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From today's featured article

Madonna in the Church (or The Virgin in the Church) is a small oil panel by the early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck. Probably executed between c. 1438–40, it depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus in a Gothic cathedral. Mary is presented as Queen of Heaven wearing a jewel-studded crown, cradling a playful child Christ who gazes at her and grips the hem of her red dress in a manner that recalls the 13th-century Byzantine tradition of the Eleusa icon (Virgin of Tenderness). Tracery in the arch at the rear of the nave contains wooden carvings depicting episodes from Mary's life, while a faux bois sculpture in a niche shows her holding the child in a similar pose. Erwin Panofsky sees the painting composed as if the main figures in the panel are intended to be the sculptures come to life. (Full article...)

Did you know...

• ... that 72 Terrorists came from countries that President Trump recently banned in Executive Order 13769?
• ... that Ida Silverman logged over 600,000 air miles traveling the world, speaking and fund-raising for the creation of a Jewish state?
• ... that the Battle of Hampton Roads was perhaps the most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies?
• ... that the Drudge Report had ten billion visits in the past year?
• ... that some people believe that the moon landings were fake?
• ... that there are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac?
• ... that some people think approximately 300 years of phantom time were added to the Western calendar in the Early Middle Ages

In the news (from Infogalactic News)

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• Trump Demands Answers From Saudi Ally
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• U.S. Student Asks Court To Allow Entrance Into Israel
  Fighting Expulsion Order Because Of Boycott Israel Activities, Still Wants To Study There
• Justice Kavanaugh Unlikely To Heed Cries For Recusal From Politically Charged Cases
  Must Recuse With Conflicts of Interest Or Genuine Question Of Bias
• Amazon Scraps AI Recruiting Tool That Showed Bias Against Women
  It's A Feature, Not A Bug
  Trump Savages Medicare For All
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On this day...

October 11

• 1614 – Adriaen Block and 12 Amsterdam merchants petition the States General for exclusive trading rights in the New Netherland colony.
• 1890 – In Washington, D.C., the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.
• 1941 – Beginning of the National Liberation War of Macedonia.
• 1942 – World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance: On the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, United States Navy ships intercept and defeat a Japanese fleet on their way to reinforce troops on the island.
• 1944 – Tuvan People's Republic or formerly Tannu Tuva is annexed by the U.S.S.R.
• 1976 – George Washington's appointment, posthumously, to the grade of General of the Armies by congressional joint resolution Public Law 94-479 is approved by President Gerald R. Ford.
• 2002 – A bomb attack in a shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven.

• More anniversaries:
  • October 10
  • October 11
  • October 12

October 12

• 1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
• 1918 – A massive forest fire kills 453 people in Minnesota.
• 1928 – An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston.
• 1953 – The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial opens at Plymouth Theatre, New York City
• 1962 – Infamous Columbus Day Storm strikes the U.S. Pacific Northwest with record wind velocities; 46 dead and at least U.S. $230 million in damages
• 1991 – Askar Akayev, previously chosen President of Kyrgyzstan by republic's Supreme Soviet, is confirmed president in an uncontested poll.
• 1992 – A 5.8 earthquake occurred in Cairo, Egypt. At least 510 died.

• More anniversaries:
  • October 11
  • October 12
  • October 13

• 1307 – Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into a "confession" of heresy.
• 1644 – A Swedish–Dutch fleet defeats the Danish fleet at Fehmarn and captures about 1,000 prisoners.
• 1773 – The Whirlpool Galaxy is discovered by Charles Messier.
• 1915 – The Battle of the Hohenzollern Redoubt marks the end of the Battle of Loos in northern France, World War I.
• 1921 – The Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia sign the Treaty of Kars with the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to establish the contemporary borders between Turkey and the South Caucasus states.
• 1946 – France adopts the constitution of the Fourth Republic.
• 1992 – An Antonov An-124 operated by Antonov Airlines registered CCCP-82002, crashes near Kiev, Ukraine killing eight.

• More anniversaries:
  • October 12
  • October 13
  • October 14

Today's featured picture

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, commonly known as Auguste Renoir (US /rɛnˈwɑːr/ or UK /ˈrɛnwɑːr/; French: [pjɛʁ oɡyst ʁənwaʁ]; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919), was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."

He was the father of actor Pierre Renoir (1885–1952), filmmaker Jean Renoir (1894–1979) and ceramic artist Claude Renoir (1901–69). He was the grandfather of the filmmaker Claude Renoir (1913–1993), son of Pierre. (Full article...)

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