Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 November 14b

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Tornado that may have inspired the painting

Tornado over Kansas is a 1929 oil-on-canvas painting by the American Regionalist painter John Steuart Curry. It depicts a dramatic scene in which a family races for shelter as a tornado approaches their farm, and has compositional connections to Curry's earlier 1928 painting Baptism in Kansas. The artist was influenced by Baroque art and photographs of tornadoes. He developed a fear of natural disasters and a reverence towards God during his childhood, both of which seem apparent in the painting. Following its 1930 debut, the painting was considered a notable Regionalist work, but native Kansans disliked the choice of subject matter. Although the painting won awards and was lauded by some, others criticized Curry's amateur style of painting. It is among several of Curry's works depicting tornadoes, including a set of 1932 lithographs. Tornado over Kansas has been widely reproduced in publications including Time and Life magazines, and is now among Curry's best-known works. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Brahms am Flügel, 1896

... that Willy von Beckerath, after studying at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, depicted Johannes Brahms at a grand piano (pictured)?
... that the original name of the sidewheel steamer CSS Maurepas, Grosse Tete, means "big head" in French?
... that the Russian Fort Raim was built in 1847 around the ruined mausoleum of Kazakh warrior Raiymbek Batyr?
... that after plans for the skyscraper Sutton 58 prompted a height limit for the surrounding area, construction went ahead anyway?
... that Osman Çakmak won the European Amputee Football Championship as a player in 2017 and as a manager in 2021 with the Turkey national team?
... that Sherita Hill Golden demonstrated that diabetics were more likely to develop depression and that those with depression were more likely to become diabetic?
... that the Japanese variety show Say You to Yo Asobi collaborated with the Japan Racing Association to create a special video about the Takarazuka Kinen horse race?
... that prior to entering politics, Bonifasius Belawan Geh collected edible bird's nests from the jungle after dropping out of college?

In the news

SpaceX Crew-3 launch

SpaceX launches (pictured) four astronauts on the Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station.
Former South African president F. W. de Klerk, who negotiated the end of apartheid with Nelson Mandela, dies at the age of 85.
In stock car racing, Kyle Larson wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Kenyans Albert Korir and Peres Jepchirchir win the New York City Marathon men's and women's races.

On this day

November 14: World Diabetes Day; Dobruja Day in Romania

Eugene Burton Ely taking off from USS Birmingham

1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovered the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
1910 – Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a ship (pictured), flying from a makeshift deck on USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
1941 – Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank as she was being towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
1965 – Vietnam War: The United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam engaged at the Battle of Ia Drang.
1975 – With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain agreed to withdraw its presence from the territory of Spanish Sahara.

Xavier Bichat (b. 1771)
John Abercrombie (d. 1844)
Neil Heywood (d. 2011)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

La Esmeralda is a grand opera in four acts composed by Louise Bertin, an adaptation of the French Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, who also wrote the libretto for the opera. This sketch by Charles-Antoine Cambon shows the set design for act 3, scene 2, of the opera, which premiered at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris on 14 November 1836.

Set design credit: Charles-Antoine Cambon; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Teahouse – To ask your first basic questions about contributing to Wikipedia.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.