Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 2006

Today's featured article archive

November 1

Kochi is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, and one of the principal seaports of the country. Kochi is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 km north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city has an estimated population of 650,000, with an extended metropolitan population of over 1.6 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second largest city in Kerala. Since 1102, the city of Kochi was the seat of an eponymous princely state which traces its lineages to the Kulasekhara empire. Occupied by the Portuguese since 1503, Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlement in India. It remained the capital of Portuguese India till 1530, before Goa became the capital. A growing centre of information technology, tourism and international trade, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metros in India. Like other large cities in the developing world, Kochi continues to struggle with urbanisation problems like poor sanitation and traffic congestion. (more...)

Recently featured: Night of the Living Dead – Defense of Sihang Warehouse – Hydrogen

November 2

Stuyvesant High School is a New York City public high school that specializes in math and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. The school is noted for its famous alumni, including four Nobel laureates, its strong academic programs, and the large percentage of its graduates who attend prestigious universities. Together with Brooklyn Technical High School and Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant is one of the three original Specialized High Schools of New York City. These schools are operated by the New York City Department of Education and are open, with no tuition fee, to all residents of New York City (only). Admission is by competitive examination only. There has been a long-standing friendly rivalry between Stuyvesant and Bronx Science over the Intel Science Talent Search, with both schools claiming dominance at various times. (more...)

Recently featured: Kochi – Night of the Living Dead – Defense of Sihang Warehouse

November 3

The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, modern Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, from when it expanded rapidly and reached its peak output in the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in north-west Wales. These included the Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda, the Dinorwig Quarry near Llanberis, the Nantlle Valley quarries and Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the slate was mined rather than quarried. Penrhyn and Dinorwig were the two largest slate quarries in the world, and the Oakeley mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog was the largest slate mine in the world. The Great Depression and the Second World War led to the closure of many smaller quarries, and competition from other roofing materials, particularly tiles, resulted in the closure of most of the larger quarries in the 1960s and 1970s. Slate production continues on a much reduced scale. (more...)

Recently featured: Stuyvesant High School – Kochi – Night of the Living Dead

November 4

Ketuanan Melayu is the racialist belief that the Malay people are the "tuan" (masters) of Malaysia or Malaya; Malaysian Chinese and Indian Malaysians are considered beholden to the Malays, who have granted them citizenship in return for the Malays' special privileges as set out in Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia. This quid pro quo arrangement is usually referred to as the social contract, not to be confused with the usual idea of a social contract between the government and the people. The most vocal opposition towards the concept has come from non-Malay-based parties, such as the Democratic Action Party. However, the portions of the Constitution related to ketuanan Melayu were "entrenched" after the racial riots of May 13 1969, which followed an election campaign focused on the issue of non-Malay rights. The riots caused a major change in the government's approach to racial issues, and led to the introduction of an aggressive affirmative action policy strongly favouring the Malays, the New Economic Policy. The National Culture Policy, also introduced in 1970, emphasised an assimilation of the non-Malays into the Malay ethnic group. However, during the 1990s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad rejected this approach, with his Bangsa Malaysia policy emphasising a Malaysian instead of Malay identity for the state. (more...)

Recently featured: Slate industry in Wales – Stuyvesant High School – Kochi

November 5

V for Vendetta is a 2006 action-thriller film set in London sometime in the near future. The film follows V, a freedom fighter who uses violence in pursuit of a personal vendetta and, above all, to force sociopolitical change in a dystopian Britain. The film is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta was directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond, Hugo Weaving as V, Stephen Rea as Inspector Finch, and John Hurt as Chancellor Sutler. The film's release was originally scheduled for Friday, November 4, 2005 (a day before the 400th Guy Fawkes Night), but was delayed; it instead opened on March 17, 2006, and has been generally well-received by critics. Alan Moore, however, disassociated himself from the film, something Moore has done with all films made about his works. The filmmakers removed some of the anarchist themes and heavy references to drug use that were present in the original story and added a current political context to the film. Due to the politically sensitive content of the film, V for Vendetta has been the target of both criticism and praise from political groups. (more...)

