Wikipedia:Today's featured article/August 2023
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August 1
Edward Dando (c. 1803 – 1832) was a thief who overate at food stalls and inns, then revealed that he had no money to pay. He was particularly fond of oysters, once eating 300 in a sitting (cartoon pictured). Dando began his thefts in about 1826 and was arrested at least as early as 1828. Most of his activity was in London or Kent. He would often leave a house of correction, go on an eating spree the same day, be arrested straight away, and be put back in prison. He was put in solitary confinement at least once after he stole the rations of fellow prisoners. In August 1832, Dando caught cholera in prison and died. His death, like his exploits, was widely and sympathetically reported in the press. His name entered the public argot as a term for one who eats excessively and does not pay. He was the subject of numerous poems and ballads. William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a short story loosely based on Dando, which was made into a play. Charles Dickens also wrote about Dando, comparing him to Alexander the Great. (Full article...)
August 2
"My Man" is a song by American singer Tamar Braxton (pictured) for her fifth studio album Bluebird of Happiness (2017). Braxton and Cory Rooney wrote the song, which was produced by Bob Robinson. It was released as the album's lead single on April 27, 2017, through Tamartian Land, an independent record label Braxton created in partnership with eOne Entertainment. An R&B and soul song, it is about infidelity and was based on Braxton's parents and their divorce after her father's affair. Critics considered it a highlight of Bluebird of Happiness and praised Braxton's vocals. It peaked at number three on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart and number twenty-one on their Hot R&B Songs chart. Laurieann Gibson directed the music video, portraying Braxton confronting her lover with a mistress in a hotel room. Braxton's performance of the song at the BET Awards 2017 was praised as one of the event's highlights, although some critics believed that she was lip syncing. (Full article...)
August 3
The 1995 Aigio earthquake struck Western Greece near the coastal city of Aigio at 03:15:48 local time (00:15:48 UTC) on 15 June 1995. It measured 6.4–6.5 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw). The horizontal peak ground acceleration reached 0.54 g and ground velocity peaked at 52 cm/s (20 in/s), the strongest ground motion ever recorded in Greece. Fifteen minutes later, a large aftershock caused further damage. Faulting occurred on either the Aigion fault or one offshore. Other faults in the region have the potential to produce earthquakes up to Mw 6.9. The quake caused $660 million of damage. The collapse of buildings left 26 dead and up to 200 injured. Several countries and organizations provided disaster aid, including search and rescue and refugee assistance, medical supplies, temporary shelter and water treatment equipment. The Greek government issued loans for Aigio's rebuilding. There was concern over the lack of a warning, as officials had been told that a major earthquake would occur. (Full article...)
August 4
Coccinellidae is a family of small beetles called ladybugs in North America and ladybirds elsewhere. More than 6,000 species occur globally in a variety of habitats. They are oval with a domed back. Adult females are larger than males. Many species have warning colours and patterns that warn predators that they are distasteful. Most are carnivorous, preying on insects such as aphids. They are promiscuous breeders, and may lay their eggs near prey colonies, so their larvae have a close food source. They develop from larva to pupa to adult. Temperate species hibernate during the winter; tropical species are dormant during the dry season. Since they prey on pests, most coccinellids are beneficial insects and some have been introduced outside their range as biological control agents. A few are pests themselves, and invasive forms pose a threat to native species. Threats to coccinellids include climate change and habitat destruction. They feature in folklore, religion, poetry, and nursery rhymes. (Full article...)
August 5
The Hungarian nobility were initially a diverse body of people, but from the late 12th century only high-ranking royal officials were regarded as noble. Most claimed ancestry from chieftains of the period preceding the establishment of the kingdom around the year 1000, or were descended from western European knights who settled in Hungary. Only those who owned lands free of obligations were regarded as true noblemen. Other groups, known as conditional nobles, also existed. Under customary law, only males inherited noble estates. The poorest nobles lost their tax exemption from the mid–16th century. The ennoblement of whole groups was not unusual in the 17th century. A group of 10,000 hajdúk received nobility in 1605. After the Diet was divided into two chambers in 1608, noblemen with a hereditary title had a seat in the upper house. Reformist noblemen demanded the abolition of noble privileges from the 1790s. Noble titles were only abolished in 1947, after Hungary was proclaimed a republic. (Full article...)
