Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 April 8

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Gerard (died 1108) was Archbishop of York between 1100 and 1108 and Lord Chancellor of England from 1085 until 1092. A Norman, he was a member of the cathedral clergy at Rouen before becoming a royal clerk under King William I of England, who appointed him Lord Chancellor. He continued in that office under King William II Rufus, who rewarded him with the Bishopric of Hereford in 1096. Soon after Henry I's coronation, Gerard was appointed to the recently vacant see of York, and became embroiled in the dispute between York and the see of Canterbury concerning which archbishopric had primacy over England. He secured papal recognition of York's jurisdiction over the church in Scotland but was forced to accept Canterbury's authority over York. He also worked on reconciling the Investiture Controversy between the king and the papacy over the right to appoint bishops until the controversy's resolution in 1107. Because of rumours, as a student of astrology, that he was a magician and a sorcerer, and also because of his unpopular attempts to reform his clergy, he was denied a burial inside York Minster but his remains were later moved into the cathedral. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

2–8a Rutland Gate, London

... that Cheung Chung-kiu has agreed to buy 2–8a Rutland Gate (pictured) in London for more than £200 million, making it easily the most expensive house sold in the UK?
... that Allie X gained inspiration for her album Cape God after watching a documentary about the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts?
... that during the 1952 U.S. presidential election, the Constitution Party gave its presidential and vice-presidential nominations to Douglas MacArthur and Harry F. Byrd, respectively, without their permission?
... that Operation Harvest Festival was the largest single massacre by German forces during the Holocaust?
... that the Houston Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Pacific Railroad invited Japanese farmers to advise them about rice production in Texas?
... that professional Smash Bros. player Gavin "Tweek" Dempsey was considered the best Bowser Jr. player in the world, but started winning tournaments only after switching to other characters?
... that Laura Knight's painting Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech Ring was painted at ROF Newport in Wales and features one of the factory's workers?
... that after residents near Sunswick Creek broke down its tide gates in 1916, the New York City health commissioner claimed that they "prefer to live like hogs"?

In the news

Coronavirus pandemic

George Pell

The High Court of Australia quashes the conviction of Cardinal George Pell (pictured) for child sex abuse and orders his acquittal.
Cyclone Harold impacts the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, killing at least 27 people.
Vincent van Gogh's painting The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen is stolen from the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands.

On this day

April 8: Mid-Sha'ban (Islam, 2020); Fast of the Firstborn (Judaism, 2020)

Little Nemo

876 – Abbasid forces decisively defeated those of the Saffarid emir Ya'qub ibn Laith, forcing the latter to halt his advance into Iraq.
1630 – Kiliaen van Rensselaer purchased land near present-day Albany, New York, to found the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, which became the most successful patroonship under the Dutch West India Company system.
1911 – American cartoonist Winsor McCay released the silent short film Little Nemo (featured), one of the earliest animated films.
1968 – BOAC Flight 712 experienced an engine fire shortly after take-off from London Heathrow, leading to the deaths of five people on board, including flight attendant Jane Harrison, who was posthumously awarded a George Cross for heroism.
2013 – Two Sunni Muslim extremist groups, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front, merged to become the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford (b. 1435)
Elizabeth Bacon Custer (b. 1842)
Jack Tramiel (d. 2012)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was a Canadian-born American film actress and producer. With a career spanning 50 years, starting in the silent era, she was a co-founder of both the Pickford–Fairbanks Studio (along with Douglas Fairbanks, whom she subsequently married) and later, the United Artists film studio (with Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith). She was one of the original thirty-six founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the yearly Academy Awards.

This photograph of Pickford was taken around 1910, when she was becoming one of the most popular actresses of the period, earning the nickname "Queen of the Movies". Being of short stature, she often played the roles of children, but later found her career fading as talkies became more popular among audiences and she was cast in more adult roles. She retired from acting in 1933, becoming involved in production and other aspects of the film industry.

Photograph credit: Rufus Porter Moody

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.