Wikipedia article of the day for July 1, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for July 1, 2018 is Westminster Assembly.
The Westminster Assembly (1 July 1643 – 1653) was a council of theologians and members of the English Parliament appointed to restructure the Church of England. As many as 121 ministers were called to the Assembly, with 19 replacements added later. The Assembly worked in the Reformed Protestant theological tradition, also known as Calvinism. It produced new standards for church governance, a Confession of Faith or statement of belief, two catechisms or manuals for religious instruction, and a liturgical manual, the Directory for Public Worship, for the Church of England and Church of Scotland. The Confession and catechisms were adopted as doctrinal standards in the Church of Scotland and other Presbyterian churches, where they remain normative. Amended versions of the Confession were also adopted in Congregational and Baptist churches in England and New England in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Confession became influential throughout the English-speaking world, but especially in American Protestant theology.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 30, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 30, 2018 is More Hall Annex.
The More Hall Annex was a nuclear research building on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Built in 1961, it housed a small research reactor until June 30, 1988, operating at a peak of 100 kilowatts thermal (kWt), and was decommissioned in 2007. The building was designed in the Brutalist architectural style by UW faculty members, using reinforced concrete walls. Large windows overlooking the reactor room allowed observation from the outside, in an attempt to demonstrate the safety of nuclear energy. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, after a campaign led by an architecture student in response to a demolition proposal from the university. Despite a lawsuit from preservation groups and the City of Seattle, the university began demolition of the building in July 2016. It will be replaced by a new computer science building that is expected to open in 2019.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 29, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 29, 2018 is Ice drilling.
Ice drilling allows scientists studying glaciers and ice sheets to gain access beneath the ice, to take measurements along its interior, and to retrieve samples. Instruments in the bored holes can record temperature, pressure, speed, and direction of ice movement. Many different methods have been used since 1840, when the first scientific ice drilling expedition attempted to bore through the Unteraargletscher in the Alps. Two early methods were percussion, in which the ice is fractured and pulverized, and rotary drilling, a method often used in mineral exploration for rock drilling. In the 1940s, thermal drills that melt ice were developed, and jets of hot water or steam to bore through ice soon followed. A growing interest in ice cores, used for paleoclimatological research, led to the development of ice coring drills in the 1950s and 1960s, and there are now many different coring drills in use.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2018 is The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H..
The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. is a 1981 literary and philosophical novella by George Steiner (pictured). The story is about Jewish Nazi hunters who find a fictional Adolf Hitler (A.H.) alive in the Amazon jungle thirty years after the end of World War II. The book was controversial, particularly among reviewers and Jewish scholars, because the author allows Hitler to defend himself when he is put on trial in the jungle by his captors. There Hitler maintains that Israel owes its existence to the Holocaust and that he is the "benefactor of the Jews". A central theme of The Portage is the nature of language, and revolves around Steiner's lifelong work on the subject and his fascination in the power and terror of human speech. Other themes include the philosophical and moral analysis of history, justice, guilt and revenge. Despite the controversy, it was a 1983 finalist in the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It was adapted for the theatre by British playwright Christopher Hampton.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2018 is Monroe Edwards.
Monroe Edwards (1808–1847) was an American slave trader who was convicted of forgery after a well-publicized trial in 1842. Originally from Kentucky, Edwards moved to New Orleans, then settled in Texas. He smuggled slaves into Brazil in 1832 and into Texas in 1836. After a swindle, he was forced to flee the Republic of Texas to the United States. He tried to scam money out of various abolitionists in the United States and the United Kingdom, partly with forged letters of introduction. He then forged letters from cotton brokers in New Orleans, which he used to secure bank drafts for large sums. His fabrications caught up with him and he was arrested and tried. Convicted partly because his distinctive good looks made him memorable and easily recognizable, and partly from repetitive spelling errors in his forgeries, Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and died while incarcerated. He is mentioned in Herman Melville's 1853 short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener".

Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2018 is C. R. M. F. Cruttwell.
