Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 September 23

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From today's featured article

Ohio State Reformatory served as
the fictional Shawshank prison.

The Shawshank Redemption is an American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, first released on September 23, 1994. Based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, it tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary (prison pictured) for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), and becomes instrumental in a money laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton). The film received positive reviews, but earned only $16 million during its initial theatrical run. After garnering seven Academy Award nominations, it was one of the top rented films of 1995, and totaled $58.3 million at the box office after a theatrical re-release. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Sketch of the hall of the Ringkirche by Otzen

... that in 1894, the Ringkirche was the first Protestant church to follow the Wiesbadener Programm of Johannes Otzen, which focused on providing a clear view of the combined altar, pulpit, and organ areas (architect's sketch shown)?
... that Mary van Kleeck, a social reformer and labor activist, was the first woman appointed to a position of authority in the American government during World War I?
... that the metabolic rate of Rhoptropus bradfieldi is about a quarter of that of other desert lizards?
... that following an injustice suffered by the British consul, Charles Sotheby trained his frigate's guns on the Bey of Rhodes' house and opened fire?
... that the Lake, completed in 1858, was the first feature to be finished in New York City's Central Park?
... that Leo Frobenius led 12 German Inner Africa Research Expeditions between 1904 and 1935?
... that Filipino-born scientist Ye Zhupei founded chemical metallurgy in China, while his American wife became an English professor who taught the future Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing?
... that Katharine Hepburn is said to have encountered snakes in the living room of Misty Mountain?

In the news

Climate change protesters in Sydney, Australia

Climate strikes take place in 150 countries (protesters in Sydney pictured) as part of the Fridays for Future protests.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup concludes, with Spain defeating Argentina in the final.
In Gaelic football, the All-Ireland Championship concludes, with Dublin defeating Kerry in the final.
Drone attacks on two major oil facilities force Saudi Arabia to cut more than half of its oil production.

On this day

September 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day; National Day in Saudi Arabia (1932)

Nixon delivering the Checkers speech

1780 – American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army General Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point, New York.
1803 – Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
1952 – U.S. vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the "Checkers speech" (pictured), one of the first political uses of television to appeal directly to the populace.
2002 – The initial version of the Firefox web browser was released by the Mozilla Organization.
2016 – Following a number of high-profile sexual assaults, major reforms were enacted to strengthen laws related to rape in Germany.

John Ainsworth Horrocks (d. 1846) · Kostas Tournas (b. 1949) · Michiru Yamane (b. 1963)

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From today's featured list

Vignoles Bridge

There are ten scheduled monuments in Coventry. In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauthorised change by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. Monuments are defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the National Heritage Act 1983. Coventry is an ancient city and a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. The city's history dates back to at least the 11th century (CE), and by the 14th century, it was a thriving centre of commerce. The oldest monuments in Coventry – Caludon Castle and St Mary's Priory and Cathedral – were built in the 11th century. Both are now ruins. Coventry's newest scheduled monument is Vignoles Bridge (pictured) – a single-span iron footbridge over the River Sherbourne, made in 1835 and moved to its current location in 1969. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in the Solar System. In the Solar System, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter, the third-most-massive planet and the densest giant planet. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth, slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus. Neptune is denser and physically smaller than Uranus because its greater mass causes more gravitational compression of its atmosphere. Neptune orbits the Sun once every 164.8 years at an average distance of 30.1 au (4.5 billion km; 2.8 billion mi). It is named after the Roman god of the sea and has the astronomical symbol ♆, a stylised version of the god Neptune's trident.

This picture of Neptune was taken by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989, at a range of 4.4 million miles (7.1 million kilometres) from the planet, approximately four days before closest approach. The photograph shows the Great Dark Spot, a storm about the size of Earth, in the centre, while the fast-moving bright feature nicknamed the "Scooter" and the Small Dark Spot can be seen on the western limb. These clouds were seen to persist for as long as the spacecraft's cameras could resolve them.

Photograph credit: NASA / JPL

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