Recently featured: Ketuanan Melayu – Slate industry in Wales – Stuyvesant High School

November 6

Eric Havelock was a British classicist. He was a professor at the University of Toronto and was active in the academic wing of the Canadian socialist movement during the 1930s. In the 1960s and '70s, he served as chair of the classics departments at both Harvard and Yale. Although he was trained in the turn-of-the-century Oxbridge tradition of classical studies, which saw Greek intellectual history as an unbroken chain of related ideas, Havelock broke radically with his own teachers and proposed an entirely new model for understanding the classical world, based on a sharp division between literature of the 6th and 5th centuries BC on the one hand, and the 4th on the other. Much of Havelock's work was devoted to a single thesis: that all of Western thought is informed by a profound shift in the kinds of ideas available to the human mind at the point that Greek philosophy converted from an oral to a literate form. The idea has been controversial in classical studies, and has frequently been rejected outright; however, outside his own field, Havelock has been extraordinarily influential. He and Walter J. Ong essentially founded the amorphous field that studies transitions from orality to literacy, and Havelock has been one of the most frequently cited theorists in that field. (more...)

Recently featured: V for Vendetta – Ketuanan Melayu – Slate industry in Wales

November 7

The Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for valor in the face of the enemy. Foreign decorations equivalent to the Virtuti Militari include Britain's Victoria Cross and the U.S. Medal of Honor. It is awarded either for personal heroism or sometimes to commanders representing their units. Awarded in five classes, the order was created in 1792 by Poland's King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Soon after its introduction, however, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was destroyed in the partitions of Poland, and the partitioning powers abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing. Since then, it has been reintroduced, renamed and banned several times, with its fate closely reflecting the fate of the Polish people. Throughout the decoration's existence, thousands of soldiers and officers, Polish and foreign, several cities and one ship have been awarded the Virtuti Militari for valor or outstanding leadership in war. There have been no new awards since 1989. (more...)

Recently featured: Eric Havelock – V for Vendetta – Ketuanan Melayu

November 8

The concerto delle donne was a group of professional female singers in the late Renaissance court of Ferrara, Italy, renowned for their technical and artistic virtuosity. The ensemble was founded by Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, in 1580 and was active until the court was dissolved in 1597. Giacomo Vincenti, a music publisher, praised the women as "virtuose giovani" (virtuosic youths), echoing the sentiments of contemporaneous diarists and commentators. The concerto delle donne revolutionized the role of women in professional music, and continued the tradition of the Este court as a musical center. Word of the ladies' ensemble spread across Italy, inspiring imitations in the powerful courts of the Medici and Orsini. The founding of the concerto delle donne was the most important event in secular Italian music in the late sixteenth century; the musical innovations established in the court were important in the development of the madrigal, and eventually the seconda pratica. (more...)

Recently featured: Virtuti Militari – Eric Havelock – V for Vendetta

November 9

Karen Dotrice is an English actress most notable for her role as a child in Walt Disney's feature film adaptation of the Mary Poppins series of children's books. Dotrice was born in 1955 in the British Crown possession of Guernsey, Channel Islands, to two accomplished stage actors. Her acting career began on stage, expanded into film and television roles, and concluded with a short run as Desdemona in the 1981 Broadway production of Othello. In 1984, Dotrice retired from show business to focus on motherhood. She was named a Disney Legend in 2004. (more...)

Recently featured: Concerto delle donne – Virtuti Militari – Eric Havelock

November 10

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. The Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. They are appointed to serve "during good behavior," which means for life, and leave office only upon death, retirement, resignation, or impeachment and subsequent conviction. The Supreme Court holds both original and appellate jurisdiction, with its appellate jurisdiction accounting for most of the Court's caseload. The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Court's yearly terms usually start on the first Monday in October and finish sometime during the following June or July. Each term consists of alternating two week intervals. During the first interval, the court is in session and hears cases, and during the second interval, the court is recessed to consider and write opinions on cases they have heard. (more...)

Recently featured: Karen Dotrice – Concerto delle donne – Virtuti Militari

November 11

Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician and physicist. He developed important concepts and proved mathematical theorems in fields as diverse as calculus, number theory and topology. He introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion of a mathematical function. He is also renowned for his work in mechanics, optics and astronomy. Euler is considered to be the preeminent mathematician of the 18th century and one of the greatest of all time. He is also the most prolific according to the Guinness Book of Records; his collected works fill 60–80 quarto volumes. Euler was featured on the sixth series of the Swiss 10-franc banknote and on numerous Swiss, German and Russian stamps. The asteroid 2002 Euler was named in his honor. (more...)

