Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 December 5

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From today's featured article

Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he holds the record for the most Academy Awards earned by an individual (22), out of 59 nominations. He set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with his brother Roy in the 1920s, and had his first big success with the character Mickey Mouse. As the studio grew, he introduced synchronized sound, better cameras, and full-color three-strip Technicolor, as seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia, Pinocchio (both 1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942). In 1955 he opened the Disneyland theme park and diversified into television programs, including The Mickey Mouse Club. He helped plan the 1959 Moscow Fair, the 1960 Winter Olympics, and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1965 he began work on Disney World and a concept he called the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). Disney was a shy and self-deprecating man in private, but adopted a warm and outgoing public persona. The company he cofounded exists today as one of the world's largest and best-known entertainment companies. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Tarzan of the Apes poster

... that the Beti people were misrepresented in the Tarzan books and films (poster pictured)?
... that Harvard philosopher Ralph Monroe Eaton wrote an unpublished memoir of his experiences during the First World War?
... that "Zhang Hongjian", a short story by Chinese writer Pu Songling, was adapted into two plays?
... that the fossil ant genus Agastomyrma was described from a single queen?
... that Hannah Dadds was the first female train driver on the London Underground?
... that during their conquest of Surabaya, Mataram forces dammed the Brantas River to limit water supply to the city of Surabaya?
... that Malian taekwondo practitioner Ismaël Coulibaly won a gold medal at the 2015 African Games?
... that George Washington's campaign distributed 160 US gallons (610 l) of alcoholic drink to voters on polling day at the 1758 Virginia House of Burgesses election?

In the news

Alexander Van der Bellen

Alexander Van der Bellen (pictured) wins the Austrian presidential election in a re-vote of the second round.
A fire at a warehouse party in Oakland, California, kills more than 30 people.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announces official names for recently discovered superheavy elements nihonium (113), moscovium (115), tennessine (117), and oganesson (118).
Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Maha Vajiralongkorn is proclaimed King of Thailand.
Magnus Carlsen defeats Sergey Karjakin to retain the World Chess Championship title.
LaMia Flight 2933 crashes in Medellín, Colombia, with the Chapecoense football team on board, killing 71 people.

On this day...

December 5: International Volunteer Day; St Nicholas's Eve in various European countries; Krampusnacht in Austria; National Day and Father's Day in Thailand (1927)

H. H. Asquith

1484 – Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, giving Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer explicit authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany.
1876 – Fire engulfed the Brooklyn Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, killing at least 278 people, mostly due to smoke inhalation.
1916 – Amid the First World War and following his loss of support in Parliament, British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith (pictured) resigned.
1936 – The 1936 Soviet Constitution, also known as the "Stalin" constitution, was adopted.
1974 – The Birmingham Americans won the only World Bowl in World Football League history.

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From today's featured list

A flotilla of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet

Sixteen destroyers have served, or currently serve, in the Indian Navy. Currently the navy operates 10 guided-missile destroyers from the Kolkata, Delhi, and Rajput classes. Six other destroyers (three each from the R and Hunt classes) have been decommissioned and scrapped. The R-class INS Ranjit was the first destroyer commissioned in the Indian Navy. Two more R-class ships were later commissioned. Three Hunt-class destroyers were commissioned in 1953 to succeed the R-class destroyers. These ships were decommissioned by 1976, with the Hunt-class INS Godavari the last. During the 1980s, India signed an agreement with the Soviet Union for five guided-missile destroyers, built under the Rajput class. The first ship (INS Rajput) of the class was commissioned on 30 September 1980. All five Rajput-class ships are still in active service. The Rajput class was succeeded by the Delhi class of three ships. The Delhi-class destroyers were succeeded by the Kolkata class in 2014. The three Kolkata-class ships have been commissioned in 2014–2015, with INS Chennai being the last. An improvement of the Kolkata-class, INS Visakhapatnam (part of the Visakhapatnam class), was introduced in April 2015 and will reportedly be commissioned by the end of 2018. Three more vessels are planned as part of the Visakhapatnam class. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

John Jellicoe (1859–1935) was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland during the First World War. His handling of the fleet at that battle was controversial: he made no serious mistakes and the German High Seas Fleet retreated to port – at a time when defeat would have been catastrophic for Britain – but the British public was disappointed that the Royal Navy had not won a victory on the scale of the Battle of Trafalgar. Jellicoe later served as First Sea Lord, overseeing the expansion of the Naval Staff at the Admiralty and the introduction of convoys, but was removed at the end of 1917. He also served as the Governor-General of New Zealand in the early 1920s.

Photograph: Bain News Service; restored by Adam Cuerden

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