Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 September 3

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From today's featured article

The cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is a large wren that is endemic to the deserts of the US and Mexico. It is the state bird of Arizona. The wren's upperparts are brown with black and white spots and the underparts are cinnamon-buff with a whiter breast; it has striking white eyebrows. The song is loud and raspy. Cactus wrens are ground feeders and eat mainly insects, with some plant material; they can meet their water needs from their diet. The wrens use saguaro and cholla cacti as nesting sites, which provide protection for their large bulky nests and their young. The wrens are non-migratory and territorial around their nests. Pairs are monogamous; males build nests, females incubate eggs, and both parents feed chicks. Populations have declined due to human activities, habitat loss and introduced species including cats, but the wrens still number in the millions. The species is classed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Franklin La Du Ferguson

... that Pomona College's "missing president", Franklin La Du Ferguson (pictured), is the only past president not honored by the college with a portrait?
... that having routed their Scottish opponents at the Battle of Dunbar 370 years ago today, the cavalry of the English New Model Army sang the 117th Psalm?
... that eight judges recused themselves from proceedings following the fatal shooting of Greg Gunn?
... that multimedia artist Suki Seokyeong Kang paints a gouache painting every day as part of her work?
... that Mark Williams won the most successive frames at the 2003 World Snooker Championship, despite losing the first two?
... that Jean Kurt Forest played violin in German film orchestras in the 1930s, defected to the Red Army in 1945, and composed operas and film scores from 1954 onwards?
... that the verse "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" was left out of the slave bible due to fears that it could incite rebellion?
... that Los Angeles Dodgers ball boy Chico Herrera became a fan favorite after making impressive plays in pre-season games, and inspired the catchphrase "Don't Run on Chico"?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; Testing; Impact; Portal

Shinzo Abe

Parliamentary elections in Montenegro result in the first victory for opposition parties in 30 years.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) of Japan announces his intention to resign due to medical concerns.
Hurricane Laura kills more than 50 people across the Caribbean and the United States.
The Africa Regional Certification Commission declares that wild polio has been eliminated in Africa.

On this day

September 3

Photographs of victims of the Beslan school siege

590 – Gregory I, the first pope from a monastic background, began his papacy.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: The British Army and their Hessian allies defeated an American militia at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge.
1901 – The flag of Australia flew for the first time from the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
1935 – On the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, British racing motorist Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph (480 km/h).
2004 – Russian security forces stormed a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, ending a three-day hostage crisis in which 334 of more than 1,100 hostages were killed (photographs of victims pictured).

Archibald Bower (d. 1766)
Tereska Torrès (b. 1920)
Vince Lombardi (d. 1970)

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Today's featured picture

Craigdarroch Castle is a historic Victorian-era mansion in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, built in the Scottish-baronial style in the late 1800s. The wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir intended it as a family residence, but died before it was completed. His widow sold the Craigdarroch estate to a speculator, who subdivided the land into building lots. To stimulate sales during a slow real-estate market, he announced that the home would be the subject of a raffle, to be won by one of the purchasers. The winner mortgaged the house to finance speculative ventures, and when these failed, the ownership passed to the Bank of Montreal in 1919. The house was used in 2015 as the filming location for The Boy, a horror movie.

Photograph credit: Michal Klajban

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