The Littlehampton libels were a series of letters sent to numerous residents of Littlehampton, in southern England, over a three-year period between 1920 and 1923. The letters, which contained obscenities and false accusations, were written by Edith Swan, a thirty-year-old laundress; she tried to incriminate her neighbour, Rose Gooding, a thirty-year-old married woman. Swan and Gooding (both pictured) had once been friends, but after Swan made a false report to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children accusing Gooding of maltreating one of her sister's children, the letters started arriving. Many of them were signed as if from Gooding. Swan brought a private prosecution against Gooding for libel. Gooding was imprisoned twice, but Scotland Yard investigated and cleared her. Swan was prosecuted in December 1921. A similar case of letters being sent over several years was reported in 2024, in the village of Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire. (Full article...)

• ... that, upon the death of Truganini (pictured), the Aboriginal population of Tasmania was declared to be extinct?
• ... that the 141 Schools for Peace campaign was formed in the aftermath of the 2014 Peshawar school massacre and received proceeds from "We Will Fly"?
• ... that a retired manufacturing CEO and a former Muppeteer co-produced a biopic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
• ... that Otago Farmers Market celebrated its birthday with a "long lunch" on a railway platform?
• ... that the AI creation Tilly Norwood has been described as "really, really scary"?
• ... that Depeche Mode chose to follow a set of rules, including one against using chords, when they recorded their 1987 album Music for the Masses?
• ... that Bea Sprung credits her competitive swimming background with aiding her development as a footballer?
• ... that Trinity Communion Church in New York erected a 10-foot (3.0 m) papier-mâché pink elephant on its lawn to increase its visibility in its neighborhood?
• ... that Alexander Sabar feared thesis defense more than terrorists?

• Sixteen people, including a gunman, are killed in a mass shooting attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
• Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (pictured) and his government resign after two weeks of protests.
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year and eight other awards at the Game Awards.
• In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.

December 16: Day of Reconciliation in South Africa

• 1640 – Prussian forces, led by Frederick the Great, moved his troops into the Habsburg region of Silesia, starting the First Silesian War.
• 1850 – Settlers of the Canterbury Association aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
• 1922 – Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president of Poland, was assassinated only five days after having taken office.
• 1930 – German-American gangster Herman Lamm killed himself during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, to avoid being captured by police.
• 1997 – "Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children (effect pictured).

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Simon Cameron (1799–1889) was an American politician who was elected senator from Pennsylvania four times, and was War Secretary under Lincoln at the start of the Civil War. At first a supporter of James Buchanan, whom he succeeded in the Senate when Buchanan became Secretary of State in 1845, Cameron broke with Buchanan and the Democrats by the 1850s. An opponent of slavery, he briefly joined the Know Nothings before winning another term in the Senate as a Republican in 1857. He helped nominate and elect Lincoln, but rumors of corruption surrounded him; it was with reluctance that Lincoln appointed him to the cabinet. He did not do well in his post, and Lincoln made him minister to Russia in 1862, a post he held briefly. He rebuilt his political machine in Pennsylvania, winning a third term in the Senate in 1867. After ten years he resigned, arranging the election of his son, Don Cameron, in his place. Simon Cameron lived to age 90; his machine dominated local politics until the 1920s. (Full article...)

• ... that Jessie Wright, director of physical medicine at the D.T. Watson Home for Crippled Children, helped invent the rocking bed (pictured) as a treatment for polio?
• ... that the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme has been criticised for placing workers at risk of modern slavery?
• ... that G. Michael Brown said that his 1980 conviction of four mobsters showed that the Mafia wasn't merely "a figment of Hollywood's imagination."?
• ... that a Super Bowl-winning defensive tackle went on to become a U.S. Army chaplain?
• ... that upon receiving her pay from His Master's Voice, Asiah Aman was taught by an executive how to open a bank account?
• ... that while the 2024 WDF World Darts Championship final featured a 70-year-old, the 2025 final featured a 15-year-old?
• ... that Indonesian ambassador Niniek Kun Naryatie initially wanted to resign as a diplomat after giving birth to her first child, but her husband convinced her not to do so?
• ... that India's Central Reserve Police Force tested the Trichy assault rifle in mud, rain, and saltwater conditions for reliability and accuracy before ordering the rifle?
• ... that a restaurant hired Frank Deig to eat its food?

• Sixteen people, including a gunman, are killed in a mass shooting attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
• Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (pictured) and his government resign after days of protests.
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year and eight other awards at the Game Awards.
• In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.

December 15: First Day of Hanukkah (Judaism, 2025)

• 1025 – Constantine VIII (depicted) became the sole Byzantine emperor, 63 years after being crowned co-emperor.
• 1890 – Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota leader, was killed on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota by U.S. Indian agency police.
• 1939 – The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind, adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name, premiered in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 1945 – The US-led occupying forces ordered the government of Japan to cease state support for Shinto.
• 2019 – Citizenship Amendment Act protests: 10 to 15 local women blockaded a major road in Delhi, India, to protest the exclusion of Muslims from the amended Citizenship Act.

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Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons is a three-part, episodic, side-scrolling, platform video game by Ideas from the Deep and published by Apogee Software in 1990 for MS-DOS. Tom Hall (pictured) designed the game, John Carmack and John Romero programmed it, and artist Adrian Carmack assisted. The game came about when Carmack found a way to implement smooth side-scrolling on IBM-compatible PCs, and Scott Miller asked the team to develop an original game within three months. The game follows Keen as he runs, jumps, and shoots through various levels, retrieving the stolen parts of his spaceship, preventing an alien ship from destroying landmarks, and hunting down the aliens responsible. Released through shareware, sales were strong and it was lauded by reviewers for its graphical achievement and humorous style. The team continued as id Software to produce another four episodes of the Commander Keen series and followed up with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. It has been re-released several times. (Full article...)

• ... that Swedish general Lorens von der Linde (pictured) once shocked a British diplomat with his stories of King Charles X Gustav's German liaisons?
• ... that scholars have described the 1946 book The Failure of Technology as a precursor to the environmental movement?
• ... that Romanian far-right journalist Ilariu Dobridor died after being beaten and locked in his own home?
• ... that the Dutch-built and Turkish-operated Birinci İnönü-class submarines were used to discreetly develop German U-boats?
• ... that Dredge is a Lovecraftian horror and fishing video game?
• ... that the killing of an official by seven women was held up as an example of filial piety?
• ... that, when Mariame Clément directed Mozart's Così fan tutte, she froze a wedding tableau during the overture and restarted it in the finale?
• ... that Turkey is facing its worst drought in the last 50 years?
• ... that Nobuhiko Jimbo saved future Philippine president Manuel Roxas from execution during World War II, and Roxas did the same for Jimbo four years later?

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year at the Game Awards (producer and host Geoff Keighley pictured).
• In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.
• In motorsport, Lando Norris wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In a military offensive, the Southern Transitional Council seizes most of southern Yemen from the government.

