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From today's featured article

Meredith (center) being escorted to class after the riot

The Ole Miss riot of 1962 was a violent disturbance at the University of Mississippi (commonly called Ole Miss) in Oxford, Mississippi, as segregationist rioters sought to prevent the enrollment of James Meredith, an African-American. In the wake of the Supreme Court's 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education, Meredith applied to Ole Miss in 1961. His admission was delayed and obstructed, including by Mississippi governor Ross Barnett, who even had him temporarily jailed. Meredith's multiple attempts to enroll, accompanied by federal officials, were physically blocked. A riot erupted on campus when a mob assaulted reporters and federal officers, burned and looted property, and hijacked vehicles. Two civilians were murdered and 160 marshals were injured, including 28 who received gunshot wounds. U.S. President John F. Kennedy invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807 and mobilized more than 30,000 troops, quelling the riot. A statue of Meredith on campus commemorates the event. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Statue of Yakushi Nyorai at Jingo-ji

... that a statue of the Medicine Buddha (pictured), dating from the late 8th century to the early 9th century, never left its temple grounds until 2024?
... that Russian pianist Pavel Kushnir died on a hunger strike after his arrest for anti-war videos posted on a YouTube channel with five subscribers?
... that public health measures and advances in medical science in modern human history helped raise global life expectancy from about 31 years in 1900 to over 66 years in 2000?
... that Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" became closely associated with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
... that scientists publishing in Liebigs Annalen were subject to criticism and attacks by editor Justus von Liebig?
... that English amateur geologist Charlotte Eyton wrote a number of papers and pamphlets on the geology of the Wrekin, a part of Shropshire, between 1862 and 1870?
... that the director of a Lake Erie-based walleye fishing tournament defended two anglers accused of cheating until he found weights in their winning fish two years ago today?
... that East Suffolk Park, a former student hostel in Edinburgh, was once an internment camp for enemy aliens?
... that football player Kyle Hergel said his biggest strength was "my nastiness"?

In the news

Maggie Smith

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, Lebanon.
Hurricane Helene makes landfall near Perry, Florida, United States, as a Category 4 hurricane.
British actress Maggie Smith (pictured) dies at age of 89.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake is elected President of Sri Lanka.

On this day

September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada

Times Square Theater

1139 – A violent earthquake struck the Caucasus near Ganja, killing up to an estimated 300,000 people.
1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, composed shortly before his death, premiered at Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna.
1920 – Times Square Theater (pictured) opened on Broadway with a production of The Mirage, a play written by its owner, Edgar Selwyn.
1939 – NBC broadcast the first televised American football game, between the Fordham Rams and the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets.
2000 – Twelve-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah was shot dead in the Gaza Strip; the Israel Defense Forces initially accepted responsibility but retracted it five years later.

Adelaide of Vianden (d. 1376)
Doris Mackinnon (b. 1883)
Raël (b. 1946)
Jessye Norman (d. 2019)

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From today's featured list

Coat of arms of Nigeria

The national symbols of Nigeria are symbols used to represent the country, its culture, and its people. These include the Nigerian national flag, coat of arms (pictured), national anthem, and various emblems and celebrations that reflect Nigeria's heritage and identity. The national anthem, initially "Nigeria, We Hail Thee", was replaced with "Arise, O Compatriots" in 1978, and re-adopted in 2024. Independence Day, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, and Democracy Day are among Nigeria's most important national days, each marking notable events in the country's history. The use of these symbols is governed by law and often carries cultural and historical meanings. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The Dewey Arch was a triumphal arch in Madison Square, New York City. It was erected for a parade on September 30, 1899, in honor of Admiral George Dewey, to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines the previous year. Constructed around two months before the parade, the arch was made of the plaster-based material staff, typically used in temporary buildings. After the parade, the arch began to deteriorate and it was demolished in 1900 after an attempt to raise money to rebuild it in stone was unsuccessful. The arch's larger sculptures were sent to Charleston, South Carolina, for an exhibit, after which they were either destroyed or lost.

Photograph credit: Detroit Publishing Company

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