Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 2013

Today's featured article archive

April 1

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April 2

Neville Cardus (1888–1975) was an English writer and critic. He became cricket correspondent of The Manchester Guardian in 1919, and its chief music critic in 1927, holding both posts until 1940. His contributions to these two distinct fields in the years before the Second World War established his reputation as one of the foremost critics of his generation. He considered music criticism as his principal vocation. Without any formal musical training, he was initially influenced by Samuel Langford and Ernest Newman, but developed his own individual style of criticism—subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast to the objective analysis practised by Newman. Cardus's opinions and judgments were often forthright and unsparing, which sometimes caused friction with leading performers. Nevertheless his personal charm and gregarious manner enabled him to form lasting friendships in the cricketing and musical worlds, with among others Newman, Thomas Beecham and Donald Bradman. Cardus spent the Second World War years in Australia, where he wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald and gave regular radio talks. In his last years he became an inspirational figure to aspiring young writers. (Full article...)

Recently featured: ? (film) – Last voyage of the Karluk – Joseph B. Foraker – Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych

April 3

Thomas C. Kinkaid (1888–1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Born into a naval family, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1908. He saw action during the 1916 occupation of the Dominican Republic, and in World War I, when he was attached to the Royal Navy. During World War II, his cruisers defended the aircraft carriers USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea and USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway. He then took command of Task Force 16, built around the carrier USS Enterprise, during the long and difficult Solomon Islands campaign. He commanded the North Pacific Force during operations that regained control of the Aleutian Islands. In November 1943, he became Commander Allied Naval Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, and Commander of the Seventh Fleet, directing U.S. and Australian forces supporting the New Guinea and the Philippine campaigns, during which he conducted numerous amphibious operations. He commanded an Allied fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last naval battle between battleships. He continued in service after the war until his retirement in 1950. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Neville Cardus – ? (film) – Last voyage of the Karluk – Joseph B. Foraker

April 4

Maya Angelou (born 1928) is an American author and poet. She has published six autobiographies, five books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She has received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of seventeen, and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Angelou's list of occupations includes pimp, prostitute, night-club dancer and performer, castmember of the musical Porgy and Bess, coordinator for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, author, journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the days of decolonization, and actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration, becoming the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Thomas C. Kinkaid – Neville Cardus – ? (film) – Last voyage of the Karluk

April 5

Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (1863–1950) was the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and his first wife Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. Victoria married Prince Louis of Battenberg, her father's first cousin and an officer in the UK's Royal Navy, in a love match and lived most of her married life in various parts of Europe at her husband's naval posts and visiting her many royal relations. She was perceived by her family as liberal in outlook, straightforward, practical and bright. During World War I, two of her sisters who had married into the Russian imperial family were murdered by communist revolutionaries, and she and her husband abandoned their German titles and adopted the British-sounding surname of Mountbatten, which was simply a translation into English of the German "Battenberg". She was the maternal grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Maya Angelou – Thomas C. Kinkaid – Neville Cardus

April 6

Carmen is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, first performed on 3 March 1875. It was not at first particularly successful and Bizet knew nothing of its later success as he died before its initial run was concluded. The opera tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naive soldier seduced by the fiery gypsy Carmen (first played by Célestine Galli-Marié, pictured in costume). José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality and lawlessness, and the tragic outcome, broke new ground in French opera, and after the premiere most reviews were critical. Carmen initially gained its reputation outside France, and was not revived in Paris until 1883; thereafter it rapidly acquired celebrity at home and abroad, and continues to be one of the most frequently performed operas. The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented musically the emotions and suffering of his characters. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine – Maya Angelou – Thomas C. Kinkaid

April 7

Canis Minor is a small constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere. In the second century, it was included as an asterism, or pattern, of two stars in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for "smaller dog" (1801 illustration shown) in contrast to Canis Major, the "larger dog". Canis Minor contains only two stars brighter than fourth magnitude, Procyon and Gomeisa. Procyon is the seventh-brightest star in the night sky, as well as one of the closest. A yellow-white main sequence star, it has a white dwarf companion. Gomeisa is a blue-white main sequence star. Luyten's Star is a ninth-magnitude red dwarf and the Solar System's next closest stellar neighbour in the constellation after Procyon. The fourth-magnitude HD 66141, which has evolved into an orange giant towards the end of its life cycle, was discovered to have a planet in 2012. There are two faint deep sky objects within the constellation's borders. The 11 Canis-Minorids are a meteor shower that can be seen in early December. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Carmen – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine – Maya Angelou

