Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 September 30

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Today's featured article
Nancy Drew is a fictional character in various mystery fiction series. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer and first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Over the decades the character has evolved in response to changes in American culture and tastes. In the 1980s a new series was created, The Nancy Drew Files, which featured an older and more professional Nancy as well as romantic plots. In 2004 the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, begun in 1930, was ended and a new series, Girl Detective, was launched. Illustrations of the character have also evolved over time to reflect the Nancy Drew type in contemporary terms. Through all these changes, the character has proved continuously popular worldwide: at least 80 million copies of the books have been sold, and they have been translated into more than 45 languages. A cultural icon, Nancy Drew has been cited as a formative influence by a number of women. Feminist literary critics have analyzed the character's enduring appeal, arguing variously that Nancy Drew is a mythic hero, an expression of wish fulfillment, or an embodiment of contradictory ideas about femininity. (more...) Recently featured: Armillaria luteobubalina – Rhyolite, Nevada – Toothcomb Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that since 1979, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Peshawar is the only direct market for gemstones from Pakistan (example pictured) and Afghanistan? ... that numerous piles of trash were set ablaze when Baltimore's garbage collectors and police officers conducted overlapping strikes in July 1974? ... that Mulugeta Buli created a private security cabinet for Emperor Haile Selassie? ... that in 1905 Cherry Lass won the 1,000 Guineas Stakes and the Epsom Oaks, but finished third in the St. Leger Stakes and missed the Fillies Triple Crown in British horse-racing? ... that CNN International has been accused of suppressing the documentary iRevolution: Online Warriors of the Arab Spring to appease the Bahraini government? ... that Gilla Gerzon, the Director of the Haifa USO, had 241 trees planted in Israel in memory of the 241 Americans killed in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing? ... that the ASA ruled that the New Labour, New Danger adverts portrayed Tony Blair as "dishonest and sinister"? ... that Purshottam Solanki, the Fisheries Minister of Gujarat, allegedly caused a loss of 400 crore (US$72.4 million) to the state government when granting contracts for fishing in reservoirs? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
David O Russell in 2011 The African Union helps South Sudan and Sudan negotiate oil revenue and other agreements following conflict earlier this year. In sumo, Mongolian wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei (pictured) is formally promoted to become the 70th yokozuna. At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, Homeland and Modern Family win the awards for Outstanding Drama and Comedy Series, respectively. In Gaelic football, Donegal defeat Mayo in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. After 40 suicides of victims trigger a parliamentary inquiry, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne confirms the sexual abuse of 618 children over 80 years. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
September 30: Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese calendar, 2012); Independence Day in Botswana (1966) 737 – Muslim conquest of Transoxiana: Turgesh tribes attacked the exposed Umayyad baggage train, which had been sent ahead of the main force, and captured it. 1882 – The Vulcan Street Plant, the first hydroelectric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America, went on line in Appleton, Wisconsin, US. 1955 – American film actor James Dean (pictured) suffered fatal injuries in a head-on car accident near Cholame, California. 1965 – Members of the 30 September Movement attempted a coup against the Indonesian government, which was crushed by the military under Suharto, leading to a mass anti-communist purge with over 500,000 people killed over the following months. 2005 – The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published controversial editorial cartoons depicting Muhammad, sparking protests across the Muslim world by many who viewed them as Islamophobic and blasphemous. More anniversaries: September 29 – September 30 – October 1 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 30, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A NSB Di 4 diesel-electric locomotive hauling a passenger train on a stretch of unelectrified track of the Nordland Line of the Norwegian State Railways. Running between Trondheim and Bodø, the line is the longest in Norway, at approximately 729 km (453 mi), and is the only one in the country that crosses the Arctic Circle.

Photo: David Gubler

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