Wikipedia:Main Page history/2022 December 21
From today's featured article
SS Politician was a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of the Hebridean island of Eriskay (pictured) in February 1941. During the Second World War the ship participated in the Atlantic convoys between the United Kingdom and the United States. She grounded while attempting to rendezvous with a convoy to the north of Scotland. No one was badly injured or killed in the accident. Her cargo included 22,000 cases of malt whisky and £3 million worth of Jamaican banknotes. Much of the whisky was recovered by islanders from across the Hebrides, contrary to marine salvage laws. Because no duty had been paid on the whisky, members of HM Customs and Excise pursued and prosecuted those who had removed the cargo. Customs men undertook raids, arresting many and seizing the boats of those suspected of taking part. The story of the wreck and looting was the basis for the book Whisky Galore; an adaptation was released as a film in 1949 and a remake in 2016. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the axial parallelism (diagram pictured) of the Earth's tilted axis is the reason we have winter, spring, summer and fall?
- ... that Rick Rehm attributed his surprise victory in an Alabama election to grassroots campaigning, while his opponent attributed it to straight-ticket voting?
- ... that 90 percent of Indonesia's village-owned enterprises are not legal entities, hampering their ability to attract investors or open bank accounts?
- ... that prior to kickoff, the Bahamas Bowl announced that the winner of a regular season game between Miami and Ball State would earn a bid to the 2022 edition of the game?
- ... that Frederica Planta designed cards to teach the children of George III and Queen Charlotte the history of England?
- ... that "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote the song "Bob" entirely in palindromes, and sang it in the style of Bob Dylan?
- ... that in the Book of Mormon, the city of Ammonihah kills Christians by fire as a deliberately twisted reference to a warning that spiritual death is like a "lake of fire and brimstone"?
- ... that the name of Boudica may have been an honorific title?
In the news
,_left,_steams_at_the_front_of_a_ship_formation_while_the_corvette_HTMS_Rattanakhosin_(FSGM_441),_center,_and_the_amphibious_dock_landing_ship_HTMS_Angthong_(cropped).jpg)
- HTMS Sukhothai (pictured), a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy, capsizes and sinks, leaving 6 crew members dead and 23 others missing.
- In the Fijian general election, FijiFirst wins the most seats, but fails to gain a parliamentary majority.
- In association football, the FIFA World Cup concludes with Argentina defeating France in the final.
- At least 24 people are killed in a landslide near Batang Kali, Malaysia.
On this day
December 21: December solstice (21:48 UTC, 2022); Yule begins
- 1826 – Settlers from the United States in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
- 1844 – The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store (pictured) in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
- 1923 – Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation.
- 1965 – The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member states have since signed.
- 1988 – The world's heaviest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first flight.
- Hugh, Margrave of Tuscany (d. 1001)
- William H. Osborn (b. 1820)
- Adele Goldstine (b. 1920)
Today's featured picture
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Midvinterblot is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting. The work depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is killed in a sacrifice (blót) to avert famine. After a long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum, but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Larsson had intended. Painting credit: Carl Larsson; photograph edited by W. Carter
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