C. R. M. F. Cruttwell (1887–1941) was a British historian and academic who served as principal of Hertford College, Oxford (pictured). The author of A History of the Great War, 1914–18, he specialised in modern European history. In 1912 he became a lecturer in history at Hertford. His academic career was interrupted by war service during which he suffered severe wounds. He became dean of Hertford in 1919, and its principal in 1930. He served as a Justice of the Peace in Hampshire, where he had a country home, and stood unsuccessfully for the university's parliamentary seat in the 1935 general election, representing the Conservative party. The novelist Evelyn Waugh showed his distaste for Cruttwell, his former tutor, by repeatedly using the name in his early novels and stories to depict a sequence of unsavoury or ridiculous characters. This vendetta may have contributed to Cruttwell's eventual mental breakdown.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2018 is Russulaceae.
The Russulaceae are a diverse family of fungi in the order Russulales, with roughly 1,900 known species and a worldwide distribution. They include the genus Russula and the milk-cap mushrooms, some of which are edible. Russulaceae have gilled mushrooms characterised by brittle flesh. In addition to these typical agaricoid forms, the family contains species with fruitbodies that are laterally stiped (pleurotoid), closed (secotioid or gasteroid), or crust-like (corticioid). Molecular phylogenetics has demonstrated close affinities between species with very different fruitbody types and has discovered new, distinct lineages. An important group of root-symbiotic Russulaceae fungi in forests and shrublands around the world includes Lactifluus, Multifurca, Russula, and Lactarius. The crust-forming genera Boidinia, Gloeopeniophorella, and Pseudoxenasma, all wood-decay fungi, have basal positions in the family.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2018 is Small-toothed sportive lemur.
The small-toothed sportive lemur is a primate species in the family Lepilemuridae that—like all lemurs—is endemic to Madagascar. The species lives in dense rainforest in southeastern Madagascar, and can be found in two national parks, Ranomafana and Andringitra. Described in 1894, it is difficult to visually distinguish from the weasel sportive lemur. Phylogenetic studies support its species status and suggest that it is the only eastern Malagasy sportive lemur that is more closely related to western than to other eastern species. It weighs between 0.9 and 1.2 kg (2.0 and 2.6 lb) and measures 55 to 64 cm (22 to 25 in) from head to tail. Its fur is mostly reddish-brown or chestnut color, with a dark stripe running from its head down its back. Its underside and neck are lighter in color. Like other sportive lemurs, it is nocturnal, sleeping in concealed tangles of vegetation and tree holes. It is solitary and eats leaves, fruits, and flowers.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 23, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 23, 2018 is Equestrian statue of Edward Horner.
The equestrian statue of Edward Horner stands inside St Andrew's Church in the village of Mells in Somerset, south-western England. The sculpture was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and executed by the equestrian painter and war artist Alfred Munnings. It is a memorial to Edward Horner, who died of wounds in the First World War. Edward Horner was the only surviving son and heir of Sir John and Lady Frances Horner of Mells Manor and a member of an extended upper-class social group known as the Coterie, many of whom were killed in the war. Lutyens was a friend of the Horner family, having designed buildings and structures for them since the beginning of the 20th century. For Horner's memorial, Lutyens designed the plinth himself, and engaged Munnings for the latter's first public work of sculpture. The statue is a bronze of a cavalry officer on horseback, bare-headed, with his helmet and sword on the horse's saddle.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 22, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 22, 2018 is Dilophosaurus.
Dilophosaurus was one of the earliest large predatory dinosaurs, living in what is now North America during the Early Jurassic, about 193 million years ago. The genus name means "two-crested lizard". It was smaller than some later theropods, about 7 meters (23 ft) in length, with a weight of about 400 kilograms (880 lb). It had a pair of plate-shaped crests on its skull, and the upper jaw had a gap below the nostril. The teeth were long, curved, and thin. The arms were powerful, and the hands had four fingers. Dilophosaurus was active and bipedal, and may have hunted large animals, though it could also have fed on smaller animals and fish. The function of the crests is unknown; they were too weak for battle, but may have been used in visual display. Dilophosaurus was featured in the movie Jurassic Park, in which it was given the fictional abilities to spit venom and expand a cowl on its neck. It has been designated as the state dinosaur of Connecticut.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 21, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 21, 2018 is Andrea Doria-class battleship.
