Gumbo is a stew or soup associated with southern Louisiana since the 18th century. It consists primarily of meat or shellfish, a strongly flavored stock, a thickener, celery, bell peppers, and onions. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo). Several varieties exist; Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish and tomatoes, while Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is spicier, with either shellfish or fowl. Sausage or ham are often added to gumbos. After the base is prepared, the vegetables are cooked down, and meat is added. The dish simmers for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. It is traditionally served over rice. The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including French, Spanish, German, West African, and Choctaw. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. Chef Paul Prudhomme's popularity in the 1980s spurred further interest in gumbo. The dish is the official cuisine of Louisiana. ( Full article...)

PGM-17 Thor IRBM

• ... that British crews launched Thor intermediate-range ballistic missiles (example pictured) from Vandenberg Air Force Base as part of Project Emily?
• ... that Roland Poska's painting From Blue to Blue, which appears in Milwaukee's Henry S. Reuss Federal Plaza Building, is 270 feet (82 m) long?
• ... that the branching worm living inside a sponge is unlikely to be able to sustain itself solely through what it eats?
• ... that Reah Whitehead, the first female justice of the peace in Washington state, started her legal career as a stenographer?
• ... that cultural governance could refer to anything from cultural policy regarding concerts to broad governance of language and meaning?
• ... that from 1981, Swiss set designer Marco Arturo Marelli also directed operas, and in 2010 staged the premiere of Reimann's Medea at the Vienna State Opera?
• ... that the Labor Congress of Liberia was closely tied to the Liberian government and membership fees were paid directly to the governing True Whig Party?
• ... that Cara Mund is the first contestant from North Dakota to win the Miss America pageant?

Cassini-Huygens probe

• The Cassini–Huygens mission (probe rendering shown) to the Saturn system ends with a controlled fall into the atmosphere of the planet.
• Halimah Yacob wins the Singaporean presidential election by default after being declared the only eligible candidate.
• The IOC awards the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles, respectively.
• Hurricane Irma kills more than 80 people across the Caribbean islands and the United States.
• A magnitude 8.1 earthquake strikes Guatemala and Mexico, killing more than 90 people.

September 16: Eid al-Mubahalah (Islam, 2017)

Italian tanks during Italy's invasion of Egypt

• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: American colonists defeated British troops at the Battle of Harlem Heights in present-day New York City.
• 1940 – Second World War: Italy captured the town of Sidi Barrani, but its invasion of Egypt (Italian tanks pictured) progressed no further.
• 1963 – Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (present-day Sabah), and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia.
• 1990 – Construction of the Northern Xinjiang Railway was completed between Ürümqi and Alashankou, linking the railway lines of China and Kazakhstan, and adding a sizable portion to the Eurasian Land Bridge.
• 2007 – Seventeen Iraqi civilians were shot and killed by Blackwater Worldwide guards.

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (d. 1736) · Madge Syers (b. 1881) · Lauren Bacall (b. 1924)