Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 July 12

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Today's featured article
Walter Bache (1842–88) was an English pianist and conductor noted for championing the music of Franz Liszt and other composers of the New German School. He studied privately with Liszt in Italy from 1863 to 1865, and continued to attend Liszt's master classes in Weimar, Germany, regularly until 1885. This led to a particularly close bond between the two men. Bache's major accomplishment was the establishment of Liszt's music in England at the height of the War of the Romantics, when conservative and liberal musical factions openly argued about the future of classical music and the merits of the compositions written in their respective schools. Bache programmed several of Liszt's orchestral and choral works through an annual series of concerts, which he single-handedly funded, organized and promoted. He performed two-piano arrangements of Liszt's orchestral works before the debuts of the original versions, and programmed some of his symphonic poems shortly after they had been premiered at the Crystal Palace. The English musical press, while generally hostile to the music he presented, noted and appreciated Bache's efforts. Liszt remained grateful; without Bache, he acknowledged, his music might not have gained the foothold it did. (more...) Recently featured: Parthian Empire – Lactarius volemus – Shelton Benjamin Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Sir Peter Lely's series of portraits, the Flagmen of Lowestoft (example pictured), commemorates English naval commanders who fought at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665? ... that the man behind the courteous baritone "Mind the gap" announcements in the Delhi Metro is Shammi Narang? ... that the Livingstone Museum, opened in 1934, is the oldest and largest museum in Zambia? ... that Fay Ajzenberg-Selove had to fight a discrimination case against the University of Pennsylvania to be hired as a tenured professor of physics? ... that Winston Churchill's funeral train carried the headcode of a breakdown train? ... that the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act freed slaves in Washington, D.C. almost nine months before the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation? ... that one sickly lion, two Swedish kings, and 128 cannons were involved in the history of the orangery of Uppsala's Botanical Garden? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Protests in Tahrir Square The sinking of cruise ship Bulgaria on the Volga River in Tatarstan, Russia, leaves 129 people dead or missing. The World Netball Championships conclude with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final. During the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, police arrest more than 1,600 people. Hundreds of thousands of protesters (pictured in Cairo) gather in cities across Egypt, demanding swift fulfillment of the goals of this year's revolution. Following a referendum, South Sudan secedes from Sudan, becoming a sovereign state. Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched from Kennedy Space Center on flight STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
July 12: Independence Day in Kiribati (1979) and São Tomé and Príncipe (1975) 927 – Æthelstan, King of England, secured a pledge from Constantine II of Scotland that the latter would not ally with Viking kings. 1543 – King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife, at Hampton Court Palace. 1843 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, proclaimed a revelation recommending polygamy. 1917 – Vigilantes forcibly deported about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and innocent bystanders from Bisbee, Arizona, US, to New Mexico. 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla. 1971 – The Australian Aboriginal flag (pictured), one of the official flags of Australia, was flown for the first time. More anniversaries: July 11 – July 12 – July 13 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now July 12, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

"After the war, a medal and maybe a job", an anti-World War I editorial cartoon showing a soldier who is missing the lower half of his body dragging himself along with his hands, with his intestines trailing behind him. A fat capitalist sitting in a chair offers him a medal for his service.

Artist: John French Sloan; Restoration: Lise Broer

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