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From today's featured article

Lady Gaga (left) and Beyoncé (right)

"Telephone" is a song by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé (both pictured) and released on January 26, 2010. "Telephone" conveys Gaga's fear of not finding time for fun given the increasing pressure for her to work harder. The song consists of an expanded bridge and verse-rap; Beyoncé appears in the middle of the song, singing the verses in a "rapid-fire" way, accompanied by double beats. "Telephone" received positive reviews from critics who praised Gaga's chemistry with Beyoncé. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The song charted in many countries and sold 7.4 million digital copies worldwide in 2010, making it the year's fourth best-selling single. The music video follows Beyoncé as she bails Gaga out of prison for killing her boyfriend and ends with the two trying to escape a high-speed police chase. The video received generally positive reviews and was nominated for three awards at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Hutchinson in the first photograph of a television image

... that Oliver Hutchinson (pictured) was the subject of the first successful live demonstration of the television on 26 January 1926?
... that three women spent 80 hours chained together in a mine to protest its closure?
... that Joseph Hirkala initially declined to run for reelection to the New Jersey Senate in 1987 due to poor health, but entered the race 38 days before his death?
... that a long-legged lovebird lived in humanity's cradle?
... that Bao Tianxiao received an award for best original work for his translation of an Italian novel?
... that the lyrics of So Medieval are "like an audiobook during a car crash"?
... that Tan Gee Paw was presented with a solid gold medal by Lee Kuan Yew for helping to clean up Singapore's waterways?
... that a "mystery eruption" cooled the Northern Hemisphere in 1453?
... that Lily Phillips had sex with 101 men on 19 October 2024?

In the news

Grand Kartal Hotel in 2007

A fire at a ski resort hotel (pictured) in Kartalkaya, Turkey, leaves at least 78 people dead and 51 others injured.
A series of attacks by the National Liberation Army in the Catatumbo region of Colombia leaves more than 80 people dead.
A ceasefire agreement suspends the Israel–Hamas war, involving the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Two Supreme Court judges are assassinated in a shooting at the Supreme Court of Iran in Tehran.

On this day

January 26: Australia Day (1788); Republic Day in India (1950)

Painting of Ali's assassination

661 – Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph, was assassinated (depicted) by Ibn Muljim, leading to the end of the caliphate.
1788 – Captain Arthur Phillip and the British First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove on the shore of Port Jackson, establishing the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
1885 – Mahdist War: The siege of Khartoum ended as Mahdist forces defeated the Egyptian garrison and captured the city.
1934 – Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater in New York City reopened as the Apollo Theater, becoming one of the nation's premier venues for African-American performers.
2015 – A jet fighter crashed at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.

Lady Zhen (b. 183)
Manuel do Cenáculo (d. 1814)
Joan Leslie (b. 1925)
Kobe Bryant (d. 2020)

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Today's featured picture

Shinku La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas of northern India. The pass is traversed by the Darcha–Padum road, connecting the high-altitude region of Zanskar in Ladakh with the rest of India. The pass becomes snowbound in the winter, leading to the closure of the road. The construction of a tunnel under the pass, to ensure all-weather connectivity, began in 2024. This photograph shows Shinku La covered in snow, with a frozen lake in the foreground.

Photograph credit: Timothy Gonsalves

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