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At peak intensity southeast of Hawaii

Hurricane Hector was a tropical cyclone that became the eighth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2018 Pacific hurricane season. Originating north of South America on July 22, it entered the Pacific around July 25. It became a tropical depression on July 31 and a tropical storm about 12 hours later. It rapidly intensified to its initial peak as a Category 2 hurricane. It peaked as a Category 4 hurricane on August 6, with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a pressure of 936 mbar (27.64 inHg). It passed south of Hawaii's Big Island on August 8, causing high surf and necessitating the rescue of several dozen people on Oahu. It spent 186 hours at major hurricane intensity, the longest on record in the Eastern Pacific basin. It fell below that intensity on August 11. Deteriorating as it moved westward, it weakened to a tropical storm by August 13, a tropical depression by August 15, and dissipated the next day. (This article is part of a featured topic: 2018 Pacific hurricane season.)

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Did you know ...

Vera Brodsky Lawrence

... that Vera Brodsky Lawrence (pictured) hated being called the "queen of ragtime" despite being a catalyst for the revival of Scott Joplin's music?
... that Skyline Madrid was built on the most expensive plot of land ever sold in Madrid?
... that independent India's first female pilot, Usha Sundaram, holds the record for the fastest flight between England and India in a piston-engine aircraft?
... that fictional life on Pluto has included mist creatures and crystals?
... that in 1966 Sylvester da Cunha modelled the Amul girl to contrast with the mascot of Amul's main rival, Polson?
... that the façade of the Brooklyn Central Library was removed in an attempt to save money?
... that footballer Alexandra Pinell scored the Costa Rica U20 team's only goal at the FIFA tournament hosted by their country?
... that personal debt was regularly cancelled in the ancient Near East?

In the news

Demi Vollering

In cycling, Demi Vollering (pictured) wins the Tour de France Femmes.
In Rome, Emperor Nero's private theatre is discovered under the courtyard of Palazzo Della Rovere.
In Niger, soldiers stage a coup d'état, detaining President Mohamed Bazoum.
The Israeli Knesset approves a judicial reform bill after months of protests against it.

On this day

July 31: Lā Hae Hawaiʻi (Flag Day) and Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day) in Hawaii (1843)

Free Derry Corner

1009 – Sergius IV became the 142nd pope, succeeding John XVIII.
1667 – The Second Anglo-Dutch War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Breda.
1972 – The Troubles: Hours after the British Army's Operation Motorman brought an end to the autonomous self-declared area of Free Derry (Free Derry Corner pictured) in Northern Ireland, three car bombs exploded in the village of Claudy.
2006 – Following intestinal surgery, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl.
2014 – Gas explosions in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, killed 32 people and injured 321 others.

Feng Xingxi (d. 910)
Marion Talbot (b. 1858)
José Santamaría (b. 1929)
Nabarun Bhattacharya (d. 2014)

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From today's featured list

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev, a retired Indian cricketer, took 24 five-wicket hauls during his international career. In cricket, a five-wicket haul occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. Dev represented India in Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket between 1978 and 1994. With 23 five-wicket hauls in Tests, he has the third-highest number of international five-wicket hauls among Indian cricketers as of 2012, after Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. His first five-wicket haul came in 1979, against England during the first Test of India's tour. In Tests, Dev was most successful against Pakistan and Australia, with seven five-wicket hauls against each of them. He took his only five-wicket haul in ODIs against Australia during the 1983 Cricket World Cup. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the help of a local patron. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gaetano Donizetti, whose works significantly influenced him. This group portrait, taken at Villa Verdi, his residence in Sant'Agata near Busseto in 1900, shows Verdi (seated in the middle) with various family and friends. His companion Teresa Stolz stands at the left, Giulio Ricordi is second from the right, and Verdi's adopted daughter, Maria Carrara, is seated at the far left. Also in the photograph is the painter Leopoldo Metlicovitz, standing on the far right.

Photograph credit: Giulio Rossi; restored by Adam Cuerden

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