Two Andrea Doria-class dreadnought battleships were built for the Royal Italian Navy. Completed during World War I, Andrea Doria (pictured) and Caio Duilio displayed incremental improvements over the preceding Conte di Cavour class. Like the earlier ships, they were armed with a main battery of thirteen 305-millimeter (12.0 in) guns. The two ships were based in southern Italy during World War I to help contain the Austro-Hungarian Navy surface fleet in the Adriatic, but neither vessel saw combat during the conflict. After the war, they cruised the Mediterranean and were involved in several international incidents, including at Corfu in 1923. In 1940, when Italy was engaged in World War II, they were moored when the British launched a carrier strike on the Italian fleet. In the resulting Battle of Taranto, Caio Duilio was hit by a torpedo and forced to beach to avoid sinking.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 20, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 20, 2018 is Ontario Highway 61.
King's Highway 61 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that forms part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. The 61-kilometre (38 mi) route extends from a junction at Highway 11, Highway 17 and the Harbour Expressway in Thunder Bay south to a bridge over the Pigeon River, where it crosses into the United States and becomes Minnesota State Highway 61. The roads on either side of the river were completed in 1916, but there was no bridge to connect them. Funding for a bridge over the international crossing at the Pigeon River required federal approval from both governments, but local civic groups in Port Arthur and Duluth expected that the process would be too slow, and built it without approval. The bridge was opened by a travelling motorcade in August 1917, permitting travel between Ontario and Minnesota. To the surprise of the civic groups, Canadian and American highway officials attending the opening announced federal funding to cover the bridge costs.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 19, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 19, 2018 is Wally Hammond.
Wally Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class cricketer, primarily a middle-order batsman, who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him in his obituary as one of the four best batsmen in the history of cricket. In a Test career spanning 85 matches, he scored 7,249 runs and took 83 wickets. Hammond captained England in 20 of those Tests, winning 4, losing 3, and drawing 13. His career aggregate of runs was the highest in Test cricket until surpassed by Colin Cowdrey in 1970; his total of 22 Test centuries remained an English record until Alastair Cook surpassed it in December 2012. Overall, he scored 50,551 runs and 167 centuries in first-class cricket games, respectively the seventh and third highest totals by a first-class cricketer.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 18, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 18, 2018 is Waterloo Medal (Pistrucci).
A Waterloo Medal was designed by sculptor Benedetto Pistrucci. Commemorating the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815), the medal was commissioned by the British Government in 1819 on the instructions of George IV while Prince Regent; copies were to be presented to the victorious generals and to leaders of Britain's allies. The Prince Regent and William Wellesley-Pole, Master of the Mint, had been impressed by Pistrucci's models, and gave him the commission. Pistrucci fell from grace at the Royal Mint in 1823 by insisting on his own designs and refusing to copy another designer's work, and he likely concluded he would be sacked when the medal was finished. He delayed completion until 1849, when he submitted the matrices to the Mint. As most of the intended recipients had died by then, and relations with France had improved, the medals were never struck, though modern-day editions have been made for sale to collectors. Pistrucci's designs have been greatly praised by numismatic writers.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 17, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 17, 2018 is All things.
