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On this day in 2023

On this day in 2022

• EVENTS
• An intense heatwave across Europe results in over 1000 deaths in Portugal and 500 in Spain; while starting wildfires across Spain, France, Italy and Greece.
• ALBUMS
• You Still Here, Ho? was released by Flo Milli. The debut full-length studio release for Alabama rapper Flo Milli features Babyface Ray and Rico Nasty.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 5
• Severed Steel for PlayStation 5 is released. Severed Steel is a single-player FPS featuring a fluid stunt system, destructible voxel environments, loads of bullet time, and a unique one-armed protagonist. It's you, your trigger finger, and a steel-toed boot against a superstructure full of bad guys. Chain together wall runs, dives, flips, and slides to take every last enemy down.Play as Steel, a nimble, one-armed sharpshooter on a mission. There is no reloading - pick your shots well and be ready to pry a loaded weapon from your enemies' cold dead hands.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II for Switch is released. Embark on a new adventure for fortune, glory and power. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, the sequel to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance starts you off on a road full of danger and magic. Face a seemingly endless army of sinister enemies in over 80 levels of finger-numbing action. Master skills, spells and deadly weapons while traveling through spectacular environments. Customize your character and forge your own weapons. It's up to you to rid the lands of evil by yourself or with a friend.
• POLITICS
• Italian government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi falls after his coalition partners pass a no confidence vote against him.
• SPORTS
• Douglas Mitchell, Canadian Football Hall of Fame executive (CFL Commissioner 1984-88), who died at 83.

On this day in 2021

• EVENTS
• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announces his first two 'Courage and Civility Awards'of $100M each to writer, commentator, and non-profit founder Van Jones and chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés to distribute to charities of their choice.
• India's COVID-19 pandemic death toll likely 10 times its official toll,3.4 million to 4.7 million (to June 2021), according to The Center for Global Development.
• Leyna Bloom becomes Sports Illustrated's first transgender cover model.
• New York records the worst air quality in the world due to smoke from 80 wild fires on the US west coast.
• Oregon's Bootleg fire has burnt nearly 400,000 acres, now so big it's generating its own weather patterns according to local fire chiefs.
• Torrential rain causes severe flooding in China's Hunan province, flooding subways with people still on the trains, killing at least 12 people in Zhengzhou city.
• US, NATO members and other states accuse China's Ministry of State Security for using "contract criminal hackers" to infiltrate Microsoft email systems.
• DEATHS
• Jerry Granelli, American-Canadian jazz drummer (Vince Guaraldi Trio; Mose Allison), who died at 80.
• Chuck E. Weiss, American blues and rock songwriter, vocalist, and muse (Rickie Lee Jones; Tom Waits), who died of cancer at 76.
• Dave Mader, Race Car Driver.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• How It Ends is released. Freewheeling Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) scores an invite to one last wild party before the world ends. But making it there won’t be easy, after her car is stolen, and the clock is ticking on her plan to tie up loose ends with friends and family. Accompanied by her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza embarks on a hilarious journey across Los Angeles, running into an eclectic cast of characters.
• GAMING: PC
• Mini Motorways for PC is released. Have you ever been stuck in traffic and wished you could do something to fix it?In Mini Motorways, the city's traffic problems are in your hands.From the makers of Mini Metro, Mini Motorways is a game about drawing the roads that drive a growing city. Build a road network, one road at a time, to create a bustling metropolis. Redesign your city to keep the traffic flowing, and carefully manage upgrades to meet the changing demands. How long can you keep the cities of the world moving?
