Wikipedia:Main Page queue
Today (October 31)
| Featured article
October 31  Édouard Manet's 1875 illustration for "The Raven" "The Raven" is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. Noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere, it tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing his slow descent into madness. The lover is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. The raven, sitting on a bust of Pallas, seems to further instigate his distress with its repeated word "Nevermore". Throughout, Poe alludes to folklore and classical works. Poe explained in a follow-up essay, "The Philosophy of Composition", that his intention was to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes. The poem was inspired in part by a talking raven in Charles Dickens's 1841 novel Barnaby Rudge. The publication of "The Raven" made Poe widely popular in his day. The poem was soon heavily reprinted, parodied, and illustrated. Though some critics disagree about the value of the poem, it remains well known and popular. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
_on_29_April_1939.jpg) USS Reuben James in 1939
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
October 31
| |||
Tomorrow (November 1)
| Featured article
November 1 .png) Coat of arms of de Ros William de Ros, 6th Baron Ros (c. 1370 – 1 November 1414), was an English nobleman, politician and soldier. He inherited his father's feudal barony and extensive estates centred on Lincolnshire in 1394. Shortly afterwards he married Margaret, daughter of Baron Fitzalan, whose family, like that of de Ros, was well-connected and implacably opposed to King Richard II. In 1399 Richard confiscated the estates of his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, and exiled him. When Henry invaded England several months later, de Ros took his side almost immediately. After Henry declared himself King Henry IV, de Ros voted in the House of Lords for the former king's imprisonment. He became an important aide and counsellor to King Henry, and regularly spoke for him in parliament. He also supported Henry in his military campaigns, participating in the invasion of Scotland in 1400 and assisting in the suppression of Richard le Scrope's rebellion five years later. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
November 1: Samhain and Beltane in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively; Rajyotsava (Formation Day) in Karnataka, India (1956)  Ansel Adams
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Featured list
November 1  9th-century manuscript of the Nihon Shoki In Japan, seventy-one Japanese books are designated as National Treasures. The term has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897, although the definition and criteria of National Treasures have changed over time. Writing was introduced from Korea to Japan around 400 AD in the form of Chinese books, with work done in Chinese by immigrant scribes from the mainland. The earliest extant large-scale works compiled in Japan are the 8th-century historical chronicles the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki (manuscript pictured). Other early Japanese works from the Nara period include biographies of Prince Shōtoku, cultural and geographical records (fudoki) and the Man'yōshū, the first anthology of Japanese poetry. More than half of the 71 designated treasures are works of poetry and prose. Another large segment consists of historical works such as manuscripts of the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. (Full list...) | |||
| Picture of the day
November 1
| |||
.jpg)
In two days (November 2)
| Featured article
November 2  Daniel Boone (November 2, 1734 – September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman. In 1775, he blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, despite resistance from Native Americans; by the end of the 18th century, more than 200,000 people had entered Kentucky by following the route marked by Boone. He was adopted into the Shawnee tribe in 1778 but resigned after his son was killed by members. In April 1781, Boone was elected to the Virginia General Assembly. An account of his adventures was published in 1784, making him famous in America and Europe. After the Revolutionary War, he worked as a surveyor and merchant but went into debt as a Kentucky land speculator. In 1799, Boone resettled in Missouri, where he spent most of his remaining life. After his death, he was the subject of works of fiction; his adventures helped create the archetypal frontier hero of American folklore. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
 An emu killed by Australian soldiers
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
November 2
| |||
.jpg)
In three days (November 3)
| Featured article
November 3  Specimen ballot from Lake County, Illinois On November 3, 1964, Illinois chose all 177 members of the state's House of Representatives in a single at-large election. The government was required to draw new electoral districts before the election, each of which would choose three representatives, but both the legislative process and a special commission failed to produce a district map. As a result, the state's constitution mandated that all 177 representatives were to be elected from a statewide at-large district. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party each nominated 118 candidates to appear on the ballot (specimen pictured); voters were allowed to choose up to 177. All 118 Democratic candidates were elected, flipping the Illinois House of Representatives from its previous narrow Republican control, alongside the concurrent presidential election won by Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson in a landslide. This election is the only time in American history that a state legislative chamber has been elected at-large. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
November 3: Culture Day in Japan  Truman showing the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
November 3
| |||
In four days (November 4)
| Featured article
