Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 20

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The First Roumanian-American congregation is an Orthodox Jewish congregation that for more than 100 years occupied a historic building (pictured) at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. Those who organized the congregation in 1885 were part of a wave of Romanian-Jewish immigrants who settled mostly in this precinct. The building had previously been a church, then a synagogue, and then a church again. It was transformed into a synagogue for a second time and extensively remodeled when the First Roumanian-American congregation purchased it in 1902. The synagogue's high ceiling, good acoustics, and seating for up to 1,800 people made it famous as the "Cantor's Carnegie Hall". The congregation's membership was in the thousands in the 1940s, but by the early 2000s had declined to around 40 as Jews moved out of the Lower East Side. Though its building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, the congregation was reluctant to accept outside assistance in maintaining it. In January 2006, the roof collapsed and the building was demolished two months later. (more...) Recently featured: Adrian Cole – Gamma-ray burst – Tropical Storm Alberto Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that a new species of decim periodical cicada (pictured) was discovered by studying the songs of Brood XIX, now re-emerging in 2011 after 13 years underground? ... that Andrew Marvell wrote poems accusing Vice-Admiral Sir William Berkeley of cowardice, even after Berkeley's death in battle? ... that walls and the ceiling of the Unionskirche (Union Church) in Idstein are covered with 38 oil paintings from the Dutch Golden Age school of Rubens? ... that independent filmmaker Frank Sudol wrote, animated, voiced, directed, and composed all of the music for his film Dead Fury? ... that the Ghana Trades Union Congress, an umbrella group that unites various workers' groups in Ghana, was established in 1945? ... that in 1972, Enoch T. Nix, president of the Louisiana State Board of Education, proposed the closing of historically black Southern University at New Orleans, an issue revived in 2011 by Governor Bobby Jindal? ... that in 1463 Thomas Bettz left £26 13s 4d in his will—a fortune in those days—to help pay for the repair of the bells of St Martin's Church in Ruislip? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
King Mohammed VI of Morocco In response to ongoing protests in Morocco, King Mohammed VI (pictured) announces constitutional reform proposals to be voted on in a referendum. Ongoing flooding in the People's Republic of China affects more than ten million people and causes more than US$3 billion in damage. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati forms a new government. Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeds Osama bin Laden as al-Qaeda's leader. Let the Great World Spin, by Irish writer Colum McCann, wins the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. In ice hockey, the Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks in game seven to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 20: World Refugee Day; Flag Day in Argentina; International Surfing Day 451 – A coalition led by Roman General Flavius Aetius and Visigothic king Theodoric I clashed violently with the Hunnic alliance commanded by Attila at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. 1819 – Arriving in Liverpool, the SS Savannah (pictured) became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 1862 – Barbu Catargiu, the first Prime Minister of Romania, was assassinated after denying people the right of assembly to commemorate the Revolutions of 1848. 1893 – After a widely publicized trial, American Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murder of her father and stepmother. 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army began a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing. 1973 – Snipers fired into a crowd of Peronists near the Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, killing at least 13 people and injuring 365 others. More anniversaries: June 19 – June 20 – June 21 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 20, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

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Bodley's Librarian is the head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford in England. Both are named after the founder, Sir Thomas Bodley (pictured). The university's library was established in about 1320 but had declined by the end of the 16th century, so in 1598 Bodley offered to restore it. The first librarian, Thomas James, was selected in 1599, and the Bodleian opened in 1602. Bodley wanted the librarian to be diligent, a linguist, unmarried, and not a parish priest, although James persuaded him to dispense with the last two requirements. In all, 24 people have served as Bodley's Librarian, some less well than others, with John Price (who held the post from 1768 to 1813) accused of "a regular and constant neglect of his duty". The current librarian, Sarah Thomas, was appointed in 2007; she is the first woman, and the first foreign librarian, to run the Bodleian. She said that when she saw the job description, "it was love at first sight". (more...)

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This study drawing by Kenyon Cox shows the allegorical figure of Romance nude, bending her head to read a book on her lap. Romance is one figure in a painting, The Arts, in the north-end lunette of the Southwest Gallery in the Library of Congress' Jefferson Building. Cox was an advocate of figurative art—art that is clearly sourced from real objects—and is therefore by definition representational rather than abstract art.

Restoration: Lise Broer

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