• Death's Door for PC is released. Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous but it's honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death - where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power. Talon Sharp Combat: Utilise melee weapons, arrows and magic to overcome a fantastic array of beasts and demigods. Mistakes are punished and victory is rewarded. Gain an edge by customising your character stats and mastering the abilities and upgrades you obtain.A Beautifully Bleak World: Venture beyond the Doors and explore a land full of twisted inhabitants and countless secrets, bringing hope to the weird and wonderful characters you’ll meet along the way.A Dark Mystery to Unravel: Track down and defeat colossal tyrants with stories and motivations of their own. Experience a somber yet darkly comedic tale, uncovering the truths behind the flow of souls, the role of the Crows and the origin of the Doors.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• Cotton Reboot! for PlayStation 4 is released. Japan's favorite shooter mascot finally gets a worldwide release as a beautiful HD game with stunning graphics and remixed soundtracks. This is the original "Cute em' up", and will test your skills as well as tug on the heartstrings as Cotton and her friends are finally back in the ultimate celebration of one of Japan's most beloved gaming mascots. Choose between the HD Reboot mode or go legit with the X68000 original mode with pixel perfect graphics from the iconic Japanese home computer.
• Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed for PlayStation 4 is released. AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed is the precursor to AKIBA’S TRIP: Undead & Undressed, the smash hit that introduced a Western audience to the seedy underworld lurking in the shadows of the haven of “otaku” culture in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. Released as AKIBA’S TRIP Plus in Japan, players explore a rich setting based on the famous “Akiba” district circa 2011, hunting vampiric foes and tearing off their clothes to expose them to sunlight. This remaster brings the game up to modern HD graphical standards, all while retaining the charm of the original classic that sparked a cult hit series.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 5
• Cris Tales for PlayStation 5 is released. Cris Tales is a gorgeous, indie love letter to classic JRPGs with a new perspective. Peer into the past, act in the present, and watch as your choices dynamically change the future -- all on one screen as you play! Join the newly awakened Time Mage Crisbell and her fantastical companions on their journey across a dark, fairytale world facing a grim future.Crisbell must embark across Crystallis and the four Kingdoms in a bid to stop the powerful Time Empress and rewrite the future of the world and all those living in it. Along the way, she'll meet and recruit powerful allies with their own unique stories and skills like Matias the Frog and Willhelm the Child Mage.As she explores the world and meets her unique companions, Crisbell will have to make choices with far-reaching consequences for the people she meets consequences that will impact the world you'll experience in real-time throughout your journey. Each companion will be invaluable as you face these choices and the myriad enemies who stand in your way. Will you buffet them with attacks, or discover creative ways to use Crisbell's time powers to alter the reality of each fight? Key Features> A Love Letter to Classic JRPGsInspired by timeless JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Valkyrie Profile, and modern classics like Bravely Default and Persona 5, meet and recruit a unique cast of teammates, challenge myriad enemies, and make your way through an expansive world.> Experience the Past, Present, and Future SimultaneouslyPeer into and learn from the past, decide on actions in the present, and alter the course of the future in ways that will reshape the world dynamically depending on the choices you make.> Master Strategic Turn-Based CombatWarp your enemies into the past or future, synchronize attacks for enhanced group abilities, and master the timing of attack and defense to go beyond your party's limits in combat.> Uncover a Fascinating Story & CharactersThe Empress' plot to destroy the world is complex and layered. Use your wits and recruit powerful allies throughout the world to uncover and undo her multi-faceted web and make your way to the True Ending of this enchanting tale.> Discover a Beautiful WorldClimb aboard an airship or boat and traverse this handcrafted, dark fairytale world. From the shining kingdom of Crystallis to the slums of Vinez, discover each unique location and shape its future.
• SPORTS
• NBA Finals: Milwaukee Bucks beat Phoenix Suns,105-98 in Game 6 to win first title in 50 years (1971); MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo,50 points in Game 6.

