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The Yeti are fictional robots from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They were originally created by the writers Henry Lincoln and Mervyn Haisman and first appeared in the 1967 serial The Abominable Snowmen. The Yeti resemble the cryptozoological creatures also called the Yeti. In the series' fictional universe, these robot Yeti serve the Great Intelligence, a formless entity with mysterious origins, and are used by the Intelligence to aid in its invasions. Following this debut appearance, the Yeti only had one other major appearance, in the 1968 serial The Web of Fear. The Yeti were a replacement for the Daleks, another popular antagonist that had recently been written out of the series. The concept arose as a result of a discussion between the then–lead actor Patrick Troughton, Lincoln and Haisman. Already popular monsters at the time of their introduction, the Yeti became even more popular with their second appearance. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

HSwMS Dykaren, a Sjölejonet-class submarine

... that the Sjölejonet class (example pictured), Sweden's first indigenous submarines, featured rotating torpedo tubes and disappearing guns?
... that David Avraham Voluck, a Chabad Jew and native tribal judge, credits Alaska natives with inspiring him to become more observant in his own faith?
... that the music video for Bini's "First Luv" was inspired by rococo art?
... that Tanguturi Prakasam, a leader of the Indian independence movement, later became a significant dissenting figure within the Indian government?
... that the inscription on a bracteate in the Vindelev Hoard has been interpreted as the oldest known reference to the Norse god Odin?
... that the Miller House in Indiana opened to the public in 2011, drawing high visitor numbers that were likened to the opening of a new Disney ride?
... that Rosa Dubovsky admonished male anarchists for misusing free love to justify promiscuity?
... that a track-intrusion detection system was implemented on the Punggol LRT line following the death of a woman at Cove station?
... that Thurgood Marshall, amid a Kansas desegregation case, said "god damn it give that white lady the money"?

In the news

Sheikh Hasina

Former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (pictured) is found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal and sentenced to death.
In Canadian football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.
In motorcycle racing, Marc Márquez wins the MotoGP World Championship.
The High Court of Justice in London rules BHP liable for the 2015 Mariana dam disaster in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

On this day

November 23

Flag of the Dutch East India Company

1635 – Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa: Soldiers from the Dutch East India Company (flag depicted) razed the village of Mattou, now part of modern-day Tainan, Taiwan.
1700 – A papal conclave, which had been deadlocked due to concerns over how a successor would respond to the impending death of Charles II of Spain, ended with the election of Clement XI.
1733 – African slaves in the Danish West Indies began an insurrection in one of the earliest and longest slave revolts in the Americas.
1980 – An earthquake struck the Irpinia region of Italy, killing at least 2,483 people, injuring more than 7,700 and leaving 250,000 homeless.
2007 – MS Explorer became the first cruise ship to sink in the Southern Ocean.

Eadred (d. 955)
El Lissitzky (b. 1890)
Anne Burns (b. 1915)
Elisabeth Leonskaja (b. 1945)

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Today's featured picture

Lactarius resimus is a species of mushroom in the Russulaceae family. It has a cap which ranges from 4–15 cm in diameter, while its stalk has a length from 2–6 cm and a width of 1–3 cm. The mushroom is generally white, but stains yellow to orange. Its spores are white-yellow, elliptical and bumpy. An edible fungus, it is considered a delicacy in Russia and some other countries of Eastern Europe, often pickled in salt. This L. resimus mushroom was photographed in Katon-Karagay National Park, Kazakhstan.

Photograph credit: Avustfel

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