August 6
William Sterling Parsons (1901–1953), nicknamed "Deak", was an American naval officer who was the weaponeer on the Enola Gay for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945. To avoid the possibility of a catastrophic nuclear explosion if the aircraft crashed and burned on takeoff, he climbed into the cramped and dark bomb bay and armed Little Boy in flight. He was awarded the Silver Star for his part in the mission. Before he joined the Manhattan Project in June 1943, he was involved in the development of the proximity fuze. As the associate director of the Project Y research laboratory at Los Alamos under J. Robert Oppenheimer, he was responsible for the ordnance aspects of the project, including the design and testing of the non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons. He was also in charge of the development of the Little Boy gun-type fission weapon. After the war, he was promoted to rear admiral, and later became deputy commander of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. (Full article...)
August 7
The 1980 World Snooker Championship was a ranking professional snooker tournament played from 22 April to 5 May 1980 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The total prize fund was £60,000, of which £15,000 went to the winner. There were 53 entrants to the competition, and the main stage featured 24 players: the 16 top-ranked players and 8 qualifiers. The defending champion Terry Griffiths lost in his first match, to Steve Davis. Cliff Thorburn (pictured) won the final 18–16 against Alex Higgins, the champion in 1972. Both Kirk Stevens and Steve Davis made breaks of 136, the highest of 11 century breaks compiled during the main championship. The tournament was sponsored by the cigarette manufacturer Embassy, and received 70 hours of television coverage by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Coverage of the final was interrupted by a live broadcast of the Iranian Embassy siege, which caused numerous complaints to the broadcaster. The end of the final attracted 14.5 million viewers. (Full article...)
August 8
Henry II (1133–1189) was King of England from 1154 until his death. At various points in his life, he also controlled large parts of Wales, Ireland and France. He was an energetic and ruthless ruler. During the early years of his reign he restored the royal administration in England and re-established hegemony over Wales. Henry's desire to control the English Church led to conflict with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, resulting in Becket's murder in 1170. Henry expanded his lands at the expense of France. As his sons grew up there were tensions over the future inheritance of Henry's domains. Henry was ultimately succeeded by his son Richard I; Henry's son John would also rule as king. Henry's territorial expansion quickly collapsed, but many of his changes endured. Henry is generally considered to have laid the basis for English common law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems. (Full article...)
August 9
Kingdom Two Crowns is a 2018 strategy video game developed by Thomas van den Berg and Coatsink and published by Raw Fury. It is the third entry in the Kingdom series. Players control a mounted monarch as they attempt to defend their kingdom from a race of monsters. The monarch can build defenses to fend off night attacks and recruit villagers to perform certain jobs. The game features single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes, with the latter allowing two people to play together via a split screen. The developers originally designed Kingdom Two Crowns as an expansion pack for Kingdom: New Lands (2016). As the expansion grew, they decided to release it as a separate game. Kingdom Two Crowns was released for Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on December 11, 2018, and for iOS and Android on April 28, 2020. It received positive reviews, gaining praise for its strategic gameplay, artwork, and cooperative multiplayer mode, though its slow pace was criticized. (Full article...)
August 10
Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication is a collection of essays about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), edited by Douglas Vakoch and published by NASA in 2014. Each of its four sections explores a different topic: (1) the history of SETI as a field; (2) archaeological comparisons for human–alien communication, such as the difficulties of translating ancient languages; (3) the inferential gap between humans and aliens, and the consequences this would have for communication and trade; and (4) the potential nature of alien intelligences. Upon its release, the book received widespread media coverage and generally positive reviews. It was at the center of controversy when publications such as TheBlaze, The Huffington Post, and Artnet misreported a quote about ancient stone carvings from one of its essays, which rhetorically stated that the carvings "might have been made by aliens" for all that they were understood by modern anthropologists. (Full article...)
