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From today's featured article

Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham's home ground

In their 1986–87 season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division. Gillingham were at the top of the Third Division table shortly before the mid-point of the season; their form declined in the second half of the season and they finished in fifth place, qualifying for the play-offs. Gillingham faced Swindon Town in the 1987 Third Division final where, after drawing 2–2 on aggregate, they lost 2–0 in the replay. Gillingham reached the third round of the FA Cup, the second round of the Football League Cup, and the southern section semi-finals of the Associate Members' Cup. Gillingham played 63 competitive matches, winning 31, drawing 12 and losing 20. Tony Cascarino was the club's leading goalscorer, with 30 goals in all competitions. Howard Pritchard and Paul Haylock made the most appearances; both played in 62 matches. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium (pictured), was 16,775, for the home leg of the play-off final. (Full article...)

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Candy store in Maryland, United States

This week's article for improvement is confectionery store, also known as a sweet shop, candy store or lolly shop. These stores may sell locally distinct sweets, international sweets, or "vintage" candies like rock candy or liquorice.

You can improve this article by:

Adding information about early confectioners and the development in the modern age
Finding reliable sources about its history, offerings, and regional varieties
Expanding the "History" section

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In the news

Hôtel de Ville the day after the fire

The Hôtel de Ville in Limoges is partially destroyed by arson (damage pictured) as fuel and student protests escalate in France.
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures votes to effectively abolish the leap second over concerns about disruptions to computer systems.
The Houthis launch a series of attacks on Saudi Arabian airports, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 370 others.

On this day

October 22

Montparnasse derailment

906 – Ahmad ibn Kayghalagh, an Abbasid military officer of Turkic origin, led a raid against the Byzantine Empire, taking at least 4,000 captives.
1895 – At Gare Montparnasse in Paris, an express train derailed after overrunning the buffer stop and crashed through the station wall, with the locomotive landing on the street below (pictured).
1936 – Dod Orsborne, captain of the Girl Pat, was convicted of its theft and imprisoned, having caused a media sensation when it went missing.
1966 – With their album The Supremes A' Go-Go, the Supremes became the first all-female group to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Lev Yashin (b. 1929)
Deepak Chopra (b. 1946)
Javier Milei (b. 1970)
Evdokia Reshetnik (d. 1996)

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Today's featured picture

12P/Pons–Brooks is a Halley-type comet with an orbital period of about 71 years. It was discovered by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812 and independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks during its next return in 1883. Earlier recorded appearances of the comet have been identified in observations dating to 1385 and 1457. One of the brighest-known periodic comets, its most recent apparition was in 2023–2024, during which numerous outbursts were observed and it reached an apparent magnitude of about 3.8. This photograph of 12P/Pons–Brooks was taken in March 2024.

Photograph credit: Taavi Niittee / Tõrva Astronomy Club

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