April 8

Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect the New England region of the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and slowly strengthened as it moved northwestward, developing into a major hurricane. While paralleling the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, the storm produced strong winds and rough seas that caused minor coastal flooding and slight damage to houses. It made landfall on Long Island, New York, and Connecticut on August 31 near peak intensity. Early on the following day, Carol transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over New Hampshire. In New York, storm surge flooded LaGuardia Airport and inundated Montauk Highway, leaving the eastern portion of Long Island isolated. There were 65 deaths and 1,000 injuries in New England. About 150,000 people were left without electricity in the region, and over 1,500 houses were destroyed. Overall, Carol caused 68 fatalities and damage totaled about $460 million (1954 USD), making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history at the time. Following the storm, Carol became the first name to be removed from the naming lists in the Atlantic basin. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Canis Minor – Carmen – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine

April 9

The pilot episode of the American mockumentary comedy television series Parks and Recreation originally aired on April 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels. The episode introduces the protagonist Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler (pictured), a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Knope sets out to turn a construction pit into a park after local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) complains about it. Her anti-government boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) reluctantly allows her to form an exploratory committee after her friend and colleague Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) secretly intervenes. Daniels and Schur began writing the script in the summer of 2008, when they were in the early stages of conceiving the series. The episode received generally mixed reviews, although Poehler was widely praised by most television critics. According to Nielsen Media Research, it was watched by 6.77 million households in its original airing. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Hurricane Carol – Canis Minor – Carmen

April 10

The Birmingham campaign was a strategic movement in the spring of 1963 organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to draw attention to the unequal treatment of black Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. Organizers led by Martin Luther King, Jr. (pictured) used nonviolent direct action tactics, beginning with a boycott of businesses. Sit-ins and marches followed, intended to provoke mass arrests. After the campaign ran low on adult volunteers, high school, college, and elementary students were trained to participate, resulting in hundreds of arrests and greater media attention. To dissuade demonstrators and control the protests the local police used water jets and dogs on children and bystanders. In some cases, bystanders attacked the police, who responded with force. Scenes of the ensuing mayhem caused an international outcry, leading to intervention by the Kennedy administration. By the end of the campaign, King's reputation surged, the "Jim Crow" signs in Birmingham came down, and public places became more open to blacks. The campaign brought national force to bear on the issue of racial segregation and was a major factor in the push towards the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Full article...)

Recently featured: "Pilot" (Parks and Recreation) – Hurricane Carol – Canis Minor

April 11

SMS Blücher was the last armored cruiser built by the Imperial German Navy. She was designed to match what German intelligence incorrectly believed to be the specifications of the British Invincible-class battlecruisers. Blücher was larger than earlier armored cruisers and carried more heavy guns, but was unable to match the size and armament of the new battlecruisers. The ship was named for Gebhard von Blücher, commander of Prussian forces at the Battle of Waterloo. After being commissioned in 1909, Blücher served in the I Scouting Group for most of her career, including World War I. She took part in the bombardment of Yarmouth and the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in 1914. At the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, she was slowed significantly after being hit by British gunfire. Franz von Hipper, the German commander, decided to abandon Blücher to the pursuing enemy ships in order to save his more valuable battlecruisers. She was sunk and British destroyers began recovering the survivors, although they were forced to withdraw when a German zeppelin began bombing them, mistaking Blücher for a British ship. Estimates of the number of casualties range from 747 to around 1,000. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Birmingham campaign – "Pilot" (Parks and Recreation) – Hurricane Carol

April 12

John Le Mesurier (1912–83) was an English actor perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC situation comedy Dad's Army between 1968 and 1977. He debuted on stage in 1934, and became one of television's pioneering actors when he appeared in The Marvellous History of St Bernard in 1938. From there, Le Mesurier had a prolific film career and appeared in over 120 films across a range of genres, normally in smaller supporting parts in comedies; his roles often portrayed figures of authority such as army officers, policemen and judges. He took a relaxed approach to acting and described himself as a "jobbing actor", a term he used for the title of his autobiography. On one of the few occasions he played the lead role in his career, he received a British Academy of Film and Television Arts "Best Television Actor" award for his performance in the Dennis Potter television play Traitor. He later said that the parts he played were those of "a decent chap all at sea in a chaotic world not of his own making". After his death, critics reflected that for an actor who normally took minor roles, the viewing public were "enormously fond of him". (Full article...)

