Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 November 8

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

St Helen's Church is the Anglican parish church of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the deanery of North West Leicestershire and the Diocese of Leicester. A previous church on the site was rebuilt beginning in 1474 by William Hastings, while he was converting his neighbouring manor house into a castle. The church was refurbished in about 1670 and again in 1829 to create more space, and a major rebuild in 1878–80 added two outer aisles, making the nave wider than it is long. The sandstone church has a tower at the west end. Other fixtures include ancient stained glass at the east end, some important funereal monuments, and a font, pulpit and carved heads by Thomas Earp. The finger pillory is a rare item, once seen as a humane form of punishment. The church has a long association with the Hastings family, its patrons for four centuries, and became a centre for Puritanism under Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon. The church's architecture has earned it a Grade I listing, denoting a building of "exceptional interest". (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Ulysses S. Grant

... that during his world tour in 1878, Ulysses S. Grant (pictured) became the first U.S. President to visit Jerusalem?
... that the book Bananas, Beaches and Bases argues that banana sales have a "gendered history"?
... that Lindsay Peat has represented Ireland internationally at association football, basketball, and rugby union?
... that Frederica Wilson suggested that President Donald Trump's response to the deaths of four American soldiers in the Tongo Tongo ambush in Niger might become his Benghazi incident?
... that Manami Numakura cites becoming a fan of the Gundam franchise as a reason behind her becoming a voice actress?
... that power stations in Megawatt Valley were once responsible for up to a quarter of all electricity generated in England and Wales?
... that facing the rise of Nazi ideology, Otto Riethmüller compiled the song "Sonne der Gerechtigkeit" for young people from hymns by three authors of two earlier centuries?
... that Eel City is a popular residence for cutthroat eels?
... that Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first public aquarium to exhibit a living kelp forest, which is nearly three stories high?
... that only 20.5 percent of registered Slovenians turned out to vote in a 2017 railway referendum?

In the news

Mohammad bin Salman

The Paradise Papers—more than 13 million financial documents relating to offshore investment—are leaked.
In Sutherland Springs, Texas, United States, 26 people are killed and 20 others are injured in a mass shooting at a Baptist church.
In the midst of reforms by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (pictured), more than 40 senior Saudi princes and ministers are arrested on corruption charges.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to win the Japan Series.
The Tapanuli orangutan is identified as a new species of great ape.
At least 32 people are killed and more than 90 others are injured in an explosion at a coal-fired power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India.

On this day...

November 8:

Johann Georg Elser

960 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Having been the target of many raids by the Emirate of Aleppo, Byzantine forces led by Leo Phokas the Younger ambushed the Hamdanids and annihilated their army.
1644 – The Shunzhi Emperor, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, was enthroned in Beijing after the collapse of the Ming dynasty as the first Qing emperor to rule over China.
1939 – Johann Georg Elser (pictured) unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a time bomb, but killed eight people and injured more than sixty-two others.
1972 – HBO, the oldest and longest continuously operating pay television service in the United States, began broadcasting to 325 subscribers.
1987 – A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing twelve people and injuring sixty-three others.

Baeda Maryam I (d. 1478) · Hermann Rorschach (b. 1884) · Dorothy Kilgallen (d. 1965)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

A male saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola), a species of tanager endemic to South America. Although frequently called a canary, the species is not related to the Atlantic canary. When nesting, the saffron finch typically makes use of cavities such as abandoned rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus) nests, bamboo branches, and the underside of house roofs. Males are polygamous, mating with two females during the nesting season.

Photograph: Charles J. Sharp

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.