1244 Chinese handscroll leads nine-strong picture contingent

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Featured articles

Five featured articles were promoted this week.

Maurice Leyland (nom) by Sarastro1. This English cricketer competed in the sport between 1920 and 1946, and played 41 Test matches between 1928 and 1938. Leyland scored over 1000 runs in 17 consecutive seasons while representing Yorkshire. The article notes that although the subject was not among the best batsmen, he "had a reputation for batting well under pressure". One obituary for Leyland stated that "no more courageous or determined cricketer ever buckled on pads for England."
Operation Crossroads (nom) by Hawkeye7 and HowardMorland. A series of United States nuclear tests conducted at Bikini Atoll, Operation Crossroads included the first detonation of nuclear devices since the bombing of Nagasaki in August 1945. The Crossroads tests, which took aim at 95 target ships, were the first tests to be observed by an invited press corps. The second test conducted, code named Baker, was an underwater detonation, which led to what the longest-serving chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission called "the world's first nuclear disaster."
Samuel Merrill Woodbridge (nom) by ColonelHenry. This 19th century Reformed Church in America clergyman and theologian was Dean and President of the Faculty of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey from 1883 to 1901. Woodbridge taught classes for 44 years in ecclesiastical history and church government, publishing three books on those subjects. He was appointed Dean of the Seminary due in large part to being the eldest professor in the institution.
Chalciporus piperatus (nom) by Sasata and Casliber. The peppery bolete is a small pored mushroom found generally in Europe and North America, although it has also been found in Brazil and Tasmania. First described in 1790, the peppery bolete was initially thought to be a member of the genus Boletus, but was later moved to the genus Chalciporus. The mushroom's flavor is very peppery, hence its name, and it is suspected of being parasitic to another mushroom, the fly amanita.
2012–13 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team (nom) by TonyTheTiger. The Wolverines, a college basketball team associated with the University of Michigan, finished as the National Runner-up at the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, achieving a 31–8 record in the process. The team's 19–1 start notched the best finish in the school's history. The Wolverines were led by 2013 Player of the Year Trey Burke, and coached by John Beilein, who was in his sixth year as head coach. The team lost to the Louisville Cardinals in the National Championship game, 82–76.

Featured lists

Two featured lists were promoted this week.

68th Academy Awards (nom) by Birdienest81.. The Academy Awards are an annual awards ceremony that honors the best picture in the past calendar year. The 68th incarnation assessed the films of 1995; Braveheart took the most awards, with five.
Fractional currency (United States) (nom) by Godot13. This paper money was issued soon after the beginning of the American Civil War, in response to a shortage of coins caused by hoarding. The complete type set is held by the Smithsonian Institution, who allowed the nominator to scan all of the currency used in the article.

Featured topics

One featured topic was promoted this week.

God of War franchise (nom). This long-lasting video game series is inspired by Greek mythology and features a Spartan warrior sparring with the various gods and goddesses. The first game came out in 2005, and it continues today with seven installments, a possible film, and a comic book adaptation.

Featured pictures

The Nine Dragons scroll, now a featured picture - this one's worth opening up to full-size.

Nine featured pictures were promoted this week.

$5 US Silver Certificate, Series 1899 (nom, related article) created by Bureau of Engraving and Printing and photographed and nominated by Godot13. Scanned by the nominator alongside other images from the Smithsonian Institution's National Numismatic Collection, this certificate featured Sioux chief Running Antelope, albeit in an ahistorical Pawnee headdress.
Nine Dragons scroll (nom, related article) created by Chen Rong, nominated by Brandmeister. The image is of a handscroll painting by Chinese artist Chen Rong from 1244. Wikipedia tells us: "Depicting the apparitions of dragons soaring amidst clouds, mists, whirlpools, rocky mountains and fire, the painting refers to the dynamic forces of nature in Daoism. The depicted dragons are associated with nine sons of the Dragon King, while the number nine itself is considered auspicious in Chinese astrology and folk beliefs." The scan's width is over 30,000 pixels, quite large for an online image. The scroll is currently held by Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
CN Tower (nom, related article) created by Taxiarchos228 and nominated by Benison P Baby. The highest building in the Western Hemisphere, the much-heralded and recent news item One World Trade Center falls short, at 1,776 feet (541 m) to CN's 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft).
Locomotive U-127 (nom, related article) created by Harveyqs and nominated by Tomer T. U-127 pulled Vladimir Lenin's funeral train and is now preserved at The Museum of the Moscow Railway. One of 62 class U locomotives produced in Russia between 1906 and 1912, U-127 and its classmates were built and used as express passenger locomotives into the 1930s. Later attempts to use them on industrial railways failed, as the high-speed design was not suitable for the task. The last example was withdrawn in 1952.
Check signed by Susan B. Anthony and other suffragists (nom, related article) created and nominated by Godot13. A National American Woman Suffrage Association check, hand-written by Harriet Taylor Upton as the Association's treasurer and counter-signed by Susan B. Anthony as president, and Alice Stone Blackwell as recording secretary. The payee is Rachel Foster Avery.
Solovetsky Monastery (nom, related article) created by Linazet and nominated by Tomer T. This gigantic building, seen at the top, was a Christian citadel converted into a special Soviet prison and labor camp in the 1930s. The monastery was founded in 1436, but most of its important buildings date from the 16th century.
Shortfin mako shark jaw (nom, related article) created by Didier Descouens and nominated by Mediran. Shortfin sharks use these jaws to catch and eat about 3% of their weight each day. Each meal takes around 1.5 to 2 days to digest. Capturing one has proven to be remarkably difficult, with the longest-lasting shortfin surviving only for only five days in an aquarium.
All Saints Church, Odiham (nom, related article) created by Lewis Hulbert and nominated by Deferential redbrick. This building has been built and rebuilt since the 13th century. It still hosts a congregation, with two services on Sundays and a 40-strong choir.
Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen (nom, related article) created and nominated by ArildV. This 19th century canal in central Stockholm, Sweden separates the island of Djurgården from the northern mainland.