Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 September 29

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From today's featured article

Michael Francis Egan (September 29, 1761 – July 22, 1814) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Ireland, he joined the Franciscan Order at a young age. He was ordained a priest, probably in Prague, in 1785 or 1786. He advanced rapidly to positions of responsibility in the Franciscan order, becoming custos (guardian) in the province of Munster in Ireland, then at the Pontifical College at the home of Irish Franciscans in Rome, and later at Ennis in Ireland. Egan arrived in the United States in January 1802 to serve as an assistant pastor near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His reputation as a gifted preacher secured him a position in 1803 as a pastor at St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia. In 1808, he was appointed the first Bishop of Philadelphia, holding that position until his death in 1814. His tenure as bishop saw the construction of new churches and the expansion of the Catholic Church membership in his diocese, but much of his time was consumed by disputes with the lay trustees of St. Mary's Church. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Goliath imperial pigeon

... that the goliath imperial pigeon (pictured) is also known as the notou?
... that William Tassie thought parents would send their children to private schools if other schools did not provide the opportunity to learn Latin at an early age?
... that the proposed Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act has been criticized for weakening Section 230 safe harbors?
... that the future of clinafloxacin as a new drug is less bright due to its risk of drug-induced light sensitivity?
... that 15 policemen were killed in a 2015 ambush in Jalisco, Mexico?
... that after baritone Johannes Martin Kränzle recovered from MDS, he made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 2017 as Beckmesser, staged by the festival's first Jewish director?
... that although the Smith's red rock hare is a nocturnal species, it occasionally comes out during early mornings or late afternoons in places where it is not hunted?

In the news

German Chancellor
Angela Merkel

In Saudi Arabia, a decree by King Salman effectively removes a longstanding ban on women driving in the country.
Iraqi Kurdistan votes in favour of independence, though the vote is dismissed as unconstitutional by the Iraqi federal government.
The CDU/CSU, led by Angela Merkel (pictured), wins the most seats in the German federal election.
The National Party, led by Bill English, wins the most seats in the New Zealand general election.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes central Mexico, killing more than three hundred people.

On this day...

September 29: Michaelmas; Day of Tasu'a (Islam, 2017)

Avro Ansons, having landed after collision

1918 – World War I: At the Battle of St Quentin Canal, the British Fourth Army made the first breach of the German defensive Hindenburg Line.
1940 – Two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF collided in mid-air over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia, remained locked together after colliding (pictured), and landed safely.
1957 – An explosion at the Soviet nuclear reprocessing plant Mayak released 74 to 1,850 PBq of radioactive material.
1962 – Alouette 1, Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States, was launched.
1991 – The Haitian Army deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, eight months after the nation's first democratic elections.

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1758) · Guadalupe Victoria (b. 1786) · W. H. Auden (d. 1973)

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From today's featured list

Jeff Gordon

American racing driver Jeff Gordon won 93 NASCAR Cup Series races. He drove in the Cup Series full-time from 1993 to 2015. In 1992, Rick Hendrick watched Gordon race in a Busch Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Gordon joined Hendrick Motorsports two days later. During Gordon's career with Hendrick, he won his first race in 1994 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600, and later became a four-time Cup Series champion. He also won the Daytona 500 three times, in 1997, 1999, and 2005. As of 2017, he ranks third on the all-time Cup wins list with 93 career wins, the most in NASCAR's modern era (1972–present). Over the course of his racing career, Gordon won a total of 98 NASCAR races, including five races in the Busch Series. His final NASCAR victory came at Martinsville Speedway in 2015 in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The ballistic missile submarine HMS Vanguard, lead ship of her class, arrives at HMNB Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, following a patrol. Ballistic missile submarines like Vanguard were introduced during the Cold War, and serve as the third leg of the nuclear triad in countries which also operate nuclear-armed land-based missiles and aircraft. Their intended role in the nuclear triad is to provide a second-strike capability in a defensive capacity, or to offer nuclear-armed nations a first-strike weapons platform. In addition to the first- and second-strike capabilities, Vanguard carries a handwritten letter from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom which contains orders on what action to take in the event that an enemy nuclear strike has destroyed the British government.

Photograph: Tam McDonald

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