Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 January 25

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From today's featured article

ZETA was an early experiment in fusion power research. Built at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in England, it was much larger and more powerful than any other fusion machine at that time. It went into operation in August 1957, and by the end of the month was giving off bursts of about a million neutrons per pulse. Measurements suggested temperatures between 1 and 5 million kelvins, hot enough to produce nuclear fusion reactions. Early results were leaked to the press, and front-page headlines announced a breakthrough. Further experiments revealed measurement errors, and the claim of fusion was publicly withdrawn, casting a chill over the entire fusion establishment. The neutrons were later explained as the product of instabilities in the fuel. ZETA went on to have a long experimental lifetime, supporting work in plasma theory and originating more accurate laser-based temperature measurements that supported the tokamak approach a decade later. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

F. W. Bernstein

... that the poet, cartoonist, and satirist F. W. Bernstein (pictured) was professor of caricature and comics in Berlin, the only such chair in the world?
... that tropical cyclones may have induced past climate changes and could still be causing El Niño type events today?
... that Simon Kaloa Kaʻai, a former jailer, became a noble and cabinet minister to a king?
... that an 1832 auction of the contents of Cullands Grove included three hundred and seventy cases of wine, two Shetland ponies, a fire engine, and two "humane" man traps?
... that David Gwynne-James represented the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in cricket, rugby, hockey, squash, skiing, and athletics?
... that the 2005 pop-rock/dance album Rollercoaster, by former American Idol finalist Jim Verraros, was inspired by the music of George Michael and Green Day?
... that Zhuo-Hua Pan, credited by some as the inventor of optogenetics, had his paper describing the technique rejected by multiple journals?
... that the Russian youth movement Lion Versus opposes public smoking by spraying smokers' hands with water to douse their cigarettes?

In the news

Paul Kaba Thieba

More than a hundred Afghan National Security Forces members are reportedly killed in an attack on a military compound in Maidan Shar.
Ten Chadian United Nations peacekeepers are killed in an attack by al-Qaeda in Mali in apparent retaliation for the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Chad and Israel.
In Burkina Faso, Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba (pictured) and all members of his cabinet resign from office after a series of terrorist attacks.
More than ninety people are killed and dozens of others are injured in an explosion at an oil pipeline near Tlahuelilpan, Mexico.

On this day

January 25: Feast day of Gregory of Nazianzus (Eastern Orthodox Church); Tatiana Day in Russia

Battle of Mikatagahara

1573 – Sengoku period: The forces of Takeda Shingen defeated those of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Mikatagahara (pictured), north of Hamamatsu, Mikawa Province, Japan.
1704 – English colonists from the Province of Carolina and their native allies began a series of raids against a largely peaceful population of Apalachee in Spanish Florida.
1949 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented the first Emmy Awards to honor excellence in the American television industry.
1995 – A team of Norwegian and American scientists launched a Black Brant XII sounding rocket, which was mistaken for a Trident missile by Russian forces.
2011 – The Day of Anger during the Egyptian revolution began, eventually leading to the removal of Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule.

Leo IV the Khazar (b. 750) · Helene Bresslau Schweitzer (b. 1879) · Ali Hassan al-Majid (d. 2010)

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From today's featured list

Sonam Kapoor

The 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical thriller film Neerja won 37 awards from 57 nominations. Neerja was directed by Ram Madhvani and produced by Atul Kasbekar. The film stars Sonam Kapoor (pictured) as the eponymous protagonist, and features Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku and Shekhar Ravjiani in supporting roles. Its direction and performances of the cast members have received the most attention from award groups. The film won two awards at the 64th ceremony of India's National Film Awards—Best Feature Film in Hindi and Special Jury Award for Kapoor. At the 62nd Filmfare Awards, Neerja won five awards, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actress (Critics); the film was also nominated for Best Director and Best Film. At the 2016 Screen Awards, it received a nomination for Best Actress, and won four awards, including Best Director. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Samanea saman, also known as the rain tree or Albizia saman, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Central and South America. It is a wide-canopied tree with a large umbrella-shaped crown, and usually reaches a height of 15–25 m (49–82 ft) with a diameter of 30 m (98 ft). The tree has pinkish flowers with white and red stamens, set on heads with around 12–25 flowers per head. These heads may number in the thousands, covering the whole tree.

Photograph: Basile Morin

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