Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 November 29

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From today's featured article

George Robey (1869–1954) was an English comedian, singer and actor in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robey mixed everyday situations and observations with comic absurdity, and was a popular Christmas pantomime performer. His notable successes during the First World War included the hit revue The Bing Boys Are Here, in which he sang "If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)". Born in London to a middle-class family, he made his debut on stage at age 21 as the straight man to a comic hypnotist. He soon developed his own music hall act. In 1892, he appeared in his first pantomime, Whittington Up-to-date. He starred in the Royal Command Performance in 1912 and regularly entertained before aristocracy. In 1913 he debuted in film, but with only modest success. From 1918, he created sketches based on his character, the Prime Minister of Mirth. He played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 in 1935, and again in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film. During the Second World War, Robey raised money for charities and promoted recruitment into the forces. He was knighted a few months before his death. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the bee Coelioxys sodalis (pictured) is a kleptoparasite?
... that the ouster of Arthur Demoulas by Arthur Demoulas led to protests by employees and customers of Market Basket?
... that the only named tributary of Messers Run is called Negro Hollow?
... that Dareka no Manazashi, the 6-minute 40-second Japanese anime film directed by Makoto Shinkai, was screened alongside his other film, The Garden of Words?
... that when the Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape was established in 1934, its boundaries were referenced to an alibanbang tree that was 35 cm (14 in) in diameter at the time?
... that Richie Farmer holds records for most points scored in the KHSAA championship game (51), and most ethics violations by a Kentucky executive branch officeholder (42)?
... that the Israel National Council for the Child says that slapping children is neither ethical nor educational, and can be destructive?

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In the news

Australian Test cricketer Phillip Hughes (pictured) dies after being struck in the neck by a ball.
Rioting breaks out in Ferguson, Missouri, and protests occur across the United States, after a grand jury returns no indictment in the case of an unarmed suspect's fatal shooting by a police officer.
Magnus Carlsen defeats Viswanathan Anand to retain the World Chess Championship title.
In motor racing, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins the Formula One championship.
Opposition candidate Klaus Iohannis is elected President of Romania.
The 9th G-20 summit concludes in Brisbane, following discussions focusing primarily on economic issues.

Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Recent deaths: P. D. James – Pat Quinn – Viktor Tikhonov

On this day...

November 29

1781 – The crew of the overcrowded British slave ship Zong killed 133 African slaves by dumping them into the sea to claim insurance.
1864 – American Indian Wars: A 700-man Colorado Territory militia attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, killing 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, and children.
1890 – The Diet of Japan (pictured in session), a bicameral legislature modelled after both the German Reichstag and the British Westminster system, first met after the Meiji Constitution went into effect.
1947 – The United Nations General Assembly voted to approve the Partition Plan for Palestine, a plan to resolve the Arab–Israeli conflict in the British Mandate of Palestine by separating the territory into Jewish and Arab states.
1972 – Atari released Pong, one of the first video games to achieve widespread popularity in both the arcade and home console markets.

More anniversaries: November 28 – November 29 – November 30

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It is now November 29, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

A Crow man on horseback on snow-covered ground, probably in the Pryor Mountains of Montana, as photographed by Edward S. Curtis c. 1908.

The Crow had adapted horses by 1740, using them as pack animals (replacing dogs) and also to hunt bison more effectively. Soon they were known as horse breeders and dealers.

Photograph: Edward S. Curtis; restoration: Keraunoscopia

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