Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 April 29

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From today's featured article

Lightning is a fictional character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She first appeared as a playable character and protagonist in the role-playing video game Final Fantasy XIII, and reappeared as a supporting character in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and as the sole playable character in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She was created by Motomu Toriyama, the director and scenario writer of XIII, and designed by Tetsuya Nomura, a regular character artist for the series. Their idea was to create a strong female protagonist who was adept at combat and less feminine than previous Final Fantasy heroines. Lightning has received mixed commentary from critics—much of it relating to her cold personality, which was compared to that of Final Fantasy VII's protagonist Cloud Strife. Some critics saw her in Lightning Returns as underdeveloped and unlikable, while others found her better developed and more human than in previous games. In lists later compiled by video game publications, Lightning was commended as one of the best characters in the Final Fantasy series and in video games as a whole. (Full article...)

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Long-nosed bandicoot

... that the long-nosed bandicoot (illustrated) has one of the briefest known gestation periods of all mammals at 12.5 days?
... that Ho Sin Hang conceived the idea of creating the Hang Seng Index as the "Dow Jones Industrial Average of Hong Kong"?
... that Bach's early cantata Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196, was possibly composed for the wedding of the minister who performed Bach's first wedding in Dornheim?
... that The Lab, a virtual reality game by Valve, is set in the Portal universe and features pocket universes?
... that on this day in 1993, former Italian Communist Party politician Augusto Barbera served for several hours as a Minister in the Ciampi Cabinet?
... that in Reformed theology, baptism is believed to be a replacement for circumcision as a rite signifying forgiveness of sin?
... that the Museum of Socialist Art was established in Sofia in 2011 amidst a controversy over its name, which was initially proposed as "Museum of Totalitarian Art"?
... that Sairat, which is set to be released today, is the first Indian film to include a symphonic score recorded in Hollywood?

In the news

Hillsborough memorial

The National Museum of Natural History, in New Delhi, India, and its entire collection, are destroyed by fire.
In the UK, following a second inquest, the jury reaches a verdict of unlawful killing in respect of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster (memorial pictured) in 1989.
Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Jemima Sumgong win the men's and women's London Marathon, respectively.
Scientists announce the discovery of an extensive reef system near the Amazon River, covering an estimated 3,600 square miles (9,300 km²).

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On this day...

April 29: Good Friday (Eastern Christianity, 2016); Shōwa Day in Japan

Replica of HMS Endeavour

1587 – Anglo-Spanish War: In the Bay of Cádiz, Francis Drake led the first of several naval raids on the Spanish Armada that destroyed so many ships that Philip II of Spain had to delay his plans to invade England for over a year.
1770 – British explorer James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour (replica pictured), the first European ship to land in eastern Australia, reached the coast of Botany Bay near present-day Sydney.
1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide buried the town of Frank, Northwest Territories, and killed at least 70 of the town's residents, making it the deadliest landslide in Canadian history.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened and indicted Hideki Tojo and 27 other Japanese leaders for war crimes.
1997 – The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention went into effect, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons in those countries that ratified the arms control agreement.

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From today's featured list

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page

The discography of Led Zeppelin consists of nine studio albums, four live albums, nine compilation albums, 16 singles and eight music downloads. Formed in London in 1968, the rock group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bass player John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band (Plant and Page pictured) pioneered the concept of album-oriented rock and often refused to release popular songs as singles. Their debut album, Led Zeppelin (1969), released by Atlantic Records, charted at number six on the UK Albums Chart and at number ten on the United States Billboard 200. Led Zeppelin's second studio album, Led Zeppelin II, produced the group's most successful single, "Whole Lotta Love", which peaked at several music charts in the top 10. Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album, often called Led Zeppelin IV and released on 8 November 1971, is their most commercially successful album. It received a 23 times multi-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, the third-highest of all albums. The band has sold over 300 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States. (Full list...)

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Aularches miliaris is a colorful grasshopper belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae found in South and Southeast Asia. The species is heavy and sluggish, able to make only short leaps, and very visible on vegetation. The grasshopper's bright warning colours keep away predators, and it ejects a toxic foam when disturbed.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich

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