NEWS

The Wikipedia article of the day for February 1, 2019 is Tropical Storm Marco (1990) . Tropical Storm Marco was the only tropical cyclone to make landfall in the United States during the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season. The 13th named storm of the season, Marco formed from a cold-core low pressure area along the northern coast of Cuba on October 9, and tracked northwestward through the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Its circulation produced 65 mph (100 km/h) winds over the western portion of Florida before weakening to a tropical depression and moving ashore near Cedar Key. The cyclone combined with a cold front and the remnants of Hurricane Klaus to produce heavy rainfall in Georgia and the Carolinas. After interacting with the nearby Hurricane Lili, Marco continued northward until being absorbed by a cold front. In Florida, the cyclone triggered flooding of some roadways. Rainfall across its path peaked at 19.89 inches (505 mm) in Louisville, Georgia. The flooding caused 12 deaths, mostly d

With a high of F and a low of 44F.

With a high of F and a low of 44

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 31, 2019 is Ambrose Rookwood . Ambrose Rookwood (c. 1578 – 31 January 1606) was a member of the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to replace the Protestant English King James I with a Catholic monarch. Born into a wealthy family of Catholic recusants, and educated by Jesuits at Flanders, Rookwood became a horse-breeder. He was enlisted into the plot in September 1605 by Robert Catesby, a religious zealot whose impatience with James's treatment of English Catholics had grown so severe that he conspired to blow up the House of Lords with gunpowder, looking to kill the king and much of the Protestant hierarchy. Rookwood's stable of fine horses was seen as essential for the uprising to succeed. The plan failed when the man left in charge of the gunpowder stored beneath the House of Lords, Guy Fawkes, was discovered there and arrested. After surviving an attack by the Sheriff of Worcestershire, Rookwood was imprisoned in the Tower

With a high of F and a low of 46

With a high of F and a low of 46F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 30, 2019 is Mascarene grey parakeet . The Mascarene grey parakeet (Psittacula bensoni) was a parrot from the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the western Indian Ocean that became extinct by the 1760s. It has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other parrots from the islands. Subfossil bones of this parakeet found on Mauritius were very similar to those of other Mascarene parrots. The subfossils were connected with 17th- and 18th-century descriptions of small grey parrots on Mauritius and Réunion, together with a single illustration published in a journal describing a voyage in 1602. The Mascarene grey parakeets had long tails and were larger than the many green species of the genus Psittacula. They were hunted for their meat, and were considered to be crop pests. Captured individuals would call out to summon a whole flock, a behaviour that may have contributed to their rapid annihilation. Deforesta

With a high of F and a low of 45

With a high of F and a low of 45F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 29, 2019 is Antlia . Antlia (from Latin for "pump") is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. It was established by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century, and its name was later abbreviated from "Antlia Pneumatica" by John Herschel. Completely visible from latitudes south of 49 degrees north, it is close to the stars forming the old constellation of the ship Argo Navis. Antlia is a faint constellation; its brightest star is Alpha Antliae, an orange giant that is a suspected variable star, ranging between apparent magnitudes 4.22 and 4.29. S Antliae is an eclipsing binary star system, changing in brightness as one star passes in front of the other; sharing a common envelope, the stars are so close they will one day merge to form a single star. Two star systems with known exoplanets, HD 93083 and WASP-66, lie within Antlia, as do NGC 2997, a spiral galaxy, and the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy.

With a high of F and a low of 35

With a high of F and a low of 35F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 28, 2019 is Paul Henderson . Paul Henderson (born January 28, 1943) is a former professional ice hockey player from Canada. A left winger, he played thirteen seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames and five in the World Hockey Association for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls. Appearing in over 1,000 games, he scored 376 goals and 758 points. He led Team Canada to victory at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union, scoring the game-winning goal in the sixth, seventh and eighth games, the last of which was voted the "sports moment of the century" by The Canadian Press. The series, played at the height of the Cold War, was viewed as a battle for hockey supremacy. Henderson played in two All-Star Games and has twice been inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (individually and as a member of the 1972 national team). He was inducted into the Internati

With a high of F and a low of 34F.

With a high of F and a low of 34

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 27, 2019 is Imperator torosus . Imperator torosus, the brawny bolete, is a fungus in the family Boletaceae. Native to southern Europe, the Caucasus and Israel, it is generally associated with deciduous trees such as hornbeam, oak and beech in warm, dry locales. Although generally rare in Europe, it appears to be relatively common in Hungary. Appearing in summer and autumn on chalky soils, the stocky mushrooms have an ochre cap up to 20 cm (8 in) across, yellow pores on the cap underside, and a wine-red to brown or blackish stalk up to 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) long by 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) wide. The pale yellow flesh changes colour when broken or bruised depending on age; younger mushrooms become reddish, and older ones take on bluish tones. Swedish mycologists Elias Magnus Fries and Christopher Theodor Hök described this species as Boletus torosus in 1835, relying in part on the work of Louis Secretan. Eating raw, or sometimes even cooked, mushro

