From today's featured article
Wreck of SS Home during Racer's hurricaneRacer's hurricane was a destructive tropical cyclone that affected Jamaica, northeastern Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the Southeastern United States in September and October 1837, killing an estimated 105 people. It was named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Racer, which encountered the cyclone in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Matamoros, on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, faced hurricane conditions for several days, with significant damage to ships. Towns along the Texas shoreline were inundated, and Galveston Island was devastated, with nearly every building washed away. A water-level rise of 8 ft (2.4 m) on Lake Pontchartrain wrecked buildings along its shores and submerged low-lying areas of New Orleans. As the weakening storm buffeted the Outer Banks of North Carolina on October 9, the passenger steamship SS Home ran aground off Cape Hatteras and broke up in the pounding surf (pictured), killing about 90 passengers and crew members. (Full article...)Recently featured: HartebeestRobert Roberts (author)Louis RwagasoreArchiveBy emailMore featured articles
Did you know ...
Weston House... that the heritage-registered Weston House (pictured), designed by architect Cecil Wood for George Weston, was damaged in a series of earthquakes in Christchurch and later demolished?... that operatic soprano Elena Tsallagova has been described as a natural actress who can make even looking around a corner interesting?... that the 1976 manga series Kaze to Ki no Uta is credited with widely popularizing the male–male romance genre?... that in 2007, Jeremiah Moss started Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, a blog that functions as a "digital obituary column" for old New York City small businesses lost to gentrification?... that kausheya was an ancient Indian silk mentioned in epics including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata?... that physical copies of Nintendo Switch Sports include the Leg Strap accessory from Ring Fit Adventure?... that Richard J. Ferris, CEO of United Airlines, worked a financing plan with Boeing to prevent hostile takeovers of his company?... that the David Attenborough–narrated nature documentary The Green Planet has been compared to both horror films and a "plant porno"?ArchiveStart a new articleNominate an article
In the news
Shane WarneAustralian cricketer Shane Warne (pictured) dies at the age of 52.An attack at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills at least 63 people and injures more than 190 others.The Winter Paralympics open in Beijing, China.Russia's invasion of Ukraine is condemned by the United Nations General Assembly.An earthquake in West Sumatra, Indonesia, leaves fourteen people dead.Ongoing: COVID-19 pandemicRecent deaths: Muhammad Rafiq TararAnne BeaumanoirIwan EdwardsLynda BaronBrian FawcettOleksandr OksanchenkoNominate an article
On this day
March 9
Éamon de Valera1009 – The first known record of the name of Lithuania appeared in an entry of the Annals of Quedlinburg, written in Saxony-Anhalt, present-day Germany.1842 – Nabucco, an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi that established his reputation, premiered at La Scala in Milan.1847 – Mexican–American War: The Siege of Veracruz began, the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces.1932 – Éamon de Valera (pictured), one of the dominant political figures in 20th-century Ireland, became President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.1959 – The popular fashion doll known as Barbie debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.Mary Anning (d. 1847)Qayyum Chowdhury (b. 1932)The Notorious B.I.G. (d. 1997)More anniversaries: March 8March 9March 10ArchiveBy emailList of days of the year