August 11
The Battle of Dupplin Moor, the first major battle of the Second War of Scottish Independence, was fought between supporters of King David II of Scotland and English-backed invaders supporting Edward Balliol (seal pictured) on 11 August 1332. Balliol and a largely English force of 1,500 landed in Fife and marched on Perth, the Scottish capital. The Scots, estimated to have been between 15,000 and 40,000 strong, raced to attack the English, disorganising their own formations. Unable to break the line of English men-at-arms, the Scots became trapped in a valley with fresh forces arriving from the rear pressing them forward and giving them no room to manoeuvre, or even to use their weapons. English longbowmen shot into both Scottish flanks. Many Scots died of suffocation or were trampled underfoot. Eventually the Scots broke and the English men-at-arms mounted and pursued the fugitives until nightfall. Perth fell, the remaining Scottish forces dispersed, and Balliol was crowned King of Scots. (Full article...)
August 12
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Three living species are recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant (all pictured). Distinctive features of elephants include a long, flexible proboscis (trunk), long tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and grey skin. They are herbivorous, and stay near water when it is accessible. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. After reaching adulthood, males (bulls) live separately, either alone or with other males. Elephants communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound. Threats to their populations include poaching for their ivory tusks, habitat destruction, and conflicts with local people. Elephants are iconic in human culture and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture. (Full article...)
August 13
The Wood River Branch Railroad was a shortline railroad in Rhode Island. Chartered in 1872 and opened on July 1, 1874, the 5.6-mile (9.0 km) freight and passenger line connected the village of Hope Valley to the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (NYP&B) mainline at Wood River Junction. While it was nominally independent, finances were tough from the start; it heavily relied on support from the NYP&B and its successor, the New Haven Railroad. Ralph C. Watrous became its president in 1904, and remained involved for the next 33 years. A major flood in November 1927 severed the line and the company considered abandonment, but local citizens and the New Haven agreed to rebuild the line for freight only under New Haven control, using a gasoline locomotive. The New Haven sold the line in 1937 for $301 to local grain mill owner Roy Rawlings. He ran the company until 1947 when a fire destroyed his mill and other local industries. The railroad was abandoned in August 1947, and little remains of it. (Full article...)
August 14
Cherry Valentine was the stage name of George Ward (1993–2022), an English drag queen and mental health nurse who competed in the second series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Raised in an English Traveller community, Ward was the first member of his family to attend university, where he was introduced to Manchester's drag scene. He began performing as Cherry Valentine in 2016, while working in a children's psychiatric intensive-care unit. As part of the LGBT community, Ward hid his Traveller heritage because he feared he might receive "hate or backlash". Ward has been credited as the first contestant on the Drag Race franchise to acknowledge his Romani heritage. In 2022, he addressed his background in the BBC documentary film Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud, and in an episode of the documentary series God Shave the Queens. Following Ward's death in 2022, a memorial concert and fundraiser was held at London's Clapham Grand (pictured). (Full article...)
August 15
Chandralekha is a 1948 Indian historical adventure film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. Starring T. R. Rajakumari, M. K. Radha and Ranjan, the film follows two brothers who fight over ruling their father's kingdom and marrying the village dancer, Chandralekha. Veppathur Kittoo developed a story based on a chapter of Robert Macaire; or, The French Bandit in England, a novel by George W. M. Reynolds. The film spent five years in production, undergoing a number of scripting, filming and cast changes, and was the most expensive film made in India at the time. Vasan mortgaged all his property and sold his jewellery to complete the film. The Tamil version (poster pictured), released on 9 April 1948, did not recoup production costs. Vasan directed a Hindi version with some changes, which was a box-office success. South Indian cinema became prominent throughout India with the film's release, inspiring South Indian producers to market their Hindi films in North India. (Full article...)
August 16
Esplanade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle line (CCL) in Singapore. The station serves the Esplanade performing arts centre, alongside various developments such as War Memorial Park, Suntec City Mall and the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. Esplanade station is linked to the nearby City Hall station via CityLink Mall, an underground retail development. The station was initially announced as Convention Centre station in 1999 as part of the Marina MRT line, which was later incorporated into Stage 1 of the CCL. The station was renamed Esplanade in 2005 through a public poll. The station opened on 17 April 2010, with provisions to interchange with a future MRT line. Esplanade station features the Art-in-Transit artwork A Piece of Ice-Clear Heart by Lim Mu Hue, a collage of woodblock prints featuring scenes of shadow puppetry and other traditional performances. (Full article...)
