This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from May 21 through June 18 . Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Featured articles
German troops registering people from Kragujevac and its surrounding areas prior to their execution
A view of the Chrysler Building from the Empire State Building on November 20, 1953.
This image shows Hurricane Katrina. Studies regarding the name-letter effect have shown that people with a name beginning in K especially donated to the relief effort.
Final Fantasy VII(nominated by ProtoDrake) is a role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1997, it is the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in the West by Sony Computer Entertainment, the first in the series to be released in Europe. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop the world-controlling megacorporation, Shinra, from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Assisted by a large pre-release promotional campaign, Final Fantasy VII received widespread commercial and critical success upon release, and is still widely regarded as a landmark title and one of the greatest games of all time. It was acknowledged for boosting the sales of the PlayStation and popularizing Japanese role-playing games worldwide.
The grey-necked wood rail (nominated by RileyBugz ) (Aramides cajaneus) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, the rails. It lives primarily in the forests, mangroves, and swamps of Central and South America. The species is usually found at elevations from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), although some have been found above that. The rail has both a grey head and gray neck. In the nominate, the back of the head has a brown patch. The upperparts are olive-green to dark brown. The chest and flanks are a rufous colour, with the belly, rump, and tail being black. The legs are coral-red, the bill is a bright greenish-yellow, and the eyes are red. This rail rail feeds on a wide range of foods, from molluscs to seeds. It is also known to feed on the feces of giant otters.
No. 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF (nominated by Ian Rose) (No. 1 AD) was a maintenance unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Formed in July 1921 at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria, it relocated to the nearby RAAF Laverton in March 1926. As well as servicing aircraft and other equipment, in its early years the depot supported survey flights in Australia and the Pacific region. It was also responsible for training maintenance staff. No. 1 AD was disbanded in December 1994, its functions having been taken over by other units and private contractors. At the time of its disbandment, it was the oldest RAAF unit in continuous operation.
Dire wolf (nominated by William Hariss) (Canis dirus, "fearsome dog") is an extinctspecies of the genusCanis. It is one of the most famous prehistoric carnivores in North America along with its extinct competitor, the sabre-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis. The dire wolf lived in the Americas during the Late Pleistocene epoch (125,000–10,000 years ago). The species was named in 1858, four years after the first specimen had been found. The dire wolf was about the same size as the largest modern gray wolves (Canis lupus), the Yukon wolf and the northwestern wolf. C. d. guildayi weighed on average 60 kg (130 lb) and C. d. dirus on average 68 kg (150 lb). Its teeth were larger with greater shearing ability than C. Lupis and its bite force at the canine tooth was the strongest of any known Canis species. The dire wolf is thought to have been a pack hunter, and the latest dire wolf remains have been dated to 9,440 years ago.
Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. (nominated by Wehwalt) is a leading case in American tort law on the question of liability to an unforeseeable plaintiff. The case was heard by the New York Court of Appeals, the highest state court in New York; its opinion was written by Chief Judge Benjamin Cardozo, a leading figure in the development of American common law. The plaintiff, Helen Palsgraf, was taking her daughters to the beach on an August day in 1924. As two men attempted to board a train before hers, one (aided by railroad employees) dropped a package that exploded, causing a large coin-operated scale on the platform to hit her. She subsequently sued the railroad, arguing that its employees had been negligent. After multiple appeals, the Court of Appeals, in a 4:3 decision decided that there was no negligence because the employees, in helping the man board, did not have a duty of care to Palsgraf as injury to her was not a foreseeable harm from aiding a man with a package. The precedent set by this case that tort liability only occurs when a defendant breaches a duty of care that they owe to a plaintiff, causing the injury sued for, has been widely accepted in American law.
Pacific blue-eye (nominated by Cas Liber) (Pseudomugil signifer) is a species of fish in the family Pseudomugilidae native to eastern Australia. First described by Austrian naturalist Rudolf Kner in 1866, it is a common fish of rivers and estuaries along the eastern seaboard from Cape York in north Queensland to southern New South Wales, the Burdekin Gap in central-north Queensland dividing the ranges of the two subspecies. A small silvery fish averaging around 3–3.5 cm (1 1⁄8–1 3⁄8 in) in total length, the Pacific blue-eye is recognisable by its blue eye ring and two dorsal fins. It forms loose schools of tens to thousands of individuals. It eats water-borne insects as well as flying insects that land on the water's surface, foraging for them by sight. The Pacific blue-eye adapts readily to captivity.
The Kalākaua coinage (nominated by Wehwalt) was a set of silver coins of the Kingdom of Hawaii dated 1883, authorized to boost Hawaiian pride by giving the kingdom its own money. They were designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of the United States Bureau of the Mint, and were struck at the San Francisco Mint. The issued coins are a dime (ten-cent piece), quarter dollar, half dollar, and dollar. The coins met a hostile reception from the business community in Honolulu, who feared inflation of the currency in a time of recession. After legal maneuvering, the government agreed to use over half of the coinage as backing for paper currency, and this continued until better economic times began in 1885. After that, the coins were more eagerly accepted in circulation. They remained in the flow of commerce on the islands until withdrawn in 1903, after Hawaii had become a US territory.