On this day in 2020

• EVENTS
• Scientists find evidence of volcanoes on Venus, showing the planet is not as dormant as previously thought (Nature Geoscience).
• Announcement that a COVID-19 pandemic vaccine developed by the University of Oxford (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) is able to trigger immune response and antibodies.
• United Kingdom suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong in wake of new Chinese security laws for the territory.
• DEATHS
• Mickey McGee, American session and touring drummer (Linda Ronstadt; Jackson Browne; Flying Burrito Brothers; Juice Newton), and songwriter (" I'll Never Love Again"), who died of COVID-19 pandemic complications at 72.
• SPORTS
• Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first man to score 50 goals in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League with a double in Juventus'2-1 win over Lazio.

On this day in 2019

• EVENTS
• 115°F (46.1°C), John Martin Dam, Colorado (state record).
• BIRTHS
• Ledger Nelson, YouTube Star, born in United States.
• DEATHS
• Peter McNamara, Australian tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1979, Wimbledon doubles 1980,82), who died of prostate cancer at 64.

On this day in 2018

• EVENTS
• Australian businessman James Packer announces he has quit 22 directorships due to mental health issues.
• American director James Gunn fired as director of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" by Disney after past offensive tweets surface.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• Blindspotting is released. Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers, and when Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested as they grapple with identity and their changed realities in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood they grew up in.
• Generation Wealth is released. For the past 25 years acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles, Thin, kids+money, #likeagirl) has travelled the world, documenting with ethnographic precision and an artist’s sensitivity a vast range of cultural movements and moments. Yet, after so much seeking and searching, she realized that much of her work pointed at one uniting phenomenon: wealth culture. With her new film, Generation Wealth, she puts the pieces of her life’s work together for in an incendiary investigation into the pathologies that have created the richest society the world has ever seen. Spanning consumerism, beauty, gender, body commodification, aging and more, Greenfield has created a comprehensive cautionary tale about a culture heading straight for the cliff’s edge. Generation Wealth, simultaneously a deeply personal journey, rigorous historical essay, and raucously entertaining expose, bears witness to the global boom-bust economy, the corrupted American Dream and the human costs of capitalism, narcissism and greed.
• Euthanizer is released. The carefully balanced life of Veijo Haukka, a 50-year-old mechanic and freelance, black-market pet euthanizer begins to come apart.
• Pin Cushion is released. Super close mother Lyn and daughter Iona are excited for their new life in a new town. Determined to make a success of things after a tricky start, Iona becomes "best friends"with Keely, Stacey and Chelsea. Used to being Iona's bestie herself, Lyn feels left out. So Lyn also makes friends with Belinda, her neighbor. As much as Lyn and Iona pretend to each other that things are going great, things aren't going great for either of them. Iona struggles with the girls, who act more like frenemies than friends, and Belinda won't give Lyn her stepladders back. Both mother and daughter retreat into fantasy and lies.
• The Third Murder is released. Leading attorney Shigemori takes on the defense of murder-robbery suspect Misumi who served jail time for another murder 30 years ago. Shigemori's chances of winning the case seem low - his client freely admits his guilt, despite facing the death penalty if he is convicted. As he digs deeper into the case, as he hears the testimonies of the victim's family and Misumi himself, the once confident Shigemori begins to doubt whether his client is the murderer after all.
• Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is released. The people of Iorph live far away from the lands of men, weaving the happenings of each day into a fabric called Hibiol. They live for centuries while maintaining their youthful appearance. Maquia, an orphaned Iorph girl, lives her life in an oasis surrounded by friends, yet somehow feels “alone”. But the tranquil lives of the Iorph are shattered in an instant when the Mezarte army invades their territory on a dragon fleet, seeking the blood that grants the Iorph long life. Maquia manages to escape, but loses her friends and her home in the chaos. She then encounters an orphaned baby who is “alone”. Maquia raises this boy "Ariel", with the help of some new friends. But as the era changes, the bond between Maquia and Ariel changes too, amidst a backdrop of racial tensions between the Iorph and the Mezarte. This is a story of irreplaceable time, woven by two lonely people who can only find solace in each other. [Eleven Arts]
• McQueen is released. Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of his McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
• Unfriended: Dark Web is released. When a 20-something finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop, he and his friends are unwittingly thrust into the depths of the dark web. They soon discover someone has been watching their every move and will go to unimaginable lengths to protect the dark web.
• MOVIES: NR
• Far from the Tree is released. Based on the NY Times bestselling book by Andrew Solomon, Far from the Tree examines the experiences of families in which parents and children are profoundly different from one another a variety of ways.
• MOVIES: PG13
• Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is released. Ten years later on the Greek island of Kalokairi, Sophie is pregnant and runs her mother’s villa. Concerned that she can't do it all by herself, with Tanya and Rosie’s guidance, Sophie will find out more about Donna’s past and how she ran the hotel, met each one of Sophie’s dads and raised a baby, all on her own – with an unexpected visit of someone she had never met before: her grandmother.
• MOVIES: R
• The Equalizer 2 is released. Denzel Washington returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed - but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?
• Damascus Cover is released. Ari Ben-Zion, haunted by the death of his son, is assigned by the Mossad to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist out of Syria. Within days his mission goes wrong. To survive Ari reaches out to a deep cover agent code named, The Angel. He soon discovers that he is a pawn in a much bigger plan.
• Zoe is released. Two colleagues at a revolutionary research lab design technology to improve and perfect romantic relationships. As their work progresses, their discoveries become more profound.
• ALBUMS
• Across the Meridian was released by Pram. This is the first full-length release in 11 years for the British experimental pop band.
• Hive Mind was released by The Internet. The fourth full-length release for the R&B band that includes Syd, Matt Martians, Steve Lacy, Patrick Paige II, and Christopher Smith was self-produced.
• Joy was released by Ty Segall. The second collaborative album by Ty Segall and White Fence features 15 tracks that range from 16 seconds to over five minutes long.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• Heroki for Switch is released. The peaceful sky village of Levantia is in danger! The dastardly Dr. N. Forchin and his accomplice, Vapor, have stolen the Emerix - a powerful amulet and all hope may be lost. Fly into a beautiful action adventure and save a whimsical world full of flight and fantasy. Master the wind to fly, freefall, dash and bash your way across beautiful 3D rendered sky-islands, jungles, seas and deserts.

