Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 August 18

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
Stanley Holloway (1890–1982) was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady. He was also renowned for his comic monologues and songs, which he performed and recorded throughout most of his 70-year career. He had his first major theatre success in Kissing Time in 1919. In 1921, he joined a concert party, The Co-Optimists, and his career began to flourish. Characters from his monologues such as Sam Small, invented by Holloway, and Albert Ramsbottom, created for him by Marriott Edgar, were absorbed into popular British culture, and Holloway developed a following for the recordings of his many monologues. At the outbreak of World War II, Holloway made short propaganda films on behalf of the British Film Institute and Pathé News and took character parts in a series of war films including Major Barbara, The Way Ahead, This Happy Breed and The Way to the Stars. In 1956 he was cast as the irresponsible Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady. The role brought him international fame. In his later years, Holloway appeared in television series in the US and the UK, toured in revues, and appeared in stage plays in Britain, Canada, Australia and the US. (more...) Recently featured: In Rainbows– José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco – Manhunter Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Grand Casemates Square (pictured), once the site of public hangings, is now one of Gibraltar's main squares and nightlife hubs? ... that a cognitive vulnerability is an erroneous belief or thought pattern that is believed to predispose a person to psychological problems? ... that the statue of George IV which stands in Trafalgar Square was originally meant to be on top of the Marble Arch? ... that the roots of the Bahraini uprising stretch back to the 1920s? ... that after screenwriter Sarah Williams approached Ecosse Films about making Becoming Jane, the company hired Kevin Hood to further develop its script? ... that British singer-songwriter Pixie Lott co-wrote the song "You Broke My Heart" for Alexandra Burke's debut studio album Overcome in 2009? ... that the 48th Georgia Infantry Regiment of Confederate Lt. Colonel Reuben Walker Carswell was in a brigade commanded by Carswell's mentor as a lawyer, Brigadier General Ambrose R. Wright? ... that an axe from the collection of the new Märkisches Provinzialmuseum in Berlin was used to execute Max Hödel after his attempt to assassinate the Kaiser? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Three members of Pussy Riot (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova pictured), a Russian feminist punk band, are found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute near Rustenburg. Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab is sentenced to three years for instigating and participating in unauthorised protests during the Bahraini uprising. The government of Ecuador grants political asylum to Julian Assange, founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks. British bank Standard Chartered agrees to pay the US state of New York a $340 million fine to settle money laundering charges. The closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics is held in London. Syrian Civil War – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 18 1783 – An unusually bright meteor procession blazed across the night sky over Great Britain. 1864 – American Civil War: At the Battle of Globe Tavern, Union forces attempted to sever the Weldon Railroad during the Siege of Petersburg. 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment (authors Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony pictured) to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in America. 1966 – Vietnam War: Members from D Company of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded and attacked on all sides by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan, but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived. 1989 – Leading Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated during a public demonstration in the town of Soacha, Cundinamarca. More anniversaries: August 17 – August 18 – August 19 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 18, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Six beryllium mirror segments of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) undergoing a series of cryogenic tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The JWST is a planned space telescope that is a joint collaboration of 20 countries. It will orbit the Sun approximately 1,500,000 km (930,000 mi) beyond the Earth, around the L₂ Lagrange point. It is expected to launch in 2018.

Photo: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham/Emmett Given

Recently featured: Panellus stipticus – Golden toad – At Breakfast by L. A. Ring

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.