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From today's featured article

Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Three species in the genus Pongo are recognised. The most arboreal of the great apes, orangutans spend most of their time in trees. They have proportionally long arms and short legs and their hair is reddish-brown. Adult males may develop distinctive cheek pads or flanges and make long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals. Orangutans are generally solitary, with most social bonds occurring between mothers and their dependent offspring. The apes eat mainly fruit, but also vegetation, bark, honey, insects and bird eggs. Among the most intelligent primates, orangutans use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. The illegal pet trade, poaching, and habitat destruction for palm oil cultivation have caused severe declines in the populations and ranges of all three species. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Bill Clinton during his 1997 inaugural parade

... that with his victory in the 1996 presidential election, Bill Clinton (pictured) became the first Democrat to win two consecutive presidential elections since Franklin D. Roosevelt?
... that Steve Carell insisted his chest genuinely be waxed in a scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which was recorded in a single take?
... that the mayor of Málaga, Pedro Aparicio Sánchez, spent the night of the 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt in his office so he could die there if he was targeted?
... that although its publisher Dark Horse Comics is American, a significant proportion of artists involved with the comic book series The Witcher have been Polish?
... that Vera Schoenenberg's performance in the title role of Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin at the Mörbisch Lake Festival was broadcast by German and Austrian stations?
... that Yoko Ono took the first verse of her 1970 song "Who Has Seen the Wind?" from a 19th century poem written by Christina Rossetti?
... that Alfie Oakes sued a school district for US$50 million in response to their cancelling a contract?
... that no one knows how a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe ended up in the Payne Whitney House?

In the news

Hakainde Hichilema

Hakainde Hichilema (pictured) is elected President of Zambia.
The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 2,100 people.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report on the state of knowledge of climate change and its effects.

On this day

August 19: Day of Ashura (Shia Islam, 2021)

Edward I of England

1274 – Shortly after his return from the Ninth Crusade, Edward I (pictured) was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, nearly two years after his father's death.
1759 – Seven Years' War: At the Battle of Lagos, British ships, having damaged several French vessels the previous day, pursued the remainder of the fleet to Lagos, Portugal, and continued the battle there in violation of Portuguese neutrality.
1934 – A referendum supported the recent merging of the posts of Chancellor and President of Germany, consolidating Adolf Hitler's assumption of supreme power.
1981 – Two U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan Su-22 Fitters during military exercises over the Gulf of Sidra.
2005 – Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.

Jan Fyt (b. 1609)
Tom Wills (b. 1835)
Bill Clinton (b. 1946)

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Today's featured picture

Bryce Canyon National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. This panoramic view, as seen from Inspiration Point, shows the colorful Claron Formation, from which the park's delicate hoodoos are carved; the sediments were laid down in a system of streams and lakes that existed from 63 to about 40 million years ago (from the Paleocene to the Eocene epochs). The brown, pink and red colors are from hematite, the yellows from limonite, and the purples from pyrolusite.

Photograph credit: Tony Jin

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