Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 August 9

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

The Profumo affair was a 1963 British political scandal that originated with a sexual liaison between John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's government, and Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old would-be model. Profumo originally denied any impropriety, but in June 1963 admitted the truth and resigned from parliament in disgrace. Concern was heightened by Keeler's alleged simultaneous involvement with Yevgeny Ivanov, a suspected Soviet spy. Keeler knew both Profumo and Ivanov through her mentor, Stephen Ward, an osteopath and socialite. After the scandal broke, Ward's private life was investigated, and he was convicted of immorality offences. He took a fatal overdose during the final stages of his trial, which has since been perceived as an act of Establishment revenge, rather than as serving justice. In January 2014 the case was under review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Profumo redeemed himself by a long period as a volunteer worker in London's East End; he died, honoured and respected, in 2006. The repercussions of the affair contributed to Macmillan's resignation in October 1963, and to the Conservative Party's defeat in the 1964 general election. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Electra Heart – American white ibis – Voting Rights Act of 1965

Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that spectra, London's giant tower of light (pictured), will be turned off on Monday?
... that Dominic Monaghan was covered in honey to attract male drones for the production of the Lost episode "House of the Rising Sun"?
... that Frank Brill was a pitcher in Major League Baseball and later won the United States' first national bowling championship?
... that Texas All-Star Wrestling, the oldest independent promotion in Texas, was honored at the 2013 Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame?
... that Caroline Charles designed clothes for Mick Jagger and Ringo Starr, as well as the outfit worn by Emma Thompson when she accepted the Oscar for Howards End?
... that the proportion of rowers at the 2011 Boat Race who were British was the highest for a decade?
... that according to the Lesbian Film Guide, She Must Be Seeing Things was a "deeply controversial film ... dismissed outright by some as pornography"?

Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news

Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal.
The ESA spacecraft Rosetta reaches the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Yunnan, China, kills at least 589 people and injures more than 2,400 others.
At least 15 soldiers die in clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Gas explosions (aftermath pictured) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, kill at least 30 people and injure more than 300 others.
Heavy rains trigger a landslide in the Pune district of India, killing more than 130 people.

Ongoing: Libyan conflict – Gaza conflict – Ebola outbreak – Ukrainian unrest
Recent deaths: Dick Smith

On this day...

August 9: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

1173 – The construction of a campanile, which would eventually become the Leaning Tower of Pisa, began.
1854 – Henry David Thoreau published Walden, his account of having spent two years living mostly in isolation on the shores of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, US.
1914 – World War I: France launched its first attack of the war in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recover the province of Alsace from Germany.
1965 – Malaysia expelled the state of Singapore from its federation due to heated ideological conflict between their respective ruling parties.
1974 – In the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office due to the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon (pictured) became the only President of the United States to resign from office.

More anniversaries: August 8 – August 9 – August 10

Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries

It is now August 9, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

A male myrtle warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata) in breeding plumage, photographed in the Léon-Provancher Ecological Reserve, Québec, Canada. This form, found in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, is considered conspecific with the Audubon's warbler, which is found further west. The myrtle warbler can be distinguished from the Audubon's by its white eyestripe, white (not yellow) throat, and contrasting cheek patch.

Photograph: Simon Pierre Barrette

Recently featured: Stanford University – Canary Island spurge – Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.