December 14: Martyred Intellectuals Day in Bangladesh (1971), Monkey Day

• 835 – In the Sweet Dew incident, Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspired to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot was foiled.
• 1925 – Wozzeck (poster pictured) by composer Alban Berg, described as the first atonal opera, premiered at the Berlin State Opera.
• 1948 – American physicists Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann were awarded a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the first interactive electronic game.
• 1960 – Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in the first tied Test in cricket history.
• 1992 – War in Abkhazia: A helicopter carrying evacuees was shot down during the siege of Tkvarcheli, resulting in at least 52 deaths and catalysing more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia.

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Scott Zolak (born December 13, 1967) is an American broadcaster and former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games, with 7 starts, for the Patriots and Miami Dolphins, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Zolak was selected 84th in the 1991 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He did not play in 1991, but started four games in 1992 and had his most productive season statistically. When Drew Bledsoe was drafted in 1993, Zolak became his backup for the next six seasons. He was released at the end of the 1998 season, and signed with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in 1999. After his retirement, he became a sportscaster and football analyst in the New England area. (Full article...)

• ... that traditional stone houses on the island of Pantelleria (examples pictured) passively maintain an internal temperature up to 8 °C (14 °F) cooler than the ambient air temperature in summer?
• ... that Kenssy Dwi Ekaningsih used her skills in traditional Javanese dance at diplomatic receptions during an assignment in Rome?
• ... that Yonki-no-kai Productions was founded by Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Kon Ichikawa and Keisuke Kinoshita with the aim of reviving the struggling Japanese film industry?
• ... that, after Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo was assassinated, his wife Grecia Quiroz was chosen to complete his term in office?
• ... that A. A. Gill saw "poseurs, pimps, phoney counts, lounge lizards, poodle fakers, ageing gigolos and remittance men" at San Lorenzo?
• ... that Catalan artist Josefa Tolrà created paintings and embroideries while in a trance?
• ... that 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 was originally conceived as a science-fiction story about an older male succubus?
• ... that the majority of candidates in the 2024 Delaware elections ran unopposed?
• ... that YouTuber Laura Kampf got millions of views on a video in which she built a project that did not work?

• In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social-media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.
• In motorsport, Lando Norris (pictured) wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In a military offensive, the Southern Transitional Council seizes most of southern Yemen from the government.
• In Benin, a coup attempt by members of the armed forces is thwarted.
• Architect and designer Frank Gehry dies at the age of 96.

December 13: Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day in China (1937)

• 1294 – Saint Celestine V resigned the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit.
• 1577 – Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Union forces under Ambrose Burnside suffered severe casualties against entrenched Confederate defenders at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia.
• 1957 – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian Hamadan province, killing at least 1,130 people.
• 1960 – With Haile Selassie (pictured), Emperor of Ethiopia, out of the country, four conspirators staged a coup attempt to install Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen on the throne.

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Theodosius III was the Byzantine emperor from around May 715 to 717. Before rising to the throne of the Byzantine Empire, he was a tax collector in Adramyttium. In 715, the Byzantine navy and the troops of the Opsician Theme, one of the Byzantine provinces, revolted against Anastasius II, acclaiming the reluctant Theodosius as emperor. He led his troops to Chrysopolis and then Constantinople, seizing the city in November 715. Anastasius did not surrender until several months later, accepting exile in a monastery in return for safety. Many themes viewed Theodosius to be a puppet of the troops of the Opsician Theme, and his legitimacy was denied by the Anatolics and the Armeniacs under their respective strategoi (generals) Leo the Isaurian and Artabasdos. Leo entered Constantinople and definitively seized power in 717, allowing Theodosius and his son to retire to a monastery. When Theodosius died is uncertain, but it may have been in 754. (Full article...)

• ... that the opening of the General Motors Technical Center (pictured) featured an appearance by Indonesia's president and a speech from the US president?
• ... that Palestinian author Tareq Baconi, after studying MENA water scarcity and Hamas, wrote a memoir about queer identity, family displacement, and political awakening?
• ... that a New York railroad once operated a special train to a former train station so that people could see model trains?
• ... that Leon Russianoff never took a college music lesson, but an obituary stated that he was "considered by many to be the Godfather of American clarinetists"?
• ... that an American government database was named after a rock band?
• ... that the author of Kaiten no Albus did not decide the protagonist's objective until after the first chapter was written?
• ... that a Florida TV station was named after Columbia Pictures, even though a merger with that company fell through?
• ... that Gemma Hayter was inspired to return to playing darts after eight years when her friend became world champion?
• ... that multiple police raids failed to retrieve a book that was once valued at more than US$900 million?

• In Australia, a ban on the use of certain social-media platforms by under-16s comes into effect.
• In motorsport, Lando Norris (pictured) wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In a military offensive, the Southern Transitional Council seizes most of southern Yemen from the government.
• In Benin, a coup attempt by members of the armed forces is thwarted.
• Architect and designer Frank Gehry dies at the age of 96.

December 12: Beginning of the Yule Lads' arrival in Iceland

• 1388 – Unable to defend her possessions, Maria of Enghien sold the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
• 1939 – The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess collided with HMS Barham, the battleship she was escorting, sinking with heavy loss of life.
• 1942 – World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
• 1964 – Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the Republic of Kenya.
• 1979 – A magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck just off the shore of Tumaco, Colombia, causing at least 300 deaths, mostly by the resulting tsunami.

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George Mason (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792) was a Founding Father of the United States. A delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings have exercised a significant influence on American political thought and events. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, which Mason principally authored, served as a basis for the United States Bill of Rights, of which he has been deemed a father. Many clauses in the Constitution were influenced by Mason's input, but he ultimately did not sign, citing the lack of a bill of rights. His prominent fight for a bill of rights led fellow Virginian James Madison to introduce one during the First Congress in 1789; these amendments were ratified in 1791, a year before Mason died. Obscure after his death, Mason later came to be recognized in the 20th and 21st centuries for his contributions to Virginia and the early United States. (Full article...)

• ... that Charles Strong founded the Australian Church (building pictured) after facing heresy charges, and attracted many elite congregants including a future prime minister?
• ... that Baek Se-hee wrote I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki?
• ... that, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, France Gall was slapped by a fellow competitor?
• ... that some people who witnessed the sinking of the May Flint thought that it was a public display?
• ... that the Energy Polarizer claimed to enhance the performance of Holden Commodores with crystals?
• ... that MrBeast offered a $15,000 bounty to anyone who could defeat YouTuber Technoblade in the tournament Minecraft Monday?
• ... that the symbol of Slender Man originates from the web series Marble Hornets?
• ... that cyclist Sepp Kuss logged 547,019 metres (1,794,682 ft) of elevation gain in 2023?
• ... that the Minnesota and Wisconsin National Guards may have shot cannonballs across the Mississippi River at each other during artillery competitions at Camp Lakeview?

• In motorsport, Lando Norris (pictured) wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In a military offensive, the Southern Transitional Council seizes most of southern Yemen from the government.
• In Benin, a coup attempt by members of the armed forces is thwarted.
• Architect and designer Frank Gehry dies at the age of 96.

