Wikipedia:Today's featured article/August 2013

Today's featured article archive

August 1

The geography and ecology of the Everglades involve the complex elements affecting the natural environment in the southern region of the U.S. state of Florida. Before drainage, the Everglades were an interwoven mesh of marshes and prairies covering 4,000 square miles (10,000 km²). The Everglades is simultaneously a vast watershed and many interconnected ecosystems. When Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote her definitive description of the region in 1947, she used the metaphor "River of Grass" to explain the blending of water and plant life. Sawgrass and sloughs are the enduring geographical icons of the Everglades. Pinelands and tropical hardwood hammocks are located throughout the sloughs; the trees, rooted in soil inches above the peat, marl, or water, support a variety of wildlife. The oldest and tallest trees are cypresses, whose roots are specially adapted to grow underwater. As the fresh water from Lake Okeechobee makes its way to Florida Bay, it meets salt water from the Gulf of Mexico; mangrove forests grow in this transitional zone, providing nursery and nesting conditions for many species of birds, fish, and invertebrates. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Hedley Verity – Postman's Park – Barber coinage

August 2

A sketch of Rainer Maria Rilke by Pasternak

The Duino Elegies are a collection of ten poems written by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), a Bohemian-Austrian poet. The elegies are intensely religious, mystical poems that employ a rich symbolism of angels and salvation weighing beauty and existential suffering while addressing issues such as the limits of the human condition, loneliness, love and death. Rilke began writing the elegies in 1912 while a guest of Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis (1855–1934) at Duino Castle near Trieste, and they were dedicated to her upon publication. Aside from brief episodes of writing in 1913 and 1915, Rilke did not return to the work until a few years after the end of World War I. With a sudden, renewed inspiration—writing in a frantic pace he described as a "boundless storm, a hurricane of the spirit"—he completed the collection in February 1922 while staying at Château de Muzot in Veyras, Switzerland. The delay in completing the work was because he suffered frequently from severe depression caused by the events of the war. The Duino Elegies are recognized by critics and scholars as his most important work, and have influenced many subsequent poets and writers. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Geography and ecology of the Everglades – Hedley Verity – Postman's Park

August 3

The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 3, 2008, at the Hungaroring (course shown) in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary. It was the 11th race of the 2008 Formula One season. Contested over 70 laps, the race was won by Heikki Kovalainen for the McLaren team, from a second position start. Timo Glock finished second in a Toyota car, with Kimi Räikkönen third in a Ferrari. It was Kovalainen's first Formula One victory, which made him the sport's 100th driver to win a World Championship race, and it was Glock's first podium finish. The majority of the race consisted of a duel between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa, who drove for McLaren and Ferrari, respectively. The two championship rivals began a battle for the lead that was resolved when Hamilton sustained a punctured tyre just over halfway through the race, giving Massa a lead of more than 20 seconds over Kovalainen. The Ferrari's engine, however, failed with three laps remaining, allowing the McLaren driver to win. Räikkönen set the race's fastest lap in the other Ferrari, but was hampered by a poor qualifying performance and was stuck behind Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Glock in turn for almost all of the race. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Duino Elegies – Geography and ecology of the Everglades – Hedley Verity

August 4

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (original French: Tintin au pays des Soviets) is the first volume of The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin), the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper [Le XXe Siècle] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) as anti-communist propaganda for its children's supplement [Le Petit Vingtième] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), it was serialised weekly from January 1929 to May 1930. The story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy (Milou), who are sent to the Soviet Union to report on the policies of Joseph Stalin's Bolshevik government. Tintin's intent to expose the regime's secrets prompts agents from the Soviet secret police, the OGPU, to hunt him down. Bolstered by publicity stunts including the April Fools' Day publication of a faked OGPU letter confirming Tintin's existence, Land of the Soviets was a commercial success, and appeared in book form shortly after its conclusion. Hergé continued The Adventures of Tintin with Tintin in the Congo (Tintin au Congo), and the series became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. He later came to regret the poorly researched, propagandist debut story, and prevented its republication until 1973. (Full article...)

