Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 May 21

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From today's featured article

Kenneth R. Shadrick (1931–1950) was a private in the United States Army who was widely, but incorrectly, reported as the first American soldier killed in action in the Korean War. Shadrick was born in Harlan County, Kentucky, one of 10 children. After dropping out of high school in 1948, he joined the US Army, and spent a year of service in Japan before being dispatched to South Korea at the onset of the Korean War in 1950 along with his unit, the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. During a patrol, Shadrick was killed by the machine gun of a North Korean T-34 tank, and his body was taken to an outpost where journalist Marguerite Higgins was covering the war. Higgins later reported that he was the first soldier killed in the war, a claim that was repeated in media across the United States. His life was widely profiled, and his funeral drew hundreds of people. His death is now believed to have occurred after the first American combat fatalities in the Battle of Osan. Since the identities of other soldiers killed before Shadrick remain unknown, he is still often incorrectly cited as the first US soldier killed in the war. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the Silent Unseen Wacław Kopisto (pictured) was one of the 1943 rescuers of Armia Krajowa prisoners tortured at the Pinsk prison?
... that when recording The Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman's slide guitar solo on "Dreams" reduced the rest of the band to tears?
... that The Winston Blue is the largest flawless vivid blue diamond in the world?
... that the Lexington Historical Museum is housed within an 1846 Presbyterian church?
... that pianist Brad Mehldau compared the difficulty of composing music to a game of chess?
... that the 2014–15 FA Cup will be the first time that artificial pitches are allowed in all rounds of the competition, after they were banned in 1995?
... that on the tower of Emmanuel Church, Preston, are gargoyles in the form of winged beasts?

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In the news

Narendra Damodardas Modi

In a New York court, Abu Hamza is convicted of conspiracy to aid terrorist organizations.
In basketball, the Euroleague concludes with Maccabi Tel Aviv defeating Real Madrid in the final.
AT&T agrees to purchase DirecTV for US$48.5 billion.
In association football, Arsenal win the FA Cup and Atlético Madrid win La Liga.
An Antonov An-74 crashes in Laos, killing multiple government members.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Narendra Modi (pictured), wins a majority in the Indian general election.
Two explosions in Nairobi, Kenya, kill at least 12 people.

Ongoing: Ukrainian unrest – Balkan flooding – Soma mine disaster
Recent deaths: Jack Brabham – Gordon Willis – Jean-Luc Dehaene

On this day...

May 21: Navy Day in Chile

996 – Pope Gregory V crowned Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor.
1881 – Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.
1911 – Mexican President Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, and thus concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
1924 – University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murdered a 14-year-old boy in a thrill killing out of a desire to commit a perfect crime.
1998 – Indonesian President Suharto (pictured) resigned as a result of the collapse of support for his three-decade-long reign.

More anniversaries: May 20 – May 21 – May 22

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It is now May 21, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Narbonne Cathedral is a former cathedral located in Narbonne, France. Dedicated to Saints Justus and Pastor, construction of the cathedral began in 1272 but was never finished. It served as the seat of the Archbishop of Narbonne until 1801, when a concordat merged the territory into the diocese of Carcassonne.

Photograph: Benh Lieu Song

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