Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 September 18

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From today's featured article

Skeleton restoration of O. skarzynskii

Opisthocoelicaudia is a genus of sauropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous discovered in the Nemegt Formation in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Named and described by Polish paleontologist Maria Magdalena Borsuk-Białynicka in 1977, the type species is Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii. A well-preserved skeleton lacking only the head and neck was unearthed in 1965 by Polish and Mongolian scientists, making Opisthocoelicaudia one of the best known sauropods from the Late Cretaceous. Tooth marks on this skeleton indicate that large carnivorous dinosaurs had fed on the carcass. Two more specimens have been found, including part of a shoulder and a fragmentary tail. A relatively small sauropod, Opisthocoelicaudia measured about 11.4–13 metres (37–43 ft) in length. Like other sauropods, it would have been characterised by a small head sitting on a very long neck and a barrel-shaped trunk carried by four column-like legs. It may have been able to rear on its hind legs. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Naturaleza muerta (1645–1650) by Tomás Yepes

... that Tomás Yepes (work pictured) settled a lawsuit his elder sister brought against him by giving her some religious paintings?
... that Peanuts Gallery, a 1997 piano concerto by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, portrays Peanuts characters in movements such as "Schroeder's Beethoven Fantasy" and "Snoopy Does the Samba"?
... that sect leader Li Guangchang ruled as self-proclaimed emperor for five years in the 1980s before being arrested by the Chinese police?
... that seeds of the sea bean can be dispersed for long distances by ocean currents?
... that Coventry City won the 2017 EFL Trophy Final, earning their first major trophy since winning the 1987 FA Cup Final, despite being relegated from League One to League Two that season?
... that among rock critic Jacoba Atlas's many concert reviews was a "disastrous appearance" by Joe Cocker?
... that at Osthofen concentration camp, the camp doctor declared all new arrivals healthy and medically fit for imprisonment, even if they had been mistreated before?
... that Hurricane Sandy blew the roof off Paradise?

In the news

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

Yoshihide Suga

Yoshihide Suga (pictured) becomes Prime Minister of Japan, replacing Shinzo Abe.
Astronomers report the detection of phosphine, a possible signature of organic life, in the atmosphere of Venus.
In tennis, Naomi Osaka wins the Women's Singles and Dominic Thiem wins the Men's Singles at the US Open.

On this day

September 18

Old Faithful erupting

1048 – Byzantine–Seljuq wars: Byzantine forces defeated their Seljuq opponents in the flanks of the nocturnal Battle of Kapetron, but learned of their Georgian allies' defeat in the centre the next morning.
1870 – Nathaniel P. Langford of the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition first observed a geyser in the Wyoming Territory erupting at regular intervals, naming it Old Faithful (video featured).
1895 – Daniel David Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment, on deaf janitor Harvey Lillard.
1918 – World War I: The Central Powers' defeat at the Battle of Dobro Pole played a role in the Bulgarian withdrawal from the war and led to the subsequent liberation of Vardar Macedonia.

Kate Booth (b. 1858)
Blue Panther (b. 1960)
Haim Hefer (d. 2012)

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From today's featured list

Dan Harmon

The American comedy television series Community was nominated for and won a variety of awards during its run. The series, created by Dan Harmon (pictured), ran on NBC and Yahoo! Screen from September 17, 2009, to June 2, 2015, and centers around the members of a diverse study group attending Greendale Community College. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, including a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory", and won one for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas". It was also nominated for ten Critics' Choice Television Awards, winning for Best Comedy Series in 2012. In addition, the series received six Satellite Award nominations (winning one), three TCA Award nominations, two People's Choice Award nominations, and one Hugo Award nomination, among others. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Mount Stuart House is a country house built in the Gothic Revival style situated on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute. The original house was constructed by Alexander McGill in 1719, but was redesigned by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and rebuilt for the 3rd Marquess following a fire on 3 December 1877. It is built from reddish-brown stone; major features include the colonnaded Marble Hall at the centre of the main block, and the Marble Chapel with its elaborate spired tower. It was the first home in Scotland to be lit by electricity and claims to have been the first to have an indoor heated pool.

Photograph credit: Colin

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