Wikipedia:Today's featured list/November 2011


November 7

The Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64

Games for the Nintendo 64 video game console were released over time in plastic ROM cartridges. Two small indents on the back of the cartridges allow them to connect or pass through the system's cartridge dustcover flaps. Of the console's 387 official releases, 84 were exclusive to Japan, 47 to North America, and 4 to Europe. The Nintendo 64 was first launched in Japan on June 23, 1996 with Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and Saikyo Habu Shogi; in North America with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64; and in Europe with Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. The last game to be published for the system was the North American-exclusive Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on August 20, 2002. Despite the higher cost of producing cartridges and continued criticism over releasing a cartridge-based system, the total sales of the Nintendo 64 software outsold the total amount of Nintendo GameCube software. (Full list...)


November 14

The Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice
The Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice

Over fifty ordinary people who died saving the lives of others are commemorated on ceramic tiles on the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice in Postman's Park in the City of London. First proposed by artist George Frederic Watts in 1887, the scheme was not accepted at that time. In 1898 Watts was approached by the vicar of St Botolph's Aldersgate church, who was trying to raise the profile of a park in St Botolph's former churchyard. The unfinished memorial was unveiled in 1900 with space for 120 memorial tablets to be designed and made by William De Morgan, but only four of the tablets were in place. Watts died in 1904, and his widow Mary Watts took over the project. In 1906, after making 24 memorial tablets for the project, William De Morgan abandoned the ceramics business to become a novelist, and Royal Doulton took over making the tiles. Mary Watts lost interest in the project and work to complete it was sporadic, ceasing altogether in 1931 with only 53 of the planned 120 tiles in place. In 2009 the first new tablet in 78 years was added to the memorial. (Full list...)


November 21

The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the New Age music genre at the Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes "artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". Originally called the Grammy Award for Best New Age Recording, the honor was first presented to Swiss musician Andreas Vollenweider at the 29th Grammy Awards in 1987. From 1988 to 1991 the category was known as Best New Age Performance; the name Best New Age Album has remained unchanged since 1992. As of 2011, Paul Winter holds the record for the most wins in this category, having won six times (four times as the leader of the group Paul Winter Consort). (Full list...)


November 28

Maccabi Tel Aviv squad of 1939 at Sydney Cricket Ground during a tour of Australia
Maccabi Tel Aviv squad of 1939 at Sydney Cricket Ground during a tour of Australia

The association football champions of Israel are the winners of the highest league in Israeli football, which is currently the Israeli Premier League. The league is contested on a round robin basis and the championship awarded to the team that is top of the league at the end of the season. Following the creation of the Eretz Israel Football Association in August 1928, the first nationwide football championship in the British Mandate for Palestine, the Palestine League, began in November 1931. The Palestine League's last edition was played during the 1946–47 season, and since then the national championship has been played under four names: the Israeli League, from 1949 to 1950; Liga Alef, between 1951 and 1954; Liga Leumit, from 1954 to 1999; and finally, since 1999, the Israeli Premier League. In all, Maccabi Tel Aviv (1939 squad pictured) hold the record for most championships, with 18 titles. The longest run of successive titles is five, won by Hapoel Petah Tikva between the 1958–59 and 1962–63 seasons. (Full list...)