Poynter Court, site of the siege, as seen in 2022

The Northolt siege was a hostage situation which developed in Northolt, West London, on 25 December 1985. After a domestic dispute, Errol Walker forced entry into his sister-in-law's flat in Poynter Court (pictured). He killed the woman, keeping her daughter and his own daughter hostage. He released his daughter, but held the other girl hostage. After more than a day, he ventured onto the communal balcony to pick up an abandoned riot shield. Armed officers tried to intercept him but he made it back to the flat. They threw stun grenades through the windows, their first use by British police, and climbed through the kitchen window. One officer found Walker lying on a sofa, holding a knife to the child, and fired three shots, the first shooting by the Metropolitan Police's Firearms Wing. Walker was shot twice, and was later given life imprisonment for murder and other offences. One historian of the unit felt that the incident showed that the police had an alternative for crises that could not be resolved peacefully. (Full article...)

Bearded Man with a Beret

• ... that Bearded Man with a Beret (pictured) by the Dutch artist Jan Lievens is an example of a tronie?
• ... that a Bot Sentinel report described conspiracy theories about Prince Harry and Meghan as being reminiscent of QAnon?
• ... that Enriqueta Medellín, a Mexican surgeon, has an ecological center and environmental prize named after her in the state of Aguascalientes?
• ... that the Norwich and Worcester Railroad became independent again in 1976 after more than 100 years of being leased, only to immediately have its line taken over by another railroad?
• ... that T-Pain said that he thought of the concept for the song "Good Life" while dining at a restaurant with Kanye West?
• ... that the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument in London has been subject to bombing and theft?
• ... that before becoming a successful children's author, Myron Levoy was an engineer doing research on nuclear-powered spaceships for a mission to Mars?
• ... that the takedown of a controversial Goddess of Victory: Nikke advertisement led to another controversy?

Earthquake damage in Diyarbakır

• An earthquake (damage pictured) strikes Turkey and Syria, killing over 11,000 people and injuring more than 52,000 others.
• Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf dies at the age of 79.
• A Chinese balloon suspected of surveillance and espionage is shot down after overflying Canada and the United States.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) makes its closest approach to the Earth.
• A suicide bombing in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills 100 people and injures more than 220 others.

February 8

William D. Boyce

• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, led a failed rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• 1879 – Angered by a controversial umpiring decision, cricket spectators rioted and attacked the England team during a match in Sydney, Australia.
• 1910 – William D. Boyce (pictured) established the Boy Scouts of America, expanding the Scout Movement into the United States.
• 1965 – After taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision just after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 84 people on board.
• 2010 – A freak storm triggered a series of avalanches that buried more than 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of road near the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan, killing 175 people and trapping more than 2,500 travellers.