Recently featured: 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix – Duino Elegies – Geography and ecology of the Everglades

August 5

The Common House Martin is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia, and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia. It feeds on insects which are caught in flight. It has a blue head and upperparts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is a noisy species, especially at its breeding colonies. It is similar in appearance to the two other martin species of the Delichon genus, which are endemic to eastern and southern Asia. Its scientific name (Delichon urbicum) and common name both relate to its use of man-made structures. It builds a closed cup nest from mud pellets under eaves or similar locations on buildings usually in colonies, but sometimes fouling below nests can be a problem. It is hunted by the Eurasian Hobby, and like other birds is affected by internal parasites and external fleas and mites, although its large range and population mean that it is not threatened globally. Its proximity to man has led to some cultural and literary references, including a description in Macbeth. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets – 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix – Duino Elegies

August 6

There was a Dutch proposal to build battleships in 1912, after years of concern over the expansion of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the withdrawal of allied British warships from the China Station. Only four coastal defense ships were planned, but naval experts and some politicians believed that dreadnoughts would provide a stronger defense for the Dutch East Indies. In August 1913, a Royal Commission recommended acquiring nine battleships to protect the colony from attack and help guarantee the country's neutrality in Europe. Five of these would be based in the Dutch East Indies, while the other four would operate out of the Netherlands. The proposal led to a debate over how to best protect the colony, and the question of how to share the cost of the ships was not settled until July 1914. After considering the recommendations, the Dutch Government decided to acquire four battleships, and sought parliamentary approval in August 1914. However, the proposal was withdrawn following the outbreak of the First World War that month. A new royal commission into Dutch defense needs held after the war did not recommend that battleships be procured and none were ever ordered. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Common House Martin – Tintin in the Land of the Soviets – 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix

August 7

The election in 1860 for the position of Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford was a hotly contested affair between two candidates with different approaches to Sanskrit scholarship. Monier Williams (pictured), an Oxford-educated Englishman who taught Sanskrit to those preparing to work in British India, regarded the study of Sanskrit as a way to help convert India to Christianity. Max Müller, an internationally regarded scholar in comparative philology (the science of language), thought that his work, while it would assist missionaries, was valuable as an end in itself. They battled for the votes of the electorate (the Convocation of the university, consisting of over 3,700 graduates) through manifestos and newspaper correspondence. The election came at a time of public debate about Britain's role in India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Although generally regarded as the superior scholar, Müller had the double disadvantage (in some eyes) of being German and having liberal Christian views. Special trains to Oxford were provided for non-residents to cast their votes. Williams won the election by a majority of over 220 votes, and held the chair until his death in 1899. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Dutch 1913 battleship proposal – Common House Martin – Tintin in the Land of the Soviets

August 8

Lactarius indigo, commonly known as the indigo milk cap, is a species of agaric fungus in the family Russulaceae. First described in 1822, it is a widely distributed species and grows naturally in eastern North America, East Asia, and Central America; it has also been reported from southern France. L. indigo grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests, where it forms mycorrhizal associations with a broad range of trees. The cap has a diameter of 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 in). The fruit body color ranges from dark blue in fresh specimens to pale blue-gray in older ones. The milk, or latex, that oozes when the mushroom tissue is cut or broken—a feature common to all members of the Lactarius genus—is also indigo blue, but slowly turns green upon exposure to air. The blue color is due to an organic compound known as an azulene which is unique to this species, but similar to a compound found in Lactarius deliciosus. It is an edible mushroom, with a mild to slightly acrid taste; the firm flesh is best prepared by cutting the mushroom in thin slices. The blue color disappears with cooking. It is sold in rural markets in Mexico, Guatemala, and China. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Boden Professor of Sanskrit election, 1860 – Dutch 1913 battleship proposal – Common House Martin

August 9

"One Tree Hill" is a song by rock band U2 and the ninth track on their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. It was written in memory of Greg Carroll, a Māori the band met in 1984 who later befriended lead singer Bono and served as a roadie for the group. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. Following the funeral in Carroll's native country of New Zealand, Bono wrote the lyrics to the song, which he dedicated to Carroll; the title comes from an Auckland hill (pictured) that Bono remembered from his 1984 visit to New Zealand. In March 1988, the song was released as the fourth single from The Joshua Tree in New Zealand and Australia, charting at number one on the New Zealand singles chart. The lyrics reflect Bono's thoughts at the funeral and pay homage to Chilean activist Víctor Jara. The vocals were recorded in a single take, as Bono felt incapable of singing them a second time. U2 delayed performing the song on the Joshua Tree Tour in 1987 due to Bono's emotional state. After its live debut on the tour's third leg and an enthusiastic reaction from audiences, the song was played occasionally for the rest of the tour. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Lactarius indigo – Boden Professor of Sanskrit election, 1860 – Dutch 1913 battleship proposal