August 17
Doc Savage was an American pulp magazine published from 1933 to 1949 by Street & Smith. The lead character was Clark Savage, a scientist and adventurer. Lester Dent wrote most of the novels that appeared in the magazine, often using the alias "Kenneth Robeson". A few dozen more novels were ghost-written by writers hired either by Dent or by Street & Smith. Dent's work was full of inventive ideas, and ranged across multiple genres. Science fiction elements were common, but there were also detective novels, westerns, fantasies, and straightforward adventures. Dent worked with Henry Ralston and (until 1943) John Nanovic, two editors at Street & Smith, to plot most of the novels. Covers were painted by Walter Baumhofer until 1936, then by R. G. Harris and later by Emery Clarke. The magazine was successful, reaching a circulation of 300,000, but was shut down when Street & Smith left the pulp magazine field completely in 1949. The novels were later reprinted as paperbacks. (Full article...)
August 18
Frances Cleveland (1864–1947) was the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897, as the wife of President Grover Cleveland. She met him while an infant, as he was a friend, and later the executor, of her father, Oscar Folsom. Grover settled Oscar's debts and provided for Frances. She graduated from Wells College, then married Grover while he was president. When he lost reelection in 1888, they went into private life for four years, returning when he was elected again in 1892. Much of her time during Grover's second term was dedicated to their children. They had five; four survived to adulthood. Frances Cleveland served on the Wells College board, supported women's education, and organized kindergartens. Grover died in 1908, and she married Thomas J. Preston Jr. in 1913. During World War I, she advocated military preparedness. She died in 1947 and was buried alongside Grover Cleveland in Princeton Cemetery. (Full article...)
August 19
The Fatimid conquest of Egypt took place in 969, as the troops of the Fatimid Caliphate under the general Jawhar captured Egypt, then ruled by the autonomous Ikhshidid dynasty in the name of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Fatimids had launched repeated unsuccessful invasions of Egypt soon after coming to power in Ifriqiya in 909. By the 960s, the collapse of the Ikhshidid regime, and an economic crisis and factional infighting in Egypt, allowed Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz (coin pictured) to organize a large expedition to conquer the country, aided by the activity of a network of Fatimid agents there. When the Fatimid invasion came, the Ikhshidid elites negotiated a peaceful surrender, and the brief resistance of the Ikhshidid soldiery was overcome. Jawhar took control of Fustat, the Egyptian capital, on 6 July. Jawhar served as viceroy of Egypt until 973, when al-Mu'izz arrived and took up residence in a new capital, Cairo, which became the seat of the Fatimid Caliphate. (Full article...)
August 20
The primary law governing nationality of the Republic of Ireland is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. All persons born in the Republic before 1 January 2005 are automatically citizens by birth regardless of the nationalities of their parents. Individuals born in the country since that date receive Irish citizenship at birth if at least one of their parents is an Irish citizen or entitled to be one, a British citizen, a resident with no time limit of stay in either the Republic or Northern Ireland, or a resident who has been domiciled on the island of Ireland for at least three of the preceding four years. Persons born in Northern Ireland are usually entitled to – but not automatically granted – Irish citizenship, largely under the same terms. Foreign nationals may become citizens by naturalisation after meeting a minimum residence requirement, usually five years. The president of Ireland may also grant honorary citizenship, which entails the same rights and duties as normal citizenship, although this is rare. (Full article...)
