Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 August 15

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Set for Departures

Departures is a Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Loosely based on Shinmon Aoki's memoir Coffinman, the film follows a young man who becomes a nōkanshi—a traditional Japanese ritual mortician—and overcomes the prejudices of those around him. The story was conceived after Motoki, affected by a funeral ceremony he had seen along the Ganges, read Coffinman and felt that the story would adapt well to film. Departures took a decade to complete, and distributors only released it after the film won the grand prize at the Montreal World Film Festival in August 2008. It became Japan's highest-grossing domestic film that year and won numerous awards, including the first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Japan. It was praised for its humour and the beauty of the encoffining ceremony (set pictured), but critics took issue with the film's predictability and overt sentimentality. The film's success spurred the development of tourist attractions at its shooting sites, increased interest in encoffining ceremonies, and the adaptation of the story for various media. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

McKee Run

... that parts of McKee Run (pictured) could benefit from additional riparian buffering?
... that Romanian poet Natalia Negru's first two marriages ended disastrously, but the third, to Ioan Gheorghe Savin, was apparently peaceful?
... that Royal Castle was a Miami, Florida-based hamburger restaurant chain known for its miniature hamburgers, which were similar to White Castle hamburgers?
... that the author Graham Greene chose Father Bede Jarrett to be his daughter's godfather?
... that the Clean Power Plan is aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the United States by 32 percent by 2030, relative to 2005 levels?
... that the German tenor Markus Brutscher performed the part of Saul in Reinhard Keiser's oratorio Der siegende David at the Ruhrtriennale 2006?
... that the Cross of Sorrow by sculptor Leo Lankinen was the first monument in Russia to thousands of soldiers who perished in the Winter War?
... that Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Adam Morgan uses one pitching technique his manager described as a "Bugs Bunny changeup"?

In the news

England cricket team

A truck bomb attack at a market in Baghdad kills at least 80 people and injures more than 200 others.
Multiple explosions in Tianjin, China, kill more than 80 people and injure at least 700.
In cricket, England (pictured) regain the Ashes with a victory against Australia in the fourth Test of the series.
Typhoon Soudelor makes landfalls in Taiwan and eastern China, killing at least 29 people and injuring hundreds more.
A new 35 km-long (22 mi) bypass channel of Egypt's Suez Canal is officially opened, approximately doubling the canal's capacity.
A toxic spill occurs at Gold King Mine near Durango, Colorado, contaminating a river in southern Colorado and threatening other waterways.

Ongoing events
Recent deaths:

On this day...

August 15: Victory over Japan Day; Feast of the Assumption (Christianity); Independence Day in the Congo (1960) and India (1947); Liberation Day in North and South Korea (1945)

Afonso de Albuquerque

718 – Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned their year-long siege of Constantinople, causing the caliphate to give up its goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire.
1511 – Afonso de Albuquerque (pictured) captured the city of Malacca, giving Portugal control over the Strait of Malacca, through which all sea-going trade between China and India was concentrated.
1812 – War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors destroyed the United States Army's Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois, and captured the survivors.
1915 – The New York World revealed that Germany had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort and diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production.
1945 – The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces.

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

A row of taxis in front of the International Commerce Centre in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The 18,138 licensed taxicabs of Hong Kong are predominantly independently owned and operated, though some are owned by taxi companies. The majority of taxis are Toyota Comforts.

The taxis' tariffs and service areas are indicated by the colour of their livery. Red taxis, seen here, have the highest fares but serve the greatest area. Green taxis serve the New Territories and are less expensive. Blue taxis are the least expensive, but are limited to southern Lantau Island.

Photograph: Diego Delso

Recently featured:

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.