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Tropical Storm Gabrielle was a short-lived tropical cyclone that passed over North Carolina before tracking out to sea. The seventh named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, Gabrielle developed as a subtropical cyclone on September 8 about 385 miles (620 km) southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Unfavorable wind shear impacted the storm for much of its duration, although a temporary decrease in the shear allowed the cyclone to become a tropical storm. On September 9, it made landfall at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina with winds of 60 mph (97 km/h). Turning to the northeast, the storm quickly weakened and dissipated on September 11. The storm dropped heavy rainfall near its immediate landfall location but little precipitation elsewhere. Along the coast of North Carolina, slight localized flooding was reported. Along the coast of Florida, rough surf drowned one person. Overall damage was minor. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Joseph Kosinski

... that the U.S. military supported Top Gun: Maverick (director pictured), using it to aid recruitment and retention?
... that the artist Fang Rending was likened to a caged chicken after rebelling against his teacher?
... that "Hard Out Here" was written in parallel to Raye's departure from Polydor Records and confronts "white men CEOs"?
... that a Florida TV station received and aired tapes of programs it was not supposed to broadcast?
... that The London Milkman was staged?
... that Jill Yager discovered a venomous crustacean species in 1979 and named its class?
... that a Japanese male singer often sang in a female perspective?
... that until 1827 University of Oxford graduates had to swear never to reconcile with Henry Symeonis, although it appears that by the 1650s everyone had forgotten why, or who he was?

In the news

European electric grids

The Baltic states complete synchronization of their power grids with continental Europe's (map pictured), disconnecting from Russia's.
The ruling Vetëvendosje party, led by Albin Kurti , wins the most seats in the Assembly of Kosovo.
The Patriotic Union, led by Brigitte Haas, wins the most seats in the Landtag of Liechtenstein.
In American football, the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl.
Former president of Namibia Sam Nujoma dies at the age of 95.

On this day

February 16: Day of the Shining Star in North Korea; Elizabeth Peratrovich Day in Alaska

Act of Independence of Lithuania

1249 – King Louis IX dispatched André de Longjumeau as the French ambassador to the Mongol Empire.
1918 – The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence (pictured), proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania.
1922 – A landslide in Byblos revealed a sarcophagus in an underground tomb that was later discovered to be part of a large Bronze Age necropolis.
1996 – Eleven people died in a train collision in Silver Spring, Maryland, leading to the creation of comprehensive U.S. federal rules for the design of passenger cars.

Richard of Dover (d. 1184)
Coluccio Salutati (b. 1331)
Michael Holding (b. 1954)
Elizabeth Olsen (b. 1989)

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Today's featured picture

The lesser violetear (Colibri cyanotus) is a medium-sized, metallic-green species hummingbird commonly found from Costa Rica south to the Andes and Argentina and east to Venezuela. It commonly inhabits the canopy and borders of subtropical and lower temperate forest, secondary woodland and scrub, and clearings and gardens. It is recorded mostly between altitudes of 1,500 and 3,000 metres (4,900 and 9,800 ft), although it is sometimes found down to 900 metres (3,000 ft). The lesser violetear is a medium-sized hummingbird with an average length around 9.7 to 12 centimetres (3.8 to 4.7 in) and a body mass of 4.8 to 5.6 grams (0.17 to 0.20 oz). Its bill is black and mostly straight with only a slight downward curve. This lesser violetear of the subspecies C. c. cabanidis was photographed in the Mount Totumas cloud forest in Chiriquí Province, Panama.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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