Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 July 1

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From today's featured article

The Man in the Moone is a book by the English Church of England bishop Francis Godwin (1562–1633). Initially considered to be one of his early works, it is now thought to date from the late 1620s. It was first published posthumously in 1638 under the pseudonym of Domingo Gonsales. The work made a contribution to the branch of astronomy influenced by Nicolaus Copernicus, the only astronomer mentioned by name. Gonsales is a Spaniard forced to flee the country after killing a man in a duel. Having made his fortune in the East Indies he decides to return to Spain, but falls ill on the voyage home and is set off on St Helena to recover. He resumes his journey, but his ship is attacked by a British fleet off the coast of Tenerife. He uses a flying machine he has devised to escape, but once safely landed he is approached by hostile natives and is forced to take off again. This time the birds powering his machine fly higher and higher, ultimately reaching the Moon. There Gonsales encounters the Lunars, a tall Christian people inhabiting what appears to be a utopian paradise. Some critics consider The Man in the Moone to be one of the first works of science fiction. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

The fort at Dhat al-Hajj, 1907

... that Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent had a fort built at Dhat al-Hajj (pictured), a rest stop on the Hajj caravan road?
... that Omar Mateen, who in June 2016 committed the deadliest mass shooting in the United States by a single gunman, previously appeared in the documentary film The Big Fix?
... that Portadown F.C. will start the 2016–17 NIFL Premiership on −12 points for paying an amateur player?
... that Ruthie Tompson was offered a job by Walt Disney while working at the riding club where he played polo?
... that Bikini Kill recorded three different versions of their song "Rebel Girl"?
... that Dwight D. Eisenhower requested Dean Fausett's Derby View painting hang in his office in the White House during his administration?
... that fans of Overwatch have turned one of its characters, D.Va, into an internet meme, often featuring her eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew?

In the news

David Cameron announcing his resignation

An armed attack at Istanbul Atatürk Airport leaves at least 42 people dead and 230 others injured.
The conservative People's Party, led by Mariano Rajoy, gains the most seats in the Spanish repeat election but remains short of a majority.
Flash flooding in West Virginia kills at least 23 people.
After the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union, British Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) announces he will resign by October.
A tornado kills at least 99 people and injures approximately 800 others in Jiangsu Province, China.

On this day...

July 1: International Quds Day (2016); Canada Day; Independence Day in Rwanda (1962); 100th birthday of actress Olivia de Havilland

Kim Philby

1770 – Lexell's Comet passed closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching to a distance of 0.015 AU.
1867 – The British North America Act came into effect, uniting the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation.
1932 – Australia's national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was formed.
1963 – The British government revealed that former MI6 agent Kim Philby (pictured) had engaged in espionage for the Soviet Union.
2006 – The Qinghai–Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway and the only railway line to the Tibet Autonomous Region, was inaugurated.

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From today's featured list

Frank Borzage, one of the two winners at the 1st Academy Awards

The Academy Award for Best Director is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry. The 1st Academy Awards were held in 1929 with the award being split into "Dramatic" and "Comedy" categories; Frank Borzage (pictured) and Lewis Milestone won for Seventh Heaven and Two Arabian Knights, respectively. Nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the directors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. The Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture have been very closely linked throughout their history. Of the 88 films that have been awarded Best Picture, 63 have also been awarded Best Director. Since its inception, the award has been given to 69 directors. John Ford has received the most awards in this category with four. William Wyler was nominated on twelve occasions, more than any other individual. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The Battle of the Somme was a battle of the First World War fought between 1 July and 18 November 1916 by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. The largest battle of World War I on the Western Front, it was fought on both sides of upper reaches of the River Somme in France. More than one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

This map shows the situation on the first day on the Somme, as well as Allied gains up to 19 November 1916.

Map: Grandiose

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