Recently featured: SMS Blücher – Birmingham campaign – "Pilot" (Parks and Recreation)

April 13

Johann von Klenau (1758–1819) was a field marshal in the Habsburg army, and fought in Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. In the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he distinguished himself at the First Battle of Wissembourg in 1793, and led a battle-winning charge at Handschuhsheim in 1795. As commander of the Coalition's left flank in the Adige campaign in northern Italy in 1799, he was instrumental in isolating the French-held fortresses on the Po River by organizing and supporting a peasant uprising. He led key elements of the army at the victory at Aspern-Esslingen and its defeat at Wagram, where his troops covered the retreat of the main force. He commanded the IV Corps at the 1813 Battle of Dresden and at the Battle of Nations at Leipzig, preventing the French from outflanking the main Austrian force on the first day of the engagement. He then organized and implemented the successful Dresden blockade and negotiated the French capitulation there. In the 1814–15 campaign, he commanded the Corps Klenau of the Army of Italy. After the war in 1815, Klenau was appointed commanding general in Moravia and Silesia. (Full article...)

Recently featured: John Le Mesurier – SMS Blücher – Birmingham campaign

April 14

Thurman Tucker (1917–93) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for nine seasons in the American League with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. In 701 career games, Tucker recorded a batting average of .255 and accumulated 24 triples, 9 home runs, and 179 runs batted in. He was nicknamed "Joe E." Tucker because of his resemblance to comedian Joe E. Brown. Born and raised in Gordon, Texas, he was a three-sport athlete at high school, playing baseball (where he was a second baseman), basketball, and track and field. Tucker first played baseball professionally with the Siloam Springs Travelers. After playing in minor league baseball, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox before the 1941 season. His major league debut came the following year and he spent two years as the White Sox's starting center fielder until he enlisted in the armed forces during World War II. Upon his return, Tucker played two more seasons for the White Sox. Subsequently, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, for whom he played four years, and continued to play minor league baseball throughout the 1950s. After his retirement, he became a major league scout and insurance agent. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Johann von Klenau – John Le Mesurier – SMS Blücher

April 15

The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the five extant rhinoceroses. Members of the species once inhabited rainforests, swamps, and cloud forests in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. They are now critically endangered, with only six substantial populations in the wild: four on Sumatra, one on Borneo, and one in the Malay Peninsula. Their numbers are difficult to determine because they are solitary animals that are widely scattered across their range, but they are estimated to number fewer than 275, and possibly as low as 200. The decline in numbers is attributed primarily to poaching for their horns, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. The Sumatran rhino is a mostly solitary animal except for courtship and offspring-rearing. Like the African species, it has two horns; the larger is the nasal horn, typically 15–25 centimetres (5.9–9.8 in), while the other horn is typically a stub. A coat of reddish-brown hair covers most of its body. It is the most vocal rhino species and also communicates through marking soil with its feet, twisting saplings into patterns, and leaving excrement. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Thurman Tucker – Johann von Klenau – John Le Mesurier

April 16

Be Here Now is the third studio album by English rock band Oasis (vocalist Liam Gallagher pictured), released in August 1997. The album was highly anticipated by music critics and fans after the band's worldwide success with Definitely Maybe (1994) and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). Be Here Now became the United Kingdom's fastest selling album to date, selling over 350,000 units on the first day of release. Oasis' management company Ignition sought to control access to the album before its release to prevent overexposure, but its tactics resulted in the alienation of members of the media. Although initial reviews were positive, retrospectively the album is viewed by much of the music press and by most members of the band as over-indulgent and bloated. In 2007, Q magazine, having given it five stars on its release, said that it is often thought of as "a disastrous, overblown folly—the moment when Oasis, their judgement clouded by drugs and blanket adulation, ran aground on their own sky-high self-belief." The album's producer Owen Morris said of the recording sessions: "The only reason anyone was there was the money." (Full article...)

Recently featured: Sumatran rhinoceros – Thurman Tucker – Johann von Klenau

April 17

Thistle is a ghost town in Utah County, Utah, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Salt Lake City in the United States. During the era of steam locomotives, the town's primary industry was servicing trains for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The fortunes of the town were closely linked with those of the railroad until the changeover to diesel locomotives, when the town started to decline. Just downstream from Thistle, a slump had been in slow motion for years, but had not been seriously investigated. The landslide situation deteriorated rapidly in April 1983, with the town evacuated on April 17. The landslide dammed the Spanish Fork River and almost completely destroyed the town; only a few structures were left partially standing (schoolhouse pictured). It also severed key transportation arteries and left parts of eastern Utah isolated for months until replacements could be built. Federal and state government agencies have claimed that it was the most costly landslide in U.S. history, and it resulted in the first presidential declared disaster area in the state of Utah. The remains of Thistle are visible from U.S. Route 6 or from the California Zephyr passenger train. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Be Here Now – Sumatran rhinoceros – Thurman Tucker

