Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-06-25/Featured content
Featured content
A good week for the Williams
This edition covers content promoted from 17 to 23 June 2012.
The Three Williams
William T. Anderson (left), William S. Sadler (centre), and William Burges (right). All three Williams are the subjects of featured articles promoted this week.
Featured articles
Valencia, Spain
; a new featured picture
Hypsiboas crepitans
Eleven featured articles were promoted this week:
- Avery Brundage (nom) by Wehwalt. Brundage (1887–1975) was the fifth, and only American, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As a youth he was a track star, but later became known as a sports administrator. During the 1936 Olympics in Berlin he controversially ensured the American team's participation, and 16 years later he became president of the IOC. As president he was a fervent supporter of amateurism in sports; after the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Games, Brundage stirred controversy by saying the Games would go on. He retired soon afterwards.
- Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) (nom) by Niagara. Horseshoe Curve is a 3,485-foot (1,062 m), triple-tracked railroad curve in Blair County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1854 as an alternative to the Allegheny Portage Railroad, it continues to be an important part of the area's railroad infrastructure. It is also a tourist attraction and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.
- Charles Scott (governor) (nom) by Acdixon. Scott (1739–1813) was an American soldier who later served as the fourth governor of the US state of Kentucky. He began his military career in 1755 as a scout, but soon became an officer. He participated in the American revolution, and was taken prisoner by the British. He continued to serve during the Indian wars until he was elected as governor of Kentucky in 1808. During his four-year term Scott, left on crutches after a slip, depended on his son-in-law Jesse Bledsoe. His administration dealt with growing tensions between the US and Britain.
- New Forest pony (nom) by ThatPeskyCommoner. The New Forest pony is a breed of pony native to Britain that is valued for hardiness, strength, and surefootedness. The breed's wild ancestors date back more than 500,000 years; currently, only purebreds can be registered. Although in 1945 their numbers were under 600, in recent years thousands of semi-feral ponies have ranged the New Forest in Hampshire; they are gathered annually to be checked for health, wormed, and tail-marked. The ponies can be ridden by adults or children.
- William S. Sadler (nom) by Mark Arsten, Mathew Townsend, and Livitup. Sadler (1875–1969) was an American psychiatrist. Initially a Seventh-day Adventist, Sadler left the denomination after it excommunicated his father-in-law in 1907. He began his conversations with "the sleeping man" in 1910, and ultimately decided that the man was telling the truth. The revelations from his conversations formed the basis of The Urantia Book, published in 1955. The teachings in the book are similar to those in Adventist literature.
- "Squeeze" (The X-Files) (nom) by Grapple X. "Squeeze" was the first "monster-of-the-week" episode of the American TV series The X-Files. In it, FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate a series of ritualistic killings by somebody seemingly capable of squeezing his body through impossibly narrow gaps. Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, the episode had production problems that required more than the usual post-production work. The episode has received generally positive reviews.
- William Burges (nom) by KJP1. Burges (1827–1881) was an English architect and designer who sought in his work to escape from both nineteenth-century industrialisation and the Neoclassical architectural style, to re-establish the architectural and social values of a utopian medieval England. In his 18-year career Burges created numerous designs for architectural works, although many were never executed or later demolished. His most notable works are Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. Burges also designed metalwork, sculpture, jewellery, furniture and stained glass.
- William T. Anderson (nom) by Mark Arsten. Anderson (1839–1864) was one of the deadliest and most brutal pro-Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War. He began his career of violence in 1862 as a horse thief, before joining pro-Confederate rebels. After his sister was killed by Union forces, Anderson – already known for his brutality – began killing in a quest for revenge. In June 1864 a group under his control began fighting in Missouri, and in September they killed 24 Union soldiers in Centralia, and then more than 100 militiamen in an ambush. For this, Anderson was hunted and killed by the Union.
