Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 September 19

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Today's featured article
The Concert in Central Park is the first live album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in February 1982 on Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in September 1981 at a free benefit concert in Central Park, New York City, where the pair performed in front of more than 500,000 people. Proceeds from the endeavor went toward the redevelopment and maintenance of the run-down green space in the middle of Manhattan. This concert and album marked the start of a short-lived reunion for Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. The concept of a benefit concert in Central Park had been proposed by Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis and promoter Ron Delsener. Television channel HBO agreed to carry the concert, and worked with Delsener to decide on Simon & Garfunkel as the appropriate act for this event. Besides hit songs from their years as a duo, their set-list included material from their solo and duo careers, and covers. (more...) Recently featured: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve – Pilgrim at Tinker Creek – Chrisye Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that fragments of wall painting from the Japanese Buddhist temple of Kamiyodo Haiji (site pictured) have been dated to the late Asuka period, as early as those of Hōryū-ji? ... that 2009's Marathi film Gandha, written and directed by Sachin Kundalkar, blends three different stories with a common factor of the human sense of smell? ... that after New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections, suffragist Kate Sheppard enrolled women at Tuam Street Hall? ... that in 1997 Zaire-born baseball player Ntema Ndungidi became the highest ranked Major League Baseball draftee from Quebec? ... that the early talkie Karnadi Anemer Bangkong was based on a popular novel but ultimately controversial? ... that 15-time Paralympic medallist swimmer Sebastián Rodríguez lost the use of his legs after going on hunger strike during an 84-year prison sentence? ... that the red cushion star turns part of its stomach inside out and engulfs sponges, other invertebrates and detritus? ... that an elephant-headed goddess, often referred to as the female Ganesha, exists in the Hindu pantheon? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Silver Linings Playbook, directed by David O. Russell (pictured), wins the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Attacks on diplomatic missions and widescale protests occur following the release of a short film critical of Islam. British Prime Minister David Cameron apologises after an independent panel on the 1989 Hillsborough disaster finds that negligent police and emergency services manipulated evidence to blame the victims. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy gains a plurality in the Dutch general election. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
September 19: Paryushana begins (Digambar Jains, 2012); Armed Forces Day in Chile; Independence Day in Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983); International Talk Like a Pirate Day 1356 – Hundred Years' War: English forces led by Edward the Black Prince (pictured) decisively won the Battle of Poitiers and captured King Jean II of France. 1692 – Salem witch trials: As Giles Corey was being crushed to death for refusing to enter a plea to charges of witchcraft, his last words were reportedly, "More weight!" 1846 – Two French shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, experienced a Marian apparition on a mountaintop near La Salette, France, now known as Our Lady of La Salette. 1964 – An armed revolt by Montagnards serving in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against the rule of Nguyen Khanh led to the deaths of 70 ethnic Vietnamese soldiers. 1982 – `:-)` and `:-(` were first proposed by Scott Fahlman for use as emoticons. 1991 – Ötzi, a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC, was discovered by two German tourists. More anniversaries: September 18 – September 19 – September 20 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 19, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An animation of creating a maze using a depth-first search maze generation algorithm, one of the simplest ways to generate a maze using a computer. Mazes generated in this manner have a low branching factor and contain many long corridors, which makes it good for generating mazes in video games. In these mazes, it will typically be relatively easy to find the origin point, since most paths lead to or from there, but it is hard to find the way out.

Animation: Purpy Pupple

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