August 10

The United Kingdom's military intervention in Sierra Leone in May 2000 was the first large-scale intervention by British forces in the country's civil war. A team was dispatched under Brigadier David Richards (pictured in 2012) to evacuate foreign citizens after the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) advanced on the country's capital, Freetown. British forces then began to assist the U.N. Mission in Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Army (SLA). They first came into direct contact with the RUF 10 days after arrival, when the rebels attacked a British position near Lungi International Airport. While training the SLA for confrontations with the RUF, a British patrol was taken captive by a militia group known as the West Side Boys. Negotiations achieved the release of five soldiers; three weeks later, British special forces freed the remaining six, restoring confidence in the British mission. The RUF began to disarm after political pressure and economic sanctions were exerted on its supporter Liberia. The British training teams were replaced by an international force in September 2001. The mission's success vindicated several concepts, including the retention of high-readiness forces. (Full article...)

Recently featured: "One Tree Hill" – Lactarius indigo – Boden Professor of Sanskrit election, 1860

August 11

Ranavalona I (c. 1778–1861) ruled the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. By succeeding upon the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona became the first female sovereign in the Merina royal line since its founding in 1540. After initial tolerance of European influence she adopted a policy of isolationism, reducing Madagascar's economic and political ties with European powers, developing the island's industrial manufacturing capacity, improving the government's bureaucratic organization and military strength, and taking vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement. The combination of widespread disease, harsh measures of justice, regular military campaigns to pacify outlying provinces and difficult statute labor for public works projects resulted in a high mortality rate among soldiers and civilians alike during her 33-year reign. French intermediaries unsuccessfully tried to use divisions between traditionalist and pro-European factions at court to hasten the succession of her son, Radama II. Her European contemporaries generally condemned her policies and characterized her as a tyrant at best and insane at worst, characterizations that persisted in Western scholarly literature until the mid-1970s. Recent research has recast Ranavalona's actions as those of a queen attempting to expand her empire while protecting Malagasy sovereignty against the encroachment of European cultural and political influence. (Full article...)

Recently featured: British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War – "One Tree Hill" – Lactarius indigo

August 12

California State Route 52 (SR 52) is a state highway in San Diego County, California, that extends from La Jolla Parkway at Interstate 5 (I-5) in La Jolla, San Diego, to SR 67 in Santee. A freeway for its entire length, it serves as a major east–west route through the northern part of the city of San Diego and connects the major north–south freeways of the county. SR 52 passes north of the Rose Canyon Fault before traversing Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar). East of Santo Road and west of SR 125, the highway goes through Mission Trails Regional Park, a large open preserve. Plans for a route between La Jolla and Santee date from 1959, and SR 52 was officially designated in the 1964 state highway renumbering. Construction of the freeway east of Santo Road encountered delays from environmentalists over the endangered Least Bell's Vireo, a songbird that faced habitat destruction, as well as those concerned with the destruction of homes and businesses. The extension to Mission Gorge Road opened in 1993, but funding issues delayed the completion of the entire route to Santee until 2011, more than fifty years after construction began. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Ranavalona I – British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War – "One Tree Hill"

August 13

Barton Fink is a 1991 American film, written, directed, and produced by the Coen brothers (pictured). Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts for a movie studio in Hollywood, and John Goodman as Charlie, the insurance salesman who lives next door at the run-down Hotel Earle. The Coens wrote the screenplay in three weeks while experiencing difficulty during the writing of another film, Miller's Crossing. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1991, Barton Fink won the Palme d'Or, as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor (Turturro). Although it was celebrated almost universally by critics and nominated for three Academy Awards, the movie grossed only $6,000,000 at the box office, two-thirds of its estimated budget. The process of writing and the culture of entertainment production are two prominent themes of Barton Fink. The worlds of Hollywood and Broadway are contrasted, and the film analyzes superficial distinctions between high and low culture. Barton Fink has defied efforts at genre classification. It has been variously referred to as a film noir, a horror film, a Künstlerroman, and a buddy film. (Full article...)