- Reg Saunders (nom) by AustralianRupert and Ian Rose. Saunders (1920–1990) was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. He enlisted in 1940 and fought in North Africa and Europe; after he was commissioned in November 1944, Saunders saw further action in New Guinea. He left the Army for five years, but reenlisted for the Korean War in 1950. He retired as a Captain in 1954 and went on to work in the logging and metal industries before joining the Office of Aboriginal Affairs as a liaison officer in 1969. In 1971, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
- Typhoon Gay (1989) (nom) by Cyclonebiskit. Typhoon Gay caused more than 800 fatalities in and around the Gulf of Thailand in November 1989; it was the worst storm to hit the area in 35 years. It first struck Chumphon Province in Thailand with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) before crossing the Bay of Bengal and striking Andhra Pradesh, India, with winds measuring 260 km/h (160 mph). The storm destroyed several towns in Thailand and caused 11 billion baht worth of damage; it damaged or destroyed about 20,000 homes in Andhra Pradesh, leaving 100,000 people homeless, but caused much lower financial losses.
- Yogo sapphire (nom) by PumpkinSky and Montanabw. Yogo sapphires are only found in the Yogo Gulch in central Montana in the US, and are widely considered among the finest sapphires in the world. Mining for the typically cornflower blue stones has generally been unprofitable since it began in 1895. The stones were marketed as the only guaranteed "untreated" sapphire, exposing a practice of the time wherein 95 percent of all the world's sapphires were heat-treated to enhance their natural color.
Featured lists
Eight featured lists were promoted this week:
- List of English Twenty20 cricket champions (nom) by Harrias. Since the establishment of the England and Wales Cricket Board Twenty20 competition for first-class cricket counties in 2003, Leicestershire has had the most successful team, with three championships, while Somerset has competed most. Six teams have won one championship each.
- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (nom) by TIAYN. Since the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1930, the party has had twelve general secretaries. During French rule over the country many of these men were arrested, while in modern times the general secretaries have been among the most powerful persons in the country.
- List of songs recorded by Chrisye (nom) by Crisco 1492. The Indonesian pop singer Chrisye recorded over 200 songs in his forty-year career. Although he was accused of plagiarism on two songs, four others were listed by Rolling Stone Indonesia as among the best Indonesian songs of all time.
- Albacore. The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte consists of 167 municipalities, grouped into four mesoregions and 23 microregions. The largest is Natal, which has 803,811 of the state's 3,168,133 inhabitants.
- Malmö FF league record by opponent (nom) by Reckless182. The Swedish professional association football club Malmö Fotbollförening's main rivals are Helsingborgs IF, IFK Göteborg and, historically, IFK Malmö. It has played the most games against AIK.
- List of chronometers on HMS Beagle (nom) by Spinningspark. The British Admiralty sailing ship HMS Beagle carried numerous chronometers on its three voyages during the early 19th century. On its second voyage it carried 22 of the instruments; of these, only two remain.
- Bencherlite. There have been seven Marshal Foch Professors of French Literature at the University of Oxford in England since the post was first filled in 1920. The position was endowed by an arms trader and named after Supreme Commander of Allied Forces Ferdinand Foch.
- Nebula Award for Best Novella (nom) by PresN. The Nebula Awards, described as the most important American awards in the genre, are given each year for the best science fiction or fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year. There have been 45 winners since the award was established in 1966.
Featured pictures
Six featured pictures were promoted this week:
- L'Umbracle (nom, related article), created by Diliff and nominated by Tomer T. L'Umbracle is a landscaped walk that is part of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia, Spain. It has 99 arches standing 18 metres (59 ft) high.
- Liocarcinus navigator (nom, related article), created by Lycaon and nominated by Tomer T. Liocarcinus navigator is a crab that averages 3.5 millimetres (0.14 in) wide. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic ocean.
- related article), created by Poco a poco and nominated by Tomer T. The Munich Botanical Garden is a 22-hectare (54-acre) arboretum established in 1914 in Munich, Germany. It is home to 14,000 species.
- Howcheng. Another restoration by retired Wikimedian Adam Cuerden, this lithograph depicts the south side of Pittsburgh, United States; in the late 18th century it was already highly industrialised.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall (nom, related article) by jjron. The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, United States, was opened in 2003 and houses numerous musical groups. Reviewers were surprised by a lack of traffic in front of the building.
- related article), created by Paolostefano1412 and nominated by Tomer T. Hypsiboas crepitans is a species of frog in the Hylidae family found in much of northern South America. It has a wide range of habitats.
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