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Alexander riding Bucephalus, from the Alexander Mosaic

Boukephala and Nikaia were two cities founded by Alexander the Great on either side of the Hydaspes river during his invasion of the Indian subcontinent. The cities, two of many founded by Alexander, were built shortly after his victory over the Indian king Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes in early 326 BC. It is not certain which settlement had which name. Built on the site of the battlefield, the city on the eastern bank was most likely called Nikaia, while its western companion was probably named after Alexander's horse Bucephalus, who died during or after the battle. Their construction was supervised by Craterus, one of Alexander's leading generals. Boukephala seems to have had a more distinguished legacy than Nikaia: it was mentioned by Roman authors and appears on later manuscripts. The cities' precise locations are unknown, but it is considered likely that Boukephala was located in the vicinity of modern Jalalpur, Pakistan, and that Nikaia was across the river near present-day Mong. (Full article...)

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Illustration of swordtail mollies

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... that during her 2023 season, Aryna Sabalenka became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the semifinals at all four majors in a season?
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In the news

Rocket impact in Rishon LeZion

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launch a series of attacks against Israel. (aftermath pictured).
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Norwegian author and playwright Jon Fosse.
Twenty-one people are killed when a bus falls from a bridge in Venice, Italy.
In the United States, Kevin McCarthy is removed as Speaker of the House.

On this day

October 7

Mindon Min

1571 – Ottoman–Habsburg wars: The Battle of Lepanto was fought near the Gulf of Corinth, a significant setback for the Ottoman Empire and the last major naval battle fought entirely with galleys.
1878 – The state funeral of Mindon Min (pictured), who ruled Myanmar for 25 years, took place; his death was reportedly preceded by strange omens, and his senior princes were unable to attend as they had all been arrested.
1916 – Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland University 222–0 in the most lopsided college football game in American history.
1991 – Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army conducted an air strike on Banski Dvori, the official residence of the president of Croatia in Zagreb.
2008 – 2008 TC₃ exploded above the Nubian Desert in Sudan, in the first time that an asteroid impact had been predicted prior to atmospheric entry.

Pierre Le Muet (b. 1591)
Charles XIII (b. 1748)
Mariano Gagnon (b. 1929)
Beatrice Hutton (d. 1990)

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Today's featured picture

Agrius cingulata, commonly known as the pink-spotted hawkmoth or sweetpotato hornworm, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It has a wide range throughout the Americas, with adults migrating north to Canada and south to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. It can also be found in the Galápagos Islands and Hawaii, and has been found in western Europe and West Africa. A nocturnal insect, A. cingulata feeds on the nectar from deep-throated flowers including moonflower, morning glories and petunia. Its larva is a large, stout caterpillar with a horn, which feeds during the day and the night on sweet potato, Datura, and other plants. This male A. cingulata moth was photographed in the Mount Totumas cloud forest in Panama.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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