Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 August 3

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Today's featured article
Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1866–1944) was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his handling of the Black Sox scandal (in which members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series); he expelled eight players from organized baseball and repeatedly refused their reinstatement requests. His firm actions and iron rule over baseball in the near quarter-century of his commissionership are generally credited with restoring public confidence in the game. As a judge, Landis had received national attention in 1907 when he fined Standard Oil of Indiana more than $29 million. During and after World War I, Landis, an ardent patriot, presided over a number of high-profile trials of draft resisters and others whom he saw as opposing the war effort. He dealt out heavy sentences to the defendants, though some of the convictions were reversed on appeal; other sentences were commuted. Landis's decisions in the Black Sox matter remain controversial: advocates of Black Sox "Shoeless Joe" Jackson and Buck Weaver contend that he was overly harsh with them. (more...) Recently featured: Egyptian temple – Parasaurolophus – Definition of planet Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Mermaid Inn (pictured) in England has a strong connection with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang which used the inn in the 1740s? ... that in Normandy on 7 June 1944, the surgeons of the 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance kept on operating, despite being surrounded on three sides by German forces, the nearest being only 300 yards (270 m) away? ... that the sea cucumber Synaptula lamperti feeds on detritus from the elephant ear sponge? ... that author Babette Rosmond (1921–97) was an important early advocate against traditional treatments for breast cancer? ... that Eynesbury Rovers are the most westerly football club ever to play in the Eastern Counties League? ... that while Pauline Ashwell was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best New Author in 1958, her first story was actually published in 1942 when she was only fourteen years old? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Yani Tseng After months of negotiations, the United States Congress raises the U.S. debt ceiling to avoid a projected default. The discovery of the largest ever fungal fruit body, measuring over 10 meters in length, is announced. Yani Tseng (pictured) wins the Women's British Open, becoming the youngest golfer to win five major championships. A series of attacks, believed to be by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, occurs in China's Xinjiang region, two weeks after similar attacks. U2's 360° Tour, the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of all time, concludes. Tropical Storm Nock-ten causes 41 deaths in the Philippines and the evacuation of more than 27,000 people in China. Horn of Africa famine Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 3: Independence Day in Niger (1960); Flag Day in Venezuela 1929 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, tapped to be the messianic "World Teacher", shocked the Theosophy movement by dissolving the Order of the Star, the organisation established to support him. 1936 – African American athlete Jesse Owens (pictured) won the first of his four gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, dashing Nazi leaders' hopes of Aryan domination. 1940 – World War II: Italy began their invasion of British Somaliland. 2005 – President of Mauritania Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was overthrown in a military coup while he was attending the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. 2007 – Former Deputy Director of the Chilean secret police Raúl Iturriaga was captured after having been on the run following a conviction for kidnapping. More anniversaries: August 2 – August 3 – August 4 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 3, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A panoramic view of Lake Pedder in South West Tasmania, the largest freshwater lake in Australia, as seen from Mount Eliza in Southwest National Park. The lake is actually an impoundment created by three separate dams built to generate hydroelectricity, incorporating a previous, smaller lake with the same name. It is named after John Pedder, the first Chief Justice of Tasmania.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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