Recently featured: Supreme Court of the United States – Karen Dotrice – Concerto delle donne

November 12

Spyware is a broad category of software designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the informed consent of that machine's owner or legitimate user. It has also come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party. Spyware can collect many different types of information about a user. More benign programs can attempt to track what types of websites a user visits and send this information to an advertisement agency. More malicious versions can try to record what a user types to try to intercept passwords or credit card numbers. Yet other versions simply launch popup advertisements. While some forms of spyware can certainly be considered malicious, some on the other hand certainly are not, and are more passive in nature by just watching, observing, and collecting information. Many legitimate companies are now beginning to incorporate forms of spyware, and adware into their software, mainly for purposes of advertisement. While these types of programs are not to be considered spyware in the most malicious sense, they are still spyware in the sense of watching, and observing, with advertisement in mind, making them a form of what is called adware. (more...)

Recently featured: Leonhard Euler – Supreme Court of the United States – Karen Dotrice

November 13

Salvador Dalí was a Catalan-Spanish artist who became one of the most important painters of the twentieth century. A skilled draftsman, he is best known for his surrealist work identified by its striking, bizarre, dreamlike images. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. In addition to painting, his artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, photography, and an Academy Award-nominated short cartoon, "Destino," on which he collaborated with Walt Disney; it was released posthumously in 2003. An artist of great imagination, Dalí had an affinity for doing unusual things to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork. (more...)

Recently featured: Spyware – Leonhard Euler – Supreme Court of the United States

November 14

An Eagle Scout is a Scout with the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over one and a half million Scouts. Requirements include earning a number of merit badges and demonstration of Scout Spirit, service and leadership. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership and merit badge requirements. (more...)

Recently featured: Salvador Dalí – Spyware – Leonhard Euler

November 15

J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and university professor and is best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945, and of English language and literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959. He was a strongly committed Roman Catholic. Tolkien was a close friend of C. S. Lewis, with whom he shared membership in the literary discussion group the Inklings. In addition to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's published fiction includes The Silmarillion and other posthumously published books about what he called a legendarium, a connected body of tales, fictional histories, invented languages, and other literary essays about an imagined world called Arda, and Middle-earth. Most of these works were compiled from Tolkien's notes by his son Christopher Tolkien. The enduring popularity and influence of Tolkien's works have established him as the "father of modern fantasy literature". Tolkien's other published fiction includes stories not directly related to the legendarium, some of them originally told to his children. (more...)

Recently featured: Eagle Scout – Salvador Dalí – Spyware

November 16

The Katyn massacre was a mass execution of Polish citizens by the order of Soviet authorities in 1940. About 8,000 of those killed were reserve officers taken prisoner during the 1939 Invasion of Poland, but the dead also included many civilians who had been arrested for being "intelligence agents and gendarmes, spies and saboteurs, former landowners, factory owners and officials". Since Poland's conscription system required every unexempted university graduate to become a reserve officer, the Soviets were thus able to round up much of the Polish, Jewish, Ukrainian, Georgian and Belarusian intelligentsias of Polish citizenship. The 1943 discovery of mass graves at Katyn Forest by Germany, after its armed forces had occupied the site in 1941, precipitated a rupture of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the Polish government-in-exile in London. The Soviet Union continued to deny responsibility for the massacres until 1990, when it acknowledged that the NKVD had in fact committed the massacres and the subsequent cover-up. The Russian government has admitted Soviet responsibility for the massacres, although it does not classify them a war crime or an act of genocide, as this would have necessitated the prosecution of surviving perpetrators, which is what the Polish government has requested. (more...)

Recently featured: J. R. R. Tolkien – Eagle Scout – Salvador Dalí

November 17

San Francisco, California is the fourth-largest city in California and the fourteenth-largest in the United States, with a 2005 population of 739,426. It is located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and has traditionally been the focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the United States. In 1776, the Spanish colonized the place that was to become San Francisco, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. With the advent of the California Gold Rush in 1848, the city entered a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt and is today one of the most recognizable cities in the world. San Francisco is renowned for its months-long episodes of fog, steep rolling hills, the eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, and its peninsular location surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. Famous hallmarks and landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid, and Chinatown. (more...)

Recently featured: Katyn massacre – J. R. R. Tolkien – Eagle Scout

November 18

W. S. Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert's most popular collaborations with Sullivan, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado (one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre) and most of their other Savoy operas continue to be performed regularly today throughout the English-speaking world and beyond by opera companies, repertory companies, schools and community theatre groups. Lines from these works have permanently entered the English language, including "short, sharp shock", "What never? Well, hardly ever!", and "let the punishment fit the crime". Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads, an extensive collection of light verse accompanied by his own comical drawings. His creative output included over 75 plays and libretti, numerous stories, poems, lyrics and various other comic and serious pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. (more...)

