Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 August 20

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The Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders were a series of trials held from 1949 to 1958 in which leaders of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) were accused of violating the Smith Act, a 1940 statute that set penalties for advocating the violent overthrow of the government. The prosecution argued that the CPUSA's policies promoted violent revolution; the defendants countered that they advocated a peaceful transition to socialism, and that the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech and association protected their membership in a political party. The first trial in 1949 prosecuted the top leaders of the party and was featured in the national headlines. After a ten-month trial, all defendants were found guilty and sentenced to five-year prison terms. The judge also sent all five defense attorneys to jail for contempt of court. Prosecutors then tried over 100 additional CPUSA officers for violating the Smith Act. Some were tried solely because they were members of the CPUSA. Many defendants had difficulty finding attorneys to represent them. Prosecutions came to an end following the US Supreme Court's 1957 Yates v. United States decision, which held that defendants could be prosecuted only for their actions, not for their beliefs. Membership in the CPUSA plummeted due to the trials, and never recovered. (more...) Recently featured: Rus' Khaganate – Stanley Holloway – In Rainbows Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Königsberg printer Hans Weinreich issued the first printed books in Lithuanian and Old Prussian (pictured), as well as the first Polish translation of Luther's Small Catechism? ... that the Olympic Flame once burned at 2,000 degrees Celsius to ensure that it stayed alight under water? ... that an episode of the 2012 nature documentary series A Year in the Wild featured Britain's largest national park, the Cairngorms? ... that the Spanish expedition to Formosa was a campaign mounted in 1626 by the Spanish based in Manila, Philippines? ... that 2012 Australian Paralympic wheelchair tennis player Ben Weekes has played piano at the Sydney Opera House? ... that American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey wrote her new single "Triumphant (Get 'Em)" while her husband Nick Cannon was in the hospital for kidney failure? ... that, when it opens in 2013, Outlaw Run at the Silver Dollar City amusement park is to be the only wooden roller coaster with inversions? ... that the subantarctic whaling station of Grytviken welcomed the South Georgia Survey by housing expedition members in the local jail? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Chinese and Japanese activists stage protests around the disputed Senkaku islands. 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. Syrian Civil War – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 20: Day of Restoration of Independence in Estonia (1991); St. Stephen's Day in Hungary 636 – Rashidun forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid took control of Syria and Palestine in the Battle of Yarmouk, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad. 1710 – War of the Spanish Succession: The Spanish-Bourbon army commanded by the Marquis de Bay was soundly defeated by a multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg. 1882 – The 1812 Overture by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was first performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. 1988 – Fires in the United States' Yellowstone National Park destroyed more than 150,000 acres (610 km²), the single-worst day of the conflagration. 1989 – The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Australia, was completed, becoming the world's longest and fastest guided busway with buses travelling a total of 12 km (7.5 mi) at maximum speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph) (example pictured). 2008 – Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after take off from Madrid's Barajas Airport, killing 154 people. More anniversaries: August 19 – August 20 – August 21 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 20, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list

Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program division of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since it was first awarded to Arthur Eldred (pictured) on August 21, 1912, Eagle Scout has been earned by more than two million young men. As of 2012, requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges, demonstrating Scout Spirit, leadership, service and performing an Eagle Scout Service Project. Eagle Scouts are presented both a medal and badge that visibly recognize the accomplishments of the Scout. Eagle Palms are a further recognition, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership and merit badge requirements. The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is bestowed to Eagle Scouts for nationally renowned distinguished service in their profession and to the community for a period of at least 25 years after earning the Eagle Scout rank. The National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Scout Award is bestowed to Eagle Scouts who have distinguished themselves at a local-to-regional level or who have not yet met the 25-year tenure requirement to be considered for a DESA. (more...)

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The castle on Eilean Donan, a small island in Loch Duich in the western Scottish Highlands. The castle, which was built in the 13th century and destroyed in the 18th century, is widely familiar from many photographs and appearances in film and television. The present buildings are a 20th-century reconstruction.

Photo: David Iliff

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