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On this day in 2023

On this day in 2022

• EVENTS
• K-pop band BTS announces that all seven members will be serving in the South Korean military for the required 18 month minimum.
• DEATHS
• Michael Ponti, Pianist.
• Carmen Callil, Australian publisher working in the UK (Virago Press), who died at 84.
• GAMING: PC
• A Plague Tale: Requiem for PC is released. Embark on a heartrending journey into a brutal, breathtaking world twisted by supernatural forces.After escaping their devastated homeland, Amicia and Hugo travel far south, to new regions and vibrant cities. There, they attempt to start a new life and control Hugo's curse. But, when Hugo's powers reawaken, death and destruction return in a flood of devouring rats. Forced to flee once more, the siblings place their hopes in a prophesized island that may hold the key to saving Hugo.Discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival. Strike from the shadows or unleash hell, overcoming foes and challenges with a variety of weapons, tools and unearthly powers.
• Potionomics for PC is released. You’ve inherited your uncle’s potion shop—and a huge debt. Better get brewing! Customize your store, hire heroes to gather ingredients, befriend (or romance) fellow vendors to learn new haggling strategies, and go head-to-head with competitors in this narrative-driven, deck-building shop simulator.
• SPORTS
• FIFA Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema wins his first award; Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas claims women's award for a second-straight season.

On this day in 2021

• EVENTS
• Return engagement of David Byrne's musical revue "American Utopia" opens at St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 134 performances.
• TV SERIES
• Succession: Season 3 is released. Logan looks to firm up his position after Kendall's press conference as the power struggle continues.

On this day in 2020

• EVENTS
• Labour Party headed by Jacinda Ardern re-elected in a landslide in New Zealand's general election.
• Chicago declared the 'rattiest city'in America for sixth year in a row by pest control service Orkin.
• DEATHS
• Pinky Curvy, Instagram Star.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• David Byrne’s American Utopia is released. David Byrne’s American Utopia brings the critically acclaimed Broadway show to HBO in a one-of-a-kind film directed by Spike Lee. Recorded during its run at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in New York City, David Byrne is joined by an ensemble of 11 musicians, singers, and dancers from around the globe, inviting audiences into a joyous dreamworld where human connection, self-evolution, and social justice are paramount.

