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Today's featured article

The Claimant in the Tichborne case

The Tichborne case concerned the claim by an individual known as "the Claimant" (pictured) to be the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy and fortune. Roger Tichborne disappeared after a shipwreck in 1854; rumours later surfaced that he had survived and made his way to Australia. In 1866 a butcher called Thomas Castro from Wagga Wagga came forward claiming to be Tichborne; he travelled to England where, despite his unrefined manners and bearing, he was accepted by Lady Tichborne as her son. Although other family members were unconvinced, the Claimant gained considerable public support. By 1871 evidence suggested that Castro was actually Arthur Orton, a butcher's son from Wapping in London, who had gone to sea as a boy. A civil case ended with charges of perjury against him, and in 1874 a criminal court jury decided that he was Orton. He was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment. Released in 1884, he confessed in 1895 to being Orton, only to recant immediately. He died destitute in 1898. (Full article...)

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Selected anniversaries

October 2: International Day of Non-Violence; Gandhi Jayanti in India

Thurgood Marshall

1766 – As part of wider food riots, citizens in Nottingham, England, looted large quantities of cheese; one man was killed during attempts to restore order.
1879 – Qing China signed the Treaty of Livadia with the Russian Empire, but the terms were so unfavorable that the Chinese government refused to ratify the treaty.
1913 – The Shubert Theatre opened on Broadway with a production of Hamlet.
1967 – Thurgood Marshall (pictured) was sworn in as the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
2005 – Typhoon Longwang made landfall in China as the deadliest tropical cyclone in that year to impact the country.

William Drury (b. 1527)
Thomas Ellison (d. 1904)
Jack Parsons (b. 1914)
Priya Cooper (b. 1974)

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In the news

Iranian missiles being intercepted

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Israel invades Lebanon, and Iran launches missiles (pictured) against Israel.
Flooding in Nepal leaves more than 200 people dead, including 37 in the nation's capital, Kathmandu.
In Australian rules football, the Brisbane Lions defeat the Sydney Swans to win the AFL Grand Final.
Hurricane Helene leaves more than 100 people dead across the southeastern United States.
British actress Maggie Smith dies at the age of 89.

Did you know...

Andrea Navagero

... that much to his dismay, Andrea Navagero (pictured) was named the Venetian ambassador to France in 1529?
... that a major anime piracy website had over 100 million monthly visits and was one of the top 200 most popular Internet properties?
... that while Council Working Parties only formally prepare decisions of the Council of the European Union, they de facto shape the majority of those decisions?
... that actress Norma Phillips starred in a 52-episode silent film series in 1914 that interviewed real-life celebrities?
... that mutilated body parts found in the spring of Tattarisuo in 1931 were used to practice black magic?
... that Dezső Varga was the first Szekler ice hockey player to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame?
... that at least 69 countries have "no net loss" environmental policies?
... that in Hindu mythology, Madhavi, who was blessed with the miraculous ability to regain her virginity after each childbirth, was married to three kings, each in exchange for 200 rare horses?
... that the ending of the TV series Community features a fourth-wall-breaking monologue?

Today's featured picture

Picture of the day

The Australasian shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) is a species of dabbling duck in the family Anatidae. It is native to southwestern and southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand. It ranges in length from 46 to 53 centimetres (18 to 21 inches) and lives in heavily vegetated swamps. This male Australasian shoveler was photographed in the Goulds Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary in Granton, Tasmania.Photograph credit: John Harrison

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