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From the day after tomorrow's featured article

Carthaginian war elephants, depicted by Bussière

The Battle of the Bagradas River was fought in 240 BC, in present-day north-east Tunisia, between a Carthaginian army led by Hamilcar Barca and a rebel force led by Spendius. Carthage was fighting a coalition of mutinous soldiers and rebellious African cities in the Mercenary War, which had started late the previous year in the wake of the First Punic War. Hamilcar left Carthage and evaded a rebel blockade by crossing the Bagradas River (the modern Medjerda River) at its mouth. Two rebel armies marched towards the Carthaginians. When they came into sight Hamilcar ordered a feigned retreat. The rebels broke ranks to chase the Carthaginians and this impetuous pursuit caused them to fall into disorder. Once the rebels had closed, the Carthaginians turned and charged them. The rebels broke and were routed. The Carthaginians pursued, killing or capturing many of the rebels and taking a bridge over the Bagradas. This victory gave Hamilcar freedom to manoeuvre and the operational initiative. (This article is part of a featured topic: Mercenary War.)

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Did you know ...

Pablo Busch

... that a bandit spared the life of physician Pablo Busch (pictured) because "he treated the poor for free"?
... that a skull of the distant horse relative Palaeotherium was first misidentified as an amphibian, then as a canine?
... that Nikolaus Mollyn was the first book printer in Riga, and the first to print a book in Latvian within the present-day territory of Latvia?
... that in addition to millions murdered, Nazi crimes against children included compulsory sterilization, forced labor, forced institutionalization, medical experiments and Germanisation?
... that Chivas USA had eleven different managers over ten seasons?
... that literary critic Qian Xingcun brought several Communist writers into the Shanghai film industry?
... that the clergy of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis were upset about the sale of Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary after its closure?
... that Femke Bol successfully defended her 2021 title by winning the women's 400 metres at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships?
... that Louis Abramson worked on the renovation of a building that he designed 57 years earlier?

In the news (For today)

Woo Won-shik, the speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, signing the impeachment resolution

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila, leaving 14 people dead.
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached (signing pictured) following his declaration of martial law.
Astro Bot wins Game of the Year at the Game Awards.
Gukesh Dommaraju defeats Ding Liren to win the World Chess Championship.

In two days

December 20

Russian and U.S. Implementation Force troops

1852 – Led by George Cathcart, British troops defeated Basuto and Taung forces at the Battle of Berea in present-day Lesotho, leading to an offer of peace from King Moshoeshoe I.
1940 – The superhero Captain America made his first published appearance in the comic book Captain America Comics #1.
1980 – NBC aired the American football match between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins without announcers.
1995 – Mandated by the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War, the NATO-led Implementation Force (troops pictured) began peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1999 – Portugal transferred the sovereignty over Macau, which it had administered since the mid–16th century, to China.

Ambroise Paré (d. 1590)
Jean Jannon (d. 1658)
Bill O'Reilly (b. 1905)
Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau (d. 1928)

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From the day after tomorrow's featured list

Talking Heads

The American new wave band Talking Heads recorded 96 songs between 1975 and 1991, twelve of which were not officially released until after their break-up. After leaving art school, Talking Heads released their debut single, "Love → Building on Fire", in early 1977, followed by their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, later that year. While initially not a big hit, the album was aided by the single "Psycho Killer". In 1983, the band parted ways with producer Brian Eno and released their fifth album, Speaking in Tongues. The album contained the band's first and only top ten hit, "Burning Down the House". After Little Creatures (1985), the band released True Stories (1986). Notable songs from the album include one of the group's biggest hits, "Wild Wild Life", and "Radio Head", a song from which the English rock band Radiohead took their name. (Full list...)

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The papaya (Carica papaya), also known as the pawpaw, is a plant species in the family Caricaceae, and also the name of the plant's fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America, and is now grown in several countries in regions with a tropical climate. The papaya fruit is a large berry about 15 to 45 cm (5.9 to 17.7 in) long and 10 to 30 cm (3.9 to 11.8 in) in diameter. The fruit is cultivated for food, being typically consumed when ripe and eaten raw without skin or seeds. The black seeds are also edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. This photograph shows the longitudinal cross section of a papaya fruit lying on its side, with orange flesh and numerous black seeds visible. The picture was focus-stacked from seven separate images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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