Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 March 15

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Allah jang Palsoe (Malay for The False God) is a 1919 stage drama from the Dutch East Indies that was written by the ethnic Chinese author Kwee Tek Hoay, based on E. Phillips Oppenheim's short story "The False Gods". Over six acts, the Malay-language play follows two brothers, one a devout son who holds firmly to his morals and personal honour, the other a man who worships money and prioritises personal gain. The two learn over the course of a decade that money (the titular false god) is not the path to happiness. Kwee Tek Hoay's first stage play, Allah jang Palsoe was written as a realist response to whimsical contemporary theatre. Though the published stageplay sold poorly and the play was deemed difficult to perform, Allah jang Palsoe found success on the stage. By 1930 it had been performed by various ethnic Chinese troupes to popular acclaim, and had pioneered a body of work by authors such as Lauw Giok Lan, Tio Ie Soei, and Tjoa Tjien Mo. In 2006 the script for the play, which continues to be performed, was republished with updated spelling by the Lontar Foundation. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Bricard octahedron

... that a Bricard octahedron (pictured) can change its shape without changing the shapes of its faces?
... that Shyam Swarup Agarwal studied the genetic effects of the Bhopal gas tragedy?
... that a mountain fortress called Orange One was built for use by the President of the United States in emergency situations?
... that the mezzo-soprano Iris Vermillion, who became known for Mozart roles with Harnoncourt in 1988, received a prize for her portrayal of Schoeck's Penthesilea at the Semperoper 20 years later?
... that Mendip Hospital in Somerset was built in 1848 for 350 patients, but became crowded within a few years of opening?
... that the Day of Potsdam was used by the Nazis to symbolize continuity with German history?
... that the Sack of Shamakhi was used as the casus belli by the Russian Empire in order to launch the Russo-Persian War of 1722–1723?
... that 50 years after a mural by Fay E. Davis depicting Native Americans in battle was installed in the post office in Oglesby, Illinois, a janitor claimed it was pornographic?

In the news

Turkish protesters in Istanbul

The Netherlands and Turkey expel each others' diplomats in response to a diplomatic incident (protesters pictured).
South Korea's Constitutional Court removes President Park Geun-hye from office.
Donald Tusk is re-elected as President of the European Council despite opposition from his home country, Poland.
Physicists announce the first synthesis of time crystals.
An attack on a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, kills 49 people and injures more than 60 others.

On this day...

March 15: Ides of March

Talaat Pasha

856 – Byzantine emperor Michael III overthrew the regency of his mother Theodora to assume power for himself.
1311 – The Catalan Company defeated Walter V, Count of Brienne in the Battle of Halmyros and took control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.
1921 – Talaat Pasha (pictured), considered the main perpetrator of the Armenian Genocide, was assassinated by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
1927 – In rowing, Oxford defeated Cambridge in the first Women's Boat Race held on the Isis in Oxford.
1972 – The Godfather, a gangster film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was released.

Christian Michelsen (b. 1857) · Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. 1933) · Arthur Compton (d. 1962)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Caesio teres is a pelagic marine fish belonging to the family Caesionidae. Widely distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific Ocean, this species feeds on zooplankton. It can grow to 40 cm in length.

Photograph: Nick Hobgood

Recently featured:

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.