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From today's featured article

Geysers of El Tatio

El Tatio is a geothermal field with many geysers located in the Andes of northern Chile at 4,320 metres (14,170 ft) above sea level. It is the third-largest geyser field in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The geothermal field has many geysers, hot springs, and associated sinter deposits. The vents are sites of populations of extremophile microorganisms such as hyperthermophiles, and have been studied as an analogue for the early Earth and possible past life on Mars. El Tatio lies at the western foot of a series of stratovolcanoes, part of the Central Volcanic Zone and the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex, which may be the source of heat for El Tatio. There are no recorded eruptions of the Tatio volcanoes. The field is a major tourism destination. It has been prospected for geothermal power production, but development ceased after a major incident in 2009 when a drilling well blew out. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

European river lamprey

... that on special occasions, the city of Gloucester supplies a pie made from lampreys (lamprey pictured) to the British monarch?
... that in the board game Sagrada, players attempt to construct a stained-glass window using dice?
... that economist Nisvan Erkal's research showed that China's one-child policy created children who lacked qualities important for social and economic success?
... that all stanzas of the 1963 song "Herr, gib uns Mut zum Hören" (Lord, give us courage to listen), with text and tune by Kurt Rommel, begin with a prayer for courage?
... that College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Charlie Green led Wittenberg to three consecutive undefeated seasons, including a national championship for the 1964 Wittenberg Tigers football team?
... that Seo Taiji and Boys's April 11, 1992, performance of "I Know" is credited as the beginning of modern K-pop?
... that actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays the character of Jesus Christ in American television series The Chosen, is also an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in the Catholic Church?
... that the Falcon Lake Incident is considered "Canada's best-documented UFO case"?

In the news

Indian farmers protesting

The Indian agriculture acts are repealed after a year of protests by farmers (example pictured).
Xiomara Castro is elected as the first female President of Honduras.
Magdalena Andersson, who resigned a week earlier after less than one day as prime minister–designate, is re-elected as Prime Minister of Sweden.
Barbados becomes a republic, with Sandra Mason replacing Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.

On this day

December 3

Freda Du Faur

1800 – War of the Second Coalition: French forces defeated Austrian and Bavarian troops at the Battle of Hohenlinden, eventually resulting in the Austrians signing the Treaty of Lunéville.
1910 – Freda Du Faur (pictured) became the first woman to climb Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand.
1968 – Elvis Presley's first television special and first live performance in seven years, Singer Presents ... Elvis, was broadcast by NBC.
1976 – Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley survived an assassination attempt by seven gunmen.
1994 – Sony released the PlayStation, the first computer entertainment platform to ship 100 million units.

Birinus (d. 649 or 650)
Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord (b. 1810)
Paul J. Crutzen (b. 1933)

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From today's featured list

Divisional insignia used from c. 1940 until 2012

The 2nd Division, a division of infantry of the British Army, has numerous orders of battle, which can provide information on the strength of that formation and the equipment used. The 2nd Infantry Division was formed numerous times over a 203-year period. Several formations bore the name, the "2nd Division", from 1809 through to the end of the 19th century. The historian Everard Wyrall, the compiler of the division's First World War official history, only included those formations that fought in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, and the Second Boer War as being linked with the division that was created in the 20th century and fought in the First World War. That modern formation was created in 1902 and would go to further serve in the Second World War. The first 2nd Division that was formed was a mere 3,900 men strong and did not include supporting weapons such as artillery. In comparison, the 2nd Infantry Division, from the Second World War period, was over 18,000 men strong and supported by 72 artillery pieces and numerous other support weapons. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The ruble is the name of a currency unit in a number of countries in eastern Europe. This one-ruble coin was issued by the Russian Empire in 1771, during the reign of Catherine the Great. It is made of solid copper, weighing just over 1.022 kg (2.25 lb), and was designed to be kept in the imperial treasury as metallic backing for the country's paper-ruble issue. Marginally larger than a standard hockey puck, it is reportedly the largest copper coin ever issued. The coin now forms part of the National Numismatic Collection at the National Museum of American History.

Coin design credit: Russian Empire; photographed by the National Numismatic Collection

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