Rolf Theil Endresen, who documented the Nizaa language

Nizaa is an endangered Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region of northern Cameroon. Most of the language's speakers live in and around the village of Galim in the department of Faro-et-Déo. Nizaa has a complex sound system with 60 consonant phonemes, eleven tones, and a contrast between oral and nasal vowels. In terms of grammar, it is the only Bantoid language that allows multiple verbal suffixes on one verb. It also is neither a head-initial nor head-final language (the head or main element of a clause appears both before and after its modifiers with roughly equal frequency). Nizaa was first extensively documented in the 1980s by Norwegian linguists Rolf Theil Endresen (pictured) and Bjørghild Kjelsvik. The language is endangered, but the exact number of active speakers is unknown, as the last census of speakers took place in 1985, and a 1983 survey reported drastically different figures. (Full article...)

Seated Rāgarāja

• ... that a 13th-century wooden sculpture (pictured) of the bodhisattva Rāgarāja was carved from the debris of the Great Buddha Hall at Tōdai-ji in Nara, Japan?
• ... that Habib Mousa wrote a song about the village of Enhil to object to the Turkification of Assyrian villages in Tur Abdin?
• ... that the leading engineer during the 1702 siege of Liège was so angered by a colleague's disobedience that he threatened to abandon the siege?
• ... that A Far Better Thing is a retelling of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities with fairy changelings?
• ... that Soebekti Soenarto performed the duties of the governor, vice governor, and provincial secretary of the Special Region of Yogyakarta simultaneously for several weeks in 1998?
• ... that the roof designs of Bukit Gombak and Bukit Batok stations were based on the logo of the Singapore Housing and Development Board?
• ... that actor Rory Gibson was cast on The Young and the Restless despite the producers not liking his initial self-tape?
• ... that Antirrhinum barrelieri was split into two species in 1896, the other being Antirrhinum controversum?
• ... that Robert Uzgalis made the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight?

Hotaka Yamakawa

• In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series (MVP Hotaka Yamakawa pictured).
• Hurricane Melissa leaves more than 40 people dead across the Caribbean.
• More than 120 people are killed in a police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Javier Milei's La Libertad Avanza wins the most seats in the Argentine legislative election.
• In the Sudanese civil war, at least 2,500 people are killed in massacres after Al-Fashir is captured by the Rapid Support Forces.

November 3: Constitution Day in the Dominican Republic (2025); Culture Day in Japan

George II of Greece

• 1534 – The Parliament of England passed the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Church of England, supplanting the pope and the Catholic Church.
• 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: The Treaty of Potsdam was signed compelling Prussia to join the coalition if it failed to negotiate peace between Russia and France.
• 1848 – A new constitution drafted by Johan Rudolph Thorbecke was proclaimed, limiting the powers of the Dutch monarchy.
• 1935 – Almost 98 percent of reported votes in a Greek referendum supported the restoration of George II (pictured) as King of the Hellenes.
• 1956 – Suez Crisis: During an invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers shot and killed hundreds of Palestinian refugees and local inhabitants in Khan Yunis.

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Allan Walters (2 November 1905 – 19 October 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Over the course of World War II, Walters led No. 1 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron in Singapore, No. 1 (Fighter) Wing in Darwin, No. 72 Wing in Dutch New Guinea, and Northern Command in Papua New Guinea. He was decorated with the Air Force Cross in 1941 for his work with No. 1 Squadron, and mentioned in despatches in 1944 for his service with No. 72 Wing. Walters was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for his service with Northern Command and later air officer commanding (AOC) Southern Area Command, AOC RAAF Overseas Headquarters in London, Head of the Australian Joint Services Staff in Washington, DC, AOC Home Command, Air Member for Personnel, and AOC Support Command. He was promoted to acting air vice-marshal in 1952 (substantive in 1954), and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1956 before retiring in 1962. (Full article...)

Sursock bronze

• ... that the Sursock bronze (pictured) was discovered in a damaged state with hacked parts, possibly after being vandalized by early Christian iconoclasts?
• ... that, according to a 2025 book about artificial superintelligence, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies?
• ... that a Dutch publisher pirated the first four volumes of Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, then hired the author to write more?
• ... that King Owodo, the last Ogiso of Igodomigodo, was deposed after killing a pregnant widow, an act punishable by deposition under the kingdom's law?
• ... that NFL player Bill Gutteron estimated that he helped over 50,000 people learn how to swim?
• ... that an early Chinese women's magazine ran afoul of a government ministry due to its sexual content and nudity?
• ... that the first bank of the Republic of Lithuania was bankrupt after nine years of operation?
• ... that the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center produced uranium for nuclear weapons between 1951 and 1989?
• ... that Hilaire Belloc and G. K. Chesterton's first collaboration sold only thirty-five copies?

Hotaka Yamakawa

• In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series (MVP Hotaka Yamakawa pictured).
• Hurricane Melissa leaves more than 40 people dead across the Caribbean.
• More than 120 people are killed in a police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In the Sudanese civil war, at least 2,500 people are killed in massacres after Al-Fashir is captured by the Rapid Support Forces.
• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.

November 2

Crew of Expedition 1

• 1880 – James A. Garfield was elected as president of the United States with the smallest popular-vote margin on record.
• 1932 – The Australian military began a "war against emus", flightless native birds blamed for widespread damage to crops in Western Australia.
• 1949 – The Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference ended with the Netherlands agreeing to transfer sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to the United States of Indonesia.
• 1994 – A lighting strike ruptured three oil tanks near Dronka, Egypt, causing a flood that killed 469 people.
• 2000 – As members of Expedition 1, American astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko (all pictured) became the first resident crew to arrive at the International Space Station.

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The African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha) is a small mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, where its range stretches from as far north as Kenya south to South Africa. It belongs in the family Mustelidae and is the lone member of the genus Poecilogale. It has a long, slender body with short legs and a bushy tail. One of the smallest carnivorans in Africa, it measures 24 to 35 cm (9.4 to 13.8 in) long excluding the tail, with males generally larger than females. It has black fur over most of its body, with distinctive white bands running from the top of its head down its back, with the tail being completely white. The closest living relative of this species is the striped polecat, and it may also be related to the extinct Propoecilogale bolti. The African striped weasel is most commonly seen in savanna and veld grasslands with termite mounds, but has also been recorded in semideserts, rainforests, fynbos and even areas used by humans such as pine plantations and agricultural land. (Full article...)

