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was burned and looted during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
• 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike (pictured) was sworn in as prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government.
• 1990 – The Taiwanese military ordered the deportation of dozens of illegal immigrants from mainland China in sealed boat holds, causing 25 deaths due to suffocation.
• 2007 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the popular Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, was released and sold 15 million copies in its first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling book in history.

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Sir William Gordon-Cumming (20 July 1848 – 20 May 1930) was a Scottish landowner, soldier and socialite. He was the central figure in the royal baccarat scandal of 1891. He joined the British Army in 1868 and saw service in South Africa, Egypt and the Sudan; he served with distinction and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. An adventurer, he also hunted in the US and India. A friend of Edward, Prince of Wales, for over 20 years, in 1890 he attended a house party at Tranby Croft, where he took part in a game of baccarat at the behest of the prince. During the course of two nights' play he was accused of cheating, which he denied. After news of the affair leaked out, he sued five members of the party for slander; Edward was called as a witness. The case was a public spectacle in the UK and abroad, but the verdict went against Gordon-Cumming and he was ostracised from polite society. After the court case he married an American heiress, but their relationship was unhappy. (Full article...)

• ... that François-Edmond Fortier published more than 3,300 postcards of French West Africa (example pictured) between 1901 and 1920?
• ... that a language riot broke out between members of Our Lady of the Rosary in 1917?
• ... that Oleksandr Rodin's opera Kateryna was staged despite barricades, bombings, and an air-raid alarm?
• ... that Paul Among the People treats the Pauline epistles as sources comparable to Homer, Aristophanes and Virgil on Greco-Roman attitudes?
• ... that Gyula Kakas competed at two Olympics in gymnastics, set the Hungarian pole-vault record, and played for a national-champion football club?
• ... that a lyric in Beautiful Chaos was praised for "spreading queer joy"?
• ... that defending champions Bermuda did not compete in the women's football tournament at the 2015 Island Games?
• ... that Vatican Taekwondo has no registered athletes or coaches?
• ... that Iceland's entry for Eurovision in 2025 brought out a line of Ash Wednesday costumes?

• Former president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
• Clashes between Druze militias and the Syrian Armed Forces result in hundreds of deaths.
• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
• Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 140 people dead.

July 20

• 1807 – French brothers Claude and Nicéphore Niépce received a patent for their Pyréolophore, one of the world's first internal combustion engines.
• 1951 – Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
• 1976 – The Viking 1 lander became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission.
• 1997 – USS Constitution, one of the United States Navy's original six frigates, sailed for the first time in 116 years after a full restoration.
• 2015 – A suicide attack (aftermath pictured) in Suruç, Turkey, for which Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility, killed 34 people and injured 104 others.

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Great Wilbraham is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, an archaeological site near the village of Great Wilbraham in Cambridgeshire, England. The enclosure is about 170 metres (560 ft) across, and covers about 2 hectares (4.9 acres). Causewayed enclosures were built in England from before 3700 BC until c. 3500 BC; they are characterized by the enclosure of an area with ditches that are interrupted by gaps, or causeways. Their purpose is not known; they may have been settlements, meeting places, or ritual sites. The Great Wilbraham enclosure was first identified from aerial photographs in 1972. An excavation was begun in 1975 by David Clarke, with a planned five-year research programme, but he died in 1976 and his results remained unpublished. His archive of finds and records was reanalysed in the 2000s. The site was rich in finds, including Neolithic flint, pottery from periods from the Neolithic to the present day, and animal bone. The site has been protected as a scheduled monument since 1976. (Full article...)

• ... that the Ennis House (pictured) was variously characterized as "a mausoleum, fortress, Tibetan monument, Mayan temple, and palace"?
• ... that, in 12th-century Igodomigodo, King Ohuede proposed allowing women to inherit the throne in the absence of male heirs?
• ... that one Japanese bullet train service once skipped the cities of Nagoya and Kyoto?
• ... that, when five consecutive Ranger spacecraft failed, Harris Schurmeier was put in charge with a mandate to transform the program?
• ... that Here Will I Nest was the first dramatic Canadian feature film to be shot in colour, and the first film adaptation of a Canadian play?
• ... that Prescott Currier was one of the first Americans to visit the British code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park?
• ... that Elyn Saks's memoir about her life with schizophrenia won her a "Genius Grant"?
• ... that the subculture of Aristasia combined Guénonian Traditionalism with lesbian separatism?
• ... that fencer Bernardo de la Guardia was a competitor and a judge – at the same Olympic Games?

• Former president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
• Clashes between Druze militias and the Syrian Armed Forces result in hundreds of deaths.
• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
• Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 140 people dead.

July 19

• 1845 – A fire in Manhattan, New York, destroyed 345 buildings, killed 30 people, and caused at least $5 million in damage.
• 1903 – French cyclist Maurice Garin won the first edition of the Tour de France.
• 1919 – Following Peace Day celebrations marking the end of the First World War, English ex-servicemen unhappy with unemployment and other grievances rioted and burned down Luton Town Hall.
• 1997 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would resume its ceasefire, ending its 28-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.
• 2013 – The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance (detail pictured), for which people were invited to "wave at Saturn".