The Battle of Prokhorovka (nominated by Eye Truth) (12 July 1943), one of the largest tank battles in history, was fought between Waffen-SS units of Nazi Germany and Red Army units of the Soviet Union during the Second World War in the Eastern Front. It was the climax of the German offensive, Operation Citadel, and occurred when the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army intercepted the II SS-Panzer Corps of the German Wehrmacht near Prokhorovka. The 5th Guards Tank Army was decimated in the attack, but succeeded in preventing the Wehrmacht from capturing Prokhorovka and breaking through the last heavily fortified Soviet defensive belt. With the Germans unable to accomplish their objective for Operation Citadel, they cancelled it and began redeploying their forces to deal with new pressing developments elsewhere. The failure of the operation marked the first time in the war that a major German offensive was halted before it could break through enemy defences and penetrate into their operational or strategic depths. The Soviet Union thus permanently gained the strategic initiative, while Germany permanently lost the capacity to launch offensives of such scale on the Eastern Front.
Jerome, Arizona (nominated by Finetooth) is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, it is more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. It is about 100 miles (160 km) north of Phoenix along State Route 89A between Sedona and Prescott. Supported in its heyday by rich copper mines, it was home to more than 10,000 people in the 1920s. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 444. Jerome made news in 1917, when strikes involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) led to the expulsion at gunpoint of about 60 IWW members, who were loaded on a cattle car and shipped west. Production at the mines, always subject to fluctuations, boomed during World War I, fell thereafter, rose again, then fell again during and after the Great Depression. As the ore deposits ran out, the mines closed, and the population dwindled to fewer than 100 by the mid-1950s. Efforts to save the town from oblivion succeeded when residents turned to tourism and retail sales. Jerome became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. In the early 21st century, Jerome has art galleries, coffee houses, restaurants, and a state park and local museum devoted to mining history.
Fallout 4: Far Harbor (nominated by Anarchyte) is an expansion pack for the 2015 video game Fallout 4, developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Far Harbor was released on May 19, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One as downloadable content (DLC). The game is set in the year 2287, in the aftermath of a nuclear war that destroys most of the United States. In the game, the player character is recruited by a detective agency to investigate the disappearance of a young girl living in a remote area. Far Harbor's announcement was made three months after the release of Fallout 4. The expansion was influenced by player feedback on the base game's dialogue system, which was not considered to be as successful as the other game mechanics. The development team also noticed the players' interest in releases that added large amounts of explorable territory. The price of Fallout 4's season pass was increased because of the expansion's size. The expansion received generally favorable reviews from critics.
The 1966 New York City smog (nominated by Brandt Luke Zorn) was a historic air-pollution event in New York City that occurred from November 23–26, that year's Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It was the third major smog in New York City, following events of similar scale in 1953 and 1963. On November 23, a large mass of stagnant air over the East Coast trapped pollutants in the city's air. For three full days, New York City experienced severe smog with high levels of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, smoke, and haze. Smaller pockets of air pollution pervaded the New York metropolitan area throughout other parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. On November 25, regional leaders initiated a "first-stage alert" in the city, state, and neighboring states. During the alert, leaders of local and state governments asked residents and industry to take voluntary steps to minimize emissions. People with respiratory or heart conditions were advised by health officials to stay indoors. The city's garbage incinerators were shut off, requiring massive hauling of garbage to landfills. A cold front dispersed the smog on November 26 and the alert ended. A medical research group conducted a study estimating that 10 percent of the city's population suffered some negative health effects from the smog. City health officials initially maintained that the smog had not caused any deaths, but studies have found that 168 people likely died because of the smog, and 366 people likely had their lives shortened. The smog served as a catalyst for greater national awareness of air pollution as a serious health problem and political issue. New York City updated its local laws on air pollution control, and a similar weather event passed in 1969 without major smog. Prompted by the smog, President Lyndon B. Johnson and members of Congress worked to pass federal legislation regulating air pollution in the United States, culminating in the 1967 Air Quality Act and the 1970 Clean Air Act. The 1966 smog is a milestone that has been used for comparison with other recent pollution events, including the health effects of pollution from the September 11 attacks and pollution in China.
Nil Battey Sannata (nominated by Numerounovedant) (English: Zero Divided by Zero Equals Nothing; slang for "Good For Nothing"), released internationally as The New Classmate, is a 2016 Indian comedy drama film directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari in her feature debut. Produced by Anand Rai, Ajay Rai, and Alan McAlex under the banners of Colour Yellow and JAR Pictures, the film was co-written by Iyer, Neeraj Singh, Pranjal Choudhary, and Nitesh Tiwari. Swara Bhaskar starred as Chanda Sahay, a high-school drop-out household maid and single mother of a sullen young girl named Apeksha, played by Ria Shukla. The film's theme is a person's right to dream and change their lives, irrespective of social status. Released in India on 22 April 2016, Nil Battey Sannata was distributed by Eros International and garnered critical and audience acclaim.