August 21
The Xá Lợi Pagoda raids were attacks on various Buddhist pagodas in South Vietnam in 1963, executed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces and combat police, who both took their orders from Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm. South Vietnam's Buddhist majority were protesting religious bias and discrimination, and temples in major cities, notably Xá Lợi Pagoda (pictured) in Saigon, became focal points for protesters. On 21 August, Nhu's men attacked, looted and vandalised the pagodas. In Huế, street battles erupted between government forces and rioting civilians. Over 1,400 Buddhists were arrested, and estimates of the number dead or missing ranged up to the hundreds. The Ngô family claimed that the army had carried out the raids; this was later debunked, prompting the United States to turn against the regime, leading to Diệm's overthrow. In response to the raids, several public servants resigned, and university and high school students boycotted classes and staged demonstrations. (Full article...)
August 22
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The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined monoplane built by Supermarine to race in the 1925 Schneider Trophy contest. To reduce drag forces and thereby increase speed, the company's chief designer, R. J. Mitchell, produced a floatplane of revolutionary design. Built of wood, and with an unbraced cantilever wing, it was powered by a Napier Lion engine developed to produce 700 horsepower (520 kW) over a short racing period. Less than a month after its maiden flight on 24 August 1925, it raised the world's seaplane speed record to 226.752 miles per hour (364.922 km/h). On 23 October, during navigation trials prior to the contest, the aircraft was performing well when, for reasons that have not been fully explained, it went out of control and was destroyed when it dived into the sea from 100 feet (30 m), injuring the pilot. Mitchell used the practical experience gained from his work on the S.4 when designing its immediate successor, the Supermarine S.5. (Full article...)
August 23
Ludwig Ferdinand Huber (1764–1804) was a German translator, diplomat, playwright, literary critic, and journalist. Born in Paris to the Bavarian-born writer Michael Huber and his French wife, he grew up bilingual in French and German and published translations from English and French from an early age. When he lived in Leipzig and Dresden as a young man, he and his fiancée Dora Stock were both close friends of the poet Friedrich Schiller. From 1788, Huber served as a diplomat in Mainz, where he met world traveller Georg Forster and started an affair with his wife Therese. He and Therese later married after escaping from revolutionary Mainz to Switzerland, where Huber was active as a journalist and reviewer, and as translator of the works of Isabelle de Charrière. In 1798, Huber returned to Germany as an editor for Johann Friedrich Cotta's newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung. Having fallen into relative obscurity after his death, he is studied mostly for his friendships and his literary criticism. (Full article...)
August 24
The Epsom riot took place on 17 June 1919 when between 300 and 800 soldiers of the Canadian Army rioted and attacked the police station in Epsom in Surrey, England. With the First World War over, discipline at Canadian camps was relaxed. Delays in repatriation caused discontent among Canadian troops. The riot began when two Canadian servicemen were arrested following a disturbance at a local public house. Their comrades marched on the town police station to demand their release. In the ensuing fighting, Private Allan McMaster, a former blacksmith, picked up a metal bar and struck Station Sergeant Thomas Green (pictured), a British police officer, on the head. Green died the following day. Several men, including McMaster, appeared in court, were found guilty of rioting but acquitted of manslaughter, and served several months in prison. Ten years after returning to Canada, McMaster confessed to the killing. As he had already been found not guilty of manslaughter, he was not returned to the UK. (Full article...)
August 25
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The 1998 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 32-team 1998 FIFA World Cup, played on 12 July at the Stade de France (pictured) in Paris, France, between defending champions Brazil and hosts France. Before the match, speculation surrounded the fitness of striker Ronaldo, who was at first left out of Brazil's starting line-up, only to be restored before kick-off. France took the lead shortly before the half-hour mark, when Zinedine Zidane outjumped Leonardo to connect with a header from an in-swinging corner from the right taken by Emmanuel Petit. Zidane scored again, with another header from a corner, shortly before half-time to give France a 2–0 lead. Petit then added a third goal in second-half injury time, striking the ball low into the net following a pass by Patrick Vieira, to complete a 3–0 win for France, giving them their first World Cup title. Zidane was named the man of the match, while Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball as FIFA's outstanding player of the tournament. (Full article...)
