Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 October 31

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The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is a 2010 Dutch body horror film written and directed by Tom Six. The film tells the story of a German doctor who kidnaps three tourists and joins them surgically, forming a "human centipede". It stars Dieter Laser as the villain, Dr. Heiter, with Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura as his victims. According to Six, the concept of the film arose from a joke he made with friends and Nazi medical experiments carried out during World War II, such as the actions of Josef Mengele at Auschwitz concentration camp. When approaching investors prior to filming, Six did not mention any details of the surgical procedure central to the plot, fearing it would put off potential backers. The financiers of The Human Centipede did not discover the full nature of the film until it was complete. The film received mixed reviews from mainstream film critics, but it won several accolades at international film festivals. The film was released in the United States on a limited release theatrically on 30 April. A sequel, The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence), also written and directed by Six, was released in 2011. (more...) Recently featured: Manchester United F.C. – Lester Brain – Statue of Liberty Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that according to folklore, people looking into the eyes of Eternal Silence (pictured) will see a vision of their own death? ... that the United Nations Population Fund has designated today as the Day of Seven Billion? ... that Fowler's Ghost was first seen on the London Metropolitan Railway in 1861, nearly exploded and was never seen again after 1895? ... that the unusual way that John C. Colt disposed of his murder victim's corpse may have influenced Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Oblong Box"? ... that the body of the first person buried at Ute Cemetery in Aspen, Colorado, was later exhumed to be reburied in Texas? ... that Harry Powers said that watching his victims die was more fun than a brothel? ... that Ghost Frogs roam the streams of South Africa? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Michael D. Higgins Qantas resumes flights after Fair Work Australia orders the airline and trade unions to end industrial action. Labour Party candidate Michael D. Higgins (pictured) is elected President of Ireland. In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Texas Rangers to win the World Series. The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow reopens after a six-year, 21-billion-ruble (US$680-million) renovation. Five representatives of the Arab Spring—Mohamed Bouazizi, Ali Farzat, Asmaa Mahfouz, Ahmed al-Senussi, and Razan Zaitouneh—share the Sakharov Prize. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
October 31: Halloween; Samhain begins; Reformation Day in Protestantism 1517 – According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted his Ninety-Five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. 1864 – Nevada was admitted as the 36th U.S. state, in part to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's re-election as President of the United States eight days later. 1941 – More than 101 crew members of the USS Reuben James (pictured) perished when their vessel became the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action during World War II after it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-552. 1973 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin after a hijacked helicopter landed in the prison's exercise yard. 1999 – All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 were killed when the aircraft suddenly plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. More anniversaries: October 30 – October 31 – November 1 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now October 31, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list

A view of a building interior with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, four stain-glass windows on the left wall, and a large number of brown desks and green chairs on the floor.

There have been 41 assemblies in the history of the Parliament of Canada, the legislative body of the Government of Canada. The Parliament is composed of the House of Commons (lower house), the Senate (upper house), and the Sovereign, represented by the Governor General. A new parliament begins after an election of the House of Commons and can sit for up to five years. Canada uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister. The leader of the party with the second-most seats in the House becomes the Leader of the Official Opposition, and debate (formally called Oral Questions) between the parties is presided over by the Speaker of the House. The Canadian Parliament is located at Parliament Hill in the capital city, Ottawa. (more...)

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An écorché (flayed figure) of a horseman and his horse, prepared by anatomist Honoré Fragonard and on display at the Musée Fragonard d'Alfort in Paris. Fragonard was the first professor of anatomy at the École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (National Veterinary School of Alfort) and prepared thousands of anatomical pieces. In 1771, after six years of teaching, he was dismissed from his post for being a "madman".

Photo: Jebulon

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