"all things" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. Written and directed by lead actress Gillian Anderson (pictured), it is unconnected to the wider mythology of The X-Files and functions as a monster-of-the-week story. The series centers on special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who work on cases linked to the paranormal called X-Files. In this episode, a series of coincidences lead Scully to Dr. Daniel Waterston (Nicolas Surovy), a married man with whom she had an affair while at medical school. After Waterston slips into a coma, Scully puts aside her skepticism and seeks out alternative treatment to save him. Viewer response was generally positive, but the episode received mixed reviews, and many critics faulted the characterization of Scully. The cast and crew helped Anderson adjust to her directorial debut—the first time a woman directed an episode of The X-Files.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 16, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 16, 2018 is Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan, is a former factory where the Ford Motor Company first produced the Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States. Built in 1904, it was the company's second production center, after the Mack Avenue Plant. Early experiments using a moving assembly line to make cars were also conducted at the Piquette Avenue Plant, and it was the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one day. Ford used the factory until its production lines were transferred in 1910 to the Highland Park Plant. Studebaker bought the factory in 1911, using it to assemble cars until 1933. The building was sold in 1936, and passed through a series of owners before becoming a museum in 2001; its exhibits primarily focus on the beginning of the American automotive industry. The Piquette Avenue Plant was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 15, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 15, 2018 is Happy Chandler.
Happy Chandler (1898–1991) was the 44th Governor of Kentucky (1935–1939), a member of the U.S. Senate, the Commissioner of Baseball, and the 49th Governor of Kentucky (1955–1959). In his first term as governor, he oversaw the repeal of the sales tax, replacing the lost revenue with new excise taxes and the state's first income tax, and helped improve the state's education and transportation systems. He resigned as governor so his successor could appoint him to the Senate. A fiscal conservative and disciple of Virginia's Harry F. Byrd, Chandler opposed parts of Roosevelt's New Deal and openly disagreed with the president's decision to prioritize European operations in World War II over the Pacific War. In 1945, he resigned his Senate seat to become the Commissioner of Baseball, succeeding Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He approved Jackie Robinson's contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, initiating the integration of Major League Baseball.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 13, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 13, 2018 is Nike-X.
Nike-X was an anti-ballistic missile system developed in the 1960s by the US Army to counter the Soviet Union's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). Tested but never deployed, it was a response to the problems with Nike Zeus, whose radars could not tell the difference between warheads and decoys until it was too late to launch. Nike-X would wait until the last moment and launch a very fast missile known as Sprint (pictured); the entire engagement would last only a few seconds, at altitudes as low as 25,000 feet (7.6 km). While technically capable, a Nike-X missile would have been very expensive, as much as 20 times the cost of the ICBM at which it was fired. Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense, felt the Soviets would respond by building more ICBMs, leading to a new nuclear arms race. In 1967, Nike-X was cancelled in favor of a simpler system, Sentinel.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 12, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 12, 2018 is Cloud (video game).
Cloud is a 2005 puzzle video game developed by a team of students in the University of Southern California's Interactive Media Program. The indie team began development of Cloud in January 2005 with a US$20,000 grant from the school; the game was released as a free download that October. By July 2006, the hosting website had received 6 million visits, and the game had been downloaded 600,000 times. Players fly through a dream world and manipulate clouds to solve puzzles. The concept was partially based on the childhood daydreams of lead designer Jenova Chen (pictured), who had often been hospitalized for asthma. Cloud won a Student Showcase award at the 2006 Independent Games Festival. The game was well received by critics, who cited its visuals, music, and relaxing atmosphere as high points. Chen and producer Kellee Santiago went on to co-found the studio Thatgamecompany, which has considered remaking Cloud as a commercial video game.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 11, 2018

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 11, 2018 is Hogwarts Express (Universal Orlando Resort).
The Hogwarts Express is an 1,800 mm (5 ft 10 7⁄8 in) broad gauge railway, people mover, and attraction within the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, in the United States. The route runs 676 meters (2,218 ft) between Hogsmeade station in the Islands of Adventure theme park and King's Cross station in the London area of the Universal Studios Florida theme park. The railway provides a connection between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade within the resort's Wizarding World of Harry Potter section, based on the Harry Potter film series. The system, which was manufactured by the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, is operated with two replicas of the Hogwarts Express. The two directions of travel provide different experiences. The railway opened to the public in July 2014, along with the rest of the Diagon Alley expansion. The service was immediately popular, providing one million rides within one month of opening.