D. M. Clemson

• ... that the freighter D. M. Clemson (pictured) was one of the largest vessels on the Great Lakes in 1903?
• ... that Filipino politician Miriam Defensor Santiago is known as the "Iron Lady of Asia"?
• ... that a 16th-century ethnic term used in Africa is still used today for a Brazilian religion, a Togolese and Beninese ethnic group, and their language?
• ... that it took 40 years for Raghunath Brahmbhatt to be credited for the lyrics to a popular song he wrote, 21 years after his death?
• ... that My Dad, the first entry in My Family Member, a series of illustrated children books, was inspired by the author's discovery of his father's old gown?
• ... that John Adams Cameron lost twice to John Culpepper in elections for the United States Congress that were 14 years apart?
• ... that neighbors thought Naughty Dog was filming adult films due to their setup of shooting moves for Way of the Warrior from an apartment hallway?
• ... that painter and designer Mia Lee used to make doll fashions from her grandmother's scraps?
• ... that Jack Fleck defeated Ben Hogan in a playoff to win the 1955 U.S. Open using Hogan's golf clubs?

Hotaka Yamakawa

• In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series (MVP Hotaka Yamakawa pictured).
• Hurricane Melissa leaves more than 40 people dead across the Caribbean.
• More than 120 people are killed in a police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In the Sudanese civil war, at least 2,500 people are killed in massacres after Al-Fashir is captured by the Rapid Support Forces.
• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.

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

The Columbus

• 1141 – After Empress Matilda released her rival King Stephen, he in turn released Robert of Gloucester, her strongest supporter, thus prolonging the Anglo-Norman civil war known as The Anarchy.
• 1824 – The disposable ship Columbus (pictured) arrived in the The Downs off England, becoming, at that time, the largest vessel to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1914 – World War I: The first contingent of the First Australian Imperial Force departed Albany, Western Australia.
• 1956 – The Indian states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka were formally created under the States Reorganisation Act.
• 1972 – Elvis on Tour, a concert film that documented Elvis Presley's tour throughout the United States, opened.

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First page of the autograph score

Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild ('God the Lord is sun and shield'), is a church cantata for Reformation Day by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in 1725 while Thomaskantor in Leipzig, and led the first performance on 31 October that year. It is possibly his first cantata for the occasion; the text was written by an unknown poet. Bach structured the work in six movements, with an aria following the opening chorus, and a recitative and duet following the first chorale. He scored the work for three vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble. He achieved a unity within the structure by using two horns not only in the opening but also as obbligato instruments in the two chorales, the first time even playing the same motifs. He performed the cantata again, probably in 1730. He later reworked the music of the opening chorus and a duet again for his Missa in G major and the music of an alto aria for his Missa in A major. (Full article...)

Portrait of Gregor Baci

• ... that a Hungarian nobleman (pictured) survived with a spear in his head?
• ... that Friday the 13th has been credited for popularizing the trope of teenage characters suffering violent murders after having premarital sex?
• ... that Tish Weinstock got married over the Halloween weekend in 2022 at a castle wearing a wedding dress made from antique lace styled after Morticia Addams?
• ... that Ingersoll's Ordinary was used as a prison during the Salem witch trials?
• ... that the art of Villains Are Destined to Die was said to be "almost in-between the Disney happy-ending fairy tales and the original Grimm's stories"?
• ... that police forced Eva Coo and her accomplice to reenact a killing at the crime scene using the victim's exhumed body?
• ... that one of the bosses of the video game CarnEvil can be replaced with a giant teddy bear?
• ... that the flatworm Freddius is named after Freddy Krueger's razor gloves?

Hurricane Melissa

• Hurricane Melissa (satellite image shown) leaves more than 40 people dead across the Caribbean.
• More than 130 people are killed in a police operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In the Sudanese civil war, at least 2,500 people are killed in massacres after Al-Fashir is captured by the Rapid Support Forces.
• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.
• Catherine Connolly is elected President of Ireland.

October 31: Halloween

Martin Luther

• 475 – Romulus Augustulus took the throne as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 1517 – Martin Luther (pictured) posted his Ninety-five Theses onto the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
• 1999 – Australian sailor Jesse Martin arrived in Melbourne, becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted.
• 2000 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collided with construction equipment while attempting to take off from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan during heavy rain, killing 83 people aboard.
• 2017 – An Uzbek immigrant drove a rented truck into cyclists and runners in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people.

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Cartoon in Punch

On 30 October 1858 a batch of sweets poisoned hundreds in Bradford, England. The confectionary had been accidentally adulterated with poisonous arsenic trioxide. About five pounds (two kilograms) of sweets were sold to the public, leading to around 20 deaths and more than 200 people suffering the effects of arsenic poisoning. With increasing urbanisation and the rise in shop-purchased food, adulterants became a growing problem. With the cost of sugar high, replacing it with substitutes was common. For the sweets produced in Bradford, the confectioner was supposed to purchase powdered gypsum, but a mistake at the wholesale chemist meant arsenic was purchased instead. Three men were arrested—the chemist who sold the arsenic, his assistant and the sweet maker—but all three were acquitted after the judge decided that, as it was all accidental, there was no case for any of them to answer. The deaths led to food-adulteration legislation and were a factor in the passage of the Pharmacy Act 1868. (Full article...)

Station master Mikan

• ... that Mikan (pictured), the cat station master of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery metro station, visited the Jiji line in Nantou County for the appointment of Longjiaosun as cat station master of Jiji railway station?
• ... that in 1973 Carme Travesset became the first woman in Andorra to hold elected office?
• ... that mull, mor and modor are humus forms?
• ... that Leo McLaughlin's government in Hot Springs, Arkansas, provided protection to Al Capone and Lucky Luciano?
• ... that the Office of the President of the Philippines released a diagram in 2019 it claimed revealed participants in an alleged ouster plot?
• ... that Matthew Vickers, who specialised in Italian opera, made his debut in Italy singing in French?
• ... that the warship USS Undine was captured and used by Nathan Bedford Forrest's Confederate cavalry?
• ... that Gene White's professional football career was interrupted by United States Army service, during which he continued to play as an officer?
• ... that the novel Lady Jennifer sometimes came with a book of advice promoting John Strange Winter Toilet Preparations?

Catherine Connolly

• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.
• Catherine Connolly (pictured) is elected President of Ireland.
• The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded to political prisoners and journalists Belarusian Andrzej Poczobut and Georgian Mzia Amaglobeli.
• Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.

October 30

Rudd Concession

• 1888 – Lobengula, King of Matabeleland, granted the Rudd Concession (pictured) to agents of Cecil Rhodes, leading to the creation of the British South Africa Company.
• 1960 – At the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Michael Woodruff performed the first successful kidney transplantation in the United Kingdom.
• 1965 – English model Jean Shrimpton wore a controversially short minidress to Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia – a pivotal moment of the introduction of the miniskirt to women's fashion.
• 2010 – American comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.
• 2020 – A magnitude-7.0 earthquake occurred in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, triggering a tsunami and causing 119 deaths.

