Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 May 24

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Wonder Stories was an early American science fiction magazine published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback after he lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. In 1936 he sold Wonder Stories to Ned Pines at Beacon Publications; retitled Thrilling Wonder Stories, it continued for nearly 20 years. The editors under Gernsback's ownership were David Lasser, who worked hard to improve the quality of the fiction, and later Charles Hornig. They published some well-received fiction, such as Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey", but were overshadowed by the success of their chief competitor Astounding Stories. For a period in the early 1940s the magazine was aimed at younger readers, with a juvenile editorial tone and covers that depicted beautiful women in implausibly revealing spacesuits. By the end of the 1940s, in the opinion of science fiction historian Mike Ashley, the magazine briefly rivaled Astounding. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Hypothetical restoration of Oxalaia

... that at 12–14 metres (39–46 ft) in length, Oxalaia (artist's impression pictured) is the largest-known theropod dinosaur from Brazil?
... that during World War II, Lieutenant General John C. H. Lee had his own railroad train?
... that the Thai mining town of Pilok was so harshly inaccessible that its ore had to be transported by elephant?
... that a bobblehead of Sister Jean, the chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team, sold for more than $300 on eBay?
... that war in the Horn of Africa may have contributed to the decline of the little brown bustard?
... that Puerto Rican actress Sol Miranda created a one-woman show about her immigrant experience in Peekskill, New York?
... that Peniscola Castle, in the Valencian Community of Spain, was used as a papal residence by the Antipope Benedict XIII?
... that after a future philologist's older brother reportedly shot their missionary mother, their reverend father said he would not let the facts be known?

In the news

Nicolás Maduro

Incumbent Nicolás Maduro (pictured) is re-elected President of Venezuela.
Shoplifters wins the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the United Kingdom, Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle.
A passenger aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Havana, Cuba, killing 111 people.

On this day...

May 24: Aldersgate Day (Methodism)

Brooklyn Bridge

1689 – The Act of Toleration became law in England, granting freedom of worship to nonconformists under certain circumstances, but deliberately excluding Catholics.
1883 – New York City's Brooklyn Bridge (pictured) opened – the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time.
1956 – The first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland.
1970 – On the Kola Peninsula in Russia, drilling began on the Kola Superdeep Borehole, eventually reaching 12,262 metres (40,230 ft), making it the deepest hole ever drilled and the deepest artificial point on the earth.
2014 – A gunman opened fire at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people.

Robert Hues (d. 1632) · Cathinka Buchwieser (b. 1789) · Huguette Clark (d. 2011)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Hurricane Erika was a weak hurricane that struck extreme northeastern Mexico near the Texas-Tamaulipas border in mid-August of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Initially, Erika was not designated a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center as initial data suggested winds of 70 mph (115 km/h) at peak intensity; only after later analysis was it revised to Category 1 intensity. While Erika's precursor disturbance was moving across Florida, it dropped heavy rainfall. In south Texas, Erika produced moderate winds of 50 to 60 mph (80 to 95 km/h) along with light rain, causing minor and isolated wind damage in the state. In northeastern Mexico, Erika produced moderate rainfall, resulting in mudslides and flooding, and two people were killed when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.

Photograph: NASA, MODIS/LANCE, HDF File Data processed by Supportstorm

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.