On this day in 2019

• EVENTS
• The 'Blob', mysterious yellow slime organism (physarum polycephalum) with 720 sexes, moves and can solve problems to go on display at the Paris Zoological Park.
• US adults identifying as Christian falls 12% in a decade to 2/3 according to the Pew Research Center, born-again Protestants falls to 16%.
• DEATHS
• Márta Kurtág [née Kinsker], Hungarian classical pianist, who died at 92.
• GAMING: PC
• Little Big Workshop for PC is released. Manage your workers, stations, machines and create awesome stuff as your little big workshop grows into your dream factory.
• Autonauts for PC is released. You are responsible for colonising uninhabited planets. Start from nothing and harness natural resources to build a robot empire that can be taught anything. Automation is the name of the game - progress through the technological ages, automate life itself and achieve absolute autonomy.
• The Beast Inside for PC is released. The Beast Inside is a unique, gripping twist on thriller and survival horror. The game mixes intriguing story-driven adventure with unnerving survival horror experience. Immerse in the tale of long-buried secrets, personal tragedies, and madness. Play as two protagonists living in different centuries but bounded by dark heritage.Boston,1979, Adam, the CIA cryptanalyst, leaves the city and moves to the countryside with his wife, Emma. His handlers are afraid they won't be able to keep him safe there, but Adam believes he needs a peaceful place in the woodland, to take a shot at the military code. His work may alter the course of the Cold War. As it turns out, this area is quite the opposite of a peaceful place they have expected...In the attic Adam finds a mysterious diary written by a man called Nicolas Hyde, allegedly, a past resident of the same house who lived there in the 19th Century. Once opened, the diary carries the nightmares of the past right into Adam's times, putting the lives of Adam and Emma in great danger. Density increases as these two stories come to an inevitable crash. Distant past and his eternal prisoner - Nicolas against Adam, cryptanalyst from the Cold War. What can it lead to? In tangled times, who will you trust?FEATURES* Explore Blackstone, the forgotten domain of Hyde's lineage. A rich world designed to complement the thrilling story.* Sink in the immersive environment created with photogrammetry technology. Enjoy the realism of a setting achieved by the inclusion of 3D-scanned objects.* Play as two independent characters living in different centuries. Take their faiths in your hands and unveil how their stories interfere.* Experience a unique history, solve mysteries on your way, collect the clues, and decide by yourself how this story will end.* Discover the new levels of horror sharpen by the motion capture technology* Use your trusted revolver to shoot your way out from even the most lethal scenarios.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes - Complete Edition for PlayStation 4 is released. Seven years have passed since the events of No More Heroes, and The Bad is determined to exact his revenge on Travis Touchdown. Just like the original cult classic, players will have to battle through multiple punk-rock levels and defeat over-the-top bosses.
• Monkey King: Hero is Back for PlayStation 4 is released. A new chapter in the Chinese legend of Journey to the West is about to unfold! Based on the animated film Monkey King: Hero Is Back, this adaptation pits the Great Sage himself, Sun Wukong, newly freed after 500 years of imprisonment, with Liuer, a young boy who looks up to the Monkey King in a journey that brings them close together.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• Sega Ages: Ichidant-R for Switch is released. Releasing in the West for the first time, Ichidant-R, the wacky series of timed puzzle mini-games, is now available in the SEGA AGES series for Nintendo Switch™.Push the limits of your brain and your coordination by hunting for hidden vampires, conducting an orchestra, warping your way through mazes, shooting down UFOS, and much more across 20 wildly varied mini games!
• Felix the Reaper for Switch is released. Felix The Reaper is a romantic comedy about the life of Death. A 3D shadow manipulation puzzle adventure game of dance, dying people and love. Felix works at The Ministry of Death and is in love with Betty The Maiden from The Ministry of Life. He believes that going to the human world as a field reaper will enable him to one day meet her. Hence he’s taken the job of making sure people die – and taught himself to dance to impress the love of his life. Since Felix only moves in the shadows, he needs to manipulate his surroundings to find his way through the world. Luckily reapers like Felix are able to turn the sun and move shadowing objects around. This enables him to create the necessary shadow paths. He does so to solve the adventure plots, that makes people die according to the ministerial plans.
• Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands for Switch is released. Stranded Sails is an open world exploration farming adventure full of discoveries and quests! Along with your crew you are ship-wrecked on a mysterious archipelago. Now it's up to you to secure your survival and solve the mysteries deep in the heart of the islands – and finally escape.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Stela for Xbox One is released. Overcome daunting challenges, treacherous terrain, and gargantuan beasts while traversing a decaying land. Manipulate the environment to solve elaborate puzzles and creep past dangerous creatures under cover of muted landscapes, all set to an original soundtrack in this cinematic, atmospheric platformer about a young woman witnessing the final days of a mysterious ancient world.
• POLITICS
• Turkey agrees to a ceasefire in Northern Syria for 5 days to allow withdrawal of Kudish troops, after talks between US VP Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces new Brexit deal with the EU, removes the Northern Ireland backstop clause.
• Elijah Cummings, American politician (Rep-Maryland (D) 1996-2019), who died at 68.
• Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's acting chief of staff says the White House withheld nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine to further Trump's own political interests.
• SPORTS
• Lana Del Rey's ballad "Video Games" named song of the decade at Q Awards in London.
• Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina and founder of the National Ballet of Cuba, who died at 98.

