Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 June 30

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Arthur Pearson

Scoops was a weekly British science fiction magazine in tabloid format that was published by Arthur Pearson (pictured) for 20 issues in 1934. Its editor was Haydn Dimmock, who also edited The Scout, a weekly magazine for boys. Scoops was launched as a boy's paper, and it was not until several issues had appeared that Dimmock discovered there was an adult audience for science fiction. Circulation was poor, and Dimmock attempted to change the magazine's focus to more mature material. He reprinted Arthur Conan Doyle's The Poison Belt, improved the cover art, and obtained fiction from the British science fiction writers John Russell Fearn and Maurice Hugi. Pearson cancelled Scoops because of poor sales. The failure of the magazine contributed to the belief that Britain could not support a science fiction magazine, and it was not until 1937, with Tales of Wonder, that another attempt was made. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Frank Borman on Apollo 8 launch day

... that after retirement from NASA, astronaut Frank Borman (pictured) became a special advisor to Eastern Air Lines, and helped rescue survivors of the Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crash near Florida's Everglades?
... that for his opera Stephen Climax, composer Hans Zender wrote a libretto which juxtaposes the life of Simeon Stylites with scenes from Ulysses by James Joyce?
... that Dutch pool player Nick van den Berg has competed in the Mosconi Cup eight times and lost only once, in the 2003 event?
... that according to motivation crowding theory, adding incentives for some behavior can sometimes backfire and actually result in less of that behavior?
... that Wei Shoukun, the longest-lived academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, taught at 10 universities over his 80-year career?
... that the wildlife of Senegal includes a critically endangered subspecies of the giant eland and the common Senegal one-striped grass mouse?
... that despite being parodied on World Wrestling Federation TV as "Billionaire Ted", World Championship Wrestling owner Ted Turner reportedly found the sketches funny?
... that Edward McGeachy took a butler with him when he surveyed Fort Stewart Estate in colonial Jamaica?

In the news

Se'are Mekonnen

The Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are chosen as the joint hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics.
In the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, regional president Ambachew Mekonnen and national-military chief of staff Se'are Mekonnen (pictured) are assassinated.
At least 184 people die during a heat wave in India.
Former President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi dies during his trial, at the age of 67.

On this day

June 30

Henry II of France

1559 – During a jousting match, King Henry II of France (pictured) was mortally wounded when fragments of the splintered lance of Gabriel Montgomery pierced his eye.
1860 – Seven months after the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, several prominent British scientists and philosophers participated in an evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum.
1934 – Adolf Hitler violently purged members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), its leader Ernst Röhm, and other political rivals in the Night of the Long Knives, executing at least 85 people.
1972 – The International Time Bureau added the first leap second to the Coordinated Universal Time time scale.
2009 – Schoolgirl Bahia Bakari was the sole survivor when Yemenia Flight 626 crashed into the Indian Ocean killing 152 people.

Æthelred (d. 888) · Frederick Bligh Bond (b. 1864) · Eunice Eloisae Gibbs Allyn (d. 1916)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Panggilan Darah (Indonesian for 'Call of Blood') is a film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), written and directed by Sutan Usman Karim and produced by Tjho Seng Han for Oriental Film. Released on 30 June 1941, the black-and-white film starred Dhalia and Soerip as orphaned sisters trying to make a living in the colonial capital of Batavia (now Jakarta) as housemaids for a man named Iskak, before moving to Kudus to work at a clove cigarette factory. They later discover that they are Iskak's nieces and are welcomed into his home. The film was shot on location at an orphanage and two factories in Central Java and was a modest commercial success in the Dutch East Indies and Singapore. The acting drew critical praise, while the soundtrack, with nine kroncong songs, was reviewed favourably. Despite this success, Oriental was unable to meet its expenses; the company merged with Multi Film soon afterwards. Panggilan Darah, which was screened as late as 1952, may now be a lost film.

This picture shows a 1941 advertisement for the film in the Dutch-language magazine De Orient.

Advertisement credit: Oriental Film; retouched by Chris Woodrich

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.