Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 December 23

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From today's featured article

Arthur Gilligan (23 December 1894 – 5 September 1976) was an English first-class cricketer who captained the England cricket team nine times in 1924 and 1925, winning four Test matches, losing four and drawing one. In first-class cricket, he played mainly for Cambridge University and Sussex, and captained the latter team between 1922 and 1929. A fast bowler and hard-hitting lower order batsman, Gilligan completed the double in 1923 and was one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year for 1924. As a captain, Gilligan was well-liked by players and commentators, although many did not believe he was an effective tactician. During his playing days, Gilligan was a member of the British Fascists, and it is possible he helped to establish small fascist groups in Australia when he captained the England team there during the 1924–25 tour. As the Marylebone Cricket Club president during England's 1968–69 tour of South Africa, he played a part in the D'Oliveira affair. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

University of Waterloo Porcellino

... that mathematics professor Henry Crapo donated a bronze sculpture of a boar (pictured) to the University of Waterloo?
... that Alku and Alku Toinen, built by Finnish immigrants, were the first nonprofit housing cooperatives in New York City?
... that Hong Kong protests in November 2019 included an escape by protesters at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, by rope and via underground sewers?
... that Mohammad Tabrani first proposed the term "bahasa Indonesia" for the national language of Indonesia?
... that one of the versions of Vivaldi's Magnificat included five arias to be performed by girl soloists from the Ospedale della Pietà orphanage, who were named in the score?
... that Kunihiko Ikuhara, who was one of the directors of Sailor Moon, cosplayed as Sailor Mars to promote his series Schell Bullet?
... that the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Jacqueline Coleman, is a basketball coach and the granddaughter of a National Basketball Association player?
... that Darren Appleton forfeited two matches at the 2019 Antalya Open event after deciding to take a nap between matches?

In the news

Donald Trump

In the Netherlands, the supreme court upholds a ruling that the government must meet established emissions reduction milestones, creating the first legal precedent on the impact of climate change on human rights.
United States president Donald Trump (pictured) is impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf is sentenced to death in absentia for treason and subverting the constitution.
In India, at least 23 people are killed and many others are arrested in protests against a law on citizenship for migrants.

On this day

December 23: First day of Hanukkah (Judaism, 2019); Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca City, Mexico; Festivus

General George Washington
Resigning His Commission

583 – Yohl Ikʼnal acceded to the throne of the Maya city-state of Palenque.
1783 – George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis (painting shown).
1919 – The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was enacted, lifting most of the existing common-law restrictions on women in the United Kingdom.
1984 – An engine fire caused Aeroflot Flight 3519 to crash shortly after takeoff from Krasnoyarsk, USSR, killing all but one of the 111 people on board.

Francis Tresham (d. 1605) · Madam C. J. Walker (b. 1867) · Carla Bruni (b. 1967)

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From today's featured list

St. George's Church, Fons George

There are 118 Grade II* listed buildings in Taunton Deane, a local government district with borough status in the English county of Somerset. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly significant buildings of more than local interest". The oldest in Taunton Deane is St George's Church, Fons George (pictured), which has Saxon origins. There are also Norman and medieval churches and churchyard crosses. More recent buildings include country houses and barns along with municipal buildings and an almshouse. The list includes urban properties such as those in Hammet Street and The Crescent in Taunton. Industrial sites are represented by Tonedale Mills in Wellington, the largest woollen mill in South West England. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Skibobbing is a winter sport involving a bicycle-type frame attached to skis. Although originally a form of transportation in the Alps, skibobbing is now a competitive sport, with contestants often achieving speeds of over 100 mph (160 km/h).

This picture shows Italian skibobber Sarah Gruber, from the ASKÖ SBC Linz club, taking part in the giant slalom event at the 2018 Austrian national championships.

Photograph credit: Isiwal

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