On this day in 2018

• EVENTS
• Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch puppeteer Caroll Spinney leaves "Sesame Street" after 50 years.
• Canada legalizes the sale of recreational cannabis, the second country after Uruguay.
• The revived "The Connors" debuts on ABC TV starring Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman, without fired former star Roseanne Barr.
• Student shoots and detonates a bomb killing 20 with 40 injured at Kerch polytechnic college, Crimea.
• BIRTHS
• Alaïa Mcbroom, YouTube Star, born in United States.
• João Marcio, Family Member, born in Brazil.
• DEATHS
• Charlie Blanton, Race Car Driver.
• GAMING: PC
• RimWorld for PC is released. A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Inspired by Dwarf Fortress and Firefly. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.
• GAMING: SWITCH
• The Jackbox Party Pack 5 for Switch is released. It’s the biggest Party Pack yet, including the return of the classic pop culture trivia mash-up YOU DON'T KNOW JACK: Full Stream; the game of hilarious hypotheticals Split the Room; the lyric-writing, robot rap battle Mad Verse City; the inventive drawing game Patently Stupid; and the outer space fling-fest Zeeple Dome. Use your phones or tablets as controllers and play with up to 8 players, plus an audience of up to 10,000.
• POLITICS
• India's junior foreign minister MJ Akbar is highest official to resign in #MeToo case after sexual harassment accusations by numerous women.

On this day in 2017

• EVENTS
• Islamic State headquarters Raqqa declared under full control of US-led alliance by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Talal Sello after 4 months of fighting.
• American short-story writer George Saunders wins the Man Booker Prize for his first novel "Lincoln in the Bardo".
• George Soros announces he has donated $18 billion to his grantmaking network the Open Society Foundations.
• DEATHS
• Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), who died of glioblastoma at 53.
• Danielle Darrieux, French actress (Alexander the Great, Mayerling), who died at 100.
• Julian May, American sci-fi author (Golden Torc, Magnificat), who died at 86.
• Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), who died at 95.
• Mychael Knight, Fashion Designer.
• TV SERIES
• Loudermilk: Season 1 is released. Recovering alcoholic and substance abuse counselor Sam Loudermilk (Ron Livingston) has a hard time getting his life back on track due to his negative attitude about everything in this comedy created by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Mort.
• GAMING: 3DS
• Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth for 3DS is released. Etrian Odyssey V chronicles the quest of a new adventurer as he or she attempts to reach the crown of the towering Yggdrasil Tree. For it is said that whoever braves the dangers of the dreaded Yggdrasil Labyrinth and reaches the summit will have their greatest wish fulfilled. Each culture has their own myth, some say great power will be granted, others believe the great mysteries will be solved. Some believe the ultimate techniques can be mastered there, and a number believe the lost treasures can be found at the top of the Yggdrasil Tree's boughs. There's a reason why no one has ever reached the top. Dangerous creatures and terrifying FOEs roam the labyrinth on every floor, so prepare to test your mettle with challenging turn-based battles. Form your own party and partner up to unleash devastating attacks. Personalize your party to work to your advantage. With endless character customization, adventurers will cast and create their own party from four unique races and ten different classes to explore the uncharted labyrinth. [Nintendo]
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• Gran Turismo Sport for PlayStation 4 is released. The latest instalment of the Gran Turismo franchise is coming to PlayStation4 with the name Gran Turismo SPORT. The graphics, sound and physics engine promise to be the most realistic ever experienced in a driving simulator thanks to the new platform and the new technologies, but that alone would be a too obvious improvement: the way driving games are played also promise to undergo a revolution with Gran Turismo SPORT. This is a vision that invokes the rebirth of motorsports. The major difference between real life motorsports and Gran Turismo SPORT is in the fact that anyone, from children to the elderly, can participate and enjoy racing. Even players who have never played driving games until now can discover how fun it is to drive. Whilst at the same time, it promises the depth and complexity to meet the expectations of the existing Gran Turismo fans.
• Elex for PlayStation 4 is released. Advanced in technology, civilized and with a population of billions, Magalan was a planet looking to the future. Then the meteor hit. Those who survived are now trapped in a battle to survive, a struggle to decide the fate of a planet. At the center of this fight is the element "Elex". A precious, limited resource that arrived with the meteor, Elex can power machines, open the door to magic, or re-sculpt life into new, different forms. But which of these choices should be the future of Magalan? Can technology, or magic save this world? Or will this new power destroy all those left alive amongst the ruins? Elex is an action, role-playing open world game for PC and Consoles, developed by Piranha Bytes, creators of the award winning Gothic series and is set in a brand new, post-apocalyptic, Science-Fantasy universe where magic meets mechs.
• Chaos; Child for PlayStation 4 is released. Discover A Darker Japan - Explore Shibuya in 2015, after an earthquake nearly levelled the city six years prior, and try to outsmart the puppet-master behind this New Generation Madness. Track Down A Serial Killer - Play as Takuru, an arrogant senior and the newspaper club president, and discover the pattern in a series of bizarre deaths around you that the police can't seem to crack.
• Megaton Rainfall for PlayStation 4 is released. Become an indestructible interdimensional superbeing in this first-person superhero game, and save Earth from an alien invasion.
• Rogue Trooper Redux for PlayStation 4 is released. A tactical shooter and comic book adaptation, Rogue Trooper is back, remastered in high definition. Experience combat and third person action in this tale of betrayal and revenge at the far reaches of the galaxy. You are the last Genetic Infantryman (GI). Bred for war and betrayed by your superiors at the Quartz Zone Massacre, you stalk the battlefield as a one-man squad, carrying the sentient biochips of three fallen soldiers in your rifle, pack and helmet. Your mission? Fight your way across the chemical-blasted wastes of Nu-Earth -- a planet ravaged by an endless apocalyptic war in search of the Traitor General and payback.
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole for PlayStation 4 is released. South Park: The Fractured but Whole empowers players to delve into the tender, crime-ridden underbelly of South Park with Coon and Friends. This dedicated group of crime fighters was formed by Eric Cartman, whose superhero alter ego, The Coon, is half man, half raccoon. As The New Kid, players join Mysterion, Toolshed, Human Kite, Mosquito, Mint Berry Crunch and a group of others to battle the forces of evil while Coon strives to make his team some of the most beloved superheroes in history. Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were involved in every step of the development of the game. [Ubisoft]
• POLITICS
• Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declares city of Marawi "liberated" from militants.

