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In the news
- A cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone is declared a national emergency following the deaths of more than 300 people.
- At least 36 people are suspected dead after Hurricane Isaac (satellite image pictured) strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States, Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles and the Bahamas.
- The opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games is held in London.
- An Israeli court rules that the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense were not responsible for the death of Rachel Corrie in the Gaza Strip in 2003.
- More than 2,000 people riot in Mombasa, Kenya, in reaction to the shooting death of Muslim cleric Aboud Rogo.
- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announces the commencement of peace talks with the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Today's featured article
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (pictured) and published in 1779. Based on Newton's personal experiences at sea (in the Royal Navy and the slave trade), it was originally written in 1773 and published in Newton and Cowper's Olney Hymns in 1779. Although it became relatively obscure in England, in the United States it was commonly used during the Second Great Awakening. The original tune, if any, is unknown, but it is now most commonly sung to the tune "New Britain". It conveys a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit, and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God. One of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world, it has been called "the most famous of all the folk hymns", having been recorded thousands of times during the 20th century and becoming emblematic in African American spiritual music. (more...)
Recently featured: Simon Bolivar Buckner – History of Michigan State University – John Martin Scripps
On this day...
September 1: Start of the Liturgical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church; Constitution Day in Slovakia; Independence Day in Uzbekistan (1991)
1715 | Louis XIV of France (pictured), the "Sun King", died after a reign of 72 years, longer than any other French or other major European monarch at the time. |
1804 | German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding discovered one of the largest main belt asteroids, naming it Juno after the Roman goddess. |
1862 | American Civil War: Confederate forces attacked retreating Union Army troops at the Battle of Chantilly during a rainstorm in Chantilly, Virginia, but the fighting ended up being tactically inconclusive. |
1914 | The Passenger Pigeon, which once had a population of at least 3 billion birds, became extinct, when the last individual died in captivity. |
1969 | A bloodless coup d'état led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrew Idris I of Libya. |
1972 | American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer became the 11th World Chess Champion when he defeated Russian Boris Spassky in a match that was widely publicized as a Cold War confrontation. |
Did you know...
- ... that a nuclear reactor was nearly built at the New York Hall of Science (pictured), but the money for the institution instead went to Yankee Stadium?
- ... that George Bernard Shaw jokingly threatened to torture Hilaire Belloc if it would get G. K. Chesterton to write his first play?
- ... that Norman warrior Hugh Bunel lived for years among the Saracens before turning against them to join the First Crusade?
- ... that after reading American Writers, William Lloyd Garrison told John Neal to be on guard should he return to the United States?
- ... that Druze rower Saleh Shahin won a bronze medal for Israel at the 2024 Paris Paralympics 19 years after he was injured in a terrorist attack?
- ... that the Hong Kong–based holding company now known as Nan Nan Resources went by three different names in 2011?
- ... that Dusko Doder reported the 1984 death of Yuri Andropov, the leader of the Soviet Union, before any official announcement?
- ... that Queen Victoria supported Clare embroidery by purchasing dresses for her family?
- ... that chocolate is included as an ingredient in 18th-century Italian recipes for pappardelle, fried liver, black polenta, and lasagna sauce?
Today's featured picture
Acer negundo, also known as the box elder, is a species of maple in the family Sapindaceae, native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or invasive species, and has been naturalized throughout much of the world. It grows up to 10 to 25 metres (35 to 80 feet) tall, with a trunk diameter of 30 to 50 centimetres (12 to 20 inches). Male and female flowers appear on separate plants, with flowers on male plants generally appearing in clusters of four and flowers on female plants appearing as a raceme. These flowers of a female A. negundo plant were photographed in Keila, Estonia. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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