Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 November 23b

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Iéna was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the French Navy (Marine Nationale). Laid down at Brest in January 1898, the vessel was launched on 1 September and completed on 14 April 1902. The ship was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron and remained there for the duration of her career. Iéna frequently served as a flagship, participated in the annual fleet manoeuvres and made many visits to French ports in the Mediterranean. On 4 March 1907, while docked for repairs in Toulon, the battleship was badly damaged and 120 people were killed by a magazine explosion that was probably caused by the decomposition of old propellant, known as Poudre B. Multiple investigations were launched and the ensuing scandal forced the naval minister to resign. While repairs were possible, Iéna was not considered worth the expense. The salvaged hulk was used as a gunnery target in 1909 before it was sold for scrap in 1912. (Full article...)

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Black-cowled oriole

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In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Portal

Arecibo Observatory

Douglas Stuart's debut novel Shuggie Bain wins the Booker Prize.
The National Science Foundation announces the decommissioning of the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope (pictured) in Puerto Rico.
The Brereton Report is released, documenting evidence of 39 unlawful killings, primarily of civilians and prisoners, by Australian Defence Force personnel during the war in Afghanistan.

On this day

November 23: Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan

William "Boss" Tweed

1867 – The Manchester Martyrs were hanged in Manchester, England, for killing a police officer while helping two Irish nationalists escape from police custody.
1876 – William "Boss" Tweed (pictured), a New York City politician who had been arrested for embezzlement, was handed over to US authorities after having escaped from prison and fled to Spain.
1963 – The first episode of Doctor Who, the world's longest-running science fiction television show, was broadcast on BBC television, starring William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the title role.
1980 – An earthquake struck the Irpinia region of Italy, killing at least 2,483 people, injuring more than 7,700 and leaving 250,000 homeless.
2007 – MS Explorer became the first cruise ship to sink in the Southern Ocean.

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (d. 1833)
Anne Burns (b. 1915)
Yusof Ishak (d. 1970)

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Tom Hawkins

The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It was first presented in 1981 to Richmond's Michael Roach. The award is named after John Coleman, an Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend who scored 537 goals for Essendon. In July 2004, leading goalkickers from 1955 – the year after Coleman's last match – to 1980 were named retrospective Coleman Medallists, while winners prior to 1955 were named Leading Goalkicker Medallists. Collingwood is the club most frequently represented by medallists; its players have won on 22 occasions. The majority (13) of these awards have been contributed by Dick Lee and Gordon Coventry. Lee's seven medals are a league record; Coventry sits outright second, on six. Five players have been four-time medallists; another five have won the award three times, while 15 players have been dual medallists. Geelong's Tom Hawkins (pictured) kicked 42 goals in 2020, making him the most recent recipient. (Full list...)

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Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States (1853–1857), a northern Democrat who saw the abolitionist movement as a fundamental threat to the unity of the nation. He alienated anti-slavery groups by supporting and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, yet these efforts failed to stem conflict between North and South. The South eventually seceded and the American Civil War began in 1861. Historians and scholars generally rank Pierce as one of the worst and least memorable U.S. presidents.

Engraving credit: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restored by Andrew Shiva

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