December 11

• 1899 – Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein, Boers defeated British forces trying to relieve the Siege of Kimberley.
• 1925 – Pope Pius XI promulgated the encyclical Quas primas, establishing the Feast of Christ the King.
• 1972 – Apollo 17 (Lunar Roving Vehicle pictured), the last Apollo mission, landed on the Moon.
• 1998 – With its pilot believed to have been suffering from spatial disorientation, Thai Airways Flight 261 crashed in a swamp on approach to Surat Thani Airport, resulting in 101 deaths.
• 2005 – Demonstrations in Cronulla, a suburb of Sydney, against recent violence towards locals turned into a series of race riots.

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Edmund Ætheling (born 1016 or 1017, died before 1057) was a son of Edmund Ironside and his wife Ealdgyth. Edmund Ironside briefly ruled as king of England following the death of his father Æthelred the Unready in April 1016. Edmund Ironside died in late 1016 after a hard-fought war with Danish invader Cnut who became king of all England shortly after. The following year, Cnut sent Edmund Ironside's two infant sons, Edmund Ætheling and Edward the Exile, to Continental Europe, probably to the King of Sweden, to be murdered. Instead, the princes were spared and sent to Hungary, possibly after a sojourn at the court of Yaroslav I, prince of Kiev, in Russia. As Ironside's marriage lasted no more than 15 months, Edmund and Edward were either twins or one was born after their father's death. Edmund may have married a daughter of the Hungarian king, and he died in Hungary on 10 January in an unknown year before 1057. (Full article...)

• ... that Paul Revere's daughter had a portrait of him (pictured) revised, as it depicted him dressed informally?
• ... that the Tudor historian Polydore Vergil erroneously wrote that the site of the Battle of Edington was in Abingdon?
• ... that the aria "Caro mio ben" has been attributed to three Giordanis, one of whom was unrelated to the other two?
• ... that Achmad Husein required municipal employees of Banyumas to collect 1 kg (2.2 lb) of inorganic waste each month?
• ... that Superstring at Marymount station features child-like drawings of the sun, a singing bird, and cryptic messages on babies and saving water?
• ... that Tan Boon Chiang awarded four cases of PepsiCo soft drinks to each worker in Singapore after rejecting their claim for higher wages?
• ... that the American crow is considered to be a sign of good luck in Native American cultures?
• ... that Tony Hawk described ollieing a staircase in Lyon as "one of the greatest feats in skateboarding history"?
• ... that Bob Comfort, an atheist, made up a religion to avoid sergeant orders to pick one while serving in the United States military?

• In motorsport, Lando Norris (pictured) wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In Benin, a coup attempt by members of the armed forces is thwarted.
• Architect and designer Frank Gehry dies at the age of 96.
• In Saint Lucia, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, retains its majority in the House of Assembly.
• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard dies at the age of 88.

December 10: Human Rights Day; Nobel Banquet in Stockholm, Sweden

• 1884 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Finn depicted) by American author Mark Twain was first published in the United Kingdom and Canada, two months earlier than in the US.
• 1890 – The New York World Building , the then-tallest building in the United States at a height of 110 meters, is completed in New York City.
• 1907 – During the Brown Dog affair, protesters marched through London and clashed with police officers in Trafalgar Square over the existence of a memorial for animals that had been vivisected.
• 1942 – Edward Raczyński of the Polish government-in-exile issued a note that was the first official report on the Holocaust.
• 1989 – At the first open pro-democracy demonstration in Mongolia, journalist Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announced the formation of the Mongolian Democratic Union, which would be instrumental in ending communist rule four months later.

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Macrobdella decora, the North American medicinal leech, is a species of freshwater leech found in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. A medium-sized annelid growing up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) long, it has a spotted greenish-brown back and a reddish underbelly. M. decora is commonly encountered by swimmers and lives in ponds, ditches, and wetlands. The leeches are both blood-sucking parasites and aggressive predators. They have three saw-like "jaws" which they use to penetrate their host's skin, and they can remain attached for up to two hours. Their hosts include fish, turtles, wading birds, and mammals, including humans. The leeches are also voracious predators who eat other invertebrates, amphibian eggs and larvae, and sometimes even members of their own species. M. decora was historically used for leeching by European colonists in North America, who found the native leeches "equally efficacious" as those from Europe. (Full article...)

• ... that Satank Bridge (pictured) to Satank, Colorado, was constructed in 1900 for $2,325, while its 2011 restoration was estimated to cost at least $750,000?
• ... that one newspaper labelled Caroline Hodgson the "wickedest woman in Melbourne"?
• ... that Gävle Hospital in Sweden was so overrun with scarlet fever in 1934 that it considered requisitioning a local gymnasium?
• ... that Gatot Wilotikto needed approval from the North Korean parliament to marry a local woman?
• ... that more than 30 women claimed to have gone into labor within 24 hours of eating a Labor Inducer?
• ... that Friedrich von Pernstein, the archbishop of Riga for 37 years, only spent less than five years there?
• ... that the former Natick station building became the basement of a liquor store?
• ... that a former Indonesian ambassador was spared by Khmer Rouge forces after repeatedly shouting "Indonesia"?
• ... that the Pokémon Heracross may have contributed to an increase in demand for rhinoceros beetles in both legal and illegal Japanese insect markets?

• In motorsport, Lando Norris (pictured) wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• In Benin, a coup attempt by members of the armed forces is thwarted.
• Architect and designer Frank Gehry dies at the age of 96.
• In Saint Lucia, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, retains its majority in the House of Assembly.
• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard dies at the age of 88.

December 9: International Anti-Corruption Day

• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: After their loss in the Battle of Great Bridge, British authorities were forced to evacuate from the Colony of Virginia.
• 1940 – Second World War: British and Commonwealth forces began Operation Compass, the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert campaign.
• 1965 – A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in midwestern North America before landing in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1979 – A World Health Organization commission of scientists certified the global eradication of smallpox (virus pictured), making it the only human infectious disease to date to have been completely eradicated.
• 1990 – In Serbia's first multi-party election, Slobodan Milošević won the presidential election and the Socialist Party of Serbia won the majority of seats in the National Assembly.

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The Coventry ring road (A4053) is a 2.25-mile (3.62 km) ring road in Coventry, England, forming a dual-carriageway loop around the city centre. The road encloses Coventry Cathedral, the shopping areas, and much of Coventry University. Except junction 1, all junctions are entirely grade-separated and closely spaced, with weaving sections between them. The road connects with three other A roads: the A4114, the A4600 and the A429. From the 1930s, Coventry City Council began replacing its medieval streets with modern roads, and Donald Gibson, the city architect, began work in 1939 on a plan that was expanded after the Coventry Blitz during the Second World War. The ring road was constructed in six stages from 1959, initially with at-grade junctions, cycle tracks and footpaths, but in the early 1960s the council amended the design to include grade separation and the weaving sections. The road was completed in 1974, with an overall cost of £14.5 million (equivalent to £191 million in 2023). (Full article...)

