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Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda Leader Killed
On Monday evening President Joseph Biden confirmed that a U.S. drone strike in Kabul killed the Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. According to U.S. officials, Zawahiri's movement had been monitored for months. He was staying in Kabul with his family at the time the airstrike hit and killed him. Some Taliban leaders described this attack on a residential area as a violation of international laws. In response, the U.S. Department of State stated Taliban awareness of Zawahiri's presence broke the Doha Agreement stipulation that the Taliban will not shelter any member of Al-Qaeda. This attack comes almost a year after the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan. Zawahiri was the top terrorist on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list. The 71-year-old surgeon was one of the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. that killed 3000 people and the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, killing 17 American sailors.
This map depicts the location in the Afghan capital of Kabul where Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Times
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United States
McKinney Fire Grows in California
Northern California's McKinney fire, first ignited on July 29th, has now spread to over 50,000 acres, making it the state's largest fire of 2022. It started west of Walker Creek Bridge in the Klamath National Forest, and is continuing to spread in all directions. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate, and 2 deaths have been reported. The fire has destroyed more than 100 structures so far, including homes, a grocery store, and a community center. The blaze is concurrent with two other Californian fires that have threatened Yosemite National Park for weeks. Days of scorching temperatures and drought conditions have contributed to the intensity of fires by making vegetation drier and more likely to ignite.
This map depicts the location of the McKinney fire in Northern California, which is now the state's largest fire in 2022. Click on the map to learn more.
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Poland
"Bluetooth" King's Burial Place
Researchers have claimed that a Viking king whose nickname was used for Bluetooth wireless technology may actually be buried in Poland, rather than in his home country of Denmark. The nickname “Bluetooth” came from a tooth of the king that was probably dead, giving it a blueish color. A chronicle from the Middle Ages stated that King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson of Denmark, who died 1,000 years ago, was buried in Roskilde, Denmark, in the late 10th century. In separate publications, a Swedish archaeologist and a Polish researcher both posit that it is more probable that he is buried in northwestern Poland in the village of Wiejkowo, in an area had ties to the Vikings in Harald’s times. The two researchers disagree as to whether Harald is buried underneath a Catholic church or in a grave in the churchyard. The discovery of a small coin-like golden disc dated from the 10th century discovered beneath the Wiejkowo church in the 19th century eventually drove the investigation and theory that King Harald was buried there, but there are no plans for further excavation.
This map depicts Wiejwowo, Poland, and Wiejkowo church, where Viking King Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson . Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What archaeological site is currently believed to hold the oldest evidence of modern humans outside of Africa?
A: Qafzeh and Skhul, modern-day Israel
First discovered in the 1930's, the 11 human skeletal remains buried in the Qafzeh and Skhul caves in Israel were originally believed to be around 50,000 years old. But new dating techniques applied to the skeletons in 1989 placed their age at 90,000 to 100,000 years old, making the sites the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens (modern humans) migrating out of Africa, likely through the Sinai peninsula. There's no evidence to show that the groups leaving Africa at that time got very far - signs of Neanderthal inhabitation dominate the region for the next several millennia. Currently, scientist think humans traversed a land bridge from the horn of Africa to the Arabian peninsula around 80,000 years ago, then travelled along the coast of the Indian Ocean, eventually reaching Papua/New Guinea and Australia (then a combined landmass) no later than 45,000 years ago. Modern humans didn't move into Europe until roughly 40,000 years ago, while evidence has recently been discovered to place the earliest known humans in the Americas at around 37,000 years ago.
Source
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Q: Where can you find the world's deepest-known active volcano?
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.
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