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Lieutenant-General Henry de Hinuber (1767–1833) was a Hanoverian army officer who commanded units of the King's German Legion (KGL) during the Napoleonic Wars. Initially serving in the Hanoverian Army, in 1782 he fought in the Second Anglo-Mysore War in India. He was present at the siege of Cuddalore. The French Revolutionary Wars began a decade later and Hinuber served in the Flanders Campaign. When Hanover was invaded in 1803, Hinuber offered his services to the British Army and was given command of the 3rd Line Battalion of the KGL before commanding a brigade in the Bay of Naples in 1809. He was promoted to major-general in 1811 and given command of a brigade in Lord Wellington's Peninsular War army in 1813. Hinuber commanded his brigade at the Battle of Nivelle in 1813 and then at the siege of Bayonne the following year, when he led the response to the French counter-attack. He joined the army of the new Kingdom of Hanover in 1816. He received his last command in 1831, of the 2nd Division of a corps of the German Federal Army, and died in Frankfurt two years later. (Full article...)

• ... that Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir (pictured) scored two goals for the Iceland women's national football team the day before she graduated from university?
• ... that the literary heritage of Nova Scotia includes the first newspaper and the first literary journal in Canada?
• ... that according to the Zoo Miami communications director, 100 men could beat a single gorilla if they "envelop the gorilla and create a human straightjacket"?
• ... that the memorial for James Bunbury White, the founder of Whiteville, North Carolina, was knocked down in a car crash 200 years after his death?
• ... that before the establishment of the Singapore's Rail Test Centre, the bulk of rolling-stock testing had to be conducted overseas?
• ... that the artist Cady Noland has disavowed artworks that she no longer considered genuine because they were damaged or altered?
• ... that Christ Church, Amherstburg, a Canadian church built by a Loyalist, features timbers fashioned after a ship's hull?
• ... that Li Jinhua was the first female spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
• ... that an announcer damaged the tower of an Arkansas radio station while driving a moving van?

• Former president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
• Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 130 people dead.
• Astronomers announce the discovery of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object passing through the Solar System.

July 18

• 1290 – King Edward I issued an edict to expel all Jews from England.
• 1723 – Johann Sebastian Bach directed the first performance of his cantata Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz in Leipzig.
• 1976 – At the Olympic Games in Montreal, Nadia Comăneci (pictured) became the first person to score a perfect 10 in a modern Olympics gymnastics event.
• 1989 – American actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and killed by Robert John Bardo, eventually prompting the passage of anti-stalking laws in California.
• 1995 – Selena's album Dreaming of You, instrumental in popularizing Tejano music, was released posthumously.

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Hurricane Claudette was the third tropical storm and first hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. A fairly long-lived July Atlantic hurricane, Claudette began as a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean. It moved westward past the Yucatán Peninsula before moving northwestward through the Gulf of Mexico. Claudette remained a tropical storm until just before making landfall in Port O'Connor, Texas, on July 15, when it quickly strengthened to a strong Category 1 hurricane. Forecasting its path and intensity was uncertain, resulting in widespread and often unnecessary preparations. Claudette caused one death and moderate damage in Texas, mostly from strong winds, as well as extensive beach erosion. Because of the damage, President George W. Bush declared portions of South Texas as a Federal Disaster Area. Claudette also caused significant rainfall and minor damage in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, as well as minor damage on Saint Lucia. (This article is part of a featured topic: 2003 Atlantic hurricane season.)

• ... that the former Essex County Courthouse (pictured) was designed by an American and built by Canada's future prime minister?
• ... that Patriarch Arnulf's "niece" Emma probably really was just his niece?
• ... that some medical professionals run clinics dedicated to illegal abortions in Ivory Coast?
• ... that NFL player Adolph Bieberstein was later an attorney who argued before the United States Supreme Court?
• ... that four uninhabited islands triggered a dispute between the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra?
• ... that Sangay Tenzin started his international swimming career at the World Championships?
• ... that no major hurricane has hit Mexico earlier in the year than Hurricane Erick since records began?
• ... that the identity of "Barbara O'Brien", the author of Operators and Things, a 1958 autobiographical account of schizophrenia, has not been publicly revealed?
• ... that Saiyuud Diwong's cookbook Cooking with Poo won an Oddest Title of the Year award?

• The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani (pictured) over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
• Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 130 people dead.
• Astronomers announce the discovery of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object passing through the Solar System.
• The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile releases the first light images from its new 8.4-metre (28 ft) telescope.

July 17: Constitution Day in South Korea (1948); World Emoji Day

• 1453 – The Battle of Castillon, the last engagement of the Hundred Years' War, ended with the English losing all holdings in France except the Pale of Calais.
• 1918 – RMS Carpathia, which had rescued survivors of the 1912 Titanic sinking, was sunk by a German U-boat with the loss of five crew.
• 1948 – In Olympia, Greece, the Summer Olympics torch relay, nicknamed the "relay of peace", began.
• 1992 – The Manchester Metrolink (pictured), the first modern street-running light-rail system in the United Kingdom, was officially opened.
• 1996 – TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York.