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Thugs about to strangle a traveller

Thuggee was a phenomenon of highway robbery in the Indian subcontinent that saw gangs of Thugs murder and rob travellers, often by strangling. During the British colonial era, thuggee came to be represented and popularised as a secret pan-Indian fraternity of ritual stranglers with ancient origins, motivated by fanaticism and bloodlust. In the 1830s, colonial administrator William Henry Sleeman led a policing campaign against thuggee, supported by legal developments that facilitated convictions. The success of the 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug inspired a number of depictions in literature and film, among them Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Historians have since revised the 19th-century portrayal, generally viewing the Thugs as more or less ordinary criminals, or thuggee as a type of banditry. There is a general consensus among contemporary historians against the colonial-era representation. (Full article...)

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

• ... that there were two elephants at the grand opening of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park (pictured)?
• ... that Jodie Foster walked off the set when Swiss director Nicolas Gessner called for a nude scene?
• ... that the music video for Thundercat and Mac Miller's "She Knows Too Much" consists of several animated mediums?
• ... that restaurateur Jeffrey Gildenhorn ran for mayor of Washington, D.C., on a platform of legalizing prostitution?
• ... that the 1985 Greek constitutional crisis "raised a potential danger to the balance of power in the Mediterranean"?
• ... that teacher Lucio Huaycho was elected to the parliament of Bolivia partly thanks to the high social standing of educators in rural areas?
• ... that Everett Transit has a licensed Matchbox toy bus?
• ... that Darfurian sultan Muhammad Tayrab cut off the beard of a rebellious chief whom he had defeated, and displayed it as a trophy in his house?
• ... that Taku, Taku, Taku, and Takou comprised the Taku-class destroyers?

Candy store in Maryland, United States

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Hôtel de Ville the day after the fire

• The Hôtel de Ville in Limoges is partially destroyed by arson (damage pictured) as fuel and student protests escalate in France.
• The International Bureau of Weights and Measures votes to effectively abolish the leap second over concerns about disruptions to computer systems.
• The Houthis launch a series of attacks on Saudi Arabian airports, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 370 others.

October 23: Mole Day

Marco Simoncelli in 2011

• 1157 – The Battle of Grathe Heath ended the Danish Civil War.
• 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont flew his biplane 14-bis for 50 metres (160 ft) at an altitude of about four metres (13 ft).
• 1956 – The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration that attracted thousands while marching through central Budapest to the parliament building.
• 2011 – During the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Marco Simoncelli (pictured) collided with two other riders, resulting in his death due to serious trauma to the head, neck, and chest.