Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 May 27

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Arthur Mold (27 May 1863 – 29 April 1921) was an English professional cricketer. He began his cricket career playing for Banbury and Northamptonshire in the mid-1880s, then played first-class cricket for Lancashire as a fast bowler between 1889 and 1901. A Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1892, he was selected for England in three Test matches in 1893. Mold was one of the most effective bowlers in England during the 1890s but his career was overshadowed by controversy over his bowling action; many critics thought he threw rather than bowled the ball. He was penalised in 1900 and 1901 by the umpire Jim Phillips, who had targeted several prominent bowlers with dubious bowling actions. Although Mold took 1,673 wickets in first-class matches, many commentators viewed his achievements as tainted. After his departure from the game, throwing ceased to be a concern in English cricket for 50 years. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Hedewig

... that the traditional north German card game of Fipsen is played in the village of Thedinghausen for currant buns called Hedewigs (example pictured)?
... that while chief engineer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Ramesh Sumant Mehta implemented what was at the time the largest municipal drainage system in India?
... that during construction of the tower for Oklahoma City's KLPR-TV station, a worker was trapped 200 ft (61 m) in the air for more than an hour?
... that before she became an expert on wild animals, Hope Ryden was an international flight attendant and used her long layovers to observe wildlife in Africa and Asia?
... that New York City's 23rd Street once contained the city's largest residential complex and the world's largest hotel?
... that Nepal's first officially recorded tornado occurred in March 2019?
... that James Wilson Robertson resigned as the first principal of Macdonald College after his spending was restricted to 100 Canadian dollars?
... that during the Soviet period the Feodorovskaya Church was a factory dormitory, the Gate Church was museum office space, and the Dukhovskaya Church became a boiler room?
... that Kaylee Davidson-Olley survived an infant heart transplant to win gold in a 4 × 100 metres relay?

In the news

Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured), under pressure over her handling of Brexit, announces her intention to resign.
A prison riot in Acarigua, Venezuela, leaves 29 prisoners dead and 19 guards injured.
A fire at a commercial complex in Surat, India, kills 22 students in a coaching centre.
The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, led by Narendra Modi, win a majority in the Indian general election.
Joko Widodo is re-elected President of Indonesia, and his party, PDI-P, wins the largest share of legislative votes.

On this day

May 27: Memorial Day in the United States (2019)

Manchu Prince Dorgon

1096 – The largest of the Rhineland massacres took place in Mainz, where at least 1,100 Jews were killed by the People's Crusade.
1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon (pictured) defeated rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
1923 – French drivers André Lagache and René Léonard won the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race.
1975 – The deadliest road accident in England took place when the brakes on a coach failed and it crashed in North Yorkshire, killing 32 people.
1995 – American actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse, leaving him a quadriplegic; he later became an activist on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries.

Antoine Daniel (b. 1601) · Julia Ward Howe (b. 1819) · Gérard Jean-Juste (d. 2009)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

H. D. Kumaraswamy

The Chief Minister of Karnataka is the chief executive of the Indian state of Karnataka. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Since 1947, twenty-two people have been Chief Minister of Mysore (as the state was known before 1 November 1973) and Karnataka. A majority of them belonged to the Indian National Congress party, including inaugural office-holder K. Chengalaraya Reddy. The incumbent chief minister is the Janata Dal (Secular)'s H. D. Kumaraswamy (pictured), who was sworn in on 23 May 2018. (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor. Born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, he was raised by his master Moses Carver after being emancipated, having been separated from his parents as an infant during a kidnapping incident. After college, Carver became a professor at Tuskegee Institute, where he developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes, as a source of their own food and to improve their quality of life. Carver spent years developing and promoting products made from peanuts, although none became commercially successful. Apart from his work to improve the lives of farmers, he was also a leader in promoting environmentalism. Carver received numerous honors for his work, including the NAACP's Spingarn Medal. In an era of very high racial polarization, his fame reached beyond the black community; he was widely recognized and praised in the white community for his many achievements and talents. In 1941, Time magazine dubbed Carver a "black Leonardo".

This picture of Carver was taken around 1910 and is in the collection of the Tuskegee University archives.

Photograph credit: Unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.