Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 December 7b

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Taylor Swift performing
"Blank Space"

"Blank Space" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (pictured) for her fifth studio album, 1989. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from 1989 on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partnership with Swift's label at the time, Big Machine. Swift co-wrote the song with its producers Max Martin and Shellback. "Blank Space" spent seven weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, and has been certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Contemporary critics praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting, and some picked it as 1989's highlight. The song earned three nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards, including in two general categories—Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Cover versions of the song in various genres have been performed by I Prevail, Ryan Adams, and other rock musicians. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

David Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust Tour

... that on the final date of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, David Bowie (pictured) said it was "the last show that we'll ever do"?
... that Ben Carter and his brother Tim played basketball for Team USA at the 2013 Maccabiah Games, winning a gold medal?
... that an elevated section of the Higashi-Osaka Route lies over the remnants of a palace?
... that in painting First Lady Michelle Obama, Amy Sherald was inspired by the way the quilters of Gee's Bend make clothing and fabric scraps into geometric works of art?
... that fossils of the extinct plant Concavistylon were first collected in the 1950s, but the genus was not formally described until 2018?
... that the Spanish writer Eva Forest was imprisoned for alleged complicity in multiple terror attacks by the separatist group ETA?
... that Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular mixes 3D characters with 3D backgrounds black-edged to look 2D to avoid investors comparing it with theatrical CGI films?
... that in publishing Laura's Ghost, the author insisted the book cover show a photo of Laura alive?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Vaccines; Portal

Hayabusa2

In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win the World Rally Championship, while Hyundai win the manufacturers' title.
Hayabusa2 (artist's impression pictured) successfully returns samples collected from asteroid 162173 Ryugu to Earth.
Zdravko Krivokapić takes office as Prime Minister of Montenegro, becoming the first independent to hold the post.
In India, a nationwide general strike occurs and 100,000 continue with the farmers' protests surrounding New Delhi.

On this day

December 7: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the United States (1941)

Bust of Cicero

43 BC – Cicero (bust pictured), widely considered one of ancient Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists, was killed after having been proscribed as an enemy of the state.
1837 – British troops swiftly defeated rebels led by William Lyon Mackenzie and Anthony Van Egmond at the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern, the only major confrontation of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
1936 – Australian cricketer Jack Fingleton became the first player to score centuries in four consecutive Test innings.
2005 – Spanish authorities captured Croatian Army general Ante Gotovina, who was wanted for war crimes committed during the Croatian War of Independence; he was eventually cleared of all charges.

Theodor Schwann (b. 1810)
Joseph Cook (b. 1860)
Jeane Kirkpatrick (d. 2006)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

Visby Cathedral

There are 92 well-preserved churches from the Middle Ages on the Swedish island of Gotland, more than in any other part of Sweden. Most of these churches were built between the early 12th century and the middle of the 14th century, when the wealth of the island increased thanks to trade between Western and Eastern Europe. The oldest of these churches are Romanesque in style, and while Gothic forms eventually replaced Romanesque, church architecture remained conservative on Gotland. The churches were often decorated with murals, with stained glass, and with decorative sculptures both of wood (such as the Viklau Madonna) and stone (especially decorated baptismal fonts). In the middle of the 14th century, Gotland entered a period of decline and turmoil, and a loss of trade from which the island would never recover. Church-building activity ceased after around 1350. In the main town of Visby, only Visby Cathedral (pictured) was maintained, while other churches were left as ruins. (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

This historical depiction of the coat of arms of Delaware was illustrated by American engraver Henry Mitchell in State Arms of the Union, published in 1876 by Louis Prang. A Mid-Atlantic state, Delaware ratified the Constitution of the United States on December 7, 1787, becoming the first state to do so. The shield depicts a wheat sheaf, a corn cob and an ox, representing the importance of agriculture to the state's economy, with the blue horizontal stripe referring to the Delaware River. The ship in the crest is a symbol of the state's extensive coastal commerce, while the shield's supporters are a farmer with a hoe (again representing the central role of farming to the state) and a militiaman (recognizing the crucial role of the citizen-soldier to the maintenance of American liberties). The motto, Liberty and independence, was provided by the Society of the Cincinnati.

Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Andrew Shiva

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.