Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 December 21b
From today's featured article
The Sun has appeared in fiction since classical antiquity, but for a long time it rarely received attention. Many of the early depictions viewed the Sun as essentially Earth-like and potentially habitable—a once-common belief about celestial objects in general known as the plurality of worlds—and depicted various kinds of solar inhabitants. As more became known about the Sun through advances in astronomy, in particular its temperature, fewer solar lifeforms were depicted. Instead, many stories focused on the death of the Sun, either by going out or going nova, and the ensuing havoc on Earth. Less disastrously, solar flares and eclipses have also been depicted. The Sun has been portrayed as a source of power—both in the form of solar power and superpower abilities. It poses a danger to spacecraft that approach it, which occurs in several stories. Overall, the Sun remains relatively uncommon as a point of focus in science fiction, particularly in comparison to depictions of Mars and Venus. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
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- ... that a video of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken performing "Hoochie Coochie Man" at the September 2023 launch of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative (pictured) went viral?
- ... that the pastor John Littlejohn went from selling pornographic literature to sailors as a youth to protecting the Declaration of Independence?
- ... that the restaurant CosMc's is named after a character from McDonaldland?
- ... that Nivelon de Quierzy claimed to have brought the staff of Moses to France?
- ... that Misti is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world?
- ... that Hoàng Thị Minh Hồng's environmental activism inspired Barack Obama?
- ... that The Story Teller by Amrita Sher-Gil, depicting a group of Indian village women performing ordinary tasks, fetched US$7.45 million at auction in 2023?
- ... that the Antarctic lichen Buellia frigida has been to outer space?
In the news
- A mass shooting in Prague, Czech Republic, leaves 16 people dead.
- After weeks of earthquakes, a volcanic eruption (pictured) occurs at Sundhnúkur near Grindavík, Iceland.
- An earthquake in Jishishan County, China, leaves more than 130 people dead.
- In the parliamentary election, the Serbian Progressive Party regains its parliamentary majority in the National Assembly.
- Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah becomes Emir of Kuwait after the death of his half-brother, Nawaf.
On this day
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- 1620 – The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower landed at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to establish the Plymouth Colony.
- 1963 – An attempt by Greek Cypriot police to search certain Turkish Cypriot women in Nicosia escalated into island-wide violence, leading to 538 deaths and the displacement of nearly 27,000 people.
- 1968 – Apollo 8 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a trajectory to the Moon; its crew (pictured) became the first humans to visit another celestial body.
- 1988 – A bomb on board Pan Am Flight 103 detonated over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.
- 2018 – Operatives of the British Special Boat Service boarded the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary to detain four stowaways who had threatened the crew.
- Sun Sheng (d. 956)
- Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid (d. 1215)
- Luang Por Dattajivo (b. 1940)
- Hu Jintao (b. 1942)
Today's featured picture
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Leptura quadrifasciata, the four-banded longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It is found throughout the northern and central Palaearctic region. The species is distributed in northern and central regions of Europe and Asia. It is particularly common in Scandinavia, Finland and Great Britain, and typically seen during the summer months. The larvae make meandering galleries in various trees, including oak, beech, birch, willow, alder, elder and spruce – typically in dead and decaying wood, with a preference for damp areas. Adult beetles are 11 to 20 millimetres (0.43 to 0.79 in) long, black with four more or less continuous transverse yellow bands. In extreme cases the elytra may be almost entirely black. The life cycle of the species lasts two or three years. This L. quadrifasciata female was photographed on wild carrot flowers near Keila, Estonia. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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