Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 September 27

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From today's featured article

The north entrance to Shildon Tunnel, which opened in 1842

The Stockton and Darlington Railway operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected coal mines near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port and town at Middlesbrough. Passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833. The company suffered severe financial difficulties at the end of the 1840s and was nearly taken over by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, before profiting from the discovery of iron ore in Cleveland. The company was taken over by the North Eastern Railway in 1863, transferring 200 route miles (320 km) of line and about 160 locomotives, but continued to operate independently as the Darlington Section until 1876. Much of the original route is now served by the Tees Valley Line, operated by Northern Rail. The railway's opening in 1825 was seen as proof of the effectiveness of steam railways, and its anniversary was celebrated in 1875, 1925 and 1975. (Full article...)

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In the news

Martin Winterkorn

A stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage at Mecca, Saudi Arabia, kills more than 700 people and injures at least 800 others.
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn (pictured) resigns after company officials admit widespread rigging of diesel emissions test results.
A U.S. federal judge rules that the copyright to "Happy Birthday to You", claimed by Warner/Chappell Music, is invalid.
More than 100 people are killed in a series of bombings across Borno State, Nigeria.
Syriza wins a plurality in the Greek legislative election.
Japan's upper chamber of parliament approves legislation allowing use of Japanese military forces outside Japan for the first time since World War II.

Ongoing events:
- Southeast Asian haze
- European migrant crisis
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On this day...

September 27: Banned Books Week begins (2015); World Tourism Day; Sukkot begins at sunset (Judaism, 2015); Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese calendar, 2015); Meskel in Eritrea and Ethiopia

Ford Model T

1422 – The Treaty of Melno was signed, establishing the Prussian–Lithuanian border, which afterwards remained unchanged for about 500 years.
1822 – In a letter to the Paris Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Jean-François Champollion announced his initial successes in deciphering the Rosetta Stone.
1875 – The Ellen Southard wrecked in a storm at Liverpool, England; the United States Congress subsequently awarded 27 gold Lifesaving Medals to the lifeboat men who rescued her crew.
1908 – The first production of the Ford Model T (pictured) automobile was built at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan, US.
1983 – Software developer Richard Stallman announced plans for the Unix-like GNU operating system, the first free software developed by the GNU Project.

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Today's featured picture

The Magnavox Odyssey is the first commercial home video game console. First demonstrated in April 1972, it was released that August, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. The system could be powered by either six C batteries or an optional AC power supply. Games used "game cards" inserted into a slot similar to a ROM cartridge slot. The system lacked sound capability. By 1974 more than 350,000 had been sold.

Photograph: Evan Amos

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