Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 October 14

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The eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps) is a highly venomous snake native to the coastal regions of southern East Africa. First described by Scottish surgeon and zoologist Andrew Smith in 1849, the mamba has a slender build with bright green upperparts and yellow-green underparts. The adult female averages around 2.0 metres (6.6 ft) in length, and the male is slightly smaller. A shy and elusive species, it is rarely seen; its green colouration blends with its arboreal environment. It has been observed to lie in wait like many vipers instead of actively foraging. The eastern green mamba preys on birds, eggs, bats, and rodents such as mice, rats, and gerbils. Its venom consists of both neurotoxins and cardiotoxins. Symptoms in humans can include swelling of the bite site, dizziness and nausea, accompanied by difficulty breathing and swallowing, irregular heartbeat and convulsions. The most severe bites can quickly be fatal. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Mount Melbourne

... that mosses grow on Mount Melbourne (pictured) in the cold Antarctic, thanks to volcanic heat?
... that Turkey women's national footballer Berivan İçen scored 11 goals in a girls' under-13 league match that ended 15–0 for her team?
... that Wilson Cary Swann organized the construction of several drinking fountains in Philadelphia, in part to stop people from drinking alcohol?
... that (523764) 2014 WC₅₁₀ is a binary, trans-Neptunian object that orbits the Sun only once every 245.8 years?
... that Swiss civil engineer Jürg Conzett designed a footbridge that collapsed in a rockslide after three years of use?
... that choreographer Jerome Robbins planned Dances at a Gathering as a pas de deux for two New York City Ballet dancers, but expanded it to five couples?
... that the organ of St. Gallus in Flörsheim was built before the church?
... that photographer Heji Shin created Big Cocks, a series of portraits of roosters that she admired for their "angry cock energy"?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Portal

LeBron James

In basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Miami Heat to win the NBA Finals (MVP LeBron James pictured).
The UN World Food Programme is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger.
Poet Louise Glück is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

On this day

October 14: Defender of Ukraine Day

Harold's death as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

1066 – Norman conquest: William the Conqueror's forces defeated the English army at Hastings and killed Harold Godwinson (depicted), the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England.
1940 – Second World War: During the Blitz, a semi-armour-piercing fragmentation bomb fell on the road above Balham station in London, which was being used as an air raid shelter, killing at least 64 people.
1957 – After three days of heavy rain, the Turia overflowed and flooded the city of Valencia, Spain, causing at least 81 deaths.
2014 – A snowstorm and series of avalanches occurred on and around the Himalayan peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, resulting in the deaths of at least 43 people.

Antipope Dioscorus (d. 530)
Amaro Pargo (d. 1747)
Mary Margaret O'Reilly (b. 1865)

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Today's featured picture

Jessie Bonstelle (November 1871 – October 14, 1932) was an American theater director, actress, and drama company manager. She started performing at a young age and went on to become a famous leading lady on Broadway. She later became a director, managing many stock companies, directing Broadway productions and training many young performers who went on to successful careers. From 1906 she managed stock companies at the Star Theater in Buffalo, and from 1910 also at Detroit's Garrick Theater, moving weekly between the two cities. Later, she founded the Bonstelle Playhouse in Detroit, which opened in 1925 and was one of America's first civic theaters.

Photograph credit: Bain News Service; restored by CAPTAIN MEDUSA

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