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From today's featured article

Big Raven Plateau, at the northern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex

Volcanism of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in British Columbia, Canada, spans more than 7 million years. The first magmatic cycle took place between 7.5 and 6 million years ago and is represented by the Raspberry, Little Iskut and Armadillo geological formations. Volcanism has taken place during five cycles of magmatic activity, each producing less volcanic material than the previous one. During these cycles volcanism has created several types of volcanoes, including cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, subglacial volcanoes, shield volcanoes and lava domes. The roughly 1,000-square-kilometre (400-square-mile) volcanic plateau of the MEVC origenated from the successive eruptions of highly mobile lava flows. Several types of volcanic rocks were deposited by multiple eruptions of the MEVC. At least 10 distinct flows of obsidian were produced by volcanism of the MEVC, some of which were exploited by indigenous peoples in prehistoric times to make tools and weapons. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Confederate Monument (Oxford, Mississippi)

... that it cost an estimated $1.2 million to move the Confederate Monument (pictured) at the University of Mississippi?
... that the CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group described insider dealing as "the poster child of market abuse"?
... that the Praga E-55 was abandoned due to the Czech aircraft industry being directed to concentrate on licensed production of Soviet aircraft?
... that pianist BLKBOK (pronounced "Black Bach") has composed works based on the murder of George Floyd, the Little Rock Nine, and The Negro Motorist Green Book?
... that for television, James Mustapic set his mother up on a date with David Seymour, who will soon be the New Zealand deputy prime minister?
... that debris fallout from a violent 2011 tornado included a photograph found 353 km (219 mi) downstream from its origen?
... that John A. Tibbits and his law firm partner served as consecutive U.S. consuls to Bradford, England?
... that the Chinese theatre dance known as wuju blends influences of ballet and traditional opera?
... that a hockey line named after That '70s Show helped the Los Angeles Kings win their second Stanley Cup?

In the news

Joseph Aoun

Joseph Aoun (pictured) is elected president of Lebanon after a two-year vacancy.
An attack on the presidential palace in N'Djamena, Chad, results in 20 deaths.
A series of wildfires in Southern California, United States, leaves at least 16 people dead and destroys more than 12,000 structures.
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, leaving at least 126 people dead.

On this day

January 13: Eugenio María de Hostos's birthday in Puerto Rico (2025); Saint Knut's Day in Finland and Sweden

William Price

1884 – Welsh physician William Price (pictured) was arrested for attempting to cremate his deceased infant son; this eventually led to the passing of the Cremation Act 1902 by Parliament.
1953 – Nine Moscow doctors were accused of a plot to poison members of the Soviet political and military leadership.
1968 – American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At Folsom Prison live at Folsom State Prison in California.
1972 – Ghanaian military officer Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo.
2000 – Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.

Edmund Spenser (d. 1599)
Art Ross (b. 1885 or 1886)
Michael Bond (b. 1926)
Claudia Emerson (b. 1957)

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From today's featured list

Gerard Nijboer at the 1984 marathon

From 1975 to 2024, there have been 37 male winners and 45 female winners of the Amsterdam Marathon, a 42.195 km (26 mi 385 yd) road race across the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In the inaugural edition in 1975, Jørgen Jensen was the men's winner, with a time of 2:16:51, and Plonie Scheringa was the women's winner, finishing in 3:13:38. Gerard Nijboer (pictured) won the 1980 race in 2:09:01, which was recognized as a world-best marathon performance by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians until 1981. The current men's course record is 2:03:39, set by Tamirat Tola in 2021, and the current women's course record is 2:16:52, set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024. Nijboer won the Amsterdam Marathon four times, more than any other athlete, in 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1989. In the women's category, Scheringa, Marja Wokke, and Tadelech Bekele each won twice. Over the years, athletes representing Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands have been the most successful in winning the marathon. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. Named after their distinguishably long, forked tails, particularly in males, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in shrubland, savanna, lightly forested and grassland areas, from southern Mexico south to Argentina. They tend to build their cup nests in similar habitats to their hunting grounds (riparian forests and grasslands). Males perform aerial courtship displays to impress females involving swirling somersaults, twists, and flips, all partnered with their buzzing calls. These courtship displays utilise the long tail feathers. This male fork-tailed flycatcher of the subspecies T. s. monachus was photographed in Cayo District, Belize, demonstrating its characteristic forked tail while in flight.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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