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The Burning of the Houses of Parliament from the end of Abingdon Street; a coloured aquatint by an unknown artist

On 16 October 1834 a major fire largely destroyed the Palace of Westminster, the medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament. The conflagration was caused by the burning of small wooden tally sticks that had been used as part of the accounting procedures of the Exchequer until 1826, which were being disposed of carelessly in the two furnaces under the House of Lords. The blaze caused a chimney fire, initially under the floor of the Lords' chamber, then up through the walls before spreading rapidly throughout the complex. The fire lasted for most of the night and developed into the biggest conflagration to occur in London between the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz of the Second World War; large crowds were attracted to the spectacle. By the following morning a large part of the palace had been destroyed, although the actions of the London Fire Engine Establishment ensured that Westminster Hall and a few other parts of the old Houses of Parliament survived. In 1836 a design competition for a new palace was won by Charles Barry who, in collaboration with Augustus Pugin, incorporated the surviving buildings into the new complex. (Full article...)

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James Johnston
James Johnston

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October 16: World Food Day

Million Man March
Million Man March

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Albertus Sugiyapranata
Albertus Sugiyapranata

National Hero of Indonesia is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic – defined as "actual deeds which can be remembered and exemplified for all time by other citizens"  – or "extraordinary service furthering the interests of the state and people". The Ministry of Social Affairs gives seven criteria which an individual must fulfill. Nominations undergo a four-step process and must be approved at each level. A total of 147 men and 12 women have been deemed national heroes, most recently Rajiman Wediodiningrat, Lambertus Nicodemus Palar and Tahi Bonar Simatupang in 2013. These heroes have come from all parts of the Indonesian archipelago, from Aceh in the west to Papua in the east. They represent numerous ethnicities, including native Indonesians, ethnic Chinese, and Eurasians. They include prime ministers, guerrillas, government ministers, soldiers, royalty, journalists, and a bishop (Albertus Sugiyapranata, pictured). (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

Behrmann projection

The Behrmann projection is a cylindrical map projection created by Walter Behrmann in 1910. It is equal-area, but distortion of shape increases with distance from the standard 30° parallels. Scale is true along the standard parallels. This projection is not equidistant.

Map: Strebe, using Geocart

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