The name-letter effect (nominated by Edwininlondon) is the tendency of people to prefer the letters in their name over other letters in the alphabet. Whether subjects are asked to rank all letters of the alphabet, rate each of the letters, choose the letter they prefer out of a set of two, or pick a small set of letters they most prefer, on average people consistently like the letters in their own name the most. Crucially, subjects are not aware that they are choosing letters from their name.
Isabelle Eberhardt (nominated by Freikorp) was a Swiss explorer and writer. As a teenager, Eberhardt published short stories under a male pseudonym. She was considered a proficient writer on the subject of North Africa despite learning about the region only through correspondence. She moved to Algeria in May 1897 where she dressed as a man and converted to Islam, eventually adopting the name Si Mahmoud Saadi.
Kane Williamson is an international cricketer who represents the New Zealand national cricket team. As of May 2017, he is the captain of the team in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) formats. A right handed top order batsman, he has scored seventeen and nine(nominated by Vensatry)centuries in Test and ODIs, respectively. In January 2015, former New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe noted that, "we're seeing the dawn of probably our greatest ever batsman" in Williamson. His 69-ball 100 not out—made against Zimbabwe in October 2011—is the fourth fastest ODI century by a New Zealander. His highest score of 145 not out came against South Africa in January 2013. He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations except West Indies. Four months later, he became the sixth player to score 10 Test centuries before the age of 25 when he made 132 against England at the Lord's. In August 2016, he became the fastest and youngest player to score centuries against all Test-playing nations in the format. As of May 2017, he has the most Test centuries for New Zealand. Williamson has played 39 T20Is since his debut in October 2011 and is yet to score a century in the format; his highest score remains 73 not out.
La La Land is a 2016 American romanticmusicalcomedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film focuses on two young people struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, while pursuing their dreams as artists. The film was successful at the box office, earning over $430 million against its $30 million budget. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 332 reviews and judged 93% to be positive. The film has been nominated for 250 awards, winning 108; its direction, screenplay, music and the performances of Gosling and Stone have received the most attention from award groups. La La Land received 14 nominations (winning 6) at the 89th Academy Awards tying records for most nominations by a single film with All About Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997). The film garnered a leading seven Golden Globe Award nominations, and the film also led the 70th British Academy Film Awards with five wins and 11 nominations.
The American rock band Rise Against has recorded 128 songs, which include 115 original songs and 13 covers. The band was formed in 1999, and signed a recording contract with the independent record labelFat Wreck Chords the following year. During the early part of their career, Rise Against's music was characterized by its gritty combination of hardcore punk and melodic hardcore. With the release of Appeal to Reason, the band's music shifted toward a more accessible and radio-friendly sound, with greater emphasis on production value. Rise Against is well known for their outspoken social commentary, which often permeates their lyrics. Of the band's 128 songs, fifteen have been released as singles, while three have been promotional singles. Their best charting singles are "Help Is on the Way", which reached number eighty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100; and "Savior", which held the record for the most consecutive weeks spent on both the Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts, with sixty-three and sixty-five weeks respectively. Two singles from Siren Song of the Counter Culture, "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away", helped broaden Rise Against's mainstream appeal.
Jeff Gordon is an American racing driver who drove in the NASCARCup Series full-time from 1993 to 2015, winning 93 Cup Series races and four Cup championships. Over the course of his racing career, Gordon won a total of 98 NASCAR races(nominated by Bcschneider53), 93 of which were in the Cup Series.
Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts(nominated by Jackdude101) can be found in every theme park resort property owned or licensed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the theme park and vacation resort segment of the larger Walt Disney Company. Each Disney theme park resort has a rail transport system serving its general resort area, whether it's a monorail system located inside the Disney resort properties in the United States and Japan, or a conventional rail system connecting external rail networks to the Disney resorts in France and China. The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chain of theme parks is the largest on the planet by annual attendance with over 140.4 million visitors in 2016, and the rail systems located inside its properties play key roles as modes of transportation and as attractions for its visitors.
Diagram of a chicken egg in its ninth day of incubation showing all four extraembryonic membranes along with the embryo, the air pocket, and the shell (created and nominated by KDS4444)
Current Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre championships(nominated by MPJ-DK) In professional wrestling, championships are competed for in pre-determined matches and as a result of storylines by a professional wrestling promotion's roster of wrestlers. As of 2016, the Mexican Lucha libre or professional wrestling promotion known as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Spanish for "World Wrestling Council"; CMLL) promotes 23 different championships; 12 championships are designated as World Championships for various weight divisions, 5 championships are on the national level, and 6 championships are on the regional level. The championships are divided into multiple weight classes, as well as gender specific and size-specific divisions. There are thirteen male singles championships spread out over various weight classes, three championships for tag teams, three for Trios (three-man teams), two for female competitors, and two for Mini-Estrella competitors. The oldest CMLL championship is the Mexican National Welterweight Championship, created on June 17, 1934, which is also the oldest, still active, championship in professional wrestling.
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Great job enwiki! --Hume42 (talk) 07:36, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]