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John Bullock Clark Sr. (April 17, 1802 – October 29, 1885) was an American militia officer and politician. A lawyer with a colorful reputation, he was also an officer in the Missouri militia. During the 1838 Mormon War, Clark was given the Extermination Order. A candidate in the 1840 gubernatorial election, he was later a member of the Missouri state legislature. In 1857, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. After the American Civil War began in 1861, he became a general in the pro-secessionist Missouri State Guard. He fought against the United States military at the Battle of Carthage and was expelled from the House. Clark later resigned his military commission to join the Provisional Confederate Congress. A Confederate senator for a term, he was not re-appointed due to concerns about his personal behavior. He was subsequently elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. Clark fled to Mexico after the defeat of the Confederacy, but later returned to Missouri. (Full article...)

Dulles International Airport Main Terminal

• ... that the Dulles International Airport Main Terminal (pictured) was once so empty that it attracted more tourists than travelers?
• ... that the Mesadorm singer Blythe Pepino founded a movement of people refusing to have children until the climate crisis ends?
• ... that the narrator in The Path to Rome repeatedly argues with an imagined reader who is often combative and confused?
• ... that a 1965 proposal for South Station included a bus terminal, at least 3,000 parking spaces, and a heliport?
• ... that the music video for "Holy, Holy" is purposefully edited to show Geordie Greep consistently bowling strikes?
• ... that The New York Times once said that Reba Paeff Mirsky sounded like she had "two right hands and two left hands"?
• ... that P. J. Moriarty persuaded a judge to drop a charge of placing a fake fire hydrant in front of his restaurant because "the leprechauns" did it?
• ... that the Bop House has been called "a modern-day, TikTokified Playboy Mansion"?
• ... that a duck named Sergeant Siwash fought the Japanese in World War II?

Catherine Connolly

• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.
• Catherine Connolly (pictured) is elected President of Ireland.
• The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded to political prisoners and journalists Belarusian Andrzej Poczobut and Georgian Mzia Amaglobeli.
• Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.

October 29: Double Ninth Festival in China (2025); Republic Day in Turkey

Kalākaua dime

• 1883 – The San Francisco Mint signed a contract to produce the Kalākaua coinage (coin pictured) for the Hawaiian Kingdom.
• 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Israel Defense Forces massacred at least 52 villagers while capturing the Palestinian Arab village of Safsaf.
• 1955 – An explosion, likely caused by a World War II–era naval mine, capsized the Soviet ship Novorossiysk in the harbor of Sevastopol, with the loss of 608 men.
• 1999 – About 10,000 people died when the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean made landfall in the Indian state of Odisha near Bhubaneswar.
• 2007 – Somali pirates hijacked a North Korean ship in the Indian Ocean northeast of Mogadishu.

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Illustration of Mathos by Poirson, 1890

During the siege of Tunis in October 238 BC, a rebel army under Mathos (pictured) was besieged by a Carthaginian force under Hamilcar Barca and Hannibal. The Carthaginian army, which had served in Sicily during the First Punic War, mutinied and started the Mercenary War. After destroying a rebel army at the Battle of the Saw, the Carthaginians then besieged the rebels' stronghold at Tunis. The Carthaginian commander, Hamilcar, split his forces to blockade the rebels from the north and south. At the northern camp, commanded by Hannibal, he had ten captured rebel leaders killed and their bodies crucified. Mathos organised a night attack against Hannibal's camp, which scattered part of their army; Hannibal and 30 others were captured and crucified. Hamilcar withdrew to the north with the remaining half of his army. Mathos then abandoned Tunis and withdrew south. Hamilcar and his fellow general Hanno followed the rebels and wiped them out at the Battle of Leptis Parva. (This article is part of a featured topic: Mercenary War.)

1843 illustration of an Abyssinian hare

• ... that the Abyssinian hare (pictured) is thought to be spreading outside its native range because of overgrazing by domestic animals there?
• ... that Charles C. Peterson played billiards in a plane 4,000 ft (1,200 m) in the air in 1930?
• ... that the Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary is in an astronomical "sweet spot" where the aurora australis and the core of the Milky Way can both be seen?
• ... that the schooner F. J. King, lost for 139 years, was discovered after a two-hour search in 2025?
• ... that the 2008 PC game Legend of the Galactic Heroes allows players to prevent the canonical deaths of characters who died in the original source material?
• ... that Ana Roš, head chef at the first Slovenian restaurant to earn three Michelin stars, has no formal culinary training?
• ... that Calling Mr. Smith, a World War II–era Polish avant-garde film about Nazi German atrocities, was censored in the UK?
• ... that archaeologists studying Qasr Bshir used smoke signals, mirrors, and torches to test how messages traveled between Roman frontier forts?
• ... that Wyoming PBS is only available to satellite-television customers in five of the state's twenty-three counties?

Catherine Connolly

• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.
• Catherine Connolly (pictured) is elected President of Ireland.
• Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Tufan Erhürman is elected President of Northern Cyprus, defeating incumbent Ersin Tatar.

October 28

Tutankhamun's mask

• 1640 – The Treaty of Ripon was agreed, ending the Second Bishops' War and forcing Charles I to summon the Long Parliament, ultimately leading to the First English Civil War.
• 1835 – In the first major engagement of the Texas Revolution, the Texian Army repelled a Mexican attack at the grounds of Mission Concepcion south of Downtown San Antonio.
• 1925 – The funerary mask of Tutankhamun, possibly originally made for Queen Neferneferuaten, was uncovered for the first time in approximately 3,250 years.
• 1940 – World War II: Italy invaded Greece after Greek prime minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected Benito Mussolini's ultimatum demanding the cession of Greek territory.
• 1965 – In St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., the 630-foot (190 m)-tall steel catenary Gateway Arch was completed.

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Taylor Swift

"How You Get the Girl" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (pictured) from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She wrote it with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. An electropop and bubblegum pop song, it is a ballad that features acoustic guitar strums and a heavy disco beat. The lyrics find Swift telling a man how to win his ex-girlfriend back after their breakup. Some critics praised the song as catchy and highlighted the chorus; less enthusiastic reviews considered the production generic and the lyrics lightweight. The track received certifications in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Swift included it in the set list of the 1989 World Tour (2015), with choreography that evoked the musical film Singin' in the Rain (1952). She performed it on some dates of the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) and the Eras Tour (2023–2024). The track was used in a Diet Coke advertisement prior to its release. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1989 (album).)

Abigail Becker, the Angel of Long Point

• ... that the Angel of Long Point (pictured) saved seventeen lives across five different incidents?
• ... that Aboriginal Australians who first saw herds of water buffalo intepreted the new animals as a manifestation of their dreaming?
• ... that the departure of Carl Borgmann from the University of Vermont ended 17 years of scientists serving consecutive terms as president?
• ... that the walls of the former Lyttelton Gaol are archaeologically significant as one of the first uses of concrete in New Zealand?
• ... that Aileen Davies sang roles on the first two D'Oyly Carte Opera Company recordings using the new electrical-recording technology?
• ... that the city of Kikwit, estimated to have a population of more than one million, had only four paved roads in 2023?
• ... that Ed McCann chose a career in civil engineering after being dissuaded from other branches of engineering by their military applications?
• ... that, after moving to Canada to work as a priest, Naboth Manzongo did not see his wife and children in Zimbabwe for three years due to COVID-19–related processing delays?
• ... that Pink Floyd escaped from its enclosure at the Sedgwick County Zoo in 2005, but continued to be spotted in Texas as late as 2023?