On this day in 2016

• EVENTS
• Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-11 launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China.
• DEATHS
• Eddie Applegate, American actor (Patty Duke Show), who died at 81.

On this day in 2015

• WEDDINGS
• Actress Bridget Moynahan at the age of 44 weds businessman Andrew Frankel at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York.
• DEATHS
• Danièle Delorme [Gabrielle Girard], French actress (Pardon My Affair), who died at 89.
• Emory Tate, Chess Player.
• TV SERIES
• Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo is released. Directed by Chris Rock, the debut HBO stand-up special for the Emmy-winning comedian was filmed in May 2014 at the famed New York theater.
• SPORTS
• Star forward Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer across all competitions, overtaking club legend Raul with his 324th goal in a 3-0 win over Levante.
• Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), who died at 69.

On this day in 2014

• EVENTS
• Canadian rock musician Gord Downie died of glioblastoma aged 53. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip as well as releasing six solo albums. The bands final concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20 2016 and was broadcast and streamed live by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on television, radio and internet. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people..
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• Housebound is released. Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam – a well-intentioned blabbermouth who's convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam's superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables & small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she's inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who's not particularly thrilled about her return. [XLrator Media]
• Listen Up Philip is released. As Philip (Jason Schwartzman) awaits the publication of his second novel, he feels alienated by the constant crowds and noise of his home city, his deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley (Elisabeth Moss), and his own indifference to promoting the novel. So when his idol, Ike Zimmerman (Jonathan Pryce), offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, Phlip finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject—himself.
• Watchers of the Sky is released. Watchers of the Sky interweaves four stories of remarkable courage, compassion, and determination, while setting out to uncover the forgotten life of Raphael Lemkin - the man who created the word "genocide, "and believed the law could protect the world from mass atrocities. Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Problem From Hell, Watchers of the Sky takes you on a provocative journey from Nuremberg to The Hague, from Bosnia to Darfur, from criminality to justice, and from apathy to action.
• MOVIES: OCTOBER 17 2014
• Felony is released. Three male detectives become embroiled in a tense struggle after a tragic accident that leaves a child in a coma. One is guilty of a crime, one will try to cover it up, and the other attempts to expose it. How far will these men go to both disguise and unravel the truth?
• MOVIES: PG
• The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is released. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. [Gkids]
• The Book of Life is released. The Book of Life is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
• MOVIES: PG13
• The Best of Me is released. Former high school sweethearts Dawson and Amanda find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they've never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances. [Relativity Media]
• MOVIES: R
• Young Ones is released. Set in a near future when water has become the most precious and dwindling resource on the planet, the hardened survivors of the loss of Earth’s precious resources scrape and struggle. Ernest Holm (Michael Shannon) lives on this harsh frontier with his children, Jerome (Kodi Smit McPhee)and Mary (Elle Fanning). He defends his farm from bandits, works the supply routes, and hopes to rejuvenate the soil. But Mary's boyfriend, Flem Lever (Nicholas Hoult), has grander designs. He wants Ernest's land for himself, and will go to any length to get it.
