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The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Their original line-up comprised brothers Ray Davies and Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory. Emerging during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, "You Really Got Me" (1964), their breakthrough third single written by Ray Davies, became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the top 10 in the United States. They were part of the British Invasion until their 1965 American tour led to them being banned from touring there for a number of years. The Kinks are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. They had seventeen top-20 singles and five top-10 albums in the UK, and five singles reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The band has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. In 1990, the original four members of the Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

A sea ball washed up on a beach

... that sea balls (pictured) are also known by a word for "wild goat fur" because they look like hairballs regurgitated by goats?
... that Swiss filmmaker Kurt Gloor's final film was about prison inmates and people with disabilities on a trekking tour?
... that parts of an ancient road were exposed following wildfires in Belgium in the summer of 2026?
... that Erika Yoshida once adapted a Vocaloid song into a light novel, a manga, and a film?
... that Kanye West recorded "Beauty and the Beast" in his Tokyo hotel room?
... that Jessie Waddell, who founded New York City's West Indian Day Parade, timed it to fall on the anniversary of her son's death?
... that a species of orchid was named for having a smaller lip than others in its genus?
... that Singaporean banker Chew Hock Leong sold a camera device patent to Kodak in 1930?
... that Wendy was known by Studio City residents for her deformed face, which was the result of an infected gunshot wound?

Help us improve this article!

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

Two high-impact security vulnerabilities in PHP cause disruptions to many online services.
A drone attack on a market in the disputed Abyei region on the South Sudan–Sudan border kills at least 220 people.
The Hôtel de Ville in Limoges is partially destroyed by arson (damage pictured) amid fuel and student protests in France.

On this day

October 25

Students dancing around Statue of Industry after tarring and feathering it

1616 – Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog left a plate on an island in Shark Bay, the oldest-known artefact of European exploration in Australia still in existence.
1864 – American Civil War: During Price's Missouri Expedition, Union troops defeated Sterling Price's Confederate army in three successive battles: Marais des Cygnes, Mine Creek, and Marmiton River.
1929 – Hundreds of students at Armstrong College in Newcastle, England, tarred and feathered Statue of Industry (pictured), a sculpture by Herbert Maryon.
2001 – Windows XP, one of the most popular and widely used versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, was released for retail sale.

Évariste Galois (b. 1811)
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (b. 1900)
Larry Itliong (b. 1913)
Antonin Raymond (d. 1976)

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Today's featured picture

Khao Phing Kan is an island in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand, part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park. Together with the nearby limestone islet Ko Ta Pu, it is popularly known as James Bond Island, following its appearance in the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun. This photograph, taken in Phang Nga Bay in 2013, shows Ko Ta Pu in the centre, with its distinctive shape formed by erosion. Part of Khao Phing Kan is visible on the right of the photograph, and the neighbouring island of Ko Raya Ring on the left.

Photograph credit: Diego Delso

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