The first known vending machine was described by Hero of Alexandria, an engineer in 1st-century Roman Egypt. A coin dropped onto a pan on a lever, which opened a valve to release wine or holy water. As the coin's weight tilted the pan until it fell off, a counterweight snapped the valve shut. Coin-operated tobacco dispensers were working in English taverns by 1615. The first fully automatic machine was a stamp dispenser patented by Simon Denham in 1867, and London's early 1880s postcard machines spread across railway stations and post offices. Today the US industry is estimated at 18.2 billion dollars, run from about 3 million machines.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.