Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 October 24

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From today's featured article

Distributed-element circuits are electrical circuits composed of lengths of transmission lines or other distributed components. Used mostly at microwave frequencies, they perform the same functions as conventional circuits composed of passive components, such as capacitors, inductors, and transformers. They are made by patterning the conducting medium itself, rather than connecting pre-manufactured components with the medium. A major advantage is that they can be produced cheaply on printed circuit boards for consumer products, such as satellite television. They are also made in coaxial and waveguide formats for applications such as radar, satellite communication, and microwave links. Distributed element circuits were used in radar in World War II, and later in military, space, and broadcasting infrastructure. Improvements in materials science led to broader applications, and they can now be found in domestic products such as satellite dishes and mobile phones. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Houses in Earl's Court Square

... that in the 1970s, London's Earl's Court Square (houses pictured) was the location of two brothels and the site of the "Battle of Earl's Court" between rival poets?
... that Ugandan air force commander Andrew Mukooza may have been murdered because he helped defeat a coup attempt?
... that the nectar-rich flowers of the African locust-bean are visited by bats, dormice, and pottos?
... that after Ruth Darrow's son died from hemolytic disease of the newborn, she was inspired to study the disease, and became the first person to identify its cause?
... that the Friendship Bridge on the Russian–Chinese border at Shiwei, Inner Mongolia, is used by trucks carrying quarried stone, but passenger vehicles are not permitted?
... that industrialist John Mason Loomis, a Union Army colonel in the American Civil War, fought in 57 battles and skirmishes, marching with his men for more than 6,900 mi (11,100 km)?
... that the 6000 mAh battery on the Samsung Galaxy M30s is the largest ever for a Samsung smartphone?
... that director Celia Rowlson-Hall cast herself as a modern version of the Virgin Mary in her first feature film?

In the news

Yurisbel Gracial

Thirty-nine people are found dead in a refrigerated lorry container in Grays, England.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Yomiuri Giants to win the Japan Series (MVP Yurisbel Gracial pictured).
In Santiago, Chile, protests over increased metro fares cause President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency.
Several Lebanese cabinet ministers resign amid protests after the government announces plans to tax gasoline, tobacco, and online phone calls.

On this day

October 24

United Nations Secretariat Building and General Assembly Building

UN Secretariat Building and General Assembly Building

1260 – Qutuz, the Mamluk sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars, who then seized power for himself.
1789 – The Brabant Revolution, sometimes considered as the first expression of Belgian nationalism, began with the invasion of the Austrian Netherlands by an émigré army from the Dutch Republic.
1889 – Sir Henry Parkes, the premier of the Colony of New South Wales, gave a speech where he called for the federation of the six Australian colonies.
1912 – First Balkan War: Serbian forces defeated the Ottoman army at the Battle of Kumanovo in the Kosovo Vilayet.
1949 – The cornerstone of the United Nations headquarters (pictured) was laid in New York City.

William Prynne (d. 1669) · Sarah Josepha Hale (b. 1788) · Lakshmi Sahgal (b. 1914)

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Today's featured picture

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the United Kingdom's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is managed by a registered charity, is held in trust for the nation, and receives no government funding. It can seat 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage. It is the venue for some of the most notable events in British culture, in particular the Proms concerts, which have been held there every summer since 1941. It is host to more than 390 shows in the main auditorium annually, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment, sports, awards ceremonies, school and community events, and charity performances and banquets. A further 400 events are held each year in the non-auditorium spaces.

This picture shows the interior of the Royal Albert Hall as viewed from the Grand Tier, showing the organ, the second largest in the British Isles, in the background, as well as the fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs suspended from the ceiling, which were installed in 1969.

Photograph credit: Colin

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