Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 May 17

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The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the British author Radclyffe Hall. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" (homosexuality) is apparent from an early age. She finds love with Mary Llewellyn, whom she meets while serving as an ambulance driver in World War I, but their happiness together is marred by social isolation and rejection, which Hall depicts as having a debilitating effect on inverts. The novel portrays inversion as a natural, God-given state and makes an explicit plea: "Give us also the right to our existence". The novel became the target of a campaign by James Douglas, editor of the Sunday Express newspaper, who wrote "I would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel." Although its only sexual reference consists of the words "and that night, they were not divided", a British court judged it obscene because it defended "unnatural practices between women". In the United States the book survived legal challenges in New York state and in Customs Court. (more...) Recently featured: Cockatoo – Sky Blue Sky – Fanny Imlay Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that over two thousand skulls, legs, ribs and other body parts of unidentified soldiers were sorted and interred in various compartments under the Civil War Unknowns Monument (pictured) in Arlington, Virginia? ... that the music of Catalan guitarist Toti Soler has been described as beautifully capturing the "enigmatic mood" of "traumas and passions"? ... that Malta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is housed in the same mansion that Napoleon Bonaparte occupied during his Egyptian Campaign? ... that Gloria Estefan's guest-starring role as the mother of Santana Lopez in the season finale of Glee was originally planned for an early 2012 episode? ... that Pierre and Damien Vachon have been billed as the youngest sons of legendary Canadian professional wrestler Paul "The Butcher" Vachon? ... that when the German TV film Das Millionenspiel aired in 1970, some viewers thought they were watching a real manhunt and called the fictitious telephone number to register to participate? ... that according to Cornish legend, the mermaid Saint Senara fell in love with the chorister of the church in Zennor, and that the church is now dedicated to her? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
A new legislative election is scheduled in Greece, after the party leaders failed to form a coalition government following the May election. At least 49 people are decapitated—allegedly by the Los Zetas drug cartel—and found on Mexican Federal Highway 40. The ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower (pictured) is unveiled in preparation for the Summer Olympics in London. In association football, the English Premier League season ends with Manchester City winning their first top-flight league championship since 1968. The National Liberation Front, led by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, gains a plurality in the Algerian legislative election. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 17: Constitution Day in Norway (1814); Galician Literature Day in Galicia, Spain; Ascension Day in Western Christianity 1590 – Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the abbey church at Holyrood Palace. 1863 – Rosalía de Castro (pictured) published Cantares gallegos, a collection of her poetry, the first book in the Galician language. 1914 – Albania officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an autonomous region within the Albanian state, which was never established due to World War I. 1995 – After 18 years as Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac was inaugurated as President of France. 2004 – Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. More anniversaries: May 16 – May 17 – May 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 17, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. Its primary users are Russia, India, China, Venezuela, and Malaysia.

Photo: Sergey Krivchikov

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