Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 May 19
From today's featured article
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Witchfinder General is a 1968 British period horror film directed by Michael Reeves. The screenplay, by Reeves and Tom Baker, was based on Ronald Bassett's novel Witchfinder General. The plot follows Roundhead soldier Richard Marshall, played by Ian Ogilvy, who pursues witchfinder general Matthew Hopkins, played by Vincent Price (pictured), and his assistant John Stearne, played by Robert Russell. The low-budget film was produced by Tigon British Film Productions. In the United States, the film was retitled The Conqueror Worm by its distributor American International Pictures to link it with their earlier series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. Witchfinder General became a cult film, partially attributable to Reeves's death nine months after its release. Critics' praise for the film highlighted its direction, performances, and musical score by Paul Ferris. In 2005, the magazine Total Film named Witchfinder General the 15th-greatest horror film of all time. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the first intercontinental weapon was not a missile, but a Japanese balloon (example pictured)?
- ... that YouTuber Joey Santore is known for his "Bill Swerski–esque" Chicago accent and use of profanity on his channel Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't?
- ... that makwerekwere is the South African equivalent of "barbarians", an offensive and derogatory slur used to refer to foreigners?
- ... that Marisa Anderson organized and participated in multiple cross-country walks to raise awareness for various political causes?
- ... that the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service divides the entire ocean into just 21 radio areas?
- ... that the 1943 North Texas Aggies went from "kitchen maid" to "queen of the ball" when the Marine Corps sent players from major universities "tumbling onto" the campus?
- ... that Montserratian playwright Edgar Nkosi White only wrote his first play after he was dared by actor Martin Sheen?
- ... that Cusrow Baug in Mumbai had only a few tenants in the 1950s even at a low rent of 40 rupees per month?
In the news
- Amidst a political crisis in Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso (pictured) dissolves the National Assembly and triggers an early general election.
- Flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy causes 16 deaths and widespread disruption, including the cancellation of the Formula One Grand Prix.
- Cyclone Mocha strikes Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing more than 400 people.
- In the Thai general election, an opposition coalition led by the Move Forward Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives.
On this day
May 19: Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day in Turkey (1919); Sanja Matsuri begins in Tokyo, Japan (2023)
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Continental Army garrison west of Montreal surrendered to British troops at the Battle of the Cedars.
- 1845 – Captain John Franklin (pictured) departed Greenhithe, England, on an expedition to the Canadian Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage; all 129 men were later lost when their ships became icebound in Victoria Strait.
- 1915 – First World War: Australian and New Zealand troops repelled the third attack on Anzac Cove, inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Ottoman forces.
- 1991 – Breakup of Yugoslavia: With the local Serb population boycotting the referendum, Croatians voted in favour of independence from Yugoslavia.
- 2015 – A corroded pipeline near Refugio State Beach, California, spilled 142,800 gallons (3,400 barrels) of crude oil onto the Gaviota Coast.
- Dunstan (d. 988)
- Mariam-uz-Zamani (d. 1623)
- Erin Phillips (b. 1985)
From today's featured list
The basal eudicots are a group of 13 related families of flowering plants in four orders: Buxales, Proteales, Ranunculales and Trochodendrales. Like the core eudicots (the rest of the eudicots), they have pollen grains with three colpi (grooves) or other derived structures, and usually have flowers with four or five petals (sometimes multiples of four or five, sometimes reduced or fused). Unlike other eudicots, these orders sometimes have flowers with petals in twos or multiples of two. They include trees, shrubs, woody vines and herbaceous plants. Cultivars of Buxus are used for hedges and topiary, and the high-quality wood is commonly used for decorative carvings and musical instruments. The sacred lotus is the national flower of India and Vietnam, and the waratah is the floral emblem of the Australian state of New South Wales. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
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The violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) is a species of hummingbird in the tribe Trochilini, sometimes known as the emeralds. It is the largest hummingbird of Mexico and Central America, being 13 to 15 centimetres (5 to 6 in) long with a weight of 9 to 12 grams (0.3 to 0.4 oz). Both sexes have a black bill. There are two subspecies, C. h. hemileucurus and C. h. mellitus. This male C. h. mellitus violet sabrewing in flight was photographed in the Mount Totumas cloud forest in Panama. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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