Recently featured: California State Route 52 – Ranavalona I – British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War

August 14

Priyanka Chopra (born 1982) is an Indian film actress and singer, and was the winner of the Miss World pageant of 2000. She has become one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses and one of the most popular celebrities in India. She has won a National Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Awards in four categories. She made her acting debut in the Tamil film Thamizhan in 2002. The following year, she starred in The Hero, her first Hindi film release, and followed it with the box-office hit Andaaz. She subsequently earned critical recognition as a seductress in the 2004 thriller Aitraaz. By 2006, Chopra had established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with starring roles in the highly successful films Krrish and Don. After receiving mixed reviews for a series of unsuccessful films, she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of unconventional characters, including a troubled model in the 2008 drama Fashion, a feisty Marathi woman in the 2009 caper thriller Kaminey, a serial killer in the 2011 neo-noir 7 Khoon Maaf, and an autistic woman in the 2012 romantic comedy Barfi! She released her first music single "In My City" in 2012, and her second single "Exotic" in 2013. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Barton Fink – California State Route 52 – Ranavalona I

August 15

George Lansbury (1859–1940) was a British socialist, editor and campaigner who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Throughout his political life he fought for equality, social justice, women's rights and world disarmament. Before entering the national scene he served in the East End of London in numerous local government posts. Elected to parliament in 1910, he resigned his seat two years later on the issue of women's suffrage, and was briefly imprisoned after publicly supporting militant action. Lansbury became editor of the Daily Herald newspaper, which maintained a strong pacifist stance during the First World War and supported the 1917 Russian Revolution. Although he returned to parliament in 1922 he was excluded from the brief Labour government of 1924, but served as First Commissioner of Works in the Labour government of 1929–31. After the economic crisis of August 1931 Lansbury refused to join the National Government under Ramsay MacDonald and became leader of the Labour Party in opposition. His pacifism in the face of rising European fascism put him at odds with his party, and in 1935 he resigned the leadership. He spent his final years travelling in the United States and Europe in the cause of peace and disarmament. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Priyanka Chopra – Barton Fink – California State Route 52

August 16

The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and is recognised worldwide as a symbol of the country because of its distinctive appearance. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body, round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. It is popularly known as the koala bear because of its bear-like appearance. The koala has a body length of 60–85 cm (24–33 in) and weighs 4–15 kg (9–33 lb). Pelage colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas typically inhabit open Eucalyptus woodlands, and the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. Because this eucalypt diet provides them with only low nutrition and energy, koalas are largely sedentary and sleep for up to 20 hours a day. They are asocial animals, and bonding only exists between mothers and dependent offspring. They have few natural predators and parasites but are threatened by various pathogens, as well as by bushfires and droughts. The biggest threat to their existence is habitat destruction due to agriculture and urbanisation. (Full article...)

Recently featured: George Lansbury – Priyanka Chopra – Barton Fink

August 17

A representative sketch of the constellation

Auriga is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is the Latin word for "charioteer", associating it with various mythological charioteers including Erichthonius and Myrtilus. Auriga is most prominent during winter evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, along with the five other constellations that have stars in the Winter Hexagon asterism. Because of its northern declination, Auriga is only entirely visible as far as 34° south. A large constellation, with an area of 657 square degrees, it is half the size of the largest constellation, Hydra. Its brightest star, Capella, is an unusual multiple star system among the brightest stars in the night sky. The resultant of its position near the winter Milky Way, Auriga has many bright open clusters in its borders, including M36, M37, and M38, popular targets for amateur astronomers. In addition, it has one prominent nebula, the Flaming Star Nebula. In Chinese mythology, Auriga's stars were incorporated into several constellations, including the celestial emperors' chariots, made up of the modern constellation's brightest stars. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Koala – George Lansbury – Priyanka Chopra

August 18

The social history of viruses describes the influence of viruses and viral infections on human history. Epidemics caused by viruses began during the Neolithic period. Having been hunter-gatherers, humans developed more densely populated agricultural communities, which allowed viruses to spread rapidly and subsequently to become endemic. Smallpox and measles viruses are among the oldest that infect humans. Having evolved from viruses that infected animals, they first appeared in humans in Europe and North Africa thousands of years ago. Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner were the first to develop vaccines to protect against viral infections. The nature of viruses remained unknown until the invention of the electron microscope in the 1930s, when the science of virology gained momentum. In the 20th century many diseases both old and new were found to be caused by viruses. HIV is the most pathogenic new virus to have emerged in centuries. Although scientific interest in viruses arose because of the diseases they cause, most viruses are beneficial. They drive evolution by transferring genes across species, play important roles in ecosystems and are essential to life. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Auriga (constellation) – Koala – George Lansbury