April 18

Inocybe saliceticola is a fungal species found in moist habitats in Nordic countries. The species produces brown mushrooms with caps of varying shapes up to 40 millimetres (1.6 in) across, and tall, thin stems up to 62 millimetres (2.4 in) long, at the base of which is a large and well-defined "bulb". The stem varies in colour, with whitish, pale yellow-brown, pale red-brown, pale brown and grey-brown all observed. The species produces unusually shaped, irregular spores, each with a few thick protrusions. This feature helps differentiate it from other species that would otherwise be similar in appearance and habit. It grows in mycorrhizal association with willow, and it is for this that the species is named. However, particular species favoured by the fungus are unclear and may include beech and alder taxa. The mushrooms grow from the ground, often among mosses or detritus. The species was first described in 2009, and within the genus Inocybe, it is a part of the section Marginatae. The holotype (pictured) was collected from the shore of a lake near Nurmes, Finland. The species has also been recorded in Sweden and, at least in some areas, it is relatively common. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Thistle, Utah – Be Here Now – Sumatran rhinoceros

April 19

God of War: Chains of Olympus is a 2008 third-person action-adventure video game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is the fourth installment in the God of War series and a prequel to the original God of War. The player controls Kratos, a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian Gods. Kratos is instructed to find the Sun God Helios, as the Dream God Morpheus has caused many of the gods to slumber in Helios' absence. Morpheus, the Queen of the Underworld Persephone and the Titan Atlas plan to destroy Mount Olympus. The gameplay is very similar to that of its predecessors, with a focus on combo-based combat. The game features quick time events that require the player to complete game controller actions in a timed sequence to defeat stronger enemies and bosses. The player can use magical attacks, and the game also features puzzles and platforming elements. Debuting at No. 5 on the North American charts, Chains of Olympus achieved the highest composite score for a PSP title from Metacritic and GameRankings. Considered one of the best games on the platform, it has won several awards and had sold 3.2 million copies worldwide by June 2012. (Full article...)

Part of the God of War franchise featured topic.

Recently featured: Inocybe saliceticola – Thistle, Utah – Be Here Now

April 20

Fairfax Harrison (1869–1938) was an American lawyer, businessman, and writer. The son of the secretary to the Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Harrison studied law at Yale University and Columbia University before becoming a lawyer for the Southern Railway Company in 1896. By 1906 he was Southern's vice-president of finance, and in 1907 helped secure funding to keep the company solvent. In 1913 he was elected president of Southern, where he instituted a number of reforms in company operations. By 1916, under Harrison's leadership, the Southern had expanded to an 8,000-mile (13,000 km) network across 13 states, its greatest extent until the 1950s. Following America's entry into World War I the federal government took control of the railroads in December 1917, running them through the United States Railroad Administration, on which Harrison served. Harrison struggled to keep the railroad afloat during the Great Depression, but by 1936 Southern was once again showing a profit. Harrison retired in 1937, intending to focus on his hobby of writing about historical subjects including the roots of the American Thoroughbred horse, but he died three months later in February 1938. (Full article...)

Recently featured: God of War: Chains of Olympus – Inocybe saliceticola – Thistle, Utah

April 21

Reginald Heber (1783–1826) was an English clergyman, traveller, man of letters and hymn-writer, who served as the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta. After graduating from Oxford University, where he gained a reputation as a poet, he undertook an extended tour of Scandinavia, Russia and central Europe at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. After ordination in 1807 he took over his father's old parish of Hodnet in Shropshire, where he combined his pastoral duties with other church offices and literary work. He was consecrated Bishop of Calcutta in October 1823. During his short episcopate he worked hard to improve the spiritual and general living conditions of his flock, before a combination of arduous duties, hostile climate and indifferent health brought about his collapse and death at the age of 42. Monuments were erected to his memory in India and in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Several of his hymns have survived into the 21st century; one of these, "Holy, Holy, Holy", is a popular and widely known hymn for Trinity Sunday. Some recent commentators have asserted that the paternalism and imperial assumptions expressed in his hymns are outdated and generally unacceptable in the modern world. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Fairfax Harrison – God of War: Chains of Olympus – Inocybe saliceticola