• ... that Ahmad Shah Durrani (pictured) conducted fifteen major military campaigns during his reign, comprising nine invasions of India, three in Khorasan, and three in Afghan Turkestan?
• ... that, when workers of the Zenkoku Jiren went on strike at a Hitachi factory, anarchist militants firebombed the mansion of Hitachi's president, Namihei Odaira?
• ... that Matilda Freeman did not originally intend to be an actress, but auditioned for a role after being teased by some classmates?
• ... that New Tide was abandoned after many of its contributors left the country or joined the Chinese Literary Association?
• ... that the 2014 Louisville, Mississippi tornado was powerful enough that an entire door was was torn off and blown 30 miles (48 km)?
• ... that a park in New York City occupies the former site of a waste transfer station and a heliport?
• ... that reggae musician James Mange formed a soccer-themed political party to compete in South Africa's first democratic election?
• ... that the Queen's Theatre in East London was named to reflect its opening in the same year as the coronation of Elizabeth II?
• ... that "the Boshfather" was deported from Australia in October 2025?

• Architect and designer Frank Gehry (pictured) dies at the age of 96.
• In Saint Lucia, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, retains its majority in the House of Assembly.
• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard dies at the age of 88.
• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.

December 8: Rōhatsu in Japan; Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Day in Ethiopia; Liberation Day in Syria

• 1660 – Margaret Hughes (pictured) appeared professionally on the English stage; she is thought to have been the first woman to do so.
• 1880 – At an assembly of 10,000 Boers, Paul Kruger announced the fulfilment of the decision to restore the government and volksraad of the South African Republic.
• 1987 – A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
• 2010 – The Japanese experimental spacecraft IKAROS flew by Venus at a distance of 80,800 km (50,200 mi), completing its planned mission to demonstrate solar-sail technology.
• 2024 – The Syrian civil war ended when Bashar al-Assad's party, the Syrian Ba'ath Party, surrendered to the Syrian opposition.

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The 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard was a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), and the fourth event of the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Held at the Meriadeck Ice Rink in Bordeaux, France, on 13 November 2015, medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition was cancelled after the first day, following the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. The ISU later announced that the short program results would be considered the final results for the competition and any prize money and qualifying points for the Grand Prix Final were distributed. Shoma Uno of Japan won the men's event, Gracie Gold of the United States won the women's event, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov (both pictured) of Russia won the pairs event, and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States won the ice dance event. (Full article...)

• ... that Daniela Melchior (pictured) once did a chemistry screen test with fancy rats?
• ... that scholar Martin P. Nilsson called the Ring of Nestor "a most amazing find", but later doubted its authenticity?
• ... that Ken Selby walked along U.S. Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa at the age of 73?
• ... that viruses can be catalogued into seven groups in the Baltimore classification?
• ... that a subculture from Asian-American gangs broadened to include women in college sororities and cultural clubs?
• ... that The Republic Newspaper Office was completed under budget despite the plans undergoing more than 100 changes during construction?
• ... that the video game My Time at Sandrock was funded by almost 10,000 people from more than 160 countries?
• ... that Brigadier General William J. Fox retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, moved to Mexico and became a charro?
• ... that HMAS Emu once rescued a cigarette-smoking chimpanzee and his magician owner?

• In Saint Lucia, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre (pictured), retains its majority in the House of Assembly.
• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard dies at the age of 88.
• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
• The New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, wins the Vincentian general election.

December 7: Feast day of Saint Ambrose (Christianity); National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the United States (1941)

• 574 – Suffering from mental illness, Eastern Roman emperor Justin II had his general Tiberius proclaimed Caesar, adopting him as his own son.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Prairie Grove ended a Confederate attempt to regain control of northwestern Arkansas.
• 1972 – Construction workers found the remains of Martin Bormann near Lehrter Station in Berlin, ending a decades-long search after his conviction in absentia at the Nuremberg trials.
• 1995 – The Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34.
• 2014 - The annual furry convention Midwest FurFest was targeted in an unsolved chlorine gas attack.

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Jefferson Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was the president of the Confederate States of America (CSA) from 1861 to 1865. He previously represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as a Democrat, and was the U.S. secretary of war from 1853 to 1857. A graduate of West Point, Davis served in the U.S. Army, fighting in the Mexican–American War. He was a cotton planter and owned as many as 113 slaves. During the Civil War, Davis served as commander in chief. When the CSA was defeated in 1865, he was captured, accused of involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and of treason, and imprisoned at Fort Monroe. He was released without trial after two years. Immediately after the war, Davis was often blamed for the CSA's defeat but, after his release from prison, the Lost Cause movement deemed him a hero, and he was celebrated in the South. In the 21st century, however, he has been viewed more harshly, and many memorials to him have been removed. (Full article...)

• ... that the seventeen species of the prehistoric horse relative Plagiolophus ranged in weight from 10 kg (22 lb) to more than 150 kg (330 lb) (size chart pictured)?
• ... that in 2025 Oscar Piastri became the first Australian since 2010 to lead the Formula One World Drivers' Championship?
• ... that tens of thousands of Vietnamese Catholics travel to Missouri annually to attend Marian Days at Our Lady of the Ozarks College?
• ... that actress Jessica Forrest performed in a play where venues were transformed into fish-and-chip shops?
• ... that cocoa is grown in Tokyo, almost 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) south of the city centre?
• ... that Jake Bergey was drafted by the Boston Blazers before being traded back to the Philadelphia Wings, twice?
• ... that Battle for Dream Island helped to launch a YouTube genre centered on anthropomorphic objects?
• ... that Agnes Inglis developed her own idiosyncratic cataloging system for the Labadie Collection?
• ... that people green rubble?

• In Saint Lucia, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre (pictured), retains its majority in the House of Assembly.
• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard dies at the age of 88.
• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
• The New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, wins the Vincentian general election.

December 6: Saint Nicholas's Day (Western Christianity); White Ribbon Day in Canada; Independence Day in Finland (1917)

• 1060 – Béla I (pictured) was crowned King of Hungary in Székesfehérvár.
• 1865 – Slavery in the United States was officially abolished with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• 1942 – The Holocaust: Members of the German Ordnungspolizei massacred 31 people in Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka within occupied Poland for helping Jews.
• 1975 – Four members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army took two people hostage in a house on Balcombe Street in London, surrendering six days later.
• 1990 – An Italian Air Force military jet, abandoned by its pilot after an on-board fire, crashed into a high school near Bologna, killing 12 students and injuring 88 other people.

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Raichu is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise, and the evolved form of the series mascot, Pikachu. Introduced in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, it was created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori, with the design finalized by Sugimori. It has appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and in merchandise. Classified as an Electric-type Pokémon, Raichu is a large orange mouse with a tail shaped like a lightning bolt, and yellow sacs on its cheek that can generate electricity. Designed to be a stronger counterpart to Pikachu, who evolves into Raichu through the use of a "Thunder Stone", Raichu was initially intended to be able to evolve into "Gorochu" before the latter was removed. While early reactions from media outlets regarded it negatively in light of Pikachu's status as the franchise's main mascot, later reception has been more favorable. (Full article...)

