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From today's featured article Kailasanath Temple The Rashtrakuta dynasty ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and tenth centuries. Early Rashtrakuta inscriptions show their clans ruling from Manapura, a city somewhere in Central or West India, and from modern-day Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh and Elichpur in Maharashtra. This third clan overthrew Kirtivarman II and built an empire as the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, rising to power in South India in 753. At the same time the Pala dynasty of Bengal (in eastern India) and the Prathihara dynasty of Malwa (in the northwest) were gaining force. Each of these three empires annexed the seat of power at Kannauj for short periods of time while struggling for the resources of the rich Gangetic plains. At their peak the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta ruled a domain stretching from the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in the north to Cape Comorin in the south. The early kings of this dynasty were Hindu, while the later kings were strongly influenced by Jainism. The empire was known for its literary and architectural achievements, including the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora (pictured) and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Full article...) Recently featured: HMS Warrior (1860) Kingdom Hearts II Kent, Ohio Did you know... A cream of carrot soup with bread ... that it was once a tradition for the English to consume Crécy soup, a type of carrot soup (example pictured), on the anniversary of the Battle of Crécy? ... that Etta Federn received Nazi death threats because of her Walther Rathenau biography? ... that when Howard Hughes overstayed his 10-day reservation at Las Vegas' Desert Inn and was asked to leave, he responded by buying the hotel? ... that Francis Fowler, architect of London's Metropole Hotel, was found guilty of corruption and was forced to resign from the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1888 after 20 years of service? ... that the horned dinosaur Hualianceratops was the size of a spaniel? ... that goalkeeper Sakura Hauge joined the Japan women's national handball team in 2015, after years of trying to get a place on the Norwegian team? ... that nearly one thousand rock carvings from the Bronze Age have been found on the island of Åmøy? ... that after music producer Tom Collins' receptionist asked him to make a record of her singing, it won BMI's Song of the Year and she won the Academy of Country Music's Female Vocalist of the Year?

In the news Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad The governments of Japan and South Korea announce their "final and irreversible" agreement regarding comfort women. The Charter of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank enters into force. After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral. Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case. More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China. Ongoing events: Syrian Civil War European migrant crisis Recent deaths: Lemmy Meadowlark Lemon George Clayton Johnson On this day... December 30: Rizal Day in the Philippines (1896) Ferdinand Marcos 1702 – Carolina colonial governor James Moore abandoned the siege against the Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, Spanish Florida, and retreated to Charles Town in disgrace. 1853 – The United States purchased approximately 29,600 sq mi (77,000 km2) of land south of the Gila River and west of the Rio Grande from Mexico for $10 million. 1906 – The All-India Muslim League, a political party in British India that developed into the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state on the Indian subcontinent, was founded in Dhaka. 1965 – Ferdinand Marcos (pictured), who went on to rule the Philippines for 21 years, took office, beginning his first term as President. 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta was declared a tropical depression, making it the record-breaking thirtieth tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the most active in recorded history. More anniversaries: December 29 December 30 December 31

Today's featured picture Pellets of 99.9% pure argon-arc remelted hafnium, with visible crystalline structures. The colors are a thin-film effect in the oxide layer; this chemical element is generally a lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal. Hafnium is widely used in filaments and electrodes, as well as in some superalloys. Photograph: Heinrich Pniok Recently featured: Kei Nishikori JATO Wandering albatross

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