Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 November 5

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From today's featured article

Spiro Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. A Republican, Agnew was born in Baltimore to a US-born mother and a Greek immigrant father. He became a lawyer, then held minor political offices before his election in 1962 as Baltimore County Executive. In 1966, he was unexpectedly elected Governor of Maryland, and was a surprise choice as Richard Nixon's running mate at the 1968 Republican National Convention. Initially regarded as a progressive, after his election, Agnew moved to the right, appealing to conservatives who were wary of stances taken by Nixon, and also gained their applause for attacking the news media for bias. He had accepted kickbacks during his time in Maryland, and he was investigated for corruption in 1973. He pleaded no contest to tax evasion and resigned from office. Despite his fall he is regarded as a significant contributor to the Republican Party's move to the right. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Avis Crocombe and husband, 1886

... that Victorian cook Avis Crocombe (pictured, right) prepared "dead man's leg" for the servants' hall at Audley End House?
... that despite being only eight miles (13 km) long, Washington State Route 546 is considered a major freight highway due to its connections to Interstate 5 and the Canadian border?
... that the name of the theropod dinosaur Cristatusaurus means "crested reptile", in reference to a thin sagittal crest located on top of its snout?
... that Greg Fitzgerald, the CEO of Bovis Homes, started his career in construction as a tea boy?
... that a ruling by the European Court of Justice allowing employers to ban staff from wearing the hijab has been described as a normalization of hijabophobia?
... that despite playing as a defender, Ildefons Lima is the leading goalscorer in the history of the Andorra national football team?
... that the complete Psalm 131 and the first verse of Psalm 133 in Hebrew comprise the text of the last movement of Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein?
... that Chicago alderman Dorsey Crowe survived falling 800 feet (240 m) from a plane and being thrown through the roof of a car?

In the news

Takuya Kai

In a referendum, New Caledonia votes against independence from France.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hiroshima Toyo Carp to win the Japan Series (MVP Takuya Kai pictured).
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, is acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, sparking widespread protests by Islamists.
India unveils the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world at 182 m (597 ft), depicting its first deputy prime minister, Vallabhbhai Patel.
Typhoon Yutu, also known as Typhoon Rosita, makes a second landfall in the Philippines, killing 6 people and leaving at least 23 others missing.

On this day

November 5: Constitution Day in the Dominican Republic (2018); Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries (1605)

Guy Fawkes

1605 – The arrest of Guy Fawkes (pictured), found during a search of the Palace of Westminster, foiled Robert Catesby's plot to destroy the House of Lords and all within it.
1757 – Seven Years' War: Prussian forces led by Frederick the Great defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire at the Battle of Rossbach.
1925 – Sidney Reilly, a "super-spy" who was one of the inspirations for James Bond, was executed by the Soviet secret police.
1950 – Korean War: The 27th British Commonwealth Brigade succeeded in preventing a Chinese break-through at Pakchon in the Battle of Pakchon.
2013 – The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, the nation's first interplanetary probe.

Anna Maria van Schurman (b. 1607) · Hans Egede (d. 1758) · James Robert Baker (d. 1997)

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From today's featured list

Sharon Stone

American actress Sharon Stone has won 10 awards from 41 nominations, including one Emmy Award, one Golden Globe Award, and two MTV Movie Awards. Stone's breakout role as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992) earned her a Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Golden Globe Award, and Saturn Award nominations. This was followed by two nominations for MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female for the films Sliver (1993) and The Specialist (1994). For her role as Ginger McKenna in Casino (1995), Stone won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and received her only Academy Award nomination for the same category. She guest starred as an attorney who believes she can communicate with God in The Practice (1997–2004), a role that earned her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Stone has also received a number of non-performance honors. She was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995 for her contribution to acting. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Balliol College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded in around 1263 by John de Balliol, a rich landowner from Barnard's Castle in County Durham, who provided the foundation and endowment for the college. When de Balliol died in 1269 his wife, Dervorguilla, continued his work in setting up the college, providing a further endowment and writing the statutes. Among the college's alumni are Harald V of Norway and former prime ministers H. H. Asquith, Harold Macmillan, and Edward Heath. John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English, was Master of the college in the 1360s.

This picture depicts the college's dining hall which was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built in 1877. The hall features a Henry Willis organ.

Photograph: David Iliff

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