Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 July 8

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From today's featured article

James Bennett McCreary (July 8, 1838 – October 8, 1918) was an American politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and twice as the state's governor. During the American Civil War, he fought under Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan. In 1869, he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives where he served until 1875; he was twice chosen Speaker of the House. In 1875, the Democrats chose McCreary to run for governor, and he defeated Republican John Marshall Harlan. In 1884, McCreary was elected to the first of six consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. After two failed bids for election to the Senate, the legislature elected him in 1902, but he failed to gain renomination. In 1909, McCreary gained a second term as governor, defeating Edward C. O'Rear in the general election; he died in 1918. McCreary County, named in his honor, was formed during his second term. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Peter Badcoe

... that Australian Army major Peter Badcoe (pictured) was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for displaying "conspicuous gallantry and leadership" on three occasions?
... that the earliest evidence of sheep herding has been found in northern Iraq, dated before 9000 BC?
... that Tang Dingyuan co-invented the "split-diamond bomb"?
... that Bolivia sued Chile in 2013 to regain land lost in 1884, claiming it had an Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean?
... that Joanne Berger-Sweeney is the first African-American and first woman to serve as president of Trinity College, Connecticut?
... that the Benedictines of Murbach Abbey built the monumental Notre-Dame de Guebwiller in order to relocate from their remote valley?
... that operatic bass Kieth Engen, who got his first role, Bluebeard, at the Bavarian State Opera because he was tall, also had a pop career under a pseudonym?
... that The California Field Atlas by Obi Kaufmann is neither a field guide nor a conventional atlas?

In the news

Megan Rapinoe

In association football, the FIFA Women's World Cup concludes with the United States (Golden Ball winner Megan Rapinoe pictured) defeating the Netherlands in the final.
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement becomes operational.
Iran announces an increase in uranium enrichment beyond the limit set in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
An airstrike on a migrant center outside Tripoli, Libya, kills at least 53 people and injures 130 others.

On this day

July 8

Joseph Bonaparte

1283 – War of the Sicilian Vespers: An Aragonese fleet of galleys inflicted a crushing defeat on an Angevin fleet at Malta, forcing Charles I of Anjou to postpone his plan to invade Sicily.
1663 – King Charles II of England granted John Clarke the Rhode Island Royal Charter, described by one historian as "the grandest instrument of human liberty ever constructed".
1808 – Joseph Bonaparte (pictured) approved the Bayonne Statute, a royal charter intended as the basis for his rule as King of Spain during the Peninsular War.
1947 – After news reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Force personnel in Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that what was recovered was debris from an experimental high-altitude surveillance weather balloon.

Carlos, Prince of Asturias (b. 1545) · Eli Lilly (b. 1838) · Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud (d. 2012)

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From today's featured list

3D Realms games include Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D, as well as the Duke Nukem franchise. 3D Realms was founded in 1987 as Apogee Software by Scott Miller to publish his game Kingdom of Kroz. Prior to Apogee's founding, Miller had released a few games he had developed himself, as well as a couple "packs" of games developed by himself and others, under a shareware distribution model whereby the games were distributed for free in return for donations. Miller found that the standard shareware model was not viable for his games such as Beyond the Titanic (1986) and Supernova (1987); beginning with Kroz, the company pioneered the "Apogee model" of shareware distribution, wherein games were broken up into segments, with the first part released for free to drive interest in the other monetized portions. Soon after its founding, Apogee began publishing titles by other developers in addition to titles by Miller. In 1994, Apogee decided to launch different brand names for each genre of games they published; it created 3D Realms for 3D games. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

A view of Josselin Castle, with the Oust river in the foreground. Located in the Morbihan department of Brittany, France, the castle was first built in 1008 by Guéthénoc, viscount of Porhoët, and rebuilt at various times since. The town and castle were named after Guéthénoc's son. The current fortress was built by Olivier de Clisson after 1370; he had acquired the land as dowry on his marriage to Margaret of Rohan. It has been designated as an official historical monument since 1928.

Photograph credit: Colin

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