Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 October 4

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Terry-Thomas (1911–90) was an English comedian and character actor, known to a world-wide audience through his portrayals of upper class cads, toffs and bounders. His dress sense and style were striking, as was the gap of a third of an inch between his two front teeth. He worked his way through uncredited film parts in the 1930s before wartime service with Entertainments National Service Association and Stars in Battledress led to a post-war career on stage and then into How Do You View? (1949), the first comedy series on British television. He appeared in British films such as Private's Progress (1956), Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957), and Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959). During the early 1960s he worked extensively in Hollywood, providing a coarser version of his screen persona in films such as Bachelor Flat (1962), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and How to Murder Your Wife (1965). After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1971, he spent much of his fortune on medical treatments. He lived in poverty towards the end of his life, existing on charitable hand-outs, before a 1989 charity gala in his honour brought him financial comfort for the remaining months before his death. (Full article...)

Recently featured: USS Lexington (CV-2) – Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) – Ramaria botrytis

Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the Great Bustard has been known to eat the giant pasture puffball (pictured)?
... that in May 1942, HMCS Halifax rescued three surviving crewmen of the American trawler Foam that was sunk by Nazi submarine U-432 south of Halifax itself?
... that toy designer Janese Swanson wrote her doctoral thesis on gender issues in product design?
... that in January 1948, during the civil war in Mandatory Palestine, the Palestinian Arab residents of Ijlil al-Shamaliyya pledged neutrality with the Haganah, but left the village months later?
... that in the 1930s, Maurice Yvain's operettas were translated and performed in Germany, Hungary and Austria as well as on Broadway where Ta Bouche was presented over a hundred times?
... that for many years, Jørgen Olufsen's House was known as Ellen Marsvinsgaard even though Ellen Marsvin, Christian IV's mother-in-law, never had any connections with it?

Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news

At least 134 African migrants are killed when their boat sinks near the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The U.S. federal government shuts down non-essential services after it is unable to pass a budget measure.
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (pictured) of Kenya wins the Berlin Marathon in a world record time of 2:03:23.
Over fifty students are massacred by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Nigeria.
Dozens of people are killed in protests against a fuel price hike in Sudan.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publishes the first part of its Fifth Assessment Report.

Recent deaths: Tom Clancy

More current events...

On this day...

October 4: Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi (Catholicism)

1824 – Mexico enacted its first constitution, defining the nation as a federal republic.
1957 – Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched by an R-7 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam, Kazakh SSR.
1963 – Flora (radar image pictured), one of the wettest and deadliest hurricanes in history, made landfall in Cuba, after having previously struck Tobago and Hispaniola.
1993 – Russian Constitutional Crisis: Tanks bombarded the White House in Moscow while demonstrators against President Boris Yeltsin rallied outside.
2003 – A suicide bomber killed 21 people and injured more than 50 others inside the Maxim restaurant in Haifa, Israel.

More anniversaries: October 3 – October 4 – October 5

Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries

It is now October 4, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Poeke Castle is a castle near Poeke, Belgium. Standing on 56 hectares of park, the castle is surrounded by water and is accessible through bridges at the front and rear of the building.

Photo: Marc Ryckaert

Recently featured: Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares – 2010 G-20 Seoul summit – Sony Alpha 77

Archive – More featured pictures...

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.