Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 August 29

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Today's featured article
Orval Grove (1919–1992) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for ten seasons in the American League with the Chicago White Sox. In 207 career games, Grove pitched 1,176 innings and posted a win–loss record of 63–73, with 66 complete games, 11 shutouts, and a 3.78 earned run average (ERA). The only freshman on the Proviso East High School varsity baseball team, Grove's pitching ability attracted the attention of the White Sox. After signing with the team in 1937, Grove moved between the major leagues and minor leagues for a few seasons until 1943. Grove had a career-year in 1943, finishing the season with career-bests in ERA, wins, and complete games; in 1944, he made his only All-Star appearance. Grove spent four more full seasons with the White Sox, and after pitching one game in 1949, was sent to the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League. After playing four seasons with them, he formally retired from professional baseball. After retirement, he worked with his uncle in a trucking business in Chicago while continuing to pitch at the semi-pro level. (more...) Recently featured: 1911 Atlantic hurricane season – 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake – Albert, Prince Consort Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Sweden's Gun Hägglund (pictured) was the world's first female TV news presenter? ... that for most of its history, Ixtonton was the most important Maya city in the upper Mopan Valley of Guatemala? ... that the largest roller derby competition ever held outside of the United States was hosted by Adelaide Roller Derby and won by the Victorian VRDL All Stars? ... that the cotton manufacturer John Horrocks is commemorated twice by St Mary's Church, Penwortham, Lancashire? ... that Kristian House did not finish first in the London – Surrey Cycle Classic but did win its King of the Mountains award? ... that, shortly before sunrise, mass spawning by sea grapes may create a green cloud? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Anna Hazare Indian civil activist Anna Hazare (pictured) ends his 12-day fast after the Parliament of India adopts a resolution to pass an ombudsman bill. Tony Tan Keng Yam is elected President of Singapore. Samples of asteroid 25143 Itokawa retrieved by the Hayabusa probe confirm that most meteorites originate from S-type asteroids. Naoto Kan resigns as Prime Minister of Japan. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 29: Feast day for the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Gregorian calendar); National Heroes' Day in the Philippines (2011) 1533 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Conquistador Francisco Pizarro executed the last Inca Emperor Atahualpa (pictured) in Cajamarca. 1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patented the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen. 1930 – The last 36 residents of St Kilda, Scotland, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, voluntarily evacuated to Morvern. 1984 – Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh deliberately contaminated salad bars in The Dalles, Oregon with salmonella, the first and single largest bioterrorist attack in United States history. 1996 – Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashed on approach to Svalbard Airport, Norway, killing all 141 aboard. More anniversaries: August 28 – August 29 – August 30 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 29, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list

To date, a total of 778 individual episodes of the British BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who (TARDIS pictured) have been broadcast, encompassing 218 stories and including one television movie. The show's high episode count resulted in Doctor Who holding the world record for the highest number of episodes for a science fiction programme. For comparison, the Guinness World Record holder for the highest number of consecutive episodes, Stargate SG-1, aired 214 episodes. Each story in the original version (1963–1989) is a multi-episode serial, with an episode usually lasting 25 minutes. During the early series of the programme, most serials were linked together and one typically would lead directly into the next. Beginning with the 2005 revival, the production team abandoned the traditional serial format for a largely self-contained episodic format with occasional multi-part stories and loose story arcs. The new episodes usually are 45 minutes long. (more...)

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Today's featured picture

A poster celebrating the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball winning the National League title in the 1909 season. Led by Honus Wagner (top right) and Fred Clarke (middle, third from left), the Pirates scored the most runs among all teams. Also shown are Frank Chance of the Chicago Cubs (bottom) and John McGraw of the New York Giants (center), two of the Pirates' rivals, being made to walk the plank.

Image: C. Rollins; Restoration: Staxringold

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