Catherine Connolly

• Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as its 11th member.
• Catherine Connolly (pictured) is elected President of Ireland.
• Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Tufan Erhürman is elected President of Northern Cyprus, defeating incumbent Ersin Tatar.

October 27

Christ Mocked

• 1674 – Franco-Dutch War: French forces surrender the fortress town of Grave to the Dutch army after a three month siege.
• 1726 – J. S. Bach led the first performance of Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, one of few works he called a cantata.
• 1964 – Actor Ronald Reagan delivered a speech on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, launching his own political career, which culminated in him serving two full terms as U.S. president.
• 2004 – The Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series, breaking the so-called "Curse of the Bambino".
• 2019 – The Mocking of Christ (pictured) by Cimabue sold at auction in France for €19.5 million, a record for a pre-1500 artwork.

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Cover of first issue (October/November 1930)

Oriental Stories was an American pulp magazine published by Popular Fiction and edited by Farnsworth Wright. It was launched in 1930 as a companion to Popular Fiction's Weird Tales, and carried stories with Far Eastern settings, including some fantasy. Contributors included Robert E. Howard, Frank Owen, and E. Hoffmann Price. In 1932 publication was paused; it was relaunched in 1933 under the title The Magic Carpet Magazine, with an expanded editorial policy that now included any story set in an exotic location, including other planets. Some science fiction began to appear alongside the fantasy and adventure material as a result, including work by Edmond Hamilton. Wright obtained stories from H. Bedford Jones, who was a popular pulp writer, and Seabury Quinn. Most of the covers of The Magic Carpet Magazine were by Margaret Brundage. Competition from established pulps in the same niche was too strong, and after five issues under the new title the magazine ceased publication. (Full article...)

Domenico Ottomano

• ... that the alleged son (pictured) of an Ottoman sultan and an enslaved concubine became a Catholic friar?
• ... that the healthcare needs of intersex people depend on what physical characteristics they have?
• ... that Queen Isabella I lost her first husband to politics, her second to assassins, her third to a window, and her fourth to fish?
• ... that a study in 2024 found that about half of the 500 tonnes (1.1 million lb) of produce brought to the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal daily was thrown out?
• ... that Thomas Schubert made his acting debut on the 2011 film Breathing, on the director's insistence that an amateur actor play the leading role?
• ... that the 2007 NFC Championship Game, with a temperature of −3 °F (−19 °C) and wind chill as low as −24 °F (−31 °C), was one of the coldest games in Lambeau Field history?
• ... that Sir Frederic Willans attended the deathbeds of Queen Alexandra and her son King George V?
• ... that while the United States publicly denied any wrongdoing in a 2013 drone strike on a wedding convoy, it likely gave over $1 million in compensation to the victims' families?
• ... that Alexander McIver took his fight to remain North Carolina's superintendent of public instruction all the way to the state supreme court?

Sanae Takaichi

• Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Rodrigo Paz Pereira, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, is elected president of Bolivia.
• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.

October 26

Laurent Gbagbo

• 1597 – Imjin War: Thirteen Korean ships commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated a far larger Japanese invading fleet at the Battle of Myeongnyang in the Myeongnyang Strait.
• 1813 – War of 1812: British forces and Mohawk allies under Charles de Salaberry repulsed an American attempt to invade Canada.
• 1902 – A group of Russian explorers led by Baron von Toll left their camp on Bennett Island and disappeared without a trace.
• 1905 – The Saint Petersburg Soviet held its first meeting, becoming the first elected body in Russia to represent workers.
• 2000 – Following protests against military leader Robert Guéï, Laurent Gbagbo (pictured) became the president of Ivory Coast.

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Coat of arms of England in 1460

The Act of Accord was an act of the Parliament of England passed on 25 October 1460. Three weeks earlier, Richard, Duke of York, claimed the crown of England on the grounds that the male and female lines gave him two claims, while his rival King Henry VI only possessed one. The House of Lords decided that Henry would retain the crown for life, but York and his heirs were to succeed him, removing Henry's son Edward from the succession. Henry agreed to the compromise, which became the Act of Accord. The queen, Margaret of Anjou, refused to accept the disinheritance of their son, and was joined by the majority of the English nobility. She raised an army in Northern England with her son and began the destruction of York's and the Nevilles' Yorkshire estates. York led an army to challenge her but was killed at the Battle of Wakefield. The Lancastrians were defeated three months later at the Battle of Towton by York's son, who was crowned King Edward IV. (Full article...)

Flag of Mauritania

• ... that the red bands on the flag of Mauritania (pictured) were added in 2017 to represent the blood shed for the country's independence from France?
• ... that, according to the ruling party, the citizenry overwhelmingly allowed the president to be re-elected in the 1939 Salvadoran presidential election?
• ... that the wedding ceremony of Fukura P and Kazumi Takayama was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
• ... that three-quarters of Turkey's bird species live in the Kızılırmak Delta?
• ... that Adamsochrysa fossils from British Columbia and Washington are most similar to an Australian green lacewing?
• ... that doctor Nandipha Magudumana received payment for the use of her archives in the Netflix documentary Beauty and the Bester, which she subsequently attempted to prevent from being aired?
• ... that the music of Fontaine in Genshin Impact was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra?
• ... that Barbara Buczek intentionally composed music so intricate that it was nearly impossible to realise all of its details?
• ... that fans of The Exit 8 travelled from across the world to visit a Japanese subway station?

Sanae Takaichi

• Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Rodrigo Paz Pereira, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, is elected president of Bolivia.
• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.

October 25

Siege of Lisbon by Raquel Gameiro

• 1147 – Reconquista: Forces under Afonso I of Portugal captured Lisbon from the Moors after a four-month siege (depicted) in one of the few Christian victories during the Second Crusade.
• 1920 – Irish playwright and politician Terence MacSwiney died after a hunger strike in Brixton Prison, bringing the Irish struggle for independence to international attention.
• 1924 – The Daily Mail published the Zinoviev letter, a hoax purported to be a directive from Moscow to increase communist agitation, pushing the Conservative Party to a landslide victory in the UK general election four days later.
• 1944 – USS Tang, the U.S. Navy submarine credited with sinking more ships than any other American submarine, sank when it was struck by its own torpedo.
• 2010 – Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia, began an increasingly violent series of eruptions that lasted over a month.