• ... that Sneeze Achiu (pictured) had documents listing him as Caucasian so that he would not be segregated from his teammates?
• ... that a nationwide survey found that one in three Japanese people have an oshi?
• ... that in 1900 Isabel Fidler was appointed as tutor to the 70 women students at the University of Sydney; by the time of her retirement in 1939 there were more than 800?
• ... that Luciano Berio composed Sequenza III for diverse mouth sounds interspersed with ecstatic singing?
• ... that Tjoo Tik Tjoen stood for the Indonesian Communist Party in a 1955 election, despite not having officially joined the party?
• ... that Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 features a mini-game called sushi-bowling?
• ... that the United States agreed Australian staff would support the Joint Geological and Geophysical Research Station in Alice Springs, but the United States Air Force runs it instead?
• ... that the Deer Creek Fire developed a nearly stationary fire tornado?
• ... that the appeal of the children's poem "On the Ning Nang Nong" has been attributed to the absurdity of its nonsense sounds, like teapots going "Jibber Jabber Joo"?

• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard (pictured) dies at the age of 88.
• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
• The New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, wins the Vincentian general election.
• Former presidents of Peru Martín Vizcarra and Pedro Castillo are sentenced to prison for corruption and a self-coup attempt, respectively.

December 5: Krampusnacht in parts of Central Europe

• 1484 – Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, which gave the Dominican inquisitor Heinrich Kramer the explicit authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany.
• 1952 – The "Great Smog of London" (pictured) began and lasted for five days, causing 12,000 deaths and leading to the Clean Air Act 1956.
• 1965 – The "glasnost meeting" took place in Moscow, becoming the first demonstration in the Soviet Union after World War II and marking the beginning of the civil rights movement in the country.
• 1972 – Gough Whitlam took office as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia and formed a duumvirate with his deputy Lance Barnard, ending 23 years of Liberal–Country Party government.
• 2007 – A gunman killed nine people at a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska.

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The flag of Hong Kong depicts a white stylised five-petal flower of the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia × blakeana) in the centre of a field of Chinese red, the same red as on the flag of China. The Hong Kong Basic Law prescribes the design, and it is only to be made according to regulation and in approved sizes. Regulations regarding its use are stated in the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance; its desecration is unlawful and has been punished. The flag was unveiled on 4 April 1990 and approved on 10 August 1996. It was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, during the handover ceremony marking the transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom back to China, and replaced a colonial flag adopted in 1959. The 1959 flag, and a variant known as the Black Bauhinia, have been displayed by protesters in Hong Kong, particularly during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. Government supporters often displayed the Chinese and Hong Kong flags together. (Full article...)

• ... that The Banquet of Cleopatra (pictured) depicts Cleopatra drinking a dissolved pearl to impress Mark Antony?
• ... that an on-stage incident traumatized Antonie Mielke so much that she retired from opera?
• ... that people entered the Bronze Age tombs at Volimidia centuries later in the Iron Age to leave offerings to the dead?
• ... that Zhang Xichen founded a magazine to compete with one made by his own employer?
• ... that Harvard's first modern feeder school cost twice as much as Harvard itself?
• ... that the text of "Heaven and Earth, and Sea and Air" was written by the man after whom the Neandertal was named?
• ... that the unique, if "Freudian", partnership between Richard A. Hunter and his mother was the most prolific in publishing in the history of psychiatry?
• ... that, contrary to the perception of Phytoseiidae, Amblyseius anacardii is observed as an agricultural pest?
• ... that, according to legend, Ngataba Min became king after eating the head of a rooster?

• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier (pictured) and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
• The New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, wins the Vincentian general election.
• Former presidents of Peru Martín Vizcarra and Pedro Castillo are sentenced to prison for corruption and a self-coup attempt, respectively.
• Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 469 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.

December 4: Navy Day in India

• 1370 – Hundred Years' War: In two separate engagements in the Battle of Pontvallain (depicted), French forces wiped out an English army which had split up because of a dispute between the commanders.
• 1905 – The Great Seimas of Vilnius met to discuss national concerns within Lithuania: they decided to demand wide political autonomy within the Russian Empire.
• 1915 – World War I: Senior British and French figures, including prime ministers H. H. Asquith and Aristide Briand, met at Calais to discuss the future of the Salonika Front.
• 1992 – U.S. president George H. W. Bush ordered American troops into Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and restore order during the ongoing Somali Civil War.

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Ovalipes catharus, commonly known as the paddle crab, swimming crab, or pāpaka in Māori, is a species of crab found in shallow, sandy-bottomed waters around the coasts of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, and uncommonly in southern Australia. This species is an opportunistic, aggressive, and versatile feeder active mostly at night, preying predominantly on molluscs and crustaceans. It is also highly prone to cannibalism, which accounts for over a quarter of its diet in some locations. The crab's paddle-shaped rear legs and streamlined carapace allow it to capture prey by swimming rapidly and to escape predation by burrowing in the sand. Its mating season is in winter and spring, after which the female likely moves into deeper waters to incubate and disperse her larvae. Commercial fisheries have harvested paddle crabs since the 1970s, and O. catharus is present in Māori culture as both an artistic motif and as a traditional source of food. (Full article...)

• ... that Nestor Makhno described the evolutionary biologist Marie Goldsmith (pictured) as one of the "titans of anarchism"?
• ... that a house that was once called "almost the opposite of a landmark" later became a U.S. National Historic Landmark?
• ... that two successive Hanthawaddy commanders who held the title of Smin Maw-Khwin surrendered to Ava forces in 1414?
• ... that The Patient's Playbook warns against overly hasty medical treatment, citing a case in which a man received heart stents before learning that the issue was in his lungs?
• ... that Renato Candida, not the assassinated general Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, inspired the character of Captain Bellodi in The Day of the Owl?
• ... that Geordie Greep announced his debut solo album just ten days after revealing that his band was on an indefinite hiatus?
• ... that Chris Jackson left the Cancer Society of New Zealand after his wife was elected to parliament?
• ... that Water World Lloret has been described as "a favourite of foreign tourists", with 60 per cent of its visitors coming from outside Spain?
• ... that the first Mass for Saint Cyprian Church, a Black Catholic congregation, had only one Black Catholic in attendance?

• In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier (pictured) and Vincent Landais win the World Rally Championship.
• Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 414 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.
• An apartment complex fire in Hong Kong leaves at least 156 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.

December 3

• 1800 – War of the Second Coalition: French forces defeated Austrian and Bavarian troops at the Battle of Hohenlinden, eventually resulting in the Austrians signing the Treaty of Lunéville.
• 1910 – Freda Du Faur became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand.
• 1959 – The current flag and coat of arms of Singapore (pictured) were adopted, six months after the island became self-governing within the British Empire.
• 1979 – Eleven people were crushed in a human stampede at a concert by British rock band The Who in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
• 2009 – A suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, killed 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government.