November 4  Exit 2 of Marina Bay MRT station Marina Bay MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North–South (NSL), Circle (CCL) and Thomson–East Coast (TEL) lines in Singapore. Located in the Downtown Core district near Marina Bay, it serves the Marina One Residences, Marina Bay Suites and the Marina Bay Financial Centre. It was one of the last stations to be completed in the early phases of the MRT network, opening on 4 November 1989. The station was the terminus of the NSL until the line's extension in 2014. It became an interchange station with the CCL when the two-station branch extension from Promenade station was completed in January 2012. The TEL station platforms were completed in November 2022, becoming a triple-line interchange on the MRT network. The station features art as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit programme. The sculpture Flowers in Blossom II is over the CCL mezzanine. The CCL platforms feature photographs by Nah Yong En and the TEL station features murals by Tang Ling Nah. (Full article...) |
On this day
November 4: Constitution Day in the Dominican Republic (2024); National Unity and Armed Forces Day in Italy  Barack Obama
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Featured list
November 4  Party affiliation of current United States state and territorial governors The United States has 50 states and 5 territories that each elect a governor to serve as chief executive of the state or territorial government. The sole federal district, the District of Columbia, elects a mayor to oversee their government in a similar manner. As of 2024, there are 27 states with Republican governors and 23 states with Democratic governors. The current gubernatorial term ends and new term begins in January for most states and territories, two months after their election; in Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Kentucky, the term begins in December. Governors serve four-year terms in most states and all territories; New Hampshire and Vermont have two-year terms for their governors. Most states and all but one territory also have term limits that generally allow for two consecutive terms to be served by a candidate. All 55 governors are members of the National Governors Association, a non-partisan organization which represents states and territories in discussions with the federal government. (Full list...) | |||
| Picture of the day
November 4
| |||
In five days (November 5)
| Featured article
November 5  Thomas Percy was a member of the failed Gunpowder Plot. Following King James's accession to the English throne in 1603, Percy became disenchanted with the new king, who he supposed had reneged on his promises of toleration for English Catholics. He joined Robert Catesby's conspiracy to kill the King and his ministers by blowing up the House of Lords with gunpowder. Percy helped fund the group and secured the leases to properties in London, including the undercroft beneath the House of Lords where the gunpowder was placed. When the plot was exposed on 5 November 1605, Percy fled to the Midlands, catching up with other conspirators travelling to Dunchurch. At the border of Staffordshire, they were besieged by the Sheriff of Worcester and his men. Percy was reportedly killed by the same musket ball as Catesby and was buried nearby. His body was later exhumed, and his head exhibited outside Parliament. (This article is part of a featured topic: Gunpowder Plot.)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
November 5: Election Day (United States) (2024); Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries  Aline Chrétien
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
November 5
| |||
,_parque_nacional_Ras_Muhammad,_Egipto,_2022-03-27,_DD_71.jpg)
In six days (November 6)
| Featured article
November 6 ,_jugoslawische_Schiffe.jpg) Beograd (right), Ljubljana's sister ship Ljubljana was the third and last Beograd-class destroyer built for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in the late 1930s. She was designed to operate as part of a division led by Dubrovnik, the flotilla leader. Ljubljana entered service in November 1939, was armed with a main battery of four Škoda 120 mm (4.7 in) guns in single mounts, and had a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). In 1940, Ljubljana ran aground on a reef off the Yugoslav port of Šibenik, where, badly damaged, she was taken for repairs. Yugoslavia entered World War II when the Axis powers led by Germany invaded in April 1941, and Ljubljana—still under repair—was captured by the Royal Italian Navy. After repairs were completed, she saw active service in the Royal Italian Navy under the name Lubiana, mainly as a convoy escort on routes between Italy and North Africa. She was lost on 1 April 1943, when she ran aground and was abandoned off the Tunisian coast. (This article is part of a featured topic: Ships of the Royal Yugoslav Navy.) |
On this day
November 6: Gustavus Adolphus Day in Estonia, Finland and Sweden  Tammy Baldwin
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
November 6
| |||
_-_Science_Service.jpg)
In seven days (November 7)
| Featured article
November 7  Robert A. Heinlein Starship Troopers is a science-fiction action film released on November 7, 1997. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier, it is based on the 1959 novel Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (pictured). The story follows teenager Johnny Rico and his comrades as they serve in a 23rd-century interstellar war against aliens called the Arachnids. The film stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, and Michael Ironside. Starship Troopers faced critical backlash, with reviewers seeing it as endorsing fascism, and disparaging its violent content. Despite initial box-office success, negative reviews and unfavorable word of mouth made it only the 34th-highest-grossing film of 1997. It has since been critically re-evaluated, and is now considered a cult classic and a satire of fascism and authoritarianism that has grown in relevancy. The film launched a multimedia franchise, video games, comics, and a variety of merchandise. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
|
On this day
 Johann Sebastian Bach
More anniversaries:
| ||
| Picture of the day
November 7
| |||
_in_flight_Danube_delta_2.jpg)