Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 September 30

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From today's featured article

Washington v. Texas (1967) is a US Supreme Court case about the right of criminal defendants to have witnesses testify on their behalf. The Court decided that the Compulsory Process Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution applied in state courts as well as federal courts. At his trial Jackie Washington had attempted to call his co-defendant as a witness but was blocked because state law prevented co-defendants from testifying for each other, under the theory that they might lie for each other on the stand. The Supreme Court reasoned that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment gives defendants the right to fair proceedings, including the right to compel defense witnesses to testify. In previous cases, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment, which was adopted after the Civil War, makes many federal guarantees in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states. The impact of Washington was narrowed by a later case, Taylor v. Illinois (1988), in which the Court said that "countervailing public interests" could be balanced against a defendant's right to present witnesses. (Full article...)

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Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella over the Phuttan Kanchanasinghat Throne

... that until the coronation of the Thai monarch is completed, the ruler is considered only a regent and may not sit under the Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella (pictured)?
... that by winning the 2013 Monaco GP2 Series sprint race, Stefano Coletti became the first Monegasque racing driver to win a motor race in Monaco since Louis Chiron in 1931?
... that Sayaka Harada decided to become a voice actress in anime despite not having watched many Japanese cartoons?
... that Californians have a right to access medical aid in dying under the California End of Life Option Act?
... that coloratura soprano Joan Carroll appeared as Alban Berg's Lulu more than 100 times, including the U.S. premiere at the Santa Fe Opera?
... that Tibet's Moupin pika is a burrowing mammal that makes haypiles to store food?
... that Gene Rambo won the International Rodeo Association all-around championship four times?
... that 21 of the 26 Michelin 3-star restaurants in Paris serve Kaluga Queen caviar?

In the news

German Chancellor
Angela Merkel

In Saudi Arabia, a decree by King Salman effectively removes a longstanding ban on women driving in the country.
Iraqi Kurdistan votes in favour of independence, though the vote is dismissed as unconstitutional by the Iraqi federal government.
The CDU/CSU, led by Angela Merkel (pictured), wins the most seats in the German federal election.
The National Party, led by Bill English, wins the most seats in the New Zealand general election.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes central Mexico, killing more than three hundred people.

On this day...

September 30: Day of Ashura (Islam, 2017); Blasphemy Day

Władysław Sikorski

737 – Muslim conquest of Transoxiana: Turgesh tribes attacked the exposed Umayyad baggage train, which had been sent ahead of the main force, and captured it.
1551 – Sue Takafusa, a military leader for the Ōuchi clan in western Japan, led a coup against daimyo Ōuchi Yoshitaka, leading to the latter's forced suicide.
1939 – World War II: General Władysław Sikorski (pictured) became Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
1975 – The AH-64 Apache, the primary attack helicopter for a number of countries, made its first flight.
2005 – The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published controversial editorial cartoons depicting Muhammad, sparking protests across the Muslim world by many who viewed them as Islamophobic and blasphemous.

Fan Yanguang (d. 940) · Charles Villiers Stanford (b. 1852) · Catie Ball (b. 1951)

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Today's featured picture

Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (1832–1914), was a British soldier who was one of the most successful commanders of the 19th century. He served in the Indian Rebellion, the Expedition to Abyssinia, and the Second Anglo-Afghan War before leading British Forces to success in the Second Boer War. He also became the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces before the post was abolished in 1904.

Painting: John Singer Sargent

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