Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2016-07-04/Featured content
Featured content
Triple fun of featured content
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 12 to 25 June.
Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Featured articles
Six featured articles were promoted these weeks.
- Antlia (nominated by Casliber) is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its name means "pump" in Latin; it represents an air pump. Originally Antlia Pneumatica, the constellation was established by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century, though its name was later abbreviated by John Herschel. Located close to the stars forming the old constellation of the ship Argo Navis, Antlia is completely visible from latitudes south of 49 degrees north.
- Blast Corps (nominated by Czar) is a 1997 action video game for the Nintendo 64 in which the player uses vehicles to destroy buildings in the path of a runaway nuclear missile carrier. In the game's 57 levels, the player solves puzzles by transferring between vehicles to move objects and bridge gaps. It was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. It was released to universal acclaim and received Metacritic's second highest Nintendo 64 ratings of 1997. Reviewers highly praised its originality, variety, and graphics, but some critiqued its controls and repetition.
- Kalki Koechlin (nominated by Numerounovedant) (born 1984) is an Indian actress and screenwriter of French ethnicity, who predominantly works in Bollywood. Apart from acting in films, she is also a regular presence in theatre productions in India. Koechlin is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award and two Screen Awards. She is also an activist and promotes various causes ranging from health and education to women's empowerment and gender equality.
- Max Reger's 1915 Requiem (nominated by Gerda Arendt) is a late Romantic setting of Friedrich Hebbel's eponymous poem for alto or baritone solo, chorus and orchestra. It is Reger's last completed work for chorus and orchestra, dedicated in the autograph as Dem Andenken der im Kriege 1914/15 gefallenen deutschen Helden. It was published by Fritz Simrock in 1916, after the composer's death. Reger provided a piano transcription of the orchestral parts, and Max Beckschäfer arranged the work for voice, chorus and organ in 1985.
- The English Benedictine Reform (nominated by Dudley Miles) of the English church in the late tenth century was the most important religious and intellectual movement in the later Anglo-Saxon period. In the mid-tenth century almost all monasteries were staffed by secular clergy, who were often married. The reformers sought to replace them with celibate contemplative monks following the Rule of Saint Benedict. The movement was inspired by European monastic reforms, and the leading figures were Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester, and Oswald, Archbishop of York.
- Amazing Stories Quarterly (nominated by Mike Christie) was a science fiction pulp magazine published from 1928 to 1934. It was launched by Hugo Gernsback as a companion to his Amazing Stories. The first issue of Amazing Stories Quarterly was dated Winter 1928 and carried a reprint of H.G. Wells' When the Sleeper Wakes. Gernsback's policy of running a novel in each issue was popular with his readership, though the choice of Wells' novel was less so. Gernsback went bankrupt in early 1929, and lost control of both magazines; his assistant, T. O'Conor Sloane, took over as editor. The magazine began to run into financial difficulties in 1932, and the schedule became irregular; the last issue was dated Fall 1934.
Featured lists
Nine featured lists were promoted these weeks.
- Mani Ratnam (born 1955) is an Indian filmmaker who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He is credited with redefining the "range and depth of Tamil cinema", and is regarded as one of the greatest Indian filmmakers. As of 2016, he has directed 24 films, and produced over 15 (nominated by Vensatry) under his production company Madras Talkies.
- A hat-trick in rugby union, the scoring of three tries or three drop goals in a single match, has been achieved 52 times in the history of the Six Nations Championship (nominated by NapHit). The first player to achieve the feat was Charles Wade. George Lindsay scored five tries, the most tries scored by a single player in a Championship match. Besides Lindsay, six players have scored more than three tries in a Championship match; of these Ian Smith is the only player to achieve the feat twice. Four players have scored a hat-trick of drop goals.
- Arsenal F.C., an association football club based in Holloway, London, was founded in 1886. They became the first southern member admitted into the Football League in 1893. Despite finishing fifth in the Second Division in 1914–15, Arsenal rejoined the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur when football resumed after the First World War. Since that time, they have not fallen below the first tier of the English football league system and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the top flight. The club's first team have competed in numerous nationally and internationally organised competitions, and 219 players have played between 25 and 99 such matches (nominated by Lemonade51), either as a member of the starting eleven or as a substitute. Two of these players, Tom Whittaker and Don Howe, went on to manage Arsenal. Bernard Joy moved into journalism following his football career, and authored the club's first detailed history book, Forward, Arsenal!. Ronnie Rooke made 94 appearances for Arsenal and scored 70 goals; he is the club's second-most prolific goalscorer.
- Winston Churchill, in addition to his careers of soldier and politician, was a prolific writer under the pen name "Winston S. Churchill" (nominated by SchroCat). After being commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1895, Churchill gained permission to observe the Cuban War of Independence, and sent war reports to The Daily Graphic. He continued his war journalism during the Siege of Malakand, the Mahdist War and the Second Boer War. Churchill's fictional output included one novel and a short story, but his main output comprised non-fiction. After he was elected as an MP over 130 of his speeches or parliamentary answers were also published in pamphlets or booklets; many were subsequently published in collected editions. Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
- Bajirao Mastani is a 2015 Indian epic historical romance film directed and scored by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on the Marathi novel Raau by Nagnath S. Inamdar, the film narrates the story of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao and his second wife Mastani. Made on a budget of ₹1.25 billion (US$15 million), the film was released to positive reviews from critics. As of May 2016, it has grossed over ₹3.6 billion (US$42 million) at the box-office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The film garnered awards and nominations (nominated by Krish!) in a variety of categories with particular praise for Bhansali's direction and music, the performances of Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh, its cinematography, art direction, and costume design.
- The US Highways in Michigan (nominated by Imzadi1979) are the segments of the national United States Numbered Highway System that are owned and maintained by the US state of Michigan, totaling about 2,300 miles (3,701 km). The longest of these is US Highway 23 at around 362 miles (583 km). On a national level, the standards and numbering for the system are handled by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, while the highways in Michigan are maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Manisha Koirala (born 1970) is a Nepalese actress known for her work in Bollywood films. Her filmography (nominated by Cowlibob) includes 78 films, with Dear Maya currently in production. She also appeared in a documentary, hosted a television reality game show and was a judge of a beauty pageant.
- The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award of India. Instituted in 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive a certificate signed by the President of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year on Republic Day and registered in The Gazette of India. A total of 205 awards were presented in the 1970s (nominated by Dharmadhyaksha), including eight foreign recipients.
- Bruno Mars (born 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. He has received 71 awards from 235 nominations (nominated by MarioSoulTruthFan), including three Brit Awards, four Grammy Awards, and an American Music Award.
Featured topics
One featured topic was promoted these weeks.
- The World Fantasy Awards (nominated by PresN) are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous annual convention as the central focus of the event. They were first given in 1975, and have been awarded annually since. Over the years the categories presented have changed; currently World Fantasy Awards are given in five written categories, one category for artists, and four special categories for individuals to honor their general work in the field of fantasy.
Featured pictures
Thirteen featured pictures were promoted these weeks.
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