Good evening. In tonight’s edition:

• 🏗️ The Washington Monument’s origin
• 🧩 New puzzles
• 🥦 Which weight loss diets are most effective? (Crowdsourced)

…and much more.

P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe to The DONUT’s AM/PM updates here.

Each of the following events happened on October 9. Your challenge is to put them in the order in which they occurred by year, earliest to latest. Answers at the bottom!

• A) The Boulder Dam (later called Hoover Dam), located on the Arizona-Nevada border and built to harness the power of the Colorado River, begins sending electricity to Los Angeles—over transmission lines spanning 266 miles of mountains and deserts.
• B) The Washington Monument—a marble-faced, granite obelisk that honors the first US president, George Washington—opens to the public in Washington, DC. At its time of completion, the Washington Monument is the tallest…building in the world, at 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches.
• C) For the first time in Afghanistan's history, voters head to the polls to democratically choose a president. ~10 million people (41% women) cast a vote despite security concerns, selecting Hamid Karzai, who had served as the interim president after the fall of the Taliban regime three years earlier.
• D) Oskar Schindler, a German businessman credited with saving 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust (as portrayed in the classic Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List), dies.

Hint: Somewhat ironically, the monument was built first.

The IRS isn't on your side, but TaxQuotes is. Their expert team has helped thousands of people just like you negotiate payment plans, reduce tax burdens, and finally break free from the stress.

Whether you're behind on filing or drowning in penalties, they'll guide you through every step—transparently and honestly. Freedom from tax debt starts here.

Today’s Conjoiner may throw a zinger or two at you. But you got this👊…right?

The first clue of today’s sequence is: “A Dr. Sheldon Cooper 'Gotcha!‘”...

Mini

You should have no problem finishing today’s Mini crossword if you just believe. Take the leap, and complete it in 39 seconds to hold the top spot here at DONUT HQ.

• Play today’s mini crossword here.

Sudoku

Four corners, nine boxes, endless delight—count your way to getting it right.

• Play today's puzzle here.

Click to play any (or all) of the three challenges below, then pick the GOAT through a series of head-to-head matchups. This data-driven process was developed to create definitive best-of-all-time lists using a more objective approach than random bloggers just publishing controversial opinions for clicks.

• 🍿 THE GREATEST ROBERT PATTINSON MOVIES OF ALL TIME
• 🎒 THE GREATEST '90S SCHOOL ESSENTIALS OF ALL TIME
• 🎥 THE GREATEST ZACHARY LEVI MOVIES OF ALL TIME

🍿THE GREATEST ANTHONY HOPKINS MOVIES OF ALL TIME

1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
2. Legends of the Fall (1994)
3. Hitchcock (2012)

Explore the full list.

🏇THE GREATEST KENTUCKY DERBY WINNERS OF ALL TIME

1. Secretariat
2. Seattle Slew
3. War Admiral

Explore the full list.

🥦 THE MOST-EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS DIETS OF ALL TIME

1. Mediterranean Diet
2. Intermittent fasting
3. Low carb diet (Atkins, Keto, etc)

Explore the full list.

Note: Results are as of the published time; these lists are dynamic and may change.

B, A, D, C

• B) 1888: The Washington Monument—a marble-faced, granite obelisk that honors the first US president, George Washington—opens to the public in Washington, DC.
• A) 1936: The Boulder Dam (later called Hoover Dam) begins sending electricity to Los Angeles.
• D) 1974: Oskar Schindler, a German businessman credited with saving 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust (as portrayed in the classic Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List), dies.
• C) 2004: For the first time in Afghanistan's history, voters head to the polls to choose a president.