Wikipedia:Main Page/Yesterday
From yesterday's featured article
Thekla (820s or 830s – after 870) was a princess of the Amorian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. The eldest of seven children of the emperor Theophilos and empress Theodora, she was proclaimed augusta (an imperial title) in the late 830s. After her father's death in 842, her mother became regent for her younger brother Michael III, and Thekla was associated with the regime as a co-empress alongside Theodora and Michael. Thekla was deposed by Michael, possibly alongside her mother, in 856 and consigned to a convent in Constantinople. In one narrative, accepted by some Byzantinists and rejected by others, she became the mistress of Michael's friend and co-emperor Basil I, but was neglected after Basil murdered Michael in 867 and took power as the sole emperor. In this narrative, she took another lover, was discovered, and fell out of favor, then was beaten and had her property confiscated. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that Femke Bol won the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships (medallists pictured) in a championship record of 52.49 seconds?
- ... that Steve Elcock's Symphony No. 6 is dedicated to "the everlasting execration of self-serving politicians, the obscenely rich and the system that allows them to remain so"?
- ... that to embody her role as a short-track speed skater in the movie Breaking Through, actress Meng Meiqi inserted a rock into one of her ice skates to feel real pain?
- ... that British physician James A. Glover found that "spacing-out" beds prevented epidemics of meningitis in the military during World War I?
- ... that a co-founder of Braver Angels designed their Red/Blue political depolarization workshops based on couples therapy?
- ... that the 1969 leadership election for the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick was blacklisted by the American Federation of Musicians because one of the candidates was indebted to them?
- ... that American ornithologist Judy Kellogg Markowsky died after disappearing in the river that she worked to protect during her life?
- ... that the third Josef Hoop cabinet survived an attempted coup from a domestic Nazi party?
- ... that author Anna Smith Spark is also known as the "Queen of Grimdark"?
In the news (For today)
- Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden (pictured) withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
- In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
- General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.
- The International Court of Justice finds the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to be a violation of international law.
On the previous day
July 22: Feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene (Christianity)
- 838 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The forces of the Abbasid Caliphate defeated Byzantine troops led by Emperor Theophilos at the Battle of Anzen, near present-day Dazman, Turkey.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union troops at the Battle of Atlanta.
- 1894 – Jules-Albert de Dion (pictured) finished first in the world's first motor race, but did not win as his steam-powered car was against the rules.
- 1944 – World War II: In opposition to the government-in-exile based in London, the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation was proclaimed to govern territory recaptured from Germany.
- 1954 – A limited state of martial law was declared in Russell County, Alabama, due to organized crime.
- Thomas Macnamara Russell (d. 1824)
- James Whale (b. 1889)
- Louise Fletcher (b. 1934)
- Johann Breyer (d. 2014)
From yesterday's featured list
The discography of AC/DC, an Australian rock band, includes eighteen studio albums, two soundtrack albums, three live albums, one extended play, fifty-seven singles and two box sets as of 2024. AC/DC was formed in 1973 by brothers Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar). The band released two albums in Australasia before issuing their first international album, High Voltage (1976); the Youngs had been joined by vocalist Bon Scott, bass guitarist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd. In 1980, Scott died and was replaced by English singer Brian Johnson, with whom the band released the second-best-selling album in history, Back in Black, and sold 50 million copies worldwide. In 50 years of their career, AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, and 83 million in the United States. Their most certified singles in the US are "Thunderstruck" and "Back in Black", which respectively received Diamond and 7× Platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2024. In Australia, "Thunderstruck" was accredited 10× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2022. (Full list...)
Yesterday's featured picture
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The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a large bird, with individuals reaching a height of 152 centimetres (4.99 feet) and a weight of 9 kilograms (20 lb), and has the largest wingspan of any land bird, with an average of 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and some recorded examples of up to 3.2 metres (10 ft). The marabou stork breeds in Africa south of the Sahara. In East Africa, the birds interact with humans and breed in urban areas. In southern African countries, the birds breed mainly in less populated areas. This marabou stork in flight was photographed in the town of Batu, by Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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