August 19

SMS Prinzregent Luitpold was the fifth and final vessel of the Kaiser class of battleships of the Imperial German Navy. Prinzregent Luitpold's keel was laid in October 1910 at the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel. She was launched on 17 February 1912 and was commissioned into the navy on 19 August 1913. Prinzregent Luitpold was assigned to the III Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career; in December 1916, she was transferred to the IV Battle Squadron. Along with her four sister ships, Kaiser, Friedrich der Grosse, Kaiserin, and König Albert, Prinzregent Luitpold participated in all of the major fleet operations of World War I, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. The ship was also involved in Operation Albion, an amphibious assault on the Russian-held islands in the Gulf of Riga, in late 1917. After Germany's defeat in the war and the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, Prinzregent Luitpold and most of the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. Prinzregent Luitpold was scuttled in 1919, raised in 1931 and subsequently broken up for scrap in 1933. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Social history of viruses – Auriga (constellation) – Koala

August 20

The Sack of Amorium by the Abbasid Caliphate in mid-August 838 was one of the major events in the Arab–Byzantine Wars. In retaliation for Byzantine attacks the previous year, the Caliph al-Mu'tasim targeted Amorium in central Anatolia, one of the Byzantine Empire's most important cities. The Abbasid army launched a two-pronged offensive, defeated the Byzantine emperor Theophilos and his forces at Anzen, and sacked the city of Ancyra on their way to Amorium. Faced with intrigues at Constantinople and an army rebellion, Theophilos was unable to aid the city. Amorium was strongly fortified and garrisoned, but after two weeks of siege (siege depicted), a traitor revealed a weak spot in the wall, where the Abbasids effected a breach. The commander of the breached section left his post to try to negotiate privately with the Caliph, allowing the Arabs to capture the city. Amorium was systematically destroyed, never to recover its former prosperity. Many of its inhabitants were slaughtered, and the remainder driven off as slaves. The conquest of Amorium not only was a major military disaster and a heavy personal blow for Theophilos, but also a traumatic event for the Byzantines, its impact resonating in later literature. (Full article...)

Recently featured: SMS Prinzregent Luitpold – Social history of viruses – Auriga (constellation)

August 21

Banksia violacea is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia (family Proteaceae). It generally grows as a small shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) high with fine narrow leaves, and is best known for its unusually coloured dark purple-violet inflorescences. The colour of the inflorescences, short leaves, and flattened follicles which are sticky when young, help identify this species from others in the field. It is found in low shrubland in southern regions of Western Australia from Esperance in the east to Narrogin in the west, growing exclusively in sandy soils. First described in 1927 by West Australian botanist Charles Gardner, the species was at one stage considered a variety of B. sphaerocarpa. Although there are no recognised subspecies or varieties, both lignotuberous and nonlignotuberous forms exist for Banksia violacea. Wasps, ants and flies have been recorded visiting flower spikes. Banksia violacea is classified as Not Threatened under the Wildlife Conservation Act of Western Australia. Regarded as of little value to floriculture, it is rarely cultivated. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Sack of Amorium – SMS Prinzregent Luitpold – Social history of viruses

August 22

The fourteen episodes of the thirteenth season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, originally aired in 2009. The show focuses on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Butters in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park. The 13th season satirized such topics as the ACORN scandal, Japanese whaling, piracy in Somalia and the marketing tactics of the Walt Disney Company. Celebrities were spoofed throughout the season, including the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Carlos Mencia, Paul Watson and Glenn Beck. The season received mixed reviews: some critics called it one of South Park's strongest seasons, while others claimed the series was starting to decline in quality. The season maintained the average Nielsen rating viewership for the series, around 3 million viewers per episode. The episode "Margaritaville", which satirized the global recession then affecting much of the industrialized world, won the 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). "Fatbeard" was praised by the crew of the USS Bainbridge, which was involved in the 2009 rescue of the MV Maersk Alabama from Somalian pirates. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Banksia violacea – Sack of Amorium – SMS Prinzregent Luitpold