April 22

The Western Jackdaw is a passerine bird in the crow family. The name derives from the word "jack", meaning "small", and "daw", its native English name. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are recognised, which mainly differ in the colouration of the plumage on the head and nape. Linnaeus first described it formally. Later analysis of its DNA shows that, with its closest relative the Daurian Jackdaw, it is an early offshoot from the genus Corvus, and possibly distinct enough to warrant reclassification in a separate genus, Coloeus. Measuring 34–39 centimetres (13–15 in) in length, the Western Jackdaw has black plumage with a grey nape and distinctive pale-grey irises. It is gregarious and vocal, living in small groups with a complex social structure in farmland, open woodland, on coastal cliffs, and in urban settings. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it eats a wide variety of plant material and invertebrates, as well as food waste from urban areas. Western Jackdaws are monogamous and build simple nests of sticks in cavities in trees, cliffs, or buildings. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Reginald Heber – Fairfax Harrison – God of War: Chains of Olympus

April 23

Kenneth Widmerpool is a fictional character in Anthony Powell's novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time, a 12-volume account of upper-class and bohemian life in Britain between 1920 and 1970. Widmerpool is the antithesis of the sequence's narrator-hero Nicholas Jenkins. Initially presented as a comic, even pathetic figure, he becomes increasingly formidable, powerful and ultimately sinister as the novels progress, his only sphere of failure being his relationships with women. Widmerpool's defining characteristics are lack of culture, small-mindedness and a capacity for intrigue; he is able to achieve his positions of dominance through dogged industry and self-belief. Thus he represents the meritocratic middle class's challenge to the declining power of the "establishment", revealed to have few defences against such an assault. Among suggested real-life models have been Edward Heath, the British prime minister 1970–74, and Reginald Manningham-Buller, who was Britain's Attorney General in the 1950s; Powell gave little encouragement to such theorising. The novel sequence ends with Widmerpool's death, in bizarre circumstances arising from his involvement with a New Age-type cult. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Western Jackdaw – Reginald Heber – Fairfax Harrison

April 24

The state laws governing the control of alcoholic beverages in New Jersey are among the most complex in the United States and contain many peculiarities not found in other states. New Jersey law grants individual municipalities substantial discretion in creating ordinances that regulate the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. A small percentage of municipalities in the state are "dry towns" that do not allow alcoholic beverages to be sold. Other towns permit alcohol sales 24 hours a day. The history of taverns and alcohol production in New Jersey dates to its early colonial period. A local distillery owner was asked by George Washington for his recipe for "cyder spirits." With the rise of the temperance movement, New Jersey's alcohol industry suffered; many breweries, wineries and distilleries either closed or relocated to other states. The legacy of Prohibition restricted and prevented the industry's recovery until the state legislature began loosening restrictions starting in 1981. New Jersey's alcohol industry is experiencing a renaissance, and recently enacted laws provide new opportunities for the state's wineries and breweries. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Kenneth Widmerpool – Western Jackdaw – Reginald Heber

April 25

The military history of Australia during World War II began with Australia declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and the South West Pacific theatre. In addition, Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its history. Casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded. While most Australian forces were withdrawn from the Mediterranean following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, they continued to take part in the air offensive against Germany. Australian forces played a key role in the Pacific War, making up the majority of Allied strength in the South West Pacific throughout much of the fighting there. The military continued offensive operations against the Japanese until the war ended. The war contributed to major changes in the nation's economy, military and foreign policy. It accelerated the process of industrialisation, led to the development of a larger peacetime military and began the process with which Australia shifted the focus of its foreign policy from Britain to the United States. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Alcohol laws of New Jersey – Kenneth Widmerpool – Western Jackdaw

April 26

A letter from the Mongols to the Franks suggesting an alliance

The Franco-Mongol alliance was an attempted alliance between Frankish Crusaders and the Mongol Empire against the Muslims, their common enemy. Contact between Europeans and Mongols began around 1220, and tended to follow a pattern: the Europeans asked the Mongols to convert to Christianity, while the Mongols (who had already conquered many Christian and Muslim nations in their advance across Asia) responded with demands for submission and tribute (example letter pictured). European attitudes began to change in the mid-1260s, from perceiving the Mongols as enemies to be feared, to potential allies against the Muslims. The Mongols sought to capitalize on this, promising a re-conquered Jerusalem to the Europeans in return for cooperation. Attempts to cement an alliance continued through decades of negotiations, without success. The Mongols invaded Syria several times between 1281 and 1312, sometimes in attempts at joint operations with Crusader forces, but the forces were never able to coordinate in any meaningful way. The Mongol Empire eventually dissolved into civil war, and the Crusaders lost control of Palestine and Syria to the Egyptian Mamluks. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Military history of Australia during World War II – Alcohol laws of New Jersey – Kenneth Widmerpool