Recently featured: San Francisco, California – Katyn massacre – J. R. R. Tolkien

November 19

A star is a massive, compact body of plasma in outer space that is held together by its own gravity and is sufficiently massive to sustain nuclear fusion in a very dense, hot core region. This fusion of atomic nuclei generates the energy that is continuously radiated from the outer layers of the star during much of its life span. Astronomers can determine many of the properties of a star by observing its spectrum and luminosity. Individual stars differ in their total mass, chemical composition, and age. The total mass of a star is the principal determinant in its evolution and eventual fate. Other characteristics of a star that are determined by its evolutionary history include the diameter, rotation, movement and temperature. A plot of the star's temperature against luminosity, known as a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, allows the current age and evolutionary state of the star to be determined. Binary and multi-star systems consist of two or more stars that are gravitationally bound, and generally move around each other in stable orbits. When two such stars have a relatively close orbit, their gravitational interaction can have a significant impact on their evolution. (more...)

Recently featured: W. S. Gilbert – San Francisco, California – Katyn massacre

November 20

Football, also known as soccer, is a team sport played between two teams, of eleven players each, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass field (or occasionally on an artificial pitch) with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by maneuvering the ball into the opposing goal. The predominant feature of the sport is that no players other than the goalkeepers may use their hands or arms to propel the ball in general play. The winner is the team who scores the most goals by the end of the match. The modern game was codified in England following the formation of the Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The most prestigious international football competition is the World Cup, played every four years, which is also the most widely viewed and famous sporting event in the world, watched by twice as many people as the Summer Olympics. (more...)

Recently featured: Star – W. S. Gilbert – San Francisco, California

November 21

Stephen Colbert's performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner mocked the Bush administration and the White House press corps, and subsequently generated significant controversy. Stephen Colbert was the featured entertainer for the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, delivering a 20-minute speech and video presentation which was broadcast live on C-SPAN and MSNBC. Colbert spoke as the same character as the one he plays on The Colbert Report: an over-the-top send-up of a conservative pundit in the fashion of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Colbert satirized the Bush administration and the White House press corps. Colbert spoke directly to President Bush several times, satirically praising his foreign policy, lifestyle, and beliefs, and referencing his low approval rating and popular reputation. Various reports give an impression that Bush did not take too kindly to the performance, as several of Bush's aides and supporters walked out during Colbert's speech, and one former aide said that the President had "that look that he's ready to blow." Reaction to the event caused it to become an Internet and media sensation, and ratings for The Colbert Report soared 37% in the week following the speech. (more...)

Recently featured: Football – Star – W. S. Gilbert

November 22

Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer. Although he composed primitivist, neo-classical and serial works, he is best known for three compositions from his earlier, Russian period: The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. These daring and innovative ballets practically reinvented the genre. Stravinsky also wrote for a wide range of ensembles in a broad spectrum of classical forms, ranging from opera and symphonies to piano miniatures and works for jazz band. Stravinsky also achieved fame as a pianist and conductor, often at the premieres of his own works. He was also a writer; with the help of Alexis Roland-Manuel, Stravinsky compiled a theoretical work entitled Poetics of Music in which he famously claimed that music was incapable of "expressing anything but itself." A quintessentially cosmopolitan Russian, Stravinsky was one of the most influential composers and artists of 20th century music, both in the West and in his native land. He was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the century. (more...)

Recently featured: Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner – Football – Star

November 23

A modern glider crossing the finish line

Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive sport where pilots fly un-powered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes. Properly, the term gliding refers to descending flight of a heavier-than-air craft, whereas soaring is the correct term to use when the craft gains altitude or speed from rising air. After launching glider pilots search for rising air to gain height. If conditions are good enough, experienced pilots can fly many hundreds, or even thousands, of kilometers before returning to their home airfields. However if the weather deteriorates, they must often land elsewhere, but some can avoid this by using engines. While many glider pilots merely enjoy the sense of achievement, some competitive pilots fly in races around pre-defined courses. These competitions test the pilots' abilities to make best use of local weather conditions as well as their flying skills. Local and national competitions are organized in many countries and there are also biennial World Gliding Championships. Powered aircraft or winches are the most common methods of launching gliders. These and other methods (apart from self-launching motor-gliders) require assistance from other participants. Gliding clubs have thus been established to share airfields and equipment, train new pilots and maintain high safety standards. (more...)

