Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 July 24

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From today's featured article

Utility pole with lechis attached

Three municipalities in the U.S. state of New Jersey resisted the construction of an eruv within their borders in 2017 and 2018. An eruv is used by Orthodox Jews as a ritual boundary that facilitates travel on the Jewish Sabbath, and the one in Bergen County was marked by plastic pipes attached to utility poles. Mahwah, Upper Saddle River and Montvale ordered it dismantled, as their permission had not been obtained. During the controversy, many Mahwah residents angrily protested against the prospect of Orthodox Jews from Rockland County, New York, using local parks or seeking to buy homes there. The eruv association brought federal lawsuits against each of the municipalities. In Mahwah, an ordinance was passed barring nonresidents of New Jersey from its parks, leading to accusations of anti-Semitism. A settlement was reached allowing the eruv to remain, but Mahwah still faces a lawsuit from the New Jersey Attorney General accusing it of discrimination. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

A mosaic of
Empress Zoë

... that the same day her husband was murdered, 55-year-old Byzantine Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita (pictured) married her young lover and had him crowned emperor the next day?
... that the sand burrowing brittlestar is often found in association with the sea potato?
... that Petra Schmidt has performed operatic title roles such as Dvořák's Rusalka and Ponchielli's La Gioconda at the Musiktheater im Revier?
... that New York City's Gowanus Canal is so heavily polluted that Enterococcus, which is found in human fecal matter, has been detected at more than 100 times above safe levels?
... that according to a 17th-century missionary in Safavid Georgia, the literate Georgians in the province preferred to read Georgian versions of Persian works rather than religious texts?
... that despite earning the second-highest score in the 2018 U.S. Championships at junior level, Alysa Liu was too young to compete at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships?
... that a unique geological formation, including dacitic magma at approximately 1050°C (1920°F), was encountered at Puna Geothermal Venture in 2005 when drilling a new geothermal energy well?
... that biochemist Chen-Lu Tsou was praised for criticizing his boss?

In the news

France national football team

At least 76 people are killed and over 100 injured in wildfires in the Greek tourist resort of Mati.
A hydro-electric dam under construction in south-eastern Laos collapses, resulting in extensive damage and leaving more than 6,000 people displaced.
Flooding and mudslides caused by Tropical Storm Son-Tinh leave 32 people dead and 17 others missing in Vietnam.
An amphibious "duck boat" sinks in Table Rock Lake, United States, killing 17 people.
In association football, the FIFA World Cup concludes with France (team pictured) defeating Croatia in the final.

On this day

July 24: Pioneer Day in Utah (1847)

Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit

1701 – French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit (pictured), which later grew into the city of Detroit.
1910 – Ottoman forces captured the city of Shkodër to put down the Albanian revolt of 1910.
1923 – The Treaty of Lausanne was signed to settle the Anatolian part of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, establishing the boundaries of modern Turkey.
1998 – A gunman entered the United States Capitol and opened fire, killing two police officers.
2014 – Fifty minutes after departing Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Air Algérie Flight 5017 disappeared from radar, and its wreckage was found the next day in Mali, with no survivors of the 116 people aboard.

Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury (b. 1660) · Martin Van Buren (d. 1862) · Kini Kapahu Wilson (d. 1962)

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Today's featured picture

An Indian merchant holding green chickpeas (Cicer arietinum). One of the earliest cultivated legumes, chickpeas are ingredients in a number of dishes around the world. India is the largest producer of this nutrient-dense food, accounting for 64% of global production in 2016.

Photograph: Jorge Royan

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