Wikipedia:Today's featured list/February 2014
- TFL expanded to twice a week in February 2014
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February 3
The president of Washington & Jefferson College is the chief executive officer of the college, which resulted from the 1865 merger of Jefferson College and Washington College. Several early presidents of Jefferson College had close ties to John McMillan, one of the college's three founders; both his son-in-law John Watson and his nephew William McMillan served as president, and James Dunlap was one of McMillan's early students. James I. Brownson, who was a long-time pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, served two separate terms as president pro tempore, once for Washington College and later for Washington & Jefferson College. During World War II, Ralph Cooper Hutchison simultaneously served as president of the college and as Director of Civilian Defense for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 2004, Tori Haring-Smith (pictured) became the first woman to serve as president. (Full list...)
February 7
The sects in the Latter Day Saint movement are sometimes collectively referred to as Mormonism, although some sects are opposed to the use of this term, as they consider it to be derogatory. Though a few minuscule factions broke with Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Latter Day Saint movement during his lifetime, he retained the allegiance of the vast majority of Latter Day Saints until his murder in June 1844. Following Smith's death, his movement experienced a profound leadership crisis which led to a schism within his church. The largest group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, followed Brigham Young (pictured), settling in what would become the Utah Territory. The second-largest faction, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, coalesced around Joseph Smith III, eldest son of Joseph Smith, Jr. Other would-be leaders included the senior surviving member of the First Presidency, Sidney Rigdon; the newly-baptized James Strang from Wisconsin; and Alpheus Cutler, one of the Council of Fifty. Each of these men still retains a following. (Full list...)
February 10
More than 100 tornadoes have affected the U.S. state of Connecticut, resulting in at least 48 deaths, 780 injuries, and more than $500 million in damage. Connecticut is not typically known to fall casualty to tornadoes, but, as with most of the northeastern United States, the number of tornadoes peaks in the summer months, normally in July or August. Hartford County has had the most tornadoes in the state, although Litchfield County has reported the most tornadoes since 1950. Several areas have been struck more than once, and Waterbury has been struck by no less than four tornadoes since 1955. Although Connecticut tornadoes are typically weak, isolated events can be violent. Three tornadoes of F4 intensity have affected the state in its history, as well as at least 27 tornadoes of F2 intensity or greater. The 1878 Wallingford tornado (aftermath pictured) killed at least 29 and likely 34 people in Wallingford, the most by any tornado event in Connecticut history. (Full list...)
February 14
One hundred and thirty-seven singles have sold more than one million copies in the UK. Such singles were formerly classified as "platinum records", although the platinum sales threshold was reduced in 1989 due to declining sales. Despite this, the seven-figure mark has retained its importance and the Official Charts Company and Music Week regularly announce when a single reaches this threshold. Since the introduction of music downloads in 2004, nineteen singles released in the prior century have passed the one million sales, and a total of twenty-one records released this century have become million-sellers. "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets (pictured) was the first single in the UK to sell more than one million copies. The most recently released and classified is "Wake Me Up!" by Avicii. The best-selling record is Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997", a re-write of the Marilyn Monroe tribute released in 1973. (Full list...)
February 17
The NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player(s) voted best of the annual All-Star Game. The award was established in 1953 when NBA officials decided to designate an MVP for each year's game. The league also re-honored players from the previous two All-Star Games. Ed Macauley and Paul Arizin were selected as the 1951 and 1952 MVP winners respectively. The voting is conducted by a panel of media members, who cast their vote after the conclusion of the game. The player(s) with the most votes or ties for the most votes wins the award. Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant (pictured) have each won the award four times, and are tied for the most All-Star Game MVP wins. No All-Star Game MVP was named in 1999 since the game was canceled due to the league's lockout. (Full list...)
February 21
The structure of the administrative and municipal divisions of the Republic of Adygea (flag pictured), a federal subject of Russia, is established and maintained by the Republic of Adygea itself. Changes to the administrative-territorial structure of the republic are authorized by the State Council. The republic's administrative divisions remain largely unchanged from the structure used during the Soviet era, with the notable exception of selsoviets—a low-level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative-territorial divisions had been adopted in May 2000. The republic's administrative-territorial divisions include seven administrative districts and two republican urban okrugs. Local self-governance is implemented on the republic's territory in accordance with federal law. The upper-level municipal divisions of the republic exist within the borders of its administrative-territorial divisions. (Full list...)
February 24
There has been a wide variety of voice actors in the Grand Theft Auto series. Neither the original Grand Theft Auto nor Grand Theft Auto 2 featured any voice actors credited to specific roles. The first video game in the series to do so was Grand Theft Auto III which, despite a limited budget and the series' low profile at the time, featured several notable actors from film and television. The next game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, featured more film actors, including Ray Liotta as the player character. Although the following title, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, also featured many notable film actors, such as Samuel L. Jackson (pictured), Peter Fonda and James Woods, it had been decided that the use of such actors should be reduced, particularly for leading roles. From Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories through to Grand Theft Auto V, the series has continued using lesser-known actors to voice main characters, but still uses celebrities and real-life radio personalities to voice the DJs of the many radio stations featured in each game. (Full list...)
February 28
One hundred and three churches are preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the East of England. The churches range in age from St Nicholas' Church, Feltwell (pictured), which contains fabric from the Saxon era, to the newest church, St Michael the Archangel's Church, Booton, which was built in the later part of the 19th century. The main architectural styles represented are Norman and English Gothic. There is one church in Georgian style (Old All Saints Church, Great Steeping) and one in Palladian style (St Andrew's Church, Gunton). The newest six churches are Gothic Revival in style. All the churches have been designated by English Heritage as listed buildings. In some cases, only part of the church has been conserved. For example, All Saints Church, Newton Green has been divided at the chancel, which continues to be used for worship although the rest of the church is maintained by the Trust. (Full list...)