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Today's featured article Tony Cascarino, Gillingham's leading scorer in 1984–85 During Gillingham F.C.'s 1984–85 season, they competed in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 53rd season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 35th since they were voted back into the league in 1950. Gillingham started the season with five wins in the first seven games and were challenging for a place in the top three of the league table, which would result in promotion to the Second Division. The team's performances then declined, and by November they were in mid-table. They won 12 out of 16 games to go back up to second place, before a poor run in March meant that they again dropped out of the promotion places. Gillingham finished the season fourth in the table, missing promotion by one place. They also competed in three knock-out competitions, winning no trophies, but won three times to reach the fourth round of the 1984–85 FA Cup before losing. The team played 56 competitive matches, and won 30. (Full article...) Recently featured: A Very Trainor Christmas 1964 Brinks Hotel bombing Bonn–Oberkassel dog Selected anniversaries December 26: Saint Stephen's Day (Western Christianity); Boxing Day in the Commonwealth; Wren Day in Ireland and the Isle of Man; Kwanzaa begins (African diaspora in the Americas) Flannan Isles Lighthouse 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou began with Confederate defenders engaging Union forces who were attempting to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. 1871 – Thespis, the first comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in London. 1900 – A relief crew arrived at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse (pictured) in Scotland and discovered that the previous crew had disappeared. 1943 – Second World War: The German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk at the Battle of the North Cape during an attempt to attack Arctic convoys. 2004 – A major earthquake and tsunami devastated communities around the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries. Willy Corsari (b. 1897) Elizabeth David (b. 1913) Milagros Benet de Mewton (d. 1948) Stanisław Kot (d. 1975) More anniversaries: December 25 December 26 December 27

In the news Manmohan Singh Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh (pictured) dies at the age of 92. Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes near Aktau International Airport, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. A multi-vehicle crash in Minas Gerais, Brazil, leaves 41 people dead. A car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, kills five people and injures more than two hundred others. Ongoing: Israel–Hamas war Israeli invasion of Lebanon Russian invasion of Ukraine timeline Sudanese civil war timeline Recent deaths: Gaboro Slim Dunlap John Marsden James E. Malone Jr. Rickey Henderson Zakir Hussain Did you know... FoodPharmer ... that a viral video by an Indian influencer (pictured) resulted in the sugar content of Bournvita being cut by almost 15 percent? ... that on 26 December 1724 J. S. Bach directed the first performance of Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121, based on a hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524? ... that actress Jane Barnes learned how to pilot a plane so that she could fly home to Massachusetts on her own? ... that the largest IMAX cinema in the Southern Hemisphere is in Melbourne? ... that Musa al-Gharbi argues that "symbolic capitalists" support social justice movements to amass social currency? ... that American president Zachary Taylor is mentioned in a poem about the conversion of Saint Paul? ... that Filipino violinist Gilopez Kabayao was nicknamed the "Mozart to the Barrios"? ... that Ian Holm, who died in 2020, was "resurrected" to appear in Alien: Romulus through a combination of animatronics, computer-generated imagery, and artificial intelligence? ... that NFL player Adrian Baril also was a "fat men's race" champion? Today's featured picture Picture of the day Amphipoea oculea, the ear moth, is a moth in the family Noctuidae, with a wingspan of 29 to 34 millimetres (1.1 to 1.3 inches). Its range includes southern England, where it is widespread and common, as well as Ireland and continental Europe, with the exception of Albania, Greece and Turkey. Adults are found from June to September depending on the location, with one generation occurring per year. At night the moths come to light and flowers, seeking honeydew and sugar. During the day they feed at the flowers of thistles and ragwort. This female A. oculea moth was photographed feeding on field scabious in Keila, Estonia. The photograph was focus-stacked from 22 separate images.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus