Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 September 22

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From today's featured article

System Shock is a 1994 first-person action role-playing video game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. It was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector (pictured) serving as producer. The game is set aboard a space station in a cyberpunk vision of the year 2072. Assuming the role of a nameless hacker, the player attempts to hinder the plans of a malevolent artificial intelligence called SHODAN. System Shock's 3D engine, physics simulation and complex gameplay have been cited as both innovative and influential. The developers sought to build on the emergent gameplay and immersive environments of their previous games, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss and Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds, by streamlining their mechanics into a more "integrated whole". Critics praised System Shock and hailed it as a major breakthrough in its genre. It was later placed on multiple hall of fame lists. The game was a moderate commercial success, with sales exceeding 170,000 copies; but Looking Glass ultimately lost money on the project. A sequel, System Shock 2, was released by Looking Glass Studios and off-shoot developer Irrational Games in 1999. (Full article...)

Part of the Looking Glass Studios video games series, one of Wikipedia's featured topics.

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that Queen Elizabeth's godmother Venetia James (pictured) was so frugal that she reused unwanted milk from her cat's dish and hosted Catholics on Fridays, when they could not eat expensive meat?
... that Beyoncé's perfume Rise was inspired by a Maya Angelou poem?
... that Randi Blehr co-founded and chaired the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, and was married to a Norwegian Prime Minister?
... that The Owl Drug Company sponsored a minor-league baseball team and ran a beauty contest in which winners received a Hollywood screen test?
... that two days into her career, the fashion model Jill Kennington was chosen for a major UK tour by Norman Hartnell, who declared, "Darling, you are going to be my mascot"?
... that several wind and rain machines were used to create the storm effects for the Neighbours tornado storyline?
... that the artist Kate Downie recently interviewed the Forth Road Bridge?

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In the news

The NASA probe MAVEN enters orbit around Mars, to study the planet's atmosphere.
The National Party, led by John Key (pictured), win a majority in the New Zealand general election.
Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom.
In cycling, Jens Voigt sets a new hour record, riding more than 51 kilometres (31.7 mi) in an hour.
The FijiFirst Party, led by Frank Bainimarama, win a majority in the Fijian general election.
The Social Democrats, led by Stefan Löfven, win a plurality in the Swedish general election.

Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Recent deaths: Ian Paisley

On this day...

September 22: OneWebDay; Independence Day in Bulgaria (1908) and Mali (1960); Day of Baltic Unity in Latvia and Lithuania

1586 – Eighty Years' War: Spanish forces were victorious against a combined Anglo-Dutch army in the Battle of Zutphen.
1792 – French Revolution: One day after the National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy, the French First Republic came into being.
1914 – World War I: German naval forces bombarded Papeete in French Polynesia.
1934 – One of Britain's worst mining accidents took place when an explosion at Gresford Colliery in Wales, killed 266 men.
1994 – The Nordhordland Bridge (pictured), which crosses Salhusfjorden between Klauvaneset and Flatøy in Hordaland, and is the second-longest bridge in Norway, was officially opened.

More anniversaries: September 21 – September 22 – September 23

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It is now September 22, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

From today's featured list

A black-and-white photograph of a barefoot man with short hair looking slightly to the right of the viewer and resting his left hand on his hip

There were 146 medalists in the art competitions that were part of the Olympic Games from 1912 until 1948. These art competitions were grouped into various categories depending on the year. Since participants were allowed multiple submissions, it was possible for artists to win more than one award in a single event, as Alex Diggelmann of Switzerland did in the graphic arts category of the 1948 edition. Diggelmann is tied with Denmark's Josef Petersen, who won second prize three times in literature, for the number of medals captured in the art competitions. Luxembourg's Jean Jacoby is the only individual to win two gold medals, doing so in painting in 1924 and 1928. Of the 146 medalists, 11 were women and only Finnish author Aale Tynni was awarded gold. Germany was the most successful nation, with eight gold, seven silver, and nine bronze medals. Two individuals, Walter W. Winans and Alfréd Hajós (pictured), won medals in both athletic and art competitions. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Cymbiola nobilis is a species of sea snail in the family Volutidae. Found in the Pacific Ocean, from Taiwan to Singapore, it averages 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length; females are larger than males. Because the shell is commonly collected, there has been an overharvesting of the snail, and it is now considered vulnerable.

Photo: H. Zell

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