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Berguitta peaking north of Rodrigues

Intense Tropical Cyclone Berguitta was a strong tropical cyclone which originated southwest of the Chagos Archipelago on 10 January 2018. It achieved its peak intensity on 15 January and degraded to a tropical storm by 17 January. It accelerated southwestwards over Mauritius and Réunion on 18 January and degenerated to a post-tropical cyclone the next day. Parts of Mauritius experienced a quarter of its average annual rainfall in three days, resulting in widespread floods. Economic losses in Mauritius were estimated at ₨ 2 billion (US$59 million). The southern part of Réunion was hard-hit by floods and landslides and several rainfall records were broken. Grand Coude experienced 1,862 mm (73.3 in) of rain in eight days, including 848 mm (33.4 in) in 24 hours. Flooding caused widespread damage to roads and agriculture. Nearly 100,000 customers were left without electricity, while water supplies were widely interrupted. Economic losses in Réunion were estimated at €41 million (US$48 million). (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

A page of Mutinensis gr. 122

... that Mutinensis gr. 122 (page pictured) is the only surviving manuscript to include portraits of all Byzantine emperors?
... that Nicholas Hasselbach introduced the first printing press to colonial Maryland in 1765?
... that the Commission on Elections was allowed to tabulate the results of the 2002 Puerto Princesa mayoral recall election but could not declare a winner right away?
... that Herb Plambeck was the founder of the National Plowing Match in Dexter, Iowa?
... that Cimbrian seeresses are said to have predicted the future by slitting the throats of war prisoners and studying how the blood trickled down into a cauldron?
... that the tributary Walnut Creek in Iowa was named for the black walnut trees which once lined the creek before early settlers cleared them?
... that Friedrich Hefty could not become an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops because of his interest in aviation?
... that the developer of Art Sqool did not attend art school?

In the news

Sébastien Ogier

In rallying, Sébastien Ogier (pictured) and Julien Ingrassia win the World Championship, and Toyota takes the manufacturers' title.
Kosmos 1408 is destroyed by a Russian anti-satellite weapon and becomes a cloud of space debris.
We Continue the Change, led by Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, wins the most seats in the Bulgarian general election.
SpaceX's Crew-3 mission takes four astronauts to the International Space Station.

On this day

November 21: Armed Forces Day in Bangladesh

Alan Freed

1386 – Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur captured and sacked the Georgian capital Tbilisi and forced King Bagrat V to convert to Islam.
1894 – First Sino-Japanese War: After capturing the Chinese city of Port Arthur, the Japanese army began a massacre of the city's soldiers and civilians.
1959 – American disc jockey Alan Freed (pictured), who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola scandal.
1974 – Bombs exploded in two pubs in central Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and leading to the imprisonment of six people who were later exonerated.
2009 – An explosion in a coal mine in Heilongjiang, China, killed 108 miners.

Columbanus (d. 615)
Joe Darling (b. 1870)
Michael Strahan (b. 1971)

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Today's featured picture

The Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes is a Gothic royal chapel within the fortifications of the Château de Vincennes on the east edge of Paris. It was inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle, the royal chapel within the Palais de la Cité in Paris. It was begun in 1379 by Charles V of France to house relics of the Passion of Jesus. The interior, seen in this photograph, has very little decoration, most of it having been destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, but vestiges of the sculpture and portions of the Renaissance stained glass remain.

Photograph credit: Daniel Vorndran

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