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Male in breeding plumage

The red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea) is a small, migratory, sparrow-like bird of the weaver family, Ploceidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is approximately 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighs 15 to 26 g (0.53 to 0.92 oz) Non-breeding birds have light underparts, striped brown upper parts, yellow-edged flight feathers and a reddish bill. Breeding females attain a yellowish bill. Breeding males have a black (or rarely white) facial mask, surrounded by a purplish, pinkish, rusty or yellowish wash on the head and breast. The species avoids forests, deserts and colder areas. It constructs oval roofed nests woven from strips of grass hanging from thorny branches, sugar cane or reeds. It breeds in very large colonies. The quelea feeds primarily on seeds of annual grasses, but also causes extensive damage to cereal crops. It is regarded as the most numerous undomesticated bird on earth, with the population sometimes peaking at an estimated 1.5 billion individuals. (Full article...)

Help Mark

• ... that the Help Mark (pictured) is a Japanese accessibility symbol for people with invisible disabilities?
• ... that King Hugh I of Cyprus married his stepsister with a special permission from the pope?
• ... that penicillin was forgotten about for a decade after its initial discovery in 1929?
• ... that there have been attempts to make chess an Olympic sport since at least 1924?
• ... that Charles Bornou once served as a minister of finance and a mayor at the same time?
• ... that the demolition of 61 Molesworth Street in Wellington, New Zealand, revealed the possessions of illegal residents?
• ... that Sunaryanta ran 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) from his home to register for an election, and later ran 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) back home after losing re-election?
• ... that a 1941 jam session was notable for its racial integration?
• ... that Isaac A. Hopper was one of the One Hundred?

Sanae Takaichi

• Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Rodrigo Paz Pereira, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, is elected president of Bolivia.
• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.

October 24

Dracula by Bram Stoker

• 1885 – The Russian ship Dmitry ran aground in Whitby, an incident that inspired the arrival of Count Dracula to England in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel (cover pictured).
• 1929 – On "Black Thursday", the New York Stock Exchange lost 11 percent of its value at the opening bell on very heavy trading, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.
• 1930 – The Pacification Junta deposed Brazillian president Washington Luís, ending the Brazilian Revolution of 1930.
• 2004 – English football club Manchester United defeated rivals Arsenal 2–0 in the Battle of the Buffet, ending the latter's record-breaking unbeaten run.
• 2015 – Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, known for publishing political books banned in mainland China, was abducted by Chinese authorities.

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Illustration of redshift and blueshift

In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, or equivalently, a decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and increase in frequency and energy, is known as a blueshift. The terms are derive from the colours red and blue, which form the extremes of the visible-light spectrum. Three forms of redshift occur in astronomy and cosmology: Doppler redshifts due to the relative motions of radiation sources, gravitational redshift as radiation escapes from gravitational potentials, and cosmological redshifts caused by the universe expanding. Automated astronomical redshift surveys are an important tool for learning about the large scale structure of the universe. Examples of strong redshifting are a gamma ray perceived as an X-ray, or initially visible light perceived as radio waves. The initial heat from the Big Bang has redshifted far down to become the cosmic microwave background. (Full article...)

Gibraltar Mountain

• ... that Gibraltar Mountain (pictured) is one of a few documented U.S. sites where Okanogan fameflower is native?
• ... that Mohamed Saïl refused prisoner support from International Red Aid in protest against the treatment of Soviet prisoners in the Solovki prison camp?
• ... that the 1939 NIT and the 1939 NCAA tournament determined two different national champions in men's college basketball?
• ... that Jeannette Ng accepted the 2019 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer with a speech in which she called the award's namesake, John W. Campbell, a "fucking fascist"?
• ... that Euclid's Elements has been estimated to be second only to the Bible in its number of published editions?
• ... that John Greenewald Jr. founded a U.S. government transparency website when he was a teenager?
• ... that the modern cinnamon fern has existed since the Cretaceous?
• ... that Linda Anne Hutchison performed as a leading soprano of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, including during its first visit to continental Europe since the 1880s?
• ... that one single tugboat in Greenland is 50% of the navy of the United States Air Force?

Sanae Takaichi

• Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.
• Michael Randrianirina becomes President of Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina flees the country following mass protests and a military coup.

October 23: Mole Day

Jeannette Piccard

• 1641 – Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions to Catholics.
• 1934 – Jeannette Piccard (pictured) piloted a hot-air balloon flight that reached 57,579 feet (17,550 m), becoming the first woman to fly in the stratosphere.
• 1957 – A screening of Mother India, one of the most influential Indian films in history, was held for President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru two days before its release.
• 1995 – The runway show for Alexander McQueen's collection The Hunger was staged at London's Natural History Museum.
• 2018 – An escalator accident in Rome left 24 people injured, mostly fans of the CSKA Moscow football team who were in town for a UEFA Champions League match against Roma.

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Kaniehtiio Horn

"Deer Lady" is the third episode of the third season of the comedy and teen drama television series Reservation Dogs. The twenty-first episode overall, it was written by Sterlin Harjo, the program's showrunner and co-creator, and directed by Danis Goulet. Reservation Dogs tells the story a group of four friends and Indigenous teenagers who live in Oklahoma. They call themselves the "Rez Dogs" and hope to eventually visit California in memory of their friend who committed suicide. Deer Lady, portrayed by Kaniehtiio Horn (pictured), is a recurring character in the show based on the mythological spirit Deer Woman. Inspired by 1970s horror films and 1990s indie films, the story focuses on the history of American Indian boarding schools and makes use of the endangered Kiowa language. The episode was first broadcast in August 2023; it received positive reviews from critics. It won an Art Directors Guild Award and was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award and a Gold Derby Television Award. (Full article...)

Sarah Fischer

• ... that soprano Sarah Fischer (pictured) sang excerpts from the title role in Carmen for the very first televised BBC broadcast of opera music?
• ... that Jeff Baena made his characters Jewish in Life After Beth because he thought that Jews would be more likely to come back as zombies?
• ... that Dorothy Sproule received letters from five British monarchs, earning her the title "Canadian Poet-Laureate to Royalty"?
• ... that the publication of the magazine Jiaoyu zazhi was interrupted when the Japanese army bombed its publisher's headquarters?
• ... that Dries Van Langendonck has been called "the great Belgian [Formula One] hope"?
• ... that "Infantino Street", an episode of The Flash, was named after a writer from the Silver Age of Comic Books?
• ... that, after Yoetikno's death, his family had local villagers keep a 24-hour watch over his grave in fear of graverobbers?
• ... that the owner of Pringle House planned on vacating due to the risk of earthquake damage, but an earthquake damaged the building first?
• ... that Albanian prime minister Edi Rama determined that an AI system should become a cabinet minister tasked with ending corruption in public tenders?

Sanae Takaichi

• Sanae Takaichi (pictured) is elected as the first female prime minister of Japan by the National Diet.
• Eric Lu wins the International Chopin Piano Competition.
• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre in Paris.
• Michael Randrianirina becomes President of Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina flees the country following mass protests and a military coup.

