Wikipedia:Main Page history/2024 April 17b
From today's featured article
Rumours is the 11th studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac (two band members pictured). Released in 1977 by Warner Bros. Records, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. Following the band's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac, Rumours includes a mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, accented rhythms, guitars, and keyboards. The lyrics, written in the aftermath of several breakups among the band members, concern personal and often troubled relationships. Rumours became the band's first number-one album on the UK Albums Chart and topped the US Billboard 200, supported by the singles "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", "Don't Stop", and "You Make Loving Fun". It sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and garnered widespread acclaim from critics, with praise centred on its production quality and vocal harmonies. In 2020, Rumours was ranked seventh in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". (Full article...)
Did you know ...
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- ... that in 2017 Ivanka Trump (pictured) became the first Jewish member of a U.S. first family?
- ... that in 1933 Nazi sympathisers attempted to kidnap two German-Jewish filmmakers in Liechtenstein?
- ... that Fredy Clue designed Sweden's first unisex folk costume?
- ... that 1.2 million people are diagnosed with prostate cancer per year and 350,000 people die from it?
- ... that five men were accused of lynching Norris Dendy but none were ever indicted?
- ... that while the lichen species Enchylium conglomeratum is considered secure globally, it has been designated as extinct in the UK and regionally extinct in Switzerland?
- ... that Jordan Murphy finished his college career ranked second in Big Ten Conference career rebounds, behind Jerry Lucas?
- ... that a section of Interstate 65 in Tennessee was the first part of the Interstate Highway System to open in the state?
- ... that the archaeologist Stanley Casson was almost captured – twice – during World War II?
In the news
- The historic Børsen (pictured) in Copenhagen, Denmark, catches fire.
- In retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran conducts missile and drone strikes against Israel.
- In the South Korean legislative election, the Democratic Party–led opposition alliance increases its majority in parliament.
- American football Hall of Fame running back, murder suspect and convicted criminal O. J. Simpson dies at the age of 76.
- Simon Harris becomes Taoiseach of Ireland after Leo Varadkar's resignation.
On this day
April 17: Evacuation Day in Syria (1946)
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- 1362 – Lithuanian Crusade: After a month-long siege, forces of the Teutonic Order captured and destroyed Kaunas Castle (reconstruction pictured), which was defended by troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
- 1783 – The Mechanical Turk, a fraudulent chess-playing "machine" by Wolfgang von Kempelen that was secretly controlled by a hidden human, began a tour of Europe.
- 1809 – Napoleonic Wars: After a three-day chase, the French ship D'Hautpoul was captured off Puerto Rico by a British squadron under Alexander Cochrane.
- 1973 – George Lucas began writing a 13-page film treatment that later formed the basis of Star Wars.
- 1984 – Metropolitan Police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty during a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London, resulting in an 11-day police siege of the building and a breakdown of Libya–United Kingdom relations.
- Eliza Acton (b. 1799)
- Sirimavo Bandaranaike (b. 1916)
- Ralph Abernathy (d. 1990)
Today's featured picture
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The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter. Along with the trumpeter swan, it is one of the longest birds native to North America, with an overall length of about 50 to 70 inches (130 to 180 cm). The beak measures 11.3 to 15.2 inches (290 to 390 mm) in males and 10.3 to 14.2 inches (260 to 360 mm) in females, while its wingspan is around 95 to 120 inches (240 to 300 cm). The American white pelican does not dive for its food as some other pelican species do, instead catching its prey while swimming. Each bird eats more than 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of food a day, predominantly fish, which ranges from the size of minnows to 3.5-pound (1.6 kg) pickerels. This adult American white pelican in non-breeding plumage was photographed at Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds in San Rafael, California. Photograph credit: Frank Schulenburg
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