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SMS Pommern was a Deutschland-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial German Navy at the AG Vulcan Stettin yard at Stettin, Germany. Named after the Prussian province of Pomerania, she was laid down on 22 March 1904, launched on 2 December 1905, and commissioned into the navy on 6 August 1907. The ship was armed with four 28 cm (11 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Pommern was assigned to II Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet. At the start of World War I, she was stationed at the Elbe to support the defenses of the German Bight. She participated in sorties into the North Sea in attempts to destroy portions of the British Grand Fleet. These offensive operations culminated in the Battle of Jutland, where she was hit by torpedoes, which detonated one of her 17-centimeter (6.7 in) gun magazines. The resulting explosion broke the ship in half and killed the entire crew. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.)

• ... that the soprillo saxophone (example pictured) is about half the length of a soprano saxophone and pitched one octave higher?
• ... that Stalin told the Turkestan Autonomy to invade the Soviet Commissariat in Tashkent instead of asking him to dissolve it?
• ... that Josèphe Jacquiot founded a museum that was named in her honour?
• ... that Serbia's smallest passenger airport has only one year-round scheduled flight — to Istanbul?
• ... that Brandon Saad was the first Saginaw Spirit alumnus to win the Stanley Cup?
• ... that a 2025 petition to the International Criminal Court alleges that 122 European politicians have committed crimes against humanity against migrants?
• ... that "nobody among the secretaries of the Middle Ages could reach such a level of influence over kings" as Fernán Díaz de Toledo?
• ... that the 2003 series Trouble frequently appears on lists of the worst or most controversial Spider-Man storylines?
• ... that in Māori culture a woman can end a speech during a pōwhiri by walking in front of the speaker?

• Flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah leave at least 370 people dead across Sri Lanka and India.
• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 151 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.

December 2

• 1823 – U.S. president James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, a proclamation of opposition to European colonialism in the New World.
• 1927 – The Ford Motor Company introduced the second version of the Model A (pictured), its first new model in 18 years.
• 1950 – Korean War: UN forces began a retreat from North Korea following defeat at the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River.
• 1989 – The Malayan Communist Party and the Malaysian government signed a peace accord to end a 21-year communist insurgency.
• 2015 – In San Bernardino, California, a married couple carried out a mass shooting at a Christmas party before fleeing and dying in a shootout with police.

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Julio and Marisol was a bilingual public-service advertising campaign that ran from 1989 to 2001 in the New York City Subway promoting condom use to prevent AIDS. The well-known catchphrase was a line from the first installment, in which Marisol sobs, "I love you, but not enough to die for you". The story follows a young Hispanic couple as they explore human sexuality and the effects of the AIDS epidemic on their relationship. Designed to appeal to a Hispanic audience particularly at risk due to cultural attitudes discouraging condom use, it has been described as "one part steamy soap opera, one part language instruction, and two parts AIDS education service". The ads were praised by public health officials for presenting situations which people could relate to, and by AIDS activists for breaking down the social stigma associated with the disease. They drew criticism, however, from family values advocates who objected to the promotion of condoms and the tacit acceptance of homosexuality. (Full article...)

• ... that fiction about impact events (pictured) typically focuses more on the societal ramifications than on the science?
• ... that after her father's death, Thora Thersner completed his work documenting Swedish buildings and landscapes?
• ... that a 2025 musical film, which topped the U.S. box office within a weekend, had its global release plan scrapped in multiple countries?
• ... that Michael D. Coe completed The True History of Chocolate to fulfill a promise he made to his dying wife?
• ... that golfer Michael Brennan won in his first start as a professional on the PGA Tour?
• ... that the titular mandolin in Picasso's Girl with a Mandolin has been attributed with "a mild autoerotic suggestion"?
• ... that NFL executive Jack Teele remained employed by the Los Angeles Rams under three different owners, six head coaches, and several different quarterbacks?
• ... that in his early career Charlie Chaplin was booed and heckled with thrown oranges and coins until he left the stage of Foresters Music Hall?
• ... that Umamusume character Haru Urara became so popular a website donating grass to feed her namesake racehorse crashed?

• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 146 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.
• Cyclone Senyar leaves more than 600 people dead across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

December 1: World AIDS Day; Great Union Day in Romania; Rosa Parks Day in some states and cities in the United States

• 1800 – French Revolutionary Wars: Austrian forces, led by Archduke John of Austria, defeated two divisions of the French First Republic, led by Paul Grenier, at the Battle of Ampfing.
• 1822 – Pedro I was crowned the first emperor of Brazil, seven weeks after his reign began on his 24th birthday.
• 1955 – Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
• 1974 – Two Boeing 727s, TWA Flight 514 and Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231, crashed in the eastern United States in unrelated circumstances, killing 95 on board both aircraft.
• 2019 – Vivianne Miedema scored six goals and had four assists for Arsenal W.F.C. in their 11–1 victory over Bristol City W.F.C., which broke the record for the most goals scored in a FA Women's Super League match.

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The Mechanical Turk, also known as the "Automaton Chess Player" or "the Turk", was a chess-playing machine, first displayed in 1770, which appeared to be able to play a strong game of chess autonomously, but whose pieces were in reality moved via levers and magnets by a chess master hidden in the machine's lower cavity. The machine was toured and exhibited for 84 years as an automaton, and continued giving occasional exhibitions until 1854, when it was destroyed in a fire. In 1857, an article published by the owner's son revealed that it was an elaborate hoax, a fact suspected by some but never fully explained while the machine still existed. Constructed by Wolfgang von Kempelen to impress Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the Turk won most games, including those against statesmen such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. The device demonstrated the knight's tour, a puzzle that requires a knight to visit every square of a chessboard once. (Full article...)

• ... that American black bear Yellow 2291 (pictured) and her cubs are the first family of bears in decades to live in the Santa Monica Mountains?
• ... that the 13th-century Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains inspired many imitations over the following seven centuries?
• ... that during the siege of Jerusalem in the First Jewish Revolt, the Romans crucified prisoners in various positions to intimidate the defenders into surrender?
• ... that Abdelkader Lahmar was a high school economics teacher before being a candidate for the French Parliament?
• ... that according to the author of a key textbook on documentary editing, a bookstore erroneously assumed that it was related to documentary films instead of archival science?
• ... that a Thai film went viral in 2025 after viewers shared videos of themselves crying after watching it?
• ... that Bob Print had a reputation for "being an animal"?
• ... that the character Arlecchino in the game Genshin Impact was named after a stock character in Italian commedia dell'arte?
• ... that, to prove that the "mad king" George III was not actually mad, psychiatrist Ida Macalpine sought out his descendants' faeces?

• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 128 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.
• Cyclone Senyar leaves more than 600 people dead across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

November 30: Saint Andrew's Day (Christianity)

• 1803 – An expedition led by Francisco Javier de Balmis departed A Coruña, Spain, with the aim of vaccinating millions in South America and Asia against smallpox.
• 1935 – A college football game between the SMU Mustangs and the TCU Horned Frogs became the first game in Texas to be broadcast nationally on radio.
• 1979 – The Wall, a rock opera and concept album by the English band Pink Floyd, was first released.
• 2005 – John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the first black archbishop in the Church of England.
• 2018 – A magnitude-7.1 earthquake (aftermath pictured) hit Anchorage, Alaska, causing 117 injuries.

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KEXP-FM (90.3 FM) is a non-commercial radio station in Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in indie music programmed by its disc jockeys. KEXP's studios are located at the Seattle Center, and the transmitter is in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The station is operated by the non-profit entity Friends of KEXP, an affiliate of the University of Washington. Since March 2024, KEXP-FM's programming has been rebroadcast over Alameda, California–licensed KEXC, which serves the San Francisco Bay Area. As well as daily variety mix shows featuring mostly alternative rock music, KEXP hosts weekly programs dedicated to other musical genres. Founded in 1972 as KCMU, the student-run station of the University of Washington, KEXP gained recognition for its influence on the regional music scene. It was the first station to air grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden in the late 1980s. In 2014, the university transferred the FCC license of KEXP-FM to Friends of KEXP. (Full article...)

• ... that most "citrine" on the market is not natural citrine (example pictured), but rather heat-treated amethyst?
• ... that Jack Fitzgerald was "father" of the South Australian House of Assembly?
• ... that thousands moved to Gowganda during a silver rush, but its population declined significantly after gold was found in Kirkland Lake?
• ... that the operator of the Robie House sold bricks to raise money for a renovation?
• ... that Nine Inch Nails's frontman was "baptized" by a fog machine during a show on the Peel It Back Tour?
• ... that Jackie Lou Blanco portrayed her real-life mother in the opening scene of One Hit Wonder?
• ... that the author of Tristram Shandy signed entire print runs of his books to prove they were genuine?
• ... that Sławomir impersonated Freddie Mercury in the finals of the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars?
• ... that Pokémon fans compared the design of Mega Starmie to a scene depicting Patrick Star with long legs and in fishnet leggings?

• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 128 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and proclaiming Horta Inta-A Na Man as head of a transitional government.
• Cyclone Senyar leaves more than 450 people dead across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

November 29: Liberation Day in Albania

• 1854 – An estimated crowd of more than 10,000 demonstrators swore allegiance to the Eureka Flag (pictured) as a symbol of defiance in advance of the Eureka Rebellion in Ballarat, Australia.
• 1890 – The National Diet of Japan (pictured in session), a bicameral legislature modelled after both the German Reichstag and the British Westminster system, first met in Tokyo.
• 1947 – The United Nations General Assembly voted to approve the Partition Plan for Palestine, a plan to resolve the Arab–Israeli conflict in Mandatory Palestine by separating the territory into Jewish and Arab states.
• 1982 – Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was released.
• 2007 – During their trial for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, Philippine soldiers led by Senator Antonio Trillanes mutinied and seized a conference room at The Peninsula Manila in Makati.

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The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. It includes a wide range of body types because of the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. The color pattern of the Appaloosa is of great interest to those who study equine coat color genetics, as it and several other physical characteristics are linked to the leopard complex mutation (LP). Artwork depicting prehistoric horses with leopard spotting existed in cave paintings. The Nez Perce people of the United States Pacific Northwest developed the original American breed. It is best known as a stock horse used in a number of western riding disciplines, but is also a versatile breed with representatives seen in many other types of equestrian activity. The Nez Perce lost most of their horses after the Nez Perce War in 1877. A small number of dedicated breeders preserved the Appaloosa as a distinct breed until the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) was formed as the breed registry in 1938. (Full article...)

• ... that African-American civil rights activist Jesse L. Douglas (pictured) was called an "unidentified white man" during protests in 1965?
• ... that 133 notable Viennese personalities are in Gustav Klimt's Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater?
• ... that the family of a man charged with murdering a police officer ten years ago today were surprised when the jury acquitted him?
• ... that diplomat Tess Johnston wrote more than two dozen books about Shanghai's Western-style architecture?
• ... that a search-and-rescue otter, on his first mission, recovered a weapon in a 25-year-old murder case?
• ... that the court jester Bernard de Bluet d'Arbères recounted being forced to recite a sermon from a tree which was being chopped down?
• ... that a Connecticut TV station offered $100 to the first viewer who called in, twenty times—but nobody called?
• ... that more than 63,000 border deaths were documented between 2014 and 2024?
• ... that a maintenance tram in Prague has a Facebook group?

• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 94 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
• Cyclone Senyar leaves more than 100 people dead across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• More than 300 students are kidnapped in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria.

November 28: Black Friday in the United States (2025); Bukovina Day in Romania

• 1470 – Đại Việt emperor Lê Thánh Tông launched a military expedition against Champa, beginning the Champa–Đại Việt War.
• 1660 – Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, Christopher Wren and other leading scientists met at Gresham College in London to found a learned society, now known as the Royal Society (coat of arms pictured).
• 1811 – Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 premiered at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.
• 1912 – At the All-Albanian Congress, the Assembly of Vlorë was constituted, which declared the independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1925 – Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio broadcast in the United States, first aired on WSM in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Freedom from Want is the third of the Four Freedoms, a series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell. The works were inspired by the Four Freedoms articulated in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address. The painting was published in the March 6, 1943, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It depicts a group of people gathered around a dinner table for a holiday meal, all of whom were friends and family of Rockwell; they were photographed individually and painted into the scene. Freedom from Want has become an iconic representation of Thanksgiving and family gatherings in general, and has had a wide array of adaptations and other uses. Popular then and now in the United States, it caused resentment in Europe where the masses were enduring wartime hardship. The work is highly regarded as an example of mastery of the challenges of painting in white on a white background and as one of Rockwell's most famous works. (Full article...)

• ... that fixing a "Null ID" error could have prevented a train derailment and a six-day disruption (pictured)?
• ... that Michael Gardener preached a sermon in Inuktitut even though he did not yet understand the language?
• ... that the East River Generating Station in New York City was opened by the Queen of Romania?
• ... that Prince Thagara was so handsome that the future Queen Supayalat disguised herself as a man just to get a glimpse of him?
• ... that a women's association in Japan used linens hung up to dry to monitor pollution from a nearby power station?
• ... that the owner of more than 2,000 pornographic films is the most prolific filer of copyright lawsuits in the US?
• ... that The New York Times likened the design of Storer House to The Matrix?
• ... that physician Signe Salén was denied a pension because she treated fewer than 18,000 patients per year?
• ... that Caltech students called their calculus books "Tommy 1" and "Tommy 2"?

• An apartment complex fire (pictured) in Hong Kong leaves at least 44 people dead.
• In Guinea-Bissau, armed forces seize power in a military coup, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
• Cyclone Senyar leaves more than 100 people dead across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• More than 300 students are kidnapped in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria.