October 22

Scilly naval disaster

• 1707 – In one of the worst maritime disasters in the history of the British Isles, at least 1,400 sailors on four Royal Navy ships were lost in stormy weather (pictured) off the Isles of Scilly.
• 1940 – After evading Vichy French and Francoist Spanish authorities, Belgian prime minister Hubert Pierlot arrived in London, marking the beginning of the Belgian government in exile.
• 1945 – Workers at the Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina, began a labor strike against the American Tobacco Company that lasted more than five months.
• 1964 – The first volume of Ian Fleming's children's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was published posthumously.
• 2005 – Bellview Airlines Flight 210 crashed in Ogun State, Nigeria, killing all 117 people on board.

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Old Trafford, venue of the match

A Manchester United and Ipswich Town football match was played at Old Trafford (pictured), Manchester, in March 1995 as part of the 1994–95 FA Premier League. It finished in a 9–0 victory for the home team. The result is a joint record for the largest winning margin in the Premier League, later equalled by three other matches with the same scoreline in 2019, in 2021 and in 2022. Manchester United and Ipswich Town went into the match at opposite ends of the table; United were second, while Ipswich were second-last. In the corresponding fixture at Ipswich's Portman Road in September 1994, they beat United 3–2. United were missing Eric Cantona, who was on a nine-month suspension, and their attacking partnership of Andy Cole and Mark Hughes was not well regarded by pundits. Ipswich's victory at Portman Road proved to be the more significant result with regard to the final placings, as United missed out on the title by one point. (Full article...)

Triệu Quân Sự

• ... that Vietnamese prisoner Triệu Quân Sự (pictured) escaped from jail four times, and was twice caught while playing online games at internet cafés?
• ... that while a British school inspired by a circus tent was described as "eclectic and witty", its "plain functional" replacement won an RIBA Award?
• ... that the pianist Panka Pelishek was a Heroine of Socialist Labor?
• ... that China's imperial chancellor committed suicide after he was blamed for the devastation of the 29 BC Yellow River flood?
• ... that a hospitalized Ruth El Saffar had to dictate the introduction of her final book to Diana de Armas Wilson, with whom she had co-edited Quixotic Desire?
• ... that a public service announcement about drunk driving was voted the best television advertisement in New Zealand?
• ... that Denise Stoklos's "essential theatre" involves minimizing her acting methods while maximizing "the power of drama"?
• ... that Donald Trump applies his own makeup each day, according to his former press secretary?
• ... that where NFL player Spencer Reid is from, "There's no McDonald's. There's no nothing"?

Galerie d'Apollon

• Pieces of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery from the Galerie d'Apollon (pictured) of the Louvre in Paris.
• Michael Randrianirina becomes President of Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina flees the country following mass protests and a military coup.
• Dallin H. Oaks becomes the 18th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 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.

October 21

• 1345 – Hundred Years' War: The English victory at the Battle of Auberoche marked a change in the military balance of power in Aquitaine, with the subsequent collapse of the French position.
• 1858 – French composer Jacques Offenbach's operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring the music most associated with the can-can (audio featured), was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.
• 1910 – HMS Niobe arrived in Halifax Harbour to become the first large ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
• 1959 – The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in New York City.
• 1994 – North Korea and the United States signed the Agreed Framework to limit the former's nuclear weapons program and to normalize relations between the two countries.

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Chicago police officer using a phone

Illinois Public Access Opinion 16-006 is a binding opinion of the Illinois Attorney General pursuant to the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Issued in 2016 in the aftermath of the police murder of Laquan McDonald on October 20, 2014, the opinion addressed a public records request from CNN for private emails by officers of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) related to the incident. After the CPD denied CNN's request, the Attorney General's office, led by Lisa Madigan, ruled that the police officers' private emails about McDonald's murder were subject to public disclosure, even though those emails were communicated on accounts outside of the police department's email servers. The Attorney General found that the police officers were acting on behalf of the police department, making their messages public records. Nonetheless, CNN never received the emails that it had requested, even after it went to court to enforce the Attorney General's opinion. (Full article...)

Mecodema howittii

• ... that the ground beetle Mecodema howittii (pictured), only known to be found on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand, is in decline?
• ... that prior to becoming prime minister of Canada, Paul Martin frequently searched the basement of Devonshire Lodge for a bootlegging tunnel?
• ... that the world's longest continuous rock climbing route is a horizontal 4,500-metre (14,800 ft) traverse on El Capitan, according to Guinness World Records?
• ... that Olympic wrestler Robert Diouf twice defeated an opponent who was nearly 20 kilograms (44 lb) heavier than him?
• ... that Byrnihat was ranked by an air technology company as the world's most polluted city in 2024?
• ... that the 2013 murder of Mark Carson, a hate crime involving the killing of an openly gay man, took place less than a quarter-mile (400 m) from the Stonewall Inn?
• ... that Fort Duvernette played a role in saving the survivors of a 1795 Carib attack on a British supply convoy?
• ... that a plane crash was watched in real time by a bedridden woman through her mirror?
• ... that the Prince of Ning decided to rebel against the emperor right after his birthday party?

Galerie d'Apollon

• Part of the French Crown Jewels are stolen during a robbery of the Louvre (Galerie d'Apollon pictured).
• Michael Randrianirina becomes President of Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina flees the country following mass protests and a military coup.
• Dallin H. Oaks becomes the 18th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 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.

October 20

Mahamat Déby

• 1936 – British woman Mabel Freer was refused entry to Australia after failing a dictation test given in Italian, leading to a debate over Australia's immigration policy.
• 1944 – World War II: Fulfilling a promise he made two years previously, General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte to begin the recapture of the Philippines.
• 1973 – Watergate scandal: Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned after refusing to obey President Richard Nixon's order to have Archibald Cox fired.
• 2022 – Protests broke out across Chad after President Mahamat Déby (pictured) declared his intentions to extend his rule by another two years.
• 2024 – Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka were sworn in as president and vice president of Indonesia, becoming the oldest and the youngest person to assume respective offices.

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U.S. Route 34 in Iowa is a United States Highway that runs across the southern third of Iowa. It begins on a bridge over the Missouri River west of Glenwood and travels east where it meets Interstate 29 (I-29) and US 275. Through southwestern Iowa, the highway is, for the most part, a two-lane rural road with at-grade intersections; there are interchanges with US 59 near Emerson and US 71 near Stanton and Villisca. At Osceola, the highway intersects I-35 and US 69. Just east of Ottumwa, where the road meets US 63, the road joins the four-lane Iowa 163 for the remainder of its trek through the state. At Mount Pleasant, it overlaps US 218 and Iowa 27, the Avenue of the Saints Highway. From there, the road heads to the southeast where it crosses the Mississippi River on the Great River Bridge at Burlington. US 34 was one of the original U.S. Highways when the system was created in 1926. Several widenings and improvements have been made to the highway since its original construction. (Full article...)

Harriet Harris

• ... that, as the University of Edinburgh's chaplain, Harriet Harris (pictured) appointed more than 40 honorary chaplains to serve traditions including Daoism, humanism, paganism and mindfulness?
• ... that Badingah became the first female regent of Gunung Kidul after her predecessor died of a heart attack?
• ... that First Nations actor and musician Erroll Kinistino grew up in a two-room, mud-shack cabin?
• ... that impersonations of United States immigration officials have become a chronic crime problem in 2025?
• ... that Gilles of Saumur was given the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tyre as compensation for the loss of the Archdiocese of Damietta during the Seventh Crusade?
• ... that the 71-year-old Jackie Chan performed all his own stunts without using doubles in The Shadow's Edge?
• ... that Angus Watt was a financial advisor, broadcaster, diplomat, and colonel all at the same time?
• ... that the Paraguayan Regional Workers' Federation named and shamed known strikebreakers in its newspaper?
• ... that PETA wrote a letter to the CEO of Nintendo over a Cow?

Andry Rajoelina

• 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 70 people dead.

October 19

Hurricane Wilma northeast of Honduras

• 1864 – American Civil War: Despite incurring nearly twice as many casualties as the Confederates, the Union army emerged victorious at the Battle of Cedar Creek.
• 1943 – World War II: Allied aircraft sank the German cargo ship Sinfra, killing mostly Italian POWs.
• 1955 – At a meeting of its general assembly, the European Broadcasting Union approved the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: The Siege of Plei Me began with the first major confrontation between soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army and the U.S. Army.
• 2005 – Hurricane Wilma (pictured) became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg).

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Page from the Tarikh-i Alfi

• ... 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?

Andry Rajoelina

• 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.

October 18: Alaska Day (1867)

Brahms in 1889

• 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.

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Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed by Jeff Mangum in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psychedelic folk. Mangum wrote surreal and opaque lyrics that covered a wide range of topics, including love, spirituality, nostalgia, sex, and loneliness. In 1996, he worked with childhood friend Robert Schneider to record the album On Avery Island. Mangum recruited musicians Julian Koster, Jeremy Barnes, and Scott Spillane for the band's second album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998). While on tour, the band's popularity grew through Internet exposure. This negatively affected Mangum, whose mental health began to deteriorate, and the band went on hiatus shortly after. During their break, they gained a cult following and the critical standing of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea rose. Neutral Milk Hotel reunited in 2013 and undertook a reunion tour before another hiatus in 2015. (Full article...)

Cormocephalus rubriceps

• ... that the giant centipede Cormocephalus rubriceps (pictured) can grow up to 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) in length?
• ... that a Russian spy couple used comments on Cristiano Ronaldo YouTube videos to send coded messages to Moscow?
• ... that racing driver Neil Cunningham was also a stunt double in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace?
• ... that, during the 2012 Weezer Cruise, band members oversaw wedding vow renewals, a shuffleboard contest, a midnight movie screening, and a 1980s-themed prom?
• ... that in 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first in the Indian Premier League to win all away games in a season?
• ... that singer Tomoo was once unhappy with her performance in a singing contest, despite being chosen as one of its finalists?
• ... that more than 50 planned speakers boycotted the Bendigo Writers Festival over its code of conduct?
• ... that the personal website of an actor is used for benchmarking newly released gadgets?
• ... that Mikael Genberg has sent a house to the Moon?

Andry Rajoelina

• 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.

October 17

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• 1660 – A series of executions of the commissioners who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England concluded; six were hanged, drawn and quartered for treason.
• 1771 – Ascanio in Alba, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (pictured) at the age of 15, premiered in Milan.
• 1860 – The Open Championship, the oldest of the four major championships in men's golf, was first played at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland.
• 1992 – Having gone to the wrong house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a Halloween party, Japanese exchange student Yoshihito Hattori was shot and killed by the homeowner.
• 2001 – Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli minister of tourism, was assassinated in revenge for the killing of PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa.

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Angela Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer whose career spanned 80 years. To escape the Blitz, she moved to the U.S. in 1940, studying acting in New York City. She received three Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nominations for her roles in Gaslight (1944), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). On television, she starred as the sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the CBS whodunit series Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996), for which she was nominated for 12 consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Among Lansbury's numerous accolades were five Tony Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1997, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2000, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2013. (Full article...)

Sylvester Espelage

• ... that Sylvester Espelage (pictured), unlike most American clergy, wore a queue and a long beard during his missionary work in Wuhan?
• ... that Erika Kirk forgave her husband's killer at his memorial service?
• ... that the spider Desis marina makes its nest in the intertidal zone of the coast, where it can survive for up to 19 days submerged underwater?
• ... that Hoàng Xuân Vinh won Vietnam's first Olympic gold medal with a record-setting shot at the 2016 Games?
• ... that the crew of Blackwater 61 knew that they were flying down a box canyon for more than fifteen minutes before the plane crashed?
• ... that Texan poet laureate Jenny Lind Porter was described as America's new Emily Dickinson?
• ... that a Michigan TV station was designed to serve a smaller area so it could obtain a network affiliation?
• ... that a grand-nephew of Queen Elizabeth II underwent 200 hours of training in India to become a yoga instructor?
• ... that the architect of 745 Fifth Avenue once dressed up as the building?

María Corina Machado

• 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.
• María Corina Machado (pictured) is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy activism in Venezuela.
• José Jerí is sworn in as President of Peru after Dina Boluarte is removed from office by the Congress.

October 16

Jadwiga of Poland

• 1384 – Jadwiga (pictured) was officially crowned as "King of Poland" instead of "Queen" to reflect the fact that she was a sovereign in her own right.
• 1875 – Brigham Young University, the largest religious university in the United States, was founded in Provo, Utah.
• 1905 – Authorities of the British Raj partitioned the Bengal Presidency, separating the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas.
• 1950 – The first novel of the The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was released in the United Kingdom.
• 2017 – The Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in Bidnija.

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Holy Trinity Anglican Church

• ... that Winnipeg's historic Holy Trinity Anglican Church (pictured) is at risk of structural failure within the next few years?
• ... that Olympic cyclist Michael Watson was hospitalised because of a dog?
• ... that the Roblox video game Grow a Garden once had more than 20 million simultaneous players?
• ... that Roberta G. Simmons found that an organ transplant was considered by some recipients to be "a burdensome debt"?
• ... that Kōsaku Yamada's Overture in D major has been described as "a kind of challenge by the composer to Japanese traditional music"?
• ... that actress Jennifer Brooke faced heavy rain from Storm Imogen while filming her death scene for Hollyoaks?
• ... that Brunei Shell Petroleum, a joint-venture company, provided insights into oil discoveries that may have influenced Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III's stance on Malaysia?
• ... that Walter Bgoya published a novel by Aniceti Kitereza almost 35 years after it had been written?
• ... that an exiled Sakalava monarch sold Mayotte to the French in exchange for an annual pension?