August 23

Albert Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge over the River Thames in London, connecting Chelsea to Battersea. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish in 1873 as a toll bridge, it was commercially unsuccessful; six years after its opening it was taken into public ownership and the tolls were lifted. The Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle design proved structurally unsound, and thus between 1884 and 1887 it was modified to incorporate elements of a suspension bridge. The Greater London Council carried out further strengthening work in 1973 by adding two concrete piers, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge. As a result of these modifications the bridge is an unusual hybrid of three different bridge types. The strengthening works were unable to prevent further deterioration as the result of heavy traffic loads and rotting of the timber deck structure caused by the urine of the unusually high number of dogs using the bridge. In 2010–2011 the bridge underwent major refurbishment work. Although often proposed for closure or demolition, it is one of only two Thames road bridges in central London never to have been replaced. (Full article...)

Recently featured: South Park (season 13) – Banksia violacea – Sack of Amorium

August 24

The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the second major engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign. As at Coral Sea and Midway, the ships of the two adversaries were never within sight of each other. Instead, all attacks were carried out by carrier- or land-based aircraft. After several damaging air attacks, the naval surface combatants from both America and Japan withdrew from the battle area without either side securing a clear victory. However, the U.S. and its allies gained tactical and strategic advantage. Japan's losses were greater and included dozens of aircraft and their experienced aircrews. Also, Japanese reinforcements intended for Guadalcanal were delayed and eventually delivered by warships rather than transport ships, giving the Allies more time to prepare for the Japanese counteroffensive and preventing the Japanese from landing heavy artillery, ammunition, and other supplies. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Albert Bridge, London – South Park (season 13) – Banksia violacea

August 25

Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias (1803–80) was an army officer, politician and monarchist of the Empire of Brazil. He fought against Portugal during the Brazilian War for Independence, and thereafter remained loyal to the emperors Dom Pedro I and his son, Dom Pedro II (to whom he became a friend and instructor in swordsmanship and horsemanship). He commanded forces that put down uprisings from 1839 to 1845, including the Balaiada and the War of the Ragamuffins. He led the Brazilian army to victory in the Platine War against the Argentine Confederation and in the Paraguayan War against the Paraguayans. Caxias was promoted to army marshal, the army's highest rank, and was the only person made a duke during the 58-year reign of Pedro II. A member of the Reactionary Party (which became the Conservative Party), he was elected senator in 1846 and served as president (prime minister) of the Council of Ministers three times. Historians have regarded Caxias in a positive light and several have ranked him as the greatest Brazilian military officer. He has been designated as the army's protector, and is regarded as the most important figure in its tradition. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Battle of the Eastern Solomons – Albert Bridge, London – South Park (season 13)

August 26

When God Writes Your Love Story is a 1999 book by Eric and Leslie Ludy (pictured), an American married couple. After becoming a bestseller on the Christian book market, the book was republished in 2004 and then revised and expanded in 2009. It tells the story of the authors' first meeting, courtship, and marriage. The authors advise single people not to be physically or emotionally intimate with others, but to wait for the life partner that God has planned for them. The Ludys argue that one's love life should be both guided by and subordinate to one's relationship with God. Leslie writes that God offers new beginnings to formerly unchaste or sexually abused individuals. Leah Andrews of the Lewiston Morning Tribune compared When God Writes Your Love Story to other popular Christian books providing alternatives to dating, including Joshua Harris's I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl. American college professors Margaret and Dwight Peterson responded to the Ludys' book by writing an essay called "God Does Not Want to Write Your Love Story," in which the Petersons argue that the book makes young people see marriage as a fantasy comparable to that of Disney Princesses. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias – Battle of the Eastern Solomons – Albert Bridge, London

August 27

John Edward Brownlee was Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1925 to 1934 as leader of the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) caucus. After winning the 1926 election, his successes included obtaining control of Alberta's natural resources from the federal government and selling the money-losing railways to help balance the provincial budget. His government's fortunes declined after the 1930 election. Agricultural prices collapsed, throwing many farmers into poverty. He tried to broker deals between farmers and banks, but found neither side eager to compromise. In 1933, Prime Minister R. B. Bennett named Brownlee to the Royal Commission on Banking and Currency as a representative of western interests and unorthodox viewpoints. While Brownlee concurred with the commission's ultimate recommendation for the creation of a central bank, he also made his own recommendations. In 1934, he was sued for the seduction of Vivian MacMillan, a family friend and a secretary in his government's attorney-general's office, who claimed that they had carried on an affair for three years. The jury sided with MacMillan despite Brownlee's denials and, in deference to public outrage, he resigned as premier. (Full article...)

