Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 October 16
From today's featured article
Walt Disney (1901–1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he holds the individual records for the most Academy Award wins (22) and nominations (59). On October 16, 1923, he founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with his brother Roy. He created the character Mickey Mouse and, as the studio grew, introduced synchronized sound, full-color three-strip Technicolor and technical developments in cameras. He expanded into feature-length cartoons, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942), and made live-action films like Mary Poppins (1964). He opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 1955, and was working on another theme park, Disney World, in 1965. Disney was shy and self-deprecating in private but adopted a warm and outgoing public persona. He is widely acknowledged as a national cultural icon. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the three-toed species of Diplobune (fossils pictured) were mammals of the order of "even-toed ungulates"?
- ... that as president of Loyola College in Maryland, John F. Quirk became close friends with the cardinal who ordained him a priest ten years earlier?
- ... that contrary to NFL rules, the Green Bay Packers do not have a franchise owner and are instead led by an elected team president?
- ... that Czesław Lewicki, Polish composer and conductor, was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for aiding the Polish-Jewish composer Władysław Szpilman?
- ... that PlantSims, human–plant hybrids in The Sims 2: Seasons, have been studied as examples of ecofeminism and deep ecology?
- ... that Richard Worley played in minor baseball leagues and is now the commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department?
- ... that during a temporary public holiday to mourn the death of Elizabeth II, New Zealand had another public holiday on the same day?
- ... that Michael Vinson wasn't yet cheese, so he became milk instead?
In the news
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- The National Party, led by Christopher Luxon (pictured), wins the most seats in the New Zealand general election.
- Australian voters reject altering the Constitution to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
- NASA's Psyche mission is launched to explore the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche.
- The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to Claudia Goldin "for having advanced our understanding of women's labour market outcomes".
On this day
- 1793 – War of the First Coalition: The two-day Battle of Wattignies concluded with Jean-Baptiste Jourdan leading French forces to victory over Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
- 1841 – The Church of Scotland established Queen's College in Kingston, Ontario, in Canada.
- 1923 – Roy and Walt Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, which eventually grew to become one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world.
- 1964 – With the success of Project 596 (mushroom cloud pictured), China became the world's fifth nuclear power.
- 1991 – A man drove his vehicle through the window of a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and opened fire, killing 23 people before fatally shooting himself.
- Shams al-Din Juvayni (d. 1284)
- Lucy Stanton (b. 1831)
- Paul Monette (b. 1945)
- Hema Malini (b. 1948)
From today's featured list
Yemen has five sites on the list of World Heritage Sites. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Yemen ratified the convention on 7 October 1980. The first site from Yemen on the list, the Old Walled City of Shibam (pictured), was designated in 1982. The most recent site listed was the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib in 2023. The Socotra Archipelago was listed in 2008, and is the only natural site in Yemen; the other four are cultural sites. All four cultural sites are listed as endangered, either because of the ongoing Yemeni civil war or because of the deteriorating state of their historic buildings. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
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Spiders are air-breathing arthropods of the order Araneae, which have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all orders of organisms, with more than 50,000 species recorded in 132 families. Anatomically, spiders (as with all arachnids) differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata, the cephalothorax or prosoma, and the opisthosoma, or abdomen, and joined by a small, cylindrical pedicel. Unlike insects, spiders do not have antennae. Spiders are found on every continent except for Antarctica and have become established in nearly every land habitat type. This adult male jumping spider (Plexippus paykulli) was photographed in the US state of Florida. Photograph credit: Spidereyes2020
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