Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 February 3

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"A Song for Simeon" is a 37-line poem written in 1928 by American-British poet T. S. Eliot (1888–1965). It is one of five poems that he contributed to the Ariel poems series of 38 illustrated pamphlets with holiday themes by several authors published by Faber and Gwyer and sent to the firm's clients and business acquaintances as Christmas greetings. Eliot had converted to Anglo-Catholicism in 1927 and his poetry, starting with the Ariel Poems (1927–31) and "Ash Wednesday" (1930), took on a decidedly religious character. The poem retells the story of Simeon from the Gospel of Luke. Simeon was a devout Jew told by the Holy Ghost that he would not die until he saw the Saviour of Israel. When he encounters Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus entering the Temple of Jerusalem, he sees in the infant the Messiah promised by the Lord and asks God to permit him to "depart in peace." Eliot's poem employs references to the Nunc dimittis, a Christian liturgical prayer for Compline, and literary allusions to earlier writers Lancelot Andrewes, Dante Alighieri and St. John of the Cross. Critics have debated whether Eliot's depiction of Simeon is evidence of anti-Semitism on the poet's part. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the Manchurian apricot (flower pictured) has been shown to be effective in expelling parasitic worms?
... that when HMS Reunion was wrecked in the Thames Estuary, not a single life was lost?
... that Antemas challenged the Communist Party of Indonesia by helping to establish a film importers' association?
... that the Chicago Cardinals–Toronto Argonauts exhibition game of August 1959 inaugurated Exhibition Stadium and was the first to feature an NFL team in Toronto?
... that some critics thought that the figures on the Port Sunlight War Memorial were too realistic?
... that former French football international Jean-Pierre Adams has been in a deep coma since 1982?
... that Bernard Waldman flew on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to photograph the event with a high-speed camera, but took no footage because he forgot to open the camera shutter?

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In the news

In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman (pictured) dies at the age of 46.
Scientists announce a new technique for creating stem cells.
Amidst ongoing anti-government riots, Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov resigns.
At the 56th Grammy Awards, French group Daft Punk wins four awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
In tennis, the Australian Open concludes with Stanislas Wawrinka winning the men's singles and Li Na winning the women's singles.

Recent deaths: Maximilian Schell – Arthur Rankin, Jr. – Pete Seeger

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On this day...

February 3: Setsubun in Japan; Four Chaplains' Day in the United States

1852 – The Argentine Confederation were defeated in the Platine War by an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay and the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes.
1870 – The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting voting rights to citizens regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude".
1959 – American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed when their plane crashed shortly after taking off from Mason City Municipal Airport in Iowa (wreckage pictured).
1967 – Ronald Ryan became the last person to be legally executed in Australia, sparking public protests across the country.
2010 – A cast of L'Homme qui marche I by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti sold for £65 million (US$103.7 million), setting the record for most expensive sculpture sold at a public auction.

More anniversaries: February 2 – February 3 – February 4

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From today's featured list

A color photograph of a smiling woman with blue eyes wearing a red shirt, a necklace, and pearl earrings, all in front of a grey background

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...)

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Sainte-Enimie is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. Named after a daughter of Chlothar II, who is said to have lived in the area after catching leprosy to avoid marriage, the commune has been the location of several monasteries. Tourism is now a major part of its economy, and many of the sites are religious in nature.

Photograph: Tobi 87

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