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TOP TEN LISTS

World's Most Dangerous Animals

Deadliest animals in the world ranked by estimated number of human fatalities per year

Best Selling Musicians

Top selling musicians of all time ranked by estimated number of albums sold

Best Selling Books of All-Time

Best selling novels worldwide ranked by estimated number of copies sold

Fastest Manned Aircraft in the World

Fastest manned aircraft (excluding spacecraft) ranked by top speed

World's Most Practiced Religions

Major religions of the world ranked by estimated number of followers

Worst Genocides of the Twentieth Century

The ten worst genocides of the 20th century listed by dictators responsible; ranked by number of deaths

World's Fastest Land Animals

The fastest land animals in the world ranked by maximum speed

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Today in History

Thursday, 18 June 2026

2009

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA robotic spacecraft is launched.

2006

The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat is launched.

2001

Protests occur in Manipur over the extension of the ceasefire between Naga insurgents and the government of India.

1996

Ted Kaczynski, suspected of being the Unabomber, is indicted on ten criminal counts.

1994

The Troubles: the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) open fire inside a pub in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland, killing six civilians and wounding five.

1984

A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984-1985 UK miners' strike.

1983

Mona Mahmudnizhad together with nine other Bahá'í women, is sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran because of her Bahá'í Faith.

Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

1981

A disease cluster, which will later be known as AIDS, is recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California.

1979

SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

FACTOIDS

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime.

Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived.

Gold

Every ton of seawater contains approximately 1 milligram of dissolved gold.

Mosquito

Studies show that mosquitoes prefer biting blondes to brunettes.

Timelines

People's Republic of China

Afghanistan