María Corina Machado

• Hamas and Israel commence a ceasefire and release hostages and prisoners as part of the Gaza peace plan.
• María Corina Machado (pictured) is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy activism in Venezuela.
• José Jerí is sworn in as President of Peru after Dina Boluarte is removed from office by the Congress.
• An explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee, United States, kills at least 16 people.

October 15

Coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast

• 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces captured Glasgow, Missouri, although it had little long-term benefit as Price's Missouri Expedition was defeated a week later.
• 1967 – The Motherland Calls (depicted in coat of arms), a colossal statue in Volgograd, Russia, which commemorates the casualties of the Battle of Stalingrad, was dedicated, becoming the then-tallest statue in the world.
• 1996: The Irish Criminal Assets Bureau was established following the gangland murders of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and investigative journalist Veronica Guerin.
• 2007 – New Zealand Police conducted several anti-terrorism raids in relation to the discovery of an alleged paramilitary training camp in the Urewera mountain ranges, arresting 17 people and seizing four guns and 230 rounds of ammunition.
• 2011 – Global demonstrations against economic inequality, corporate influence on government, and other issues, were held in more than 950 cities in 82 countries.

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The British fourpence coin, sometimes known as a groat, is a silver coin valued at 1⁄60 of one pound or 1⁄3 of one shilling. It was struck throughout the 18th century, though by 1800 it had come mostly to be coined to be given as ceremonial alms at the Royal Maundy service. It returned as a circulating coin in 1836, as the Royal Mint sought to fill the gap between the penny and the sixpence. The fourpence was issued at the urging of the politician Joseph Hume, who noted that fourpence was the cab fare for short journeys. The new coin did not endear him to hackney drivers, who had often received sixpence without a request for change, and they gave it the nickname "joey". There was also confusion between it and the sixpence. The threepence, struck for use in Britain from 1845, proved more popular than the fourpence, which was struck only once for circulation after the mid-1850s. This was in 1888 for use in British Guiana, though it continued to be used in Scotland for many years. (Full article...)

Shreen Abdul Saroor

• ... that women's rights activist Shreen Saroor (pictured) was sent to a Catholic convent for her education after her mother became concerned with her tomboy-like behavior?
• ... that four US Army soldiers stole $36 million in valuables from a German castle in late 1945?
• ... that forensic scientist Luke S. May was nicknamed "America's Sherlock Holmes" for his work as an investigator?
• ... that the author of The Space-Time Painter considers the review bombing against it to be reasonable?
• ... that Rita Rusk was employed to style the hair of her former trainee Sharleen Spiteri after Spiteri became the lead singer of Texas?
• ... that architect Geoff Malone was tasked with impressing visitors with a "rocket ship" design for a Singapore movie theatre?
• ... that Sarah Kraning perceives sound as color, texture, and movement?
• ... that the ependytes, originally a Persian male tunic, became a luxury fashion statement in classical Athens, where it was worn by women and children?
• ... that part of the bonus paid to bartender Gary Hoffman after he was selected in the 1984 NFL draft was a round of drinks for his friends?

Dina Boluarte

• José Jerí is sworn in as President of Peru after Dina Boluarte (pictured) is removed from office by the Congress.
• An explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee, United States, kills at least 16 people.
• María Corina Machado is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy activism in Venezuela.
• László Krasznahorkai is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

October 14: Shemini Atzeret (Judaism, 2025)

Battle of Hastings, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

• 1066 – Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror's forces defeated the English army at Hastings and killed Harold Godwinson (depicted), the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England.
• 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: French forces under Marshal Michel Ney defeated Austrian forces in Elchingen, present-day Germany.
• 1913 – The worst mining accident in the United Kingdom's history took place when an explosion resulted in 440 deaths at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, Wales.
• 1943 – The Second Philippine Republic, a Japanese puppet state, was established with Jose P. Laurel as its first president.
• 1964 – Members of the Politburo voted to remove Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and replace him with Leonid Brezhnev.

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Tell es-Sakan is an archaeological site about 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Gaza City in Palestine. It was the site of two separate Early Bronze Age urban settlements. Ancient Egypt expanded its territory into southwestern Palestine in the latter half of the 4th millennium BCE and during this time Tell es-Sakan was founded as an administrative centre for the Egyptian colonies in the region. It was inhabited from about 3300 BCE to 3000 BCE. After a period of abandonment a Canaanite city was established around 2600 BCE and inhabited until about 2250 BCE, after which Tell es-Sakan was permanently abandoned. Tell es-Sakan functioned as a trading post and was positioned along what was probably a dried-up channel of the Wadi Ghazzeh – a watercourse that is dry most of the year but in the Bronze Age would have been navigable. The site covered around 8 to 9 hectares (20 to 22 acres), of which 0.14 hectares (0.35 acres) has undergone archaeological excavation. (Full article...)

Shreen Abdul Saroor

• ... that women's rights activist Shreen Saroor (pictured) was sent to a Catholic convent for her education after her mother became concerned with her tomboy-like behavior?
• ... that four US Army soldiers stole $36 million in valuables from a German castle in late 1945?
• ... that forensic scientist Luke S. May was nicknamed "America's Sherlock Holmes" for his work as an investigator?
• ... that the author of The Space-Time Painter considers the review bombing against it to be reasonable?
• ... that Rita Rusk was employed to style the hair of her former trainee Sharleen Spiteri after Spiteri became the lead singer of Texas?
• ... that architect Geoff Malone was tasked with impressing visitors with a "rocket ship" design for a Singapore movie theatre?
• ... that Sarah Kraning perceives sound as color, texture, and movement?
• ... that the ependytes, originally a Persian male tunic, became a luxury fashion statement in classical Athens, where it was worn by women and children?
• ... that part of the bonus paid to bartender Gary Hoffman after he was selected in the 1984 NFL draft was a round of drinks for his friends?

José Jerí

• José Jerí (pictured) is sworn in as President of Peru after Dina Boluarte is removed from office by the Congress.
• An explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee kills at least 16 people.
• María Corina Machado is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy activism in Venezuela.
• László Krasznahorkai is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

October 13: Thanksgiving in Canada (2025), Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States (2025)

Brigid Kosgei

• 1710 – Queen Anne's War: French and Wabanaki forces surrendered to end the Siege of Port Royal, giving the British permanent possession of Nova Scotia.
• 1812 – War of 1812: British troops and Mohawk warriors repelled an American invasion from across the Niagara River at the Battle of Queenston Heights near Queenston, Ontario.
• 1908 – British suffragette Margaret Travers Symons became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons when she escaped from her escort into the chamber and shouted at the assembly.
• 1994 – The Troubles: In a meeting at Fernhill House, Belfast, loyalist leader Gusty Spence announced that the Combined Loyalist Military Command would observe a ceasefire.
• 2019 – At the Chicago Marathon, Kenyan runner Brigid Kosgei (pictured) set the current marathon world record for women running in a mixed-sex race.

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