Good evening. In tonight’s edition:

• 💉 The origin of anesthesia
• 🧩 New puzzles
• 🎙️ The best talk-show hosts of all time

…and much more.

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Each of the following events happened on October 16. Your challenge is to put them in the order in which they occurred by year, earliest to latest. Answers at the bottom!

• A) Modern anesthesia is born, when dentist and physician William T.G. Morton demonstrates ether (the flammable chemical, not the cryptocurrency) for the first time during a public surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. His earlier efforts included stimulants, intoxication, opium, and mesmerism.
• B) An enormous crowd of 400,000–1 million people—consisting mostly of Black men—demonstrates on the National Mall in the “Million Man March,” driven by their desire to see Congress act in the interests of Black Americans, and to combat negative stereotypes of Black men. The event featured 12+ hours of speeches by leaders from all corners of the civil rights movement.
• C) Karol Józef Wojtyła of Poland is elected pope; he assumes the name John Paul II and is the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years. He goes on to be the third longest-serving pope in history (26+ years) until his death, when Pope Benedict XVI is elected.
• D) The People’s Republic of China conducts first-ever successful nuclear test, joining the rank of nations with atomic bomb capability. China is the fifth member of the a-bomb club, joining the US, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France.

Hint: To avoid bombing this quiz, go with #2.

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One if by land, two if by sea, now that's enough light on the Conjoiner for me. You got this. 👇

The first clue of today’s sequence is: “‘What Paul Revere used to warn that the British were coming (singular)”...

Mini

Duck, duck, who’s ready for today’s Mini? Take a shot at solving it below.

• Play today’s mini crossword here.

Sudoku

Every sequence of nine tells a tale. What will yours entail?

• 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 ‘TULSA KING’ CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME
• 🎥 THE GREATEST ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME
• 🍿 THE GREATEST DYLAN O’BRIEN MOVIES OF ALL TIME

🎙️THE GREATEST TALK SHOW HOSTS OF ALL TIME

1. Johnny Carson (by a long shot)
2. David Letterman
3. Oprah Winfrey (narrowly ahead of Jay Leno)

Explore the full list.

🦸🏻‍♂️THE GREATEST ‘SUPERMAN’ (2025) CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME

1. Superman/Clark Kent (far ahead of the pack)
2. Krypto the Superdog
3. Lois Lane

Explore the full list.

💘THE GREATEST ‘PERFECT MATCH’ CONTESTANTS OF ALL TIME

1. Francesca Farago (another huge victory)
   
2. Georgia Hassarati
3. Christine Obanor

Explore the full list.

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

A, D, C, B

• A) 1846: Modern anesthesia is born when William T.G. Morton demonstrates ether for the first time.
• D) 1964: The People’s Republic of China joins the rank of nations with atomic bomb capability.
• C) 1978: Karol Józef Wojtyła of Poland is elected pope and assumes the name John Paul II.
• B) 1995: An enormous crowd demonstrates on the National Mall in the “Million Man March.”