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Stephen Waldorf, a 26-year-old film editor, was shot and injured in 1983 by police in London after they mistook him for David Martin, an escaped criminal. Martin, who was known to carry firearms, had previously shot a police officer. He escaped from custody in December 1982 and the police placed his girlfriend under surveillance. On the day of the shooting, they followed her as she travelled in a car with Waldorf, who resembled Martin. When the car stopped, an armed officer went forward to confirm his identity. The officer believed that Waldorf was Martin and fired six rounds, first at the car's tyres and then at the passenger. Another officer fired through the rear windscreen. As the passenger slumped across the seats and out of the driver's door, a third officer opened fire. Two officers were charged with attempted murder but were acquitted. Waldorf subsequently recovered. Martin was captured two weeks after the shooting. The event led to reforms in the training of armed police in the UK. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Niederdollendorf stone

... that the Niederdollendorf stone (pictured), the Grésin plaque, and the Landelinus buckle are each controversially conjectured to depict a pagan-inspired Jesus Christ?
... that composer Gonzalo Brenes was a politician in the National Assembly of Panama and served for seven years as Panama's secretary of culture?
... that the undefeated 1961 Pittsburg State Gorillas shut out seven opponents, featured four All-Americans, and won three national championships?
... that Cathy Merrick was the first woman to be elected grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs?
... that Maystorm, a character from Ultimate X-Men, was initially created for a variant cover for the comic X-Men?
... that Mike Veeck's baseball promotions include Disco Demolition Night, a game with no fans, and the world's largest pillow fight?
... that a clergyman from London established 87 schools in Wales in the 17th century?
... that Harold C. Hinton was one of the only American academics under McCarthyism to study communist China?
... that South African president Jacob Zuma requested a tour of a Sainsbury's supermarket during his state visit to the United Kingdom in 2010?

In the news

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)

Bright comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) (pictured) is visible to the western sky after sunset.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is divided, with half awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction and the other half to David Baker for his work on computational protein design.
Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the U.S. state of Florida.

On this day

October 14: Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States (2024); Thanksgiving in Canada (2024)

Roundhay Garden Scene

1758 – Third Silesian War: At the Battle of Hochkirch, an Austrian army under Leopold Joseph von Daun surprised the Prussians commanded by Frederick the Great, overwhelming them and forcing a general retreat.
1888 – French inventor Louis Le Prince filmed Roundhay Garden Scene (pictured), the earliest surviving motion picture, in Leeds, England.
1956 – B. R. Ambedkar, a leader of India's "Untouchable" caste, publicly converted to Buddhism and became the leader of the Dalit Buddhist movement.
2021 – Approximately 10,000 John Deere employees went on strike in one of the largest private-sector strikes in the United States.

Antipope Dioscorus (d. 530)
Jacques Arcadelt (d. 1568)
Sumner Welles (b. 1892)
Jessie Bonstelle (d. 1932)

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Dame Sally Davies

The master of Trinity College oversees the general operation of Trinity College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The role is officially appointed by the British monarch at the recommendation of the college, and involves presiding over meetings of the college council and its governing body, although the executive powers of the master are limited. In 1546, Trinity College was founded by King Henry VIII, merging the colleges of Michaelhouse and King's Hall. John Redman, then Warden of King's Hall, was thus appointed the first master of Trinity College. There have been 40 appointments to the position; William Bill was appointed master twice, in 1551 and 1558. The longest-serving master was Richard Bentley, from 1700 until his death in 1741. The incumbent, Dame Sally Davies (pictured), was appointed master of Trinity College on 8 February 2019, and is the first woman to hold the position. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average 100 to 115 centimetres (39 to 45 inches) from the beak tip to the end of the tail, with a wingspan of 155 to 215 centimetres (61 to 85 inches). It is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Africa from tropical sub-Saharan Africa to as far south as South Africa, or on the Indian subcontinent. A carnivore, it eats a wide range of animal prey, including insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and small birds. This white stork in flight was photographed in Andalusia, Spain, carrying a piece of plastic. It is fitted with a wildlife transmitter on its back.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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