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From today's featured article Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) is a genus of vines in the gourd family, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five species are grown worldwide, variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd depending on species, variety, and local parlance. The fruits have played a role in human culture for at least 2,000 years. First cultivated in the Americas before being brought to Europe by returning explorers, the plants remain an important food source. Most Cucurbita species are herbaceous vines that grow several meters in length and have tendrils, but bush cultivars of C. pepo and C. maxima have also been developed. Many North and Central American species are visited by honey bees, as well as specialist bees that pollinate only a single species. Most of the domesticated species can be considered winter squash, since the full-grown fruits can be stored for months. Their extracts have many uses, including in cosmetics for dry and sensitive skin. The fruits are also good sources of vitamins and minerals in foods such as pumpkin pie, biscuits, bread, desserts, puddings, beverages, and soups. (Full article...) Recently featured: Fremantle Prison Telescopium Battle of Concepción Did you know... Rheithrosciurus macrotis ... that the "vampire squirrel" (pictured) of Borneo, which is reputed to eat the livers and hearts of chickens and deer, has the largest-known tail-to-body-size ratio of any mammal? ... that The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXV" features the guest voice of Pixar's John Ratzenberger as a computer-generated Homer Simpson? ... that the early American minister Francis Doughty had a proclivity for witch-hunting? ... that a monster was discovered in 1980 in the Great Sandy National Park in Queensland, Australia? ... that Lucio Fulci's 1979 film Zombi 2 has been released under eleven different titles? ... that The Apparition of Mrs. Veal, attributed to Daniel Defoe, has been called the first modern ghost story? ... that the demon core killed Manhattan Project scientists Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin? ... that when Lawrence Joseph Bader returned from the dead, he ruined his wife's wedding plans?

In the news Bidhya Devi Bhandari Bidhya Devi Bhandari (pictured) is elected Nepal's first female President. The People's Republic of China abolishes its one-child policy and imposes a two-child policy. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing at least 380 people and injuring more than 2,400 others. The Law and Justice party wins a majority in the Polish Sejm. In motorsport, Lewis Hamilton wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship after his team, Mercedes, secured the Constructors' Championship. Ongoing events: European migrant crisis Recent deaths: Maureen O'Hara On this day... October 31: Halloween; Samhain begins (Northern Hemisphere); Beltane begins (Southern Hemisphere); Reformation Day (Protestantism) Martin Luther 475 – Romulus Augustulus took the throne as the last ruling emperor of the Western Roman Empire. 1517 – According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther (pictured) first posted his Ninety-Five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. 1917 – World War I: Allied forces defeated Turkish troops in Beersheba in Southern Palestine at the Battle of Beersheba, often reported as "the last successful cavalry charge in history". 1973 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin after a hijacked helicopter landed in the prison's exercise yard. 2011 – The United Nations declared that the world's population had exceeded seven billion. More anniversaries: October 30 October 31 November 1

Today's featured picture Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette is an undated oil painting on canvas completed by Vincent van Gogh. It is held in the Van Gogh Museum of Amsterdam. Painting: Vincent van Gogh Recently featured: Kuchipudi Common redshank $10,000 gold certificate

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