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Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. Often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", Presley began his career in 1954 and became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll in the late 1950s. Conscripted in 1958, he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. In 1968, he returned to live performance in a television special that led to an extended Las Vegas residency and a string of tours. In 1973, he staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, seen by around 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely affected his health, and he died suddenly in 1977. With wide success in many musical genres, Presley is one of the best-selling solo artists in the history of popular music. He won three Grammys, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the age of 36. (Full article...)

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Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings

... that a painting (pictured) by the artist Bichitr shows an Indian emperor preferring a Sufi saint over the king of England and the Ottoman sultan?
... that a study of people who reported experiences of alien abduction found that many exhibited characteristics consistent with fantasy-prone personality?
... that the My Chemical Romance song "Cancer" was written in eight minutes?
... that Ambo Sooloh pledged allegiance to the British government on behalf of all Malays in Singapore?
... that a pavilion next to New York City's Ted Weiss Federal Building was canceled due to the discovery of human remains?
... that Pocatello mayor Thomas Les Purce was the first African-American political officeholder in Idaho?
... that the Chapline columbine is generally considered a distinct species, except in Texas, where it is considered a variety of the golden columbine?
... that a Portsmouth building was Grade II listed because Eric Rimmington painted a mural inside it?
... that the Glucoboy was advertised as the "first medical device to interface with a Game Boy"?

In the news

Tibet earthquake aftermath

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake (aftermath pictured) hits Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, leaving at least 126 people dead.
Justin Trudeau announces his intention to resign as prime minister of Canada.
Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
A spree shooter in Cetinje, Montenegro, kills 12 people and injures 4 others.
Romania and Bulgaria become full members of the Schengen Area.

On this day

January 8

Blackstone Library

1697 – Scottish student Thomas Aikenhead became the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy.
1904 – Blackstone Library (pictured), the first branch of the Chicago Public Library system, was dedicated.
1977 – Three bombs attributed to Armenian nationalists exploded across Moscow, killing seven people and injuring 37 people.
1981 – In Trans-en-Provence, France, a local farmer reported a UFO sighting claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".
2011 – Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S. representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and injuring twelve others.

Prince Albert Victor (b. 1864)
Mary Arthur McElroy (d. 1917)
Joseph Franklin Rutherford (d. 1942)
T. J. Hamblin (d. 2012)

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Today's featured picture

A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, lime green in colour, 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the Key lime, Persian lime, kaffir lime, finger lime, blood lime, and desert lime. Limes are a rich source of vitamin C, are sour, and are often used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. They are grown year-round, originally in tropical South and Southeast Asia but now in much of the world. Plants with fruit called "limes" have diverse genetic origins; limes do not form a monophyletic group. This photograph shows two limes grown in Brazil, one whole and one halved, and was focus-stacked from 23 images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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