Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 October 25

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From today's featured article

Georges Bizet (1838–75) was a French composer, mainly of opera, whose final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed in the opera repertory. As a young composer during the 1860s he struggled for recognition; he began many theatrical projects, but found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established classics to the works of newcomers. Two early operas—Les pêcheurs de perles and La jolie fille de Perth—failed to achieve initial success on the stage. The production of Carmen was delayed through fears that its themes of betrayal and murder would offend audiences; after its premiere in 1875, Bizet was convinced that the work was a failure. He died of a heart attack three months later, aged 36, unaware that Carmen would prove an enduring success. After his death Bizet's other work was largely forgotten. Manuscripts were given away or lost, and published versions were often the result of revision by other hands. As his operas began to be performed more frequently in the 20th century, commentators increasingly acclaimed Bizet as a brilliant and original composer, whose premature death was a significant loss to French musical theatre. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that painting a feast of the Gods (example illustrated) allowed artists to display their virtuosity by showing a generous range of nude figures in complicated poses?
... that Virginia merchant Andrew Wodrow auctioned his entire inventory of imported British goods in 1775 to aid the American Revolutionary patriot cause in Boston?
... that during the Swami Vivekananda Youth Employment Week in April 2012, 65,000 youths were handed job appointment letters in Gujarat, India?
... that when the 1969 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated Ole Miss, a national record was set for passes completed between both teams with 55?
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... that the Jewish Historical Museum in Belgrade is the only Jewish museum in Serbia?
... that Colombian-born artist María Fernanda Cardoso trained her own flea circus for an installation?

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In the news

Record smog closes schools, highways and the airport in Harbin, China (pictured).
Chad, Nigeria, Chile, Lithuania, and Saudi Arabia are elected to the United Nations Security Council, but Saudi Arabia declines its seat.
Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes on approach to Pakse Airport, Laos, killing all 49 people on board.
U.S. President Barack Obama signs a bill passed by Congress to reopen the federal government and raise the debt limit.
New Zealand author Eleanor Catton becomes the youngest winner of the Man Booker Prize.

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On this day...

October 25: Retrocession Day in Taiwan (1945)

1760 – George III became King of Great Britain and Ireland.
1875 – The first performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, one of his most popular compositions, was given in Boston with Hans von Bülow (pictured) as soloist.
1920 – Irish playwright and politician Terence MacSwiney died after 74 days on hunger strike in Brixton Prison, bringing the Irish struggle for independence to international attention.
1944 – USS Tang, the United States Navy submarine credited with sinking more ships than any other American submarine, sank when it was struck by its own torpedo.
1971 – The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as China's representative at the United Nations.
1983 – The United States and Caribbean allies invaded Grenada, six days after Bernard Coard seized power in a violent coup d'état.

More anniversaries: October 24 – October 25 – October 26

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It is now October 25, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

A Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) male (top) and female. In this common Australian species of estrildid finch, nest-building and raising of young is done collaboratively.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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