Recently featured: Igor Stravinsky – Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner – Football

November 24

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe, first emerging as prehistoric Vinča in 4800 BC. It was settled in the 3rd century BC by the Celts, before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum. It first became the capital of Serbia in 1403, and was the capital of various South Slav states from 1918 until 2003, as well as Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 until 2006. The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers in north central Serbia, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula. The population of Belgrade, according to the Serbian census of 2002, is 1,576,124. Belgrade has the status of a separate territorial unit in Serbia, with its own autonomous city government. Its territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each of which has its own local council. It is the central economic hub of Serbia, and the capital of Serbian culture, education and science. (more...)

Recently featured: Gliding – Igor Stravinsky – Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

November 25

Ali Hassan Salameh, the mastermind of the Munich attacks

Operation Wrath of God was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate those who directly or indirectly perpetrated the 1972 Munich massacre. Their targets included members of the Palestinian militant group Black September, which was responsible for the Munich attack, and members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization accused of being involved. Authorized to begin by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the autumn of 1972, the operation may have continued for more than 20 years. During this time covert Israeli assassination units killed tens of Palestinians and Arabs across Europe, including the mistaken killing of an innocent waiter in Lillehammer, Norway. An additional military assault was launched by Israeli commandos deep inside Lebanon to kill several high profile Palestinian targets. This string of assassinations spurred retaliation attacks by Black September against a variety of Israeli government targets. It has also prompted criticism of Israel for its choice of targets, tactic of assassination, and overall effectiveness. Because of the secretive nature of the operation, some details are unverifiable beyond a single source, including the story of an Israeli who claims to have led an Israeli assassination squad. (more...)

Recently featured: Belgrade – Gliding – Igor Stravinsky

November 26

Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina, US. The school, which officially became Duke University in 1924, traces its institutional roots to 1838. Duke is ranked among the world's best universities. In its 2007 edition of "America's Best Colleges," U.S. News & World Report ranked the undergraduate division eighth in the nation, while ranking the medical, law, and business schools among the top eleven in the country. Besides academics, research, and athletics, Duke is also well known for its sizeable campus and Gothic architecture, especially Duke Chapel. Duke's 8,709 acres (35 km²) contain three main campuses in Durham as well as a marine lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. (more...)

Recently featured: Operation Wrath of God – Belgrade – Gliding

November 27

Stegosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid armoured dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period of what is now western North America. Due to its distinctive tail spikes and plates, Stegosaurus is one of the most recognisable dinosaurs, along with Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops and Diplodocus. At least three species have been identified in the upper Morrison Formation and are known from numerous remains. They lived some 155 to 145 million years ago, in an environment and time dominated by the giant sauropods Diplodocus, Camarasaurus and Apatosaurus. A large, heavily-built and herbivorous quadruped, Stegosaurus had a distinctive and unusual posture, with a heavily-arched back, short forelimbs, head held low to the ground and a stiffened tail held high in the air. Stegosaurus was the largest of all the stegosaurians and, although roughly bus-sized, it nonetheless shared many of the anatomical features with other stegosaurian genera. (more...)

Recently featured: Duke University – Operation Wrath of God – Belgrade

November 28

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall. It threatened, but did not quite reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster and Charles II's Palace of Whitehall and left the suburban slums surrounding the City largely untouched. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Paul's Cathedral, and nearly all the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated that it made homeless 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll from the fire is unknown and has traditionally been thought to have been small, as only a few verified deaths are recorded. (more...)

Recently featured: Stegosaurus – Duke University – Operation Wrath of God

November 29

Jaws is a 1975 horror–thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel of the same name. The novel was inspired by the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916. In the film, the police chief of Amity Island, a summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the money-grubbing town council. After several attacks, the police chief proceeds to enlist the help of a marine biologist and later a professional shark hunter to kill the shark. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as marine biologist Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as the shark hunter Quint, Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife Ellen, and Murray Hamilton as the greedy Mayor Vaughn. Jaws is regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history, as it is the father of the summer blockbuster movie. (more...)

Recently featured: Great Fire of London – Stegosaurus – Duke University

November 30

The history of erotic depictions includes representations of sexual acts that have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with supernatural forces and thus their religion is intertwined with their depictions. In Asian countries such as India, Japan and China, representations of sex and erotic art have specific meanings within the native religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism. The Greeks and Romans produced much art and decoration of an erotic nature also stemming from their religious and cultural beliefs which was especially influential on the west. In more recent times, erotic depictions have gone from being a luxury item to a propaganda tool and then an every day commodity and livelihood for some. As the technology of communication has changed, each new technique, such as printing, photography, motion pictures and computers, has been adapted to display and disseminate these depictions. (more...)

Recently featured: Jaws – Great Fire of London – Stegosaurus