Heavy metal's signature sound of distorted riffs and power chords began with early 1950s Memphis blues guitarists such as Pat Hare, whose gritty electric tone was captured on records like James Cotton's Cotton Crop Blues. In the mid-1960s British blues bands, led by the Kinks' 1964 hit You Really Got Me, amplified and distorted that sound further, and psychedelic acid rock added heavier, louder guitar. Cream's early albums and Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced became key prototypes. In 1968 Blue Cheer's cover of Summertime Blues is often considered the first true heavy metal recording. Critics still debate the first metal band, with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath the most commonly credited.

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.