20251018
From today's featured article
Did you know ...
- ... that, unusually for contemporary Islamic chronicles, the Tarikh-i Alfi (page pictured) begins with the death of Muhammad, not his birth?
- ... that Albert Gatschet's field notes on the grammar of Atakapa is the only surviving work on the language carried out with native speakers?
- ... that one reviewer criticised The Magician's Daughter for not mentioning its setting's historical context?
- ... that only seven Tubular lifeboats were built, but they remained in service for 83 years?
- ... that Adolfo Rossi was the only journalist to report firsthand on the turmoil in Sicily sparked by the Fasci Siciliani in 1893?
- ... that gallerist and congressional candidate Esther Kim Varet inspired the character Soojin on Girls, according to The Dallas Morning News?
- ... that Malaysia is the most successful delegation at the Olympics without a gold medal?
- ... that Dutch filmmaker Richard Raaphorst claimed that a boss character in Resident Evil Village copied the design of a monster he created for his 2013 film Frankenstein's Army?
- ... that an ongoing U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean, ostensibly intended to combat drug trafficking, may be actually intended to intimidate Venezuela?
In the news
- Michael Randrianirina becomes President of Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina (pictured) flees the country following mass protests and a military coup.
- Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt are awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for their research on the impacts of technology on economic growth.
- Hamas and Israel commence a ceasefire and release hostages and prisoners as part of the Gaza peace plan.
- Flooding and landslides in Mexico leave more than 60 people dead.
On this day
- 1356 – The most significant earthquake to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history destroyed Basel, Switzerland.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: In an act of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the war, the Royal Navy destroyed what is now Portland, Maine.
- 1887 – Johannes Brahms (pictured) conducted the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann.
- 1963 – The first cat in space, later known as Félicette, launched aboard a French Véronique rocket.
- 2019 – Protests in Santiago that started 11 days prior escalated into open battle against the Chilean national police, forcing President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency.
- Isaac Jogues (d. 1646)
- Marshall McDonald (b. 1835)
- Christine Murrell (b. 1874; d. 1933)
- Zarina Diyas (b. 1993)
Today's featured picture

The Window is a song cycle composed by Arthur Sullivan with words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written in 1867 and published in 1871, the cycle consists of twelve poems by Tennyson, eleven of which were set to music by Sullivan, as well as this one illustration, titled "A Reverie", drawn in 1868 by John Everett Millais and depicting a female figure looking pensively out of a window. Tennyson had a draft of the text by February 1867, but he was dissatisfied with his work and reluctant to publish it. In August 1867, Tennyson had revised the words, but he refused to allow publication until November 1870. By this time, however, Millais had disposed of all the drawings he had prepared for the publication except for "A Reverie", and he was too busy to work any further on the project.
Drawing credit: John Everett Millais; restored by Adam Cuerden