20250921
From today's featured article
The Caerleon pipe burial is a second-century Roman grave associated with the legionary fortress and settlement Isca Augusta in Caerleon. In 1927 building works across the River Usk from the fortress uncovered a grave containing a stone-lined tomb. Within the tomb was a lead canister containing cremated bone fragments, a piece of linen bearing traces of frankincense and a 3.8 cm (1.5 in) broken lead pipe which would originally have reached the surface. This type of burial is rare in Britain and was investigated by the archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler. The anatomist Arthur Keith determined that the bone fragments were of a single adult, confirmed in 2001 by Alice Roberts. Tombs with vertical lead or earthenware pipes are found throughout the Roman Empire, and these features are believed to have facilitated sacrifices and offerings to the departed. In particular, pipe burials are thought to have allowed relatives to pour blood or wine into the container to nourish the soul of the deceased. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that Mary Jo Copeland (pictured) received the Presidential Citizens Medal from Barack Obama for founding Sharing and Caring Hands?
- ... that Reedsburg Municipal Airport had a water runway during the 1960s for use by the builder of Lake Redstone?
- ... that Xu Jie avoided the purges of the Great Rites Controversy because he was at home mourning his father?
- ... that the app Tea has been praised as an aid for women's safety but was sued for jeopardising its users' safety?
- ... that the Gym Rat in Gaza posts videos of bodybuilding among the rubble of the Israel–Hamas war?
- ... that the flatbread luchi was historically made with bananas instead of water?
- ... that German social media personality Maya Leinenbach became vegan after completing a school project on the influence of nutrition and consumption on the environment?
- ... that Gabriel Green ran for U.S. president on the platform of universal health care, free college education, and releasing secret government information on extraterrestrials?
- ... that Savannah blockaded Savannah?
In the news
- American actor and filmmaker Robert Redford (pictured) dies at the age of 89.
- In boxing, Terence Crawford defeats Canelo Álvarez, becoming undisputed world champion in three weight classes.
- In television, The Studio wins best comedy and The Pitt wins best drama at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
- After widespread protests, Sushila Karki is appointed interim Prime Minister of Nepal, replacing K. P. Sharma Oli.
On this day
September 21: International Day of Peace
- 1675 – Led by Antonio de Vea, a Spanish naval expedition departed El Callao, Peru, for the fjords and channels of Patagonia to find whether rival colonial powers were in the region.
- 1897 – In response to a letter written by eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, The New York Sun published an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church stating, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".
- 1934 – Chandrashekhar Agashe (pictured) established the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd., one of the oldest companies in India.
- 1999 – A 7.7 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Taiwan, killing 2,415 people, injuring more than 11,000 others and causing about NT$300 billion (US$10 billion) in damage across the island.
- 2004 – American rock band Green Day released their seventh studio album, American Idiot, which would become one of their most recognizable albums.
- Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (b. 1706)
- Emanuel Schikaneder (d. 1812)
- Kareena Kapoor Khan (b. 1980)
- Trần Đại Quang (d. 2018)
Today's featured picture

Tadej Pogačar (born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenian professional road cyclist who currently rides for UAE Team Emirates XRG, a UCI WorldTeam based in the United Arab Emirates. His victories include four Tours de France (2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025), the 2024 Giro d'Italia, and nine monuments (the Tour of Flanders twice, Liège–Bastogne–Liège three times, and the Giro di Lombardia four times), as well as the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships. Comfortable in time-trialing, one-day classic riding and grand-tour climbing, he has been compared to all-round cyclists such as Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as one of the sport's greatest. This photograph shows Pogačar celebrating his victory after stage 3 of the 2022 Tour of Slovenia at Celje Castle.
Photograph credit: Petar Milošević