• Dear White People is released. At prestigious Winchester University, biracial student Samantha White begins her radio show, "Dear White People, the amount of black friends required not to seem racist has just been raised to two. Sorry, your weed man, Tyrone, doesn't count."Sam becomes president of the all-black residential hall Parker/Armstrong, whose existence is facing extinction in the name of diversification. TV reality show "Black Face/White Place"smells gold in Sam's story and decides to follow it, rejecting the proposal of fellow black student Coco Conners, who pitched her show "Doing Time at an Ivy League". The clamor over Sam's rise also becomes a career-defining opportunity for black misfit Lionel Higgins when he is asked to join the school's lily-white newspaper staff to cover the controversy, even though he secretly knows little about black culture.
• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is released. An actor (Michael Keaton)—famous for portraying an iconic superhero—struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
• Camp X-Ray is released. A soldier (Kristen Stewart) assigned to Guantanamo Bay befriends a man who has been imprisoned there for eight years.
• Fury is released. April,1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.
• Rudderless is released. Sam (Billy Crudup), a former high-profile advertising executive, falls apart after the sudden death of his son. Living off the grid on a docked sailboat, he wastes away his days while drowning his pain in alcohol. When Sam discovers a box filled with his son's demo tapes and lyrics, his own child's musical talent is a revelation. Communing with his deceased son's dashed dreams, Sam learns each song and eventually musters the will to perform one at a local bar. When Quentin, a young musician in the audience, is captivated by the song, the unlikely duo form a rock band that becomes surprisingly popular and revitalizes both of their lives.
• TV SERIES
• Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways: Season 1 is released. The documentary series directed by Dave Grohl follows his rock band as they recorded their eighth studio album in eight cities: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
• GAMING: PC
• Fist of Jesus for PC is released. Something went awry with Lazarus’ resurrection... help Jesus and Judas to fight the zombie infection using amazing combos, divine punishments and special attacks.

On this day in 2013

• EVENTS
• 59 people are killed in a wave of attacks on Shia Muslims in Iraq.
• BIRTHS
• Golsa Adamian, Instagram Star, born in Iran.
• TV SERIES
• Reign (2013): Season 1 is released. Set in the 16th century, this costume drama follows the (highly fictionalized) teenage years of Mary, Queen of Scots, played by Teen Wolf's Adelaide Kane.
• GAMING: 3DS
• HomeTown Story for 3DS is released. A Tale of Life, Love, and Friendship. Hometown Story takes you to a lush, green village tucked away in the countryside. The shop you inherited has brought you back to your hometown. However, the shop has become run down, and no one wants to even window shop there anymore. Can you turn the shop around and even expand it, or is it destined to stay in the red forever? You won't have to go it alone, though. You'll get help from a magical sprite named Pochica, who will help you get the store back up and running, and introduce you to all of the unique characters who reside in the town. The villagers will all change and grow throughout the game, and that person who you thought might be up to no good when you first met them just might have a heart of gold! Your experiences will be completely different from anyone else's. You'll never know what to expect in Hometown Story. [Nintendo]
• GAMING: PC
• Goodbye Deponia for PC is released. Goodbye Deponia is the final game in Daedalic Entertainment's adventure trilogy.
• The Stanley Parable for PC is released. The Stanley Parable HD Remix is an updated version of the Half-Life 2 mod The Stanley Parable. It is a first person exploration game. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will follow a story, you will not follow a story. You will have a choice, you will have no choice. The game will end, the game will never end. [Steam]