Recently featured: When God Writes Your Love Story – Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias – Battle of the Eastern Solomons

August 28

Omayra Sánchez Garzón (1972–85) was a 13-year-old Colombian girl killed in Armero, Colombia, by the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz. Volcanic debris mixed with ice to form massive lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides, and debris flows) that rushed into the river valleys below the mountain, killing nearly 25,000 people and destroying Armero and 13 other villages. After a lahar demolished her home, Sánchez was trapped beneath the debris of her house for three days. Her plight was documented as she descended from calmness into agony. Her courage and dignity touched journalists and relief workers. After 60 hours of struggling, she died, likely due to exposure. Her death highlighted the failure of officials to respond promptly to the threat of the volcano and the efforts of volunteer rescue workers despite a dearth of supplies and equipment. Sánchez became internationally famous through a photograph of her taken shortly before her death by the photojournalist Frank Fournier, which was designated the World Press Photo of the Year for 1985. She is remembered in music, literature, and commemorative articles. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Premiership of John Edward Brownlee – When God Writes Your Love Story – Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias

August 29

Zero is an even number. In other words, zero's parity—the quality of an integer being even or odd—is even. It fits the definition of "even" as an integer multiple of 2, namely 0 × 2. As a result, zero has all the properties of even numbers: 0 is divisible by 2, 0 is surrounded on both sides by odd numbers, 0 is the sum of an integer (0) with itself, and a set of 0 objects can be split into two equal sets (example pictured). Zero is the additive identity element of the group of even integers, and it is the starting case from which other even natural numbers are recursively defined. Applications of this recursion from graph theory to computational geometry rely on zero being even. Among the general public, the parity of zero can be a source of confusion. In reaction time experiments, most people are slower to identify 0 as even than 2, 4, 6, or 8. Some students of mathematics—and some teachers—think that zero is odd, or both even and odd, or neither. Researchers in mathematics education propose that these misconceptions can become learning opportunities. Studying equalities like 0 × 2 = 0 can address students' doubts about calling 0 a number and using it in arithmetic. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Omayra Sánchez – Premiership of John Edward Brownlee – When God Writes Your Love Story

August 30

Typhoon Pongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second-costliest United States disaster in 2002 behind Hurricane Lili. The name "Pongsona" was contributed by North Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclone list and is the Korean name for the garden balsam. Pongsona developed out of an area of disturbed weather on December 2, and steadily intensified to reach typhoon status on December 5. On December 8 it passed through Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands while near its peak winds of 175 km/h (110 mph 10-min). It ultimately turned to the northeast, weakened, and became extratropical on December 11. It left the entire island of Guam without power and destroyed about 1,300 houses (damage pictured). With strong building standards and experience from repeated typhoon strikes, there were no fatalities directly related to Pongsona, although there was one indirect death from flying glass. Damage on the island totaled over $700 million (2002 USD), making it among the five costliest typhoons on Guam. The typhoon also caused heavy damage on Rota and elsewhere in the Northern Mariana Islands, and as a result of its impact the name was retired. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Parity of zero – Omayra Sánchez – Premiership of John Edward Brownlee

August 31

Everything Tastes Better with Bacon is a book about cooking with bacon written by Sara Perry (pictured), a food commentator and columnist for The Oregonian. Her editor at Chronicle Books suggested bacon as a cookbook subject. Bacon's popularity and usage was increasing, but Perry believed that a paucity of recipes would make writing the book difficult. Recalling her fondness for honey-baked ham, she combined sugar and bacon to create dishes and realized that bacon could be used to add seasoning in flavoring dishes, including salads and pastas. The book includes recipes for bacon-flavored dishes and desserts. It was published in the United States in 2002 and in a French language edition in 2004 in Montreal. It received mainly positive reviews and its recipes were selected for inclusion in The Best American Recipes 2003–2004. The St. Petersburg Times classed it as among the "most interesting and unique cookbooks" published, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette highlighted it in the article "Favorite Cookbooks for 2002" and The Denver Post included it in a list of best cookbooks of 2002. A review in The Toronto Star criticized a lack of creativity in the choice of recipes. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Typhoon Pongsona – Parity of zero – Omayra Sánchez