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Wreck of SS Home during Racer's hurricane

Racer'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...)

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In the news

Shane Warne

Australian 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.

On this day

March 9

Éamon de Valera

1009 – 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)

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Today's featured picture

Social grooming

Social grooming among primates plays a significant role in animal consolation behavior in which individuals engage in establishing and maintaining alliances through dominance hierarchies. It cements pre-existing coalitions, and is used for reconciliation after conflicts. Primates groom socially in moments of boredom as well, and the act has been shown to reduce tension and stress. This video clip depicts Japanese macaques grooming each other at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Japan.

Videography credit: Frank Schulenburg

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