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From today's featured article Tropical Storm Edouard was the first of eight named storms to form in September 2002, the most such storms for any month in the Atlantic at the time. The fifth tropical storm of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, Edouard developed into a tropical cyclone on September 1 from an area of convection associated with a cold front east of Florida. Under weak steering currents, Edouard drifted to the north and executed a clockwise loop to the west. Despite moderate to strong levels of wind shear, the storm reached a peak intensity of 65 mph (100 km/h) on September 3, but quickly weakened as it tracked westward. Edouard made landfall in northeastern Florida two days later, and dissipated the next day after crossing the state. The storm dropped moderate rainfall across Florida, exceeding 7 inches (175 mm) in the western portion of the state. Though Edouard was a tropical storm at landfall, wind speeds along the storm's path over land were light. The rain flooded several roads, but there were no casualties, and damage was minimal. The storm was eventually absorbed into the larger circulation of Tropical Storm Fay. (Full article...) Part of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season series, one of Wikipedia's featured topics. Recently featured: Miniopterus aelleni Benjamin Disraeli The Wrestlers (Etty) Did you know... Magazine Fort ... that Jonathan Swift satirized the building of the Magazine Fort (pictured) in Dublin, as he felt the conditions in the city too poor to warrant defense? ... that the British orthopaedic surgeon Samantha Tross made long jumps during her education? ... that the song "Vrehei Fotia Sti Strata Mou" ("It's Raining Fire In My Way"), heard in the 1970 film Visibility Zero, launched the career of Greek laïko singer Stratos Dionysiou? ... that Steven J. Lopes has been named the first bishop of any of the Catholic Church's three Anglican Use ordinariates? ... that the extinct bee Euglossopteryx has a pollen basket made of long setae? ... that the lord of Palmyra, Muhanna ibn Isa, twice defected to the Ilkhanate, but was forgiven by Sultan al-Nasir and returned to Mamluk authority? ... that Chris Christie credits his wife, Mary Pat Christie, and her financial success on Wall Street as the reason he could give up his law career and run for political office? ... that the Royal Regalia Building Museum exhibits include the golden hand and forearm that the Sultan of Brunei used to prop up his chin during his coronation?

In the news Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral. Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case. More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China. In the Spanish general election, the ruling People's Party, led by Mariano Rajoy, loses one third of its seats, but remains the largest single party. Deep coal mining ceases in the United Kingdom with the closure of Kellingley Colliery. Ongoing events: Syrian Civil War European migrant crisis Recent deaths: Jimmy Hill Kurt Masur On this day... December 23: The Emperor's Birthday in Japan; Festivus Vincent van Gogh 962 – Byzantine–Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city of Aleppo. 1823 – A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, was first published anonymously. Authorship was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. 1888 – During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (pictured) stalked his friend French painter Paul Gauguin with a razor, and then afterwards cut off the lower part of his own left ear and gave it to a prostitute. 1957 – Ian Craig of Australia became the youngest Test cricket captain in history. 1990 – About 88% of the population in Slovenia voted to secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. More anniversaries: December 22 December 23 December 24

Today's featured picture A map depicting the Kingdom of Armenia in c. 50 BC. The kingdom existed from 321 BC to 428 AD; its history is divided into successive reigns by three royal dynasties: Orontid, Artaxiad, and Arsacid. During the Byzantine–Sasanian wars, Armenia was ultimately partitioned into Byzantine Armenia and Persian Armenia. Map: Konstantinos Plakidas Recently featured: Willow tit Elvis Presley meets Richard Nixon Historic Michigan Boulevard District

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