August 26
Frank Bladin (26 August 1898 – 2 February 1978) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in rural Victoria, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1920 and transferred to the RAAF in 1923. He took command of No. 1 Squadron in 1934. Ranked wing commander at the outbreak of World War II, by September 1941 Bladin was promoted to acting air commodore. He became Air Officer Commanding (AOC) North-Western Area in March 1942, and earned the US Silver Star. In 1943, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and posted to No. 38 Group RAF in Europe. Promoted acting air vice-marshal in 1946, Bladin was among the senior officers who helped shape the post-war RAAF, serving as Chief of Staff of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, AOC Eastern Area, and Air Member for Personnel. Appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1950, he retired from the RAAF in 1953. He was also active in veterans' affairs. (Full article...)
August 27
The CBS Building is a 38-story tower at 51 West 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built from 1962 to 1965, it is the headquarters of the American broadcasting network CBS, which owned the structure until 2021. The only skyscraper designed by Eero Saarinen, the building occupies the eastern side of Sixth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets, near the Museum of Modern Art. The interior spaces and furnishings were designed by Saarinen and Florence Knoll Bassett. Its nickname, "Black Rock", is derived from the design of its facade, which consists of angled dark-gray granite piers alternating with dark tinted glass. The CBS Building has won several architectural awards, but according to critic Ada Louise Huxtable, "The dark dignity that appeals to architectural sophisticates puts off the public, which tends to reject it as funereal." The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the CBS Building as a city landmark in 1997. (Full article...)
August 28
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USS Marmora was a sternwheel steamer serving in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865 in the American Civil War. Built in 1862 as a civilian vessel, she was bought for military service in September, and converted into a tinclad warship. Commissioned on October 21, she served on the Yazoo River and was on the Yazoo during the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in December. She was assigned in 1863 to a fleet operating against Fort Hindman, but was absent when the fort surrendered on January 11. From February to April, she participated in the Yazoo Pass expedition, and in June burned two Arkansas settlements. In August, she saw action on the White River when the Little Rock campaign was beginning, and patrolled on the Mississippi River late that year. She fought in the Battle of Yazoo City on March 5. She was declared surplus in May 1865 and put in reserve status at Mound City, Illinois. She was decommissioned in July, and sold at auction on August 17, after which nothing is known. (Full article...)
August 29
Lost in Translation is a 2003 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola (pictured). Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, a fading American movie star who travels to Tokyo and befriends Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson. The film explores themes of alienation and disconnection against a backdrop of cultural displacement in Japan. Coppola started writing the film after spending time in Tokyo and becoming fond of the city. She kept a flexible schedule during filming and allowed a significant amount of improvisation. Lost in Translation premiered on August 29, 2003, at the Telluride Film Festival and had a theatrical release on September 12, 2003. Critics praised the performances of Murray and Johansson, as well as the writing and direction of Coppola; minor criticism was given to the film's depiction of Japan. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as three Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards. (Full article...)
August 30
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The Next Day is the 25th studio album by the English musician David Bowie (pictured), released in March 2013. It was his first studio release in ten years, as Bowie had retreated from public view after undergoing a procedure to treat a blocked heart artery in 2004. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, the album was recorded in secret in New York City between May 2011 and October 2012. Primarily an art-rock album, The Next Day references Bowie's earlier glam and funk releases. The album was released through ISO Records in association with Columbia Records. The lead single, "Where Are We Now?", and news of the album were posted online on 8 January 2013, Bowie's 66th birthday, surprising fans who thought that he had retired from music. The Next Day topped charts worldwide and debuted at number one and two on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, respectively. Bowie's highest-charting US album to date, it was praised by critics as Bowie's best in decades and placed on several year-end lists. (Full article...)
August 31
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In fiction, the planet Mars, fourth from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in at least 5,000 works, portrayed differently as planetary science has advanced. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as it became clear there is no life on the Moon. Mars then was a setting for utopian fiction. The War of the Worlds (1897), H. G. Wells's novel about an invasion of Earth by sinister Martians, had a major influence on science fiction. After 1900, life on Mars was often depicted as decadent, as in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series. Exotic life appeared in stories like Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey". Later in the 20th century, Mars colonization became a popular theme, as it became clear Mars is lifeless, though some works, like Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, feature native life. Terraforming Mars became a major theme in works like Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, and some works depict an initial expedition to the planet. (Full article...)