November 27: Thanksgiving in the United States (2025)

• 1895 – Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel (pictured) signed his last will and testament, setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after his death.
• 1945 – A consortium of twenty-two U.S. charities founded CARE with the mission of delivering food aid to Europe in the aftermath of World War II.
• 1950 – Korean War: The Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched multiple attacks against United Nations forces, beginning the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
• 1989 – A bomb placed by the Medellín Cartel in an attempt to kill Colombian presidential candidate César Gaviria destroyed Avianca Flight 203, killing all 107 people on board, excluding Gaviria, who was not on the flight.
• 2020 – Nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, regarded as the chief of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated, allegedly by Mossad.

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Terry Griffiths (1947–2024) was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach and pundit. After winning several amateur titles, he turned professional in June 1978 at the age of 30. In his second professional tournament, he qualified for the 1979 World Snooker Championship. He reached the final of the event where he defeated Dennis Taylor. In the 1988 World Snooker Championship, Griffiths again reached the final of the competition but lost to Steve Davis. Griffiths reached at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship for nine consecutive years, from 1984 to 1992. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, completing snooker's Triple Crown. He was runner-up at the Masters three times and reached the final of the 1989 European Open, where he lost the deciding frame to John Parrott. Griffiths retired from the professional tour in 1996 to become the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's director of coaching. (Full article...)

• ... that one newspaper described the North Christian Church (pictured) as "poised to lift off and take man to meet his Maker"?
• ... that Donald Trump nicknamed a lawyer "Sir Charles" because he would "act like royalty"?
• ... that the first literary work published in Alabama criticized a participant in the Battle of Burnt Corn?
• ... that English and British monarchs claimed to be kings and queens of France for more than 450 years, and finally dropped the title only in 1801?
• ... that Indonesian ambassador Alfred Tanduk Palembangan was inspired to become a diplomat through interacting with tourists?
• ... that the name of Memorial Park in Tauranga, New Zealand, was chosen in order to qualify for a subsidy?
• ... that former NFL player Heinie Jawish died suddenly while playing handball at the age of 41?
• ... that concrete ties used on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line began to fail after just a decade?
• ... that Martin Robertson kept his job at the British Museum only because he did not clean the exhibits?

• More than 300 students are kidnapped in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria.
• Former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (pictured) is found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal and sentenced to death.
• In Canadian football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.
• In motorcycle racing, Marc Márquez wins the MotoGP World Championship.

November 26: Feast day of Saint Sylvester Gozzolini (Catholicism); Constitution Day in India (1949)

• 1835 – Texas Revolution: Texian forces attacked a Mexican pack train, capturing 40 saddlebags of grass.
• 1914 – A large internal explosion destroyed HMS Bulwark near Sheerness, killing 741 people on board.
• 1940 – The Iron Guard killed 64 political detainees at a penitentiary near Bucharest and followed up with several high-profile assassinations, including that of former Romanian prime minister Nicolae Iorga.
• 1942 – A riot involving infantrymen, military police, and local law enforcement officers killed three people in Phoenix, Arizona.
• 2008 – A coordinated group of shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai began, ultimately killing 175 people and wounding more than 300 others.

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Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is a theory of motivation stating that the self-interested pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain drive all human conduct. Axiological hedonism is the view that pleasure is the sole source of intrinsic value. It asserts that other things, like knowledge and money, only have value insofar as they produce pleasure and reduce pain. Ethical hedonism applies this view to morality, arguing that people have a moral duty to pursue pleasure. Utilitarian versions aim to increase overall happiness for everyone, whereas egoistic versions state that each person should only look out for their own happiness. The paradox of hedonism and the hedonic treadmill are proposed psychological barriers to the hedonist goal of long-term happiness. As one of the oldest philosophical theories, hedonism was already discussed in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. (Full article...)

• ... that the origin of chole bhature (example pictured) is disputed?
• ... that King Henry I of Cyprus is better known for having been fat than for anything he achieved in his 20-year rule?
• ... that most paper in Europe was made from discarded rags until the 19th century?
• ... that Edward Beard won reelection to the United States House of Representatives despite not winning his party's endorsement?
• ... that Tropical Storm Pabuk forced PAGASA to issue cyclone advisory bulletins outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility in December 2024, for the first time since 1963?
• ... that Muriel Hannah created a map that its buyer described as combining "man's greatest desires – a good looking girl on a King Crab"?
• ... that Club Chalamet has been described as an "integral part of Stan Twitter"?
• ... that Helen Mulholland, who says her parents never drank, is the first woman master blender in the history of Irish whiskey?
• ... that Chiisana Koi no Uta Band performed a cover of "Chiisana Koi no Uta" for Chiisana Koi no Uta?

• More than 300 students are kidnapped in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria.
• Former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (pictured) is found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal and sentenced to death.
• In Canadian football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.
• In motorcycle racing, Marc Márquez wins the MotoGP World Championship.

November 25: Evacuation Day in New York City (1783)

• 1510 – Adil Shahi–Portuguese conflicts: Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, led an armada to conquer Goa.
• 1940 – The de Havilland Mosquito, one of the most successful military aircraft in the Second World War, made its first flight.
• 1960 – Three of the four Mirabal sisters, who opposed the dictatorship of military strongman Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, were beaten and strangled to death.
• 1970 – After failing to instigate a military coup to restore the powers of the Emperor of Japan, author Yukio Mishima and a member of his militia publicly committed ritual suicide.
• 1975 – Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier (pictured) became its first president.

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Chagatai Khan (c. 1184 – 1242) was a son of Genghis Khan and a prominent figure in the early Mongol Empire. The second son of Genghis's wife Börte, Chagatai was renowned for his masterful knowledge of Mongol custom and law and his harsh temperament. He was appointed to military commands alongside his brothers during the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty in 1211 and the invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219. After the campaign, Chagatai was granted large tracts of conquered land in Central Asia, which he ruled until his death, often quarrelling with officials like Mahmud Yalavach. Chagatai's inflexibility, most notably never accepting the legitimacy of his elder brother Jochi, excluded him from succession to Genghis's throne. He was nevertheless a key figure in ensuring the stability of the empire during the reign of his younger brother Ögedei Khan, whom he advised. Chagatai died shortly after Ögedei in 1242; his descendants later ruled his territories as the eponymous Chagatai Khanate. (Full article...)

• ... that Emma Finucane (pictured) recently became the first British woman in sixty years to win three medals at a single Olympic Games?
• ... that researchers accidentally discovered a new antibiotic in soil bacteria?
• ... that Budi Bowoleksono always traveled with chili paste in his briefcase?
• ... that Hemenway Park's desert bighorn sheep come as close as a few feet to visitors?
• ... that the Star Wars line "these aren't the droids you're looking for" became a popular Internet meme?
• ... that the art of a reclusive Chicago janitor, Henry Darger, was discovered and popularized by his former landlords?
• ... that cables of large suspension bridges can reach over 1 metre (3.3 ft) in diameter and weigh more than 20,000 tonnes?
• ... that Jeremy Hambly has operated a YouTube channel about claw machines?
• ... that the world's largest McDonald's restaurant closed after only six weeks of operation?