April 27

Russell T Davies (born 1963) is a Welsh television producer and screenwriter notable for the 2005 revival of the classic British science fiction series Doctor Who. Born in Swansea, Davies joined the BBC's children's department on a part-time basis in 1985 and eventually wrote two series for the network, Dark Season and Century Falls. As a freelance writer in the mid-1990s, Davies' early scripts explored concepts of religion and sexuality among various backdrops: Springhill was a soap drama about a Catholic family in contemporary Liverpool; The Grand explored society's opinion of contemporary subjects during the interwar period; and Queer as Folk, his first prolific series, recreated his experiences in the Manchester gay scene. Works during the 2000s include Bob & Rose, which portrayed a gay man who fell in love with a woman, The Second Coming, which focused on the second coming and deicide of Jesus Christ, and Casanova, an adaptation of the Venetian lover's complete memoirs. Davies became the executive producer of the revived Doctor Who series in 2005 and oversaw a surge in popularity that led to the production of two spin-off series: Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Franco-Mongol alliance – Military history of Australia during World War II – Alcohol laws of New Jersey

April 28

The 1923 FA Cup Final was a football match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (better known as the FA Cup), it was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium. The final was preceded by chaotic scenes as vast crowds surged into the stadium, far exceeding its official capacity of approximately 125,000. A crowd estimated at up to 300,000 gained entrance and the terraces overflowed, with the result that spectators found their way into the area around the pitch and even onto the playing area itself. Mounted policemen, including one on a light-coloured horse (pictured) which became the defining image of the day, had to be brought in to clear the crowds from the pitch to allow the match to take place. Although West Ham started strongly, Bolton proved the dominant team for most of the match and won 2–0. The pre-match events prompted discussion in the House of Commons and led to the introduction of a number of safety measures for future finals. The match is often referred to as the "White Horse Final" and is commemorated by the White Horse Bridge at the new Wembley Stadium. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Russell T Davies – Franco-Mongol alliance – Military history of Australia during World War II

April 29

Flight Lieutenant Eaton, "'Knight Errant' of the desert skies", 1929

Charles Eaton (1895–1979) was a senior officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and later a diplomat. Born in London, he joined the British Army in World War I and saw action on the Western Front before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Shot down in 1918, he was twice captured by German forces, and twice escaped. Eaton left the military in 1920 and worked in India until moving to Australia in 1923. Two years later he joined the RAAF, serving initially as an instructor. Between 1929 and 1931, he was chosen to lead three expeditions to search for lost aircraft in central Australia, which earned him national attention and the Air Force Cross. In 1939, Eaton became commanding officer of No. 12 Squadron at the newly established RAAF Station Darwin, Northern Territory. Promoted group captain, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942. He took command of No. 79 Wing at Batchelor, Northern Territory, in 1943, and was mentioned in despatches during operations in the South West Pacific. Retiring from the RAAF in December 1945, Eaton took up diplomatic posts in the Dutch East Indies, heading a United Nations commission as Consul-General during the Indonesian National Revolution. He returned to Australia in 1950, and became a farmer in later life. Popularly known as "Moth" Eaton, he is commemorated by several memorials in the Northern Territory. (Full article...)

Recently featured: 1923 FA Cup Final – Russell T Davies – Franco-Mongol alliance

April 30

Adrian Boult (1889–1983) was an English conductor, known for championing British music. His first major post was conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. Appointed director of music of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1930 and knighted in 1937, he established the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which was regarded as among the best in Britain under his chief conductorship. On retirement from the BBC in 1950, he took up the position of chief conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and, in what was widely called his "Indian Summer", continued to conduct it until his retirement in 1978. He gave the first performance of his friend Gustav Holst's The Planets, and introduced new works by other British composers including Bliss, Britten, Delius, Tippett, Vaughan Williams and Walton, as well as foreign composers such as Bartók, Berg, Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Webern. A modest man who disliked the limelight, he felt as comfortable in the recording studio as on the concert platform and made recordings throughout his career, many of which have remained in the catalogue for three or four decades. Prominent conductors influenced by him include Colin Davis and Vernon Handley. (Full article...)

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