Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 November 21
From today's featured article
The sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II dates to the 6th century BC and was unearthed in 1855 near Sidon, in modern-day Lebanon. It contained the body of a Phoenician king of Sidon and is one of only three Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi found outside Egypt. It was likely carved in Egypt from local amphibolite and captured during Cambyses II's conquest of Egypt in 525 BC. The sarcophagus has two sets of Phoenician inscriptions, one on its lid and a partial copy of it around the curvature of the head. This was the first Phoenician language text to be discovered in Phoenicia proper and the most detailed found to that point. More than a dozen scholars rushed to translate it, noting the similarities between the Phoenician language and Hebrew. The translation allowed them to identify the king buried inside, his lineage, and his construction feats. The inscriptions also warn against disturbing Eshmunazar II's place of repose. Today the sarcophagus is a highlight of the Louvre's Phoenician collection. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the newly opened shopping mall The Wai has Hong Kong's largest indoor bicycle parking lot (pictured)?
- ... that Djanius Djamin, the speaker of Medan's city council from 1969 to 1971, was the first woman to chair a legislature in Sumatra?
- ... that Long Island's PBS station specialized in making shows for other stations to air during their pledge drives?
- ... that the Code of Lipit-Ishtar is older than the famous Code of Hammurabi?
- ... that American football player Ralph "Catfish" Smith was a two-way player in college and in the National Football League?
- ... that Donald A. Morgan is the first director of photography to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame?
- ... that Lord Stonehaven, Governor-General of Australia, called Hay War Memorial High School the "finest war memorial in the British Empire"?
- ... that organisms could harvest kinetic energy to survive?
In the news
- Javier Milei (pictured) is elected president of Argentina.
- The Cricket World Cup concludes with Australia defeating India in the final.
- Pedro Sánchez is invested as Prime Minister of Spain, after proposing amnesty for Catalan separatists and then receiving support from them.
- Joseph Boakai is elected President of Liberia in the runoff, defeating incumbent president George Weah.
On this day
November 21: Armed Forces Day in Bangladesh
- 1386 – Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur captured and sacked the Georgian capital Tbilisi and forced King Bagrat V to convert to Islam.
- 1877 – Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a device able to record and play sound.
- 1950 – Two trains collided near Valemount, Canada, killing 21 people; the subsequent trial brought future prime minister John Diefenbaker to greater political attention.
- 1961 – La Ronde (pictured), the first revolving restaurant in the United States, was inaugurated.
- 2009 – An explosion in a coal mine in Heilongjiang, China, killed 108 miners.
- William de Corbeil (d. 1136)
- Francis Folger Franklin (d. 1736)
- Mollie Steimer (b. 1897)
- Jadunath Singh (b. 1916)
Today's featured picture
The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southeastern Canada, the United States, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, and as an introduced species in a few locations such as Bermuda and Hawaii. Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized perching songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) and a crest on the top of the head. It is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. These photos of a male and female northern cardinal, which show their sexual dimorphism, were photographed in Central Park, New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites
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