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The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. Born into a peasant family in Anhui, Zhu grew up amid famine, epidemics, and unrest under the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Orphaned at 16, he briefly lived as a novice monk before joining the Red Turban rebels in 1352. Rising rapidly, he captured Nanjing in 1356, established a regional regime, and defeated rival rebels. In 1368, he proclaimed the Ming dynasty, adopted the era name Hongwu, and expelled the Yuan from China proper. During his 30-year reign, he restored stability after decades of war, strengthened state institutions, promoted agriculture, and maintained a disciplined army while seeking to limit civilian suffering. He died in 1398 and was succeeded by his grandson, the Jianwen Emperor, who was overthrown in 1402 by Zhu Di, later known as the Yongle Emperor. (Full article...)

The Cross in Barre, Massachusetts

• ... that a man made a gigantic cross (pictured) with letters visible from 20,000 feet (6,000 m) in the air?
• ... that historians do not know the name of the first queen of Jerusalem?
• ... that 53,000 people applied to live in a former New York City school?
• ... that Manila's Chinatown built a new friendship arch in front of an existing one?
• ... that according to one Guatemalan anarchist, almost all members of the Committee for Union Action were arrested and tortured by the Jorge Ubico dictatorship?
• ... that during floods, the Raging River can reach flow rates over 300 times its summer average?
• ... that Satrio Wiratama is the first giant panda born in Indonesia?
• ... that lake Pakasaivo has been likened to a gigantic giant's kettle?
• ... that Ursula K. Abbott studied naked chickens?

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 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 21

Aftermath of the Seongsu Bridge disaster

• 1096 – First Crusade: At the Battle of Civetot, the Seljuk forces of Kilij Arslan destroyed the army of the People's Crusade as it marched toward Nicaea.
• 1854 – Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses and 15 nuns were sent to the Ottoman Empire to help treat wounded British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War.
• 1966 – A coal tip fell on the village of Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, mostly schoolchildren.
• 1994 – In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people were killed and 17 others injured when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed (pictured).