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Ælfwynn (died 8 July 983) was a member of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon family in Huntingdonshire. In about 932 she married Æthelstan, the powerful ealdorman of East Anglia, who was called the Half-King because monarchs were said to depend on his advice. Ælfwynn is chiefly known for having been foster-mother to the future king, Edgar (ruled 959–975), following his mother's death in 944, when he was an infant. Æthelstan was a leading supporter of the monastic reform movement; Edgar's upbringing in reforming circles profoundly influenced him, and he became a strong ally of the movement as king. Ælfwynn had four sons, and the youngest, Æthelwine, became the chief secular magnate and a leading monastic reformer like his father. In 966 he was a co-founder of Ramsey Abbey. Ælfwynn donated her estates to the foundation in the same year, including one given to her by Edgar, and was probably buried there. She may have played a crucial role in Ramsey's establishment. (Full article...)

February 18: First day of Ramadan (2026); Ash Wednesday (Western Christianity, 2026); Tibetan New Year begins (2026)

16th century depiction of the Battle of Wesenberg

• 1268 – Northern Crusades: The Battle of Wesenberg (depicted) took place between Novgorodian and Pskovian forces against the Livonian Order and its allies, ending with Russian forces retreating from Danish Estonia.
• 1766 – Enslaved Malagasy captives on the Dutch East India Company slave ship Meermin began a mutiny that led to the ship's destruction on Cape Agulhas in present-day South Africa and the recapture of the instigators.
• 1943 – The core members of the White Rose, an anti-Nazi resistance group, were arrested by the Gestapo.
• 1946 – President Harry S. Truman signed the Rescission Act, annulling benefits payable to Filipino troops who fought for the U.S. during World War II.
• 2001 – American FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested for having spied for the KGB and GRU over a 22-year period.

Jesse Jackson in 1983

• American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson (pictured) dies at the age of 84.
• The Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, wins the Bangladeshi general election.
• In the Barbadian general election, the Labour Party wins a third term and every seat in the House of Assembly.
• Shootings at a residence and a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, leave nine people dead.

Mausoleum of António Agostinho Neto

• ... that at the time of its construction, the tallest building in the capital of Angola was a tomb (pictured)?
• ... that epistemological dualism posits a fundamental division between experience and reality?
• ... that bicycles, television sets, a sofa, and a washing machine have been thrown from high-rise buildings?
• ... that the devastation inflicted by the Ostrogoths after the siege of Milan in 538–539 is considered to have surpassed even the worst atrocities committed by Attila in his campaigns?
• ... that Pheidole navigans, a species of invasive big-headed ant, was misidentified as a different species of big-headed ant in its invasive range for more than 50 years?
• ... that three members of the Hamburg Parliament—Mehria Ashuftah, Hila Latifi, and Zohra Mojadeddi—are Afghan refugees?
• ... that a Titanic survivor was listed under the pseudonym "Fang Lang" in the ship's records?
• ... that a music journalist recommended 6-Way Sin Decomposition only for "those who like the most grotesque noise possible"?
• ... that Ted Wheeler's uselessness is a running joke in the television show Stranger Things?

Picture of the day

The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus), also known as the European souslik, is a species in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. Like all squirrels, it is a member of the order of rodents, and it is found in central and southeastern Europe, with its range divided into two parts by the Carpathian Mountains. It is a colonial animal and mainly diurnal. The European ground squirrel excavates a branching system of tunnels up to 2 metres (6 ft) deep, with several entrances. This requires a habitat of short turf, such as on steppes, pasture, dry banks, sports fields, parks and lawns. Its short, dense fur is yellowish grey, tinged with red, with a few indistinct pale and dark spots on the back. Adults typically measure 20 to 23 centimetres (8 to 9 in) with a weight of 240 to 340 grams (8.5 to 12.0 oz). It has a slender build with a short, bushy tail, and makes a shrill alarm call that causes all other individuals in the vicinity to dive for cover. This European ground squirrel was photographed in Obrovisko Family Park, near Muráň, Slovakia.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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