Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 December 22
From today's featured article
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole, first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorers. Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents. It is mainly a polar desert, though 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen there, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m (200 ft). Native animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss. Some countries have territorial claims in Antarctica, but by treaty, the continent is set aside as a scientific preserve. During the summer months, about 5,000 people reside at research stations there, a figure that drops to around 1,000 in the winter. Despite Antarctica's remoteness, human activity significantly impacts it via pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
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- ... that Härnösand Residence (pictured) is one of the earliest examples of Neoclassical architecture in Sweden?
- ... that as CEO of Walmart US, Greg Foran would go undercover as a shopper?
- ... that Mario Party DS's minigames feature "minimized" Mario characters?
- ... that Fred Provo was told he would have to have his arm amputated due to a wound sustained in World War II, but refused, recovered, and went on to play in the National Football League?
- ... that the Key & Peele sketch "Substitute Teacher" was analyzed for its racial commentary and educational insight?
- ... that the musician Bou went from being fired from an IT apprenticeship for producing beats during company time to having songs rank on the UK Singles Chart?
- ... that the Indian director Manhar Raskapur's films Mulu Manek and Kadu Makrani were both remade during the 1970s?
- ... that Ged Kearney represented Batman in the Parliament of Australia from 2018 to 2019?
In the news
- A mass shooting in Prague, Czech Republic, leaves 15 people dead.
- Pope Francis approves a declaration that allows Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.
- 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.
On this day
December 22: December solstice (03:28 UTC, 2023); Yule begins; Dongzhi Festival in China (2023)
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- 856 – An earthquake registering an estimated 7.9 Ms struck the eastern Alborz mountains in Persia, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths.
- 1948 – Chaired by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara, the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia was established to counter Dutch attempts to re-assert colonial control.
- 1988 – Brazilian unionist and environmental activist Chico Mendes was murdered at his home in Xapuri.
- 2008 – A dike ruptured at a waste containment area for a coal-fired power plant in Kingston, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion gallons (4.2 million m3) of coal fly ash slurry (aftermath pictured) in the largest industrial spill in US history.
- Carl Friedrich Abel (b. 1723)
- William Hyde Wollaston (d. 1828)
- Meghan Trainor (b. 1993)
- Dina Belenkaya (b. 1993)
From today's featured list
There are 69 scheduled monuments in South Somerset, a local government district in Somerset, England. A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; Historic England takes the leading role in identifying such sites. Some of the oldest in South Somerset are Neolithic, Bronze Age or Iron Age including hillforts, such as Kenwalch's Castle and Bowl barrows. The Romano-British period is represented with several sites including the Low Ham Roman Villa which included an extensive mosaic floor, now on display in the Museum of Somerset. Religious sites are represented by Muchelney Abbey (pictured), which was probably founded in the 8th century, and Montacute Priory, a Cluniac priory of the Benedictine order, from the 11th century. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
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The Laughing Cavalier is an oil-on-canvas portrait by the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, completed in 1624. The title is an invention of the Victorian public and press, dating from its exhibition in the opening display at the Bethnal Green Museum from 1872 to 1875, just after its arrival in England. The Laughing Cavalier was described by art historian Seymour Slive as "one of the most brilliant of all Baroque portraits" and has been used in several derivative works, such as the logo of McEwan's, in which a modified version of the cavalier is depicted enjoying a glass of the beer. The painting is now housed in the Wallace Collection in London. Painting credit: Frans Hals
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