The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1969. It became immensely popular, winning both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and establishing Le Guin as a major author of science fiction. The novel tells the story of Genly Ai, an Earthman sent to the planet of Gethen as an envoy of the Ekumen. He is stymied by the cultural barrier created by the Gethenians' lack of a fixed gender identity. The novel is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of novels and short stories by Le Guin set in the fictional Hainish universe, which she introduced in 1964. The book was among the first published in the feminist science fiction genre. The effect of sex and gender on culture and society, a major theme throughout the novel, touched off a feminist debate when it was first published. Left Hand has been reprinted more than 30 times, and has received a highly positive response from reviewers. Widely influential, it has been described as a seminal work in the genre of science fiction. In 1987 the literary critic Harold Bloom said, "Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high literature, for our time". ( Full article...)

• ... that the intense fumes emitted by the crushed leaves of the so-called headache vine (pictured) cause one to feel like his head is "exploding" ... making him forget all about his headache?
• ... that Johanna Umurungi was the only female Rwandan swimmer at the 2016 Summer Olympics?
• ... that Max Reger composed the chorale fantasia Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 27, for Karl Straube, who premiered it before it was published?
• ... that after being ousted from his emirate in Aleppo, Mansur ibn Lu'lu' commanded a Byzantine army unit?
• ... that Antonio Giovinazzi achieved his first GP2 series pole position at the 2016 Baku round and went on to win both the weekend's races?
• ... that Lisbeth Hockey was the first nurse to be awarded an honorary fellowship by the Royal College of General Practitioners?
• ... that in the video game Bound, the protagonist moves mainly by dancing?
• ... that the New York City neighborhood of Brownsville has the highest concentration of public housing in the United States?

• At least 70 people are killed and around 600 injured in a train derailment in Cameroon.
• Numerous media outlets, social networks, and retailers go offline in parts of North America and Europe during a large-scale DDOS cyberattack.
• The ESA– Roscosmos ExoMars mission's Trace Gas Orbiter enters orbit around Mars, but contact is lost with the Schiaparelli lander (model pictured) during its descent to the planet's surface.
• Iraqi government forces, allied militias, Peshmerga, and the CJTF-OIR launch an offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

October 23: Shemini Atzeret begins at sunset (Judaism, 2016); National Day in Hungary ( 1956); Mole Day

• 1641 – Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions to Catholics.
• 1812 – General Claude François de Malet (pictured) began a conspiracy to overthrow Napoleon, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he was now the commandant of Paris.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces began their ill-fated attempt to recapture Henderson Field from the Americans.
• 1956 – The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building.
• 1983 – Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in Beirut, killing 241 US servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the international peacekeeping force.

A pair of gulf fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) mating. The gulf fritillary is a bright orange butterfly of the family Nymphalidae and subfamily Heliconiinae, found along their migration route, ranging from Argentina in the south to upper California in the north. Photograph: MrX; edits: Gwillhickers, Crisco 1492 Recently featured: Alhambra Herman Willem Daendels Tripedalia cystophora Archive More featured pictures...