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Coin depicting Zenobia as empress

Zenobia (c. 240 – c. 274) was the queen of the Palmyrene Empire. Her husband Odaenathus became king in 260 and elevated Palmyra's power in the Near East by defeating the Sassanians and stabilizing the Roman East. After his assassination, she became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign. In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion which brought most of the Roman East under her sway, culminating with the annexation of Egypt. In reaction to Roman emperor Aurelian's campaign in 272, Zenobia declared Palmyra's secession from Rome, naming her son emperor and assuming the title of empress. The Romans were victorious after heavy fighting; the queen was besieged in her capital and captured by Aurelian. He exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her life. Zenobia fostered a multicultural and intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. Her biography has inspired historians, artists and novelists. (Full article...)

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Deep-water soloing

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... that a 1980 Doctor Who serial was written by a seventeen-year-old fan of the show?
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In the news

Smiljan Radić Clarke

Chilean Smiljan Radić Clarke (pictured) is awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
In cricket, the Men's T20 World Cup concludes with India defeating New Zealand in the final.
Mojtaba Khamenei is elected Supreme Leader of Iran following the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei.
Flooding in Kenya leaves at least 43 people dead.
The Winter Paralympics open in northern Italy.

On this day

March 15: Ides of March; Laetare Sunday (Western Christianity, 2026)

Empress Theodora

856 – Byzantine emperor Michael III overthrew the regency of his mother Theodora (pictured) to assume power for himself.
1783 – George Washington delivered a speech to Continental Army officers in Newburgh, New York, asking them to support the supremacy of the Congress of the Confederation, defusing a potential coup.
1874 – France and Vietnam signed the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.
1921 – Talaat Pasha, the main perpetrator of the Armenian genocide, was assassinated by Soghomon Tehlirian.
1990 – Iraqi authorities hanged Iranian freelance reporter Farzad Bazoft on charges of spying for Israel.

Walter V, Count of Brienne (d. 1311)
Johan Vaaler (b. 1866)
Norm Van Brocklin (b. 1926)
Lauren Ebsary (b. 1983)

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Today's featured picture

Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) was an American actress. One of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, she was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute, and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009 in recognition of her contribution to the Golden Age of motion pictures. Bacall made her acting debut on Broadway in 1942 at the age of 17, and her final role was as a guest voice appearance in 2014. During her long career, she won seven major awards: one Oscar, one Critics' Choice Award, two Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Tony Awards. This photograph, taken by Bernard Gotfryd circa 1979, shows Bacall with the manuscript of her first autobiography, Lauren Bacall by Myself, at the offices of the publishing house Alfred A. Knopf.

Photograph credit: Bernard Gotfryd

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