On this day in 2017

• EVENTS
• China announces a plan against “foreign garbage” banning 24 categories of plastic and recyclable waste from 2018.
• The last fighting occurs in the Iraqi city of Mosul as the city is liberated from ISIS militants.
• DEATHS
• Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (Linkin Park), commits suicide at 41.
• GAMING: PC
• Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator for PC is released. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other hot Dads. Are you ready? Hi ready, I'm Dad.
• Kingdoms and Castles for PC is released. Kingdoms and Castles is a game about growing a kingdom from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling city and imposing castle.
• Lone Echo for PC is released. You’re Jack, an advanced cybernetic AI stationed at a mining facility on the rings of Saturn. Alongside Captain Olivia Rhodes, you’ll use your technical ingenuity and futuristic tools to overcome a variety of challenges and obstacles while you investigate a mysterious spatial anomaly.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Gigantic for Xbox One is released.
• POLITICS
• Elon Musk tweets he has "verbal government approval" to build 29 minute Hyperloop between New York and Washington, D.C..

On this day in 2016

• DEATHS
• Radu Beligan, Movie Actor.
• Wayne Carson, American country musician and songwriter (" Always On My Mind" ; "The Letter"), who died at 73.
• GAMING: PC
• Zombie Night Terror for PC is released. Prepare yourself. Something strange has happened and people everywhere are turning into blood thirsty walking corpses. But guess who’s the brains behind this hungry undead army? YOU! So spread this pandemic and wipe humanity of the planet.
• Kentucky Route Zero - Act IV for PC is released. Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realistic adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• Obliteracers for PlayStation 4 is released. Award-winning party racing for up to 16 players! Race brutal-cute aliens on exotic planets, using weapon powerups and physics-based vehicles to annihilate your competition in frantic round-based combat.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Maldita Castilla EX: Cursed Castilla for Xbox One is released. The tears of a young witch have been turned by a demon into a key that opens up a gateway for the evil in this world. The King Alfonso VI of León has assembled his loyal knights to get to Tolomera del Rey and finish the nightmare using the power of the Witch’s tears. Banish the zombies and demons that entered the Kingdom of Castile with Don Ramiro, the loyal King’s Knight, and his friends. For that, you will use a different range of weapons to defeat your enemies through the cursed lands of Tolomera, in a pure classic arcade action style. [Xbox.com]

On this day in 2015

• EVENTS
• Suicide bomber kills 30 in Turkish town of Suruc near Syrian border.
• Hacker group the Impact Team annouce they have hacked married dating site Ashley Madison.
• DEATHS
• Elio Fiorucci, Italian fashion designer, who died at 80.
• GAMING: PC
• Breach & Clear: Deadline for PC is released. A deadly new breed of human monster is on the rise, and it’s up to players to stop the infestation before it spreads. Breach & Clear: DEADline is the all-new follow up to Breach & Clear, the critically acclaimed and commercially successful hybrid tactical strategy game.
• SEPERATIONS
• County singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert divorce after 4 years of marriage.

On this day in 2014

• EVENTS
• The Israeli Defence Force enter Shuja'iyya, a populous neighbourhood of Gaza City, as part of their ground offensive focused on destroying tunnels crossing the Israel border.
• Patrick Sawyer arrives in city of Lagos in Nigeria and collapses; he dies of Ebola five days later.
• DEATHS
• Darrell Dockery, Race Car Driver.
• TV SERIES
• The Lottery: Season 1 is released. Set in the year 2025, where women have mysteriously been unable to bear children, Dr. Alison Lennon (Shelton) and her team successfully fertilize 100 embryos. The government seizes the embryos and decide to holds a lottery on who will carry the children to term.

On this day in 2013

• WEDDINGS
• " Modern Family" actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson at the age of 37 weds lawyer Justin Mikita in NYC, New York.
• DEATHS
• Helen Thomas. American journalist.
• TV SERIES
• Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove: Season 1 is released. Cedar Cove Municipal Court Judge Olivia Lockhart (Andie MacDowell) is faced with the choice of becoming a federal judge in Seattle or staying in the town she loves when her appointment is discovered by the town's newspaper editor, Jack Griffith (Dylan Neal).