Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 January 25

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Haile Selassie

Rastafari is a religion that developed among impoverished and socially disenfranchised Afro-Jamaican communities in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is both a new religious movement and a social movement. There is no central authority and much diversity among practitioners. Rasta beliefs are based on a specific interpretation of the Bible; a belief in a single God, Jah, who partially resides within each individual, is integral. Rastas accord central importance to Haile Selassie (pictured), Emperor of Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974; many regard him as the Second Coming of Jesus and Jah incarnate; others see him as a human prophet. Rastafari is Afrocentric and focuses on the African diaspora. In the 1960s and 1970s, it gained increased respectability and greater visibility abroad through the popularity of Rasta-inspired reggae musicians, most notably Bob Marley. There are an estimated 700,000 to 1,000,000 Rastas across the world, the majority of whom are of black African descent. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Hearst Tower

... that the Hearst Tower (pictured) was built nearly eight decades after its base was completed?
... that clergyman David Williamson's time as an outlaw is commemorated in the traditional Scottish song "Dainty Davie"?
... that a political feud in the Eastside of Los Angeles began when Gloria Molina was told by Art Torres that she was not the chosen candidate to run for an office?
... that Setiadi Reksoprodjo, who was appointed Minister of Information at the age of 25, had a junior minister twice as old as him?
... that after the Morning Star sank on Lake Erie, the death toll was unknown because many of the passengers were not on the ship's manifest?
... that the Japanese television drama Ossan's Love is credited with popularizing the boys' love genre for a general audience outside of anime and manga fans?
... that Mat and Savanna Shaw's cover of "The Prayer" went viral at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, after which they released their debut album that was ranked 54th on the Billboard 200?
... that American conservation officer Terry Grosz busted an illegal snagging boat on the Eel River by waiting in the water and getting reeled in?

In the news

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

Protests in Saint Petersburg, Russia

In Russia, protests (example pictured) against the arrest of Alexei Navalny occur in more than 100 cities.
American baseball player Hank Aaron dies at the age of 86.
Faustin-Archange Touadéra is elected for a second term as President of the Central African Republic.
LauncherOne becomes the first liquid-fueled aircraft-launched rocket to reach orbit.

On this day

January 25: Feast day of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (Eastern Orthodoxy)

Idi Amin

1533 – Anne Boleyn, already pregnant with the future Elizabeth I, secretly married Henry VIII of England in the second of his six marriages.
1890 – American journalist Nellie Bly completed a circumnavigation of the globe, inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, in a then-record 72 days.
1971 – Idi Amin (pictured) seized power from Ugandan president Milton Obote in a coup d'état, beginning eight years of military rule.
2006 – Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza was arrested in conjunction with the serial killing of at least ten elderly women.
2011 – The Egyptian revolution began with protests on the "Day of Anger", eventually leading to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule.

Robert Burton (d. 1640)
Ernst Alexanderson (b. 1878)
Jane Bathori (d. 1970)

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From today's featured list

Randolph Caldecott

The Caldecott Medal annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The Caldecott Medal was first proposed by Frederic G. Melcher, in 1937. The award was named after English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (pictured). Unchanged since its founding, the medal, which is given to every winner, features two of Caldecott's illustrations. To be eligible for a Caldecott, the book must be published in English, in the United States first, and be drawn by an American illustrator. Winning the award can lead to a substantial rise in books sold. It can also increase the prominence of illustrators. Illustrator and author Marcia Brown is the most recognized Caldecott illustrator, having won three medals and having six honor books. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Peter Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is an Australian-born British campaigner, author, journalist and broadcaster who speaks out on various issues of human rights and social justice. His attempts to promote the enforcement of international human-rights law have included efforts to secure the prosecution of Henry Kissinger on war crimes, and he attempted a citizen's arrest of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in 1999 and again in 2001.

Photograph credit: Colin

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