With a high of F and a low of 35

With a high of F and a low of 35F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 26, 2019 is 1956 Winter Olympics . The 1956 Winter Olympics was a multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out Montreal, Colorado Springs and Lake Placid for the right to host the 1956 Games. The Cortina Games were the first to rely heavily on corporate sponsorship for funding. Thirty-two nations—the largest number of participating Winter Olympic countries to that point—competed in four sports and twenty-four events. The Italian army transported large amounts of snow to cover the alpine skiing courses. Toni Sailer of the Austrian team became the first person to win all three alpine skiing events in a single Olympics. The figure skating competition (pictured) was held outdoors for the last time. These games were the first Winter Olympics televised to a multi-national audience. For the first time at an Olympic Games, t

With a high of F and a low of 37

With a high of F and a low of 37F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 25, 2019 is ZETA (fusion reactor) . ZETA was an early experiment in fusion power research. Built at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in England, it was much larger and more powerful than any other fusion machine at that time. It went into operation in August 1957, and by the end of the month was giving off bursts of about a million neutrons per pulse. Measurements suggested temperatures between 1 and 5 million kelvins, hot enough to produce nuclear fusion reactions. Early results were leaked to the press, and front-page headlines announced a breakthrough. Further experiments revealed measurement errors, and the claim of fusion was publicly withdrawn, casting a chill over the entire fusion establishment. The neutrons were later explained as the product of instabilities in the fuel. ZETA went on to have a long experimental lifetime, supporting work in plasma theory and originating more accurate laser-based temperature measurements tha

So far, more than 68,000 people have submitted comments to stop Betsy DeVos’s harmful Title IX regulations. Join them. Gender justice champions from every walk of life crowded into Equal Rights Advocates ’ tent at the 2019 Women’s March in Oakland. Even after spending all morning marching and chanting, people still had a lot to say when we asked them to write a postcard to Betsy DeVos about her proposed changes to Title IX : “Dear Betsy, Can you imagine sitting in the same class as a man who had molested you — [just] because it happened off campus?” (Therese, Oakland) “ My sister is in college and I worry about her. ” (Anonymous) “ My daughter was a victim of sexual assault in college and did not feel safe to come forward under the current rules. Don’t make it harder for women to advocate for themselves!” (Rick, Berkeley) “ Survivors shouldn’t have to fight to be heard! ” (Kelly, Oakland) “Universities won’t change on their own. We have to hold them accountable.” (Jamie, uni

With a high of F and a low of 37

With a high of F and a low of 37F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 24, 2019 is Operation Pamphlet . Operation Pamphlet (24 January – 27 February 1943) was a World War II convoy that brought the Australian Army's 9th Division home from Egypt. The convoy included five transports, which were protected from Japanese warships by several Allied naval task forces during their trip across the Indian Ocean and along the Australian coastline. The Australian Government had requested an end to the Second Australian Imperial Force's role in the North African Campaign. Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to convince the Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, to withdraw the request until the Allied victory in North Africa was complete, but Curtin and Allied military leaders in the South West Pacific believed that the veteran division was needed for planned offensive operations in New Guinea. The 9th Division arrived in Australian ports with no losses from enemy action, and went on to make impo

With a high of F and a low of 39F.

With a high of F and a low of 39

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 23, 2019 is Tottenham outrage . The Tottenham outrage of 23 January 1909 was a theft of wages from the Schnurmann rubber factory in Tottenham, North London, followed by a two-hour, six-mile (10 km) police chase. The armed robbers, Paul Helfeld and Jacob Lepidus, killed themselves at the end of the pursuit. The bravery of the police led to the creation of the King's Police Medal, awarded to several of those involved in the pursuit. A joint funeral for the two shooting victims—Police Constable William Tyler and Ralph Joscelyne, a ten-year-old boy—was attended by a crowd of up to half a million mourners, including 2,000 policemen. The deaths exacerbated ill feelings towards immigrants in London, and much of the press coverage was anti-Semitic in nature; Helfeld and Lepidus were Jewish Latvian Socialists. Public sentiment was further inflamed the following year after another criminal act by Latvian immigrants, culminating in the Siege of Si

With a high of F and a low of 43

With a high of F and a low of 43F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 22, 2019 is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games . Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a sports and party game developed by Sega Sports R&D. Published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, it was released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. It features the two title characters and fourteen others from the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games, participating in twenty-four events based on the official venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, including the Bird's Nest (pictured). Players assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character, using either the Wii Remote or a stylus and button controls. Critics praised the multiplayer interaction of the Wii game (not offered on the DS) and the variety of events of both versions, but criticized the Wii version for its complexity. Mario & Sonic was awarded "Best Wii game of 2007" at the Games Convention in Leipzi

With a high of F and a low of 47

With a high of F and a low of 47F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 21, 2019 is Reception history of Jane Austen . Jane Austen's novels have risen in popularity in recent decades, becoming the subject of intense scholarly study and the centre of a diverse fan culture. Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1815), is one of the most widely read novelists in the English language. During her lifetime, her novels brought her little personal fame; like many women writers, she published anonymously. When they were published, her works received few positive reviews. By the mid-19th century, her novels were admired by members of the literary elite, but it was not until the 1940s that Austen was widely accepted in academia as a "great English novelist". The second half of the 20th century saw a proliferation of scholarship exploring artistic, ideological and historical aspects of her works. The 1940 film Pride and Prejudice was the first of many television and film adaptations. In t

With a high of F and a low of 49

With a high of F and a low of 49F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 20, 2019 is San Junipero . "San Junipero" is the fourth episode of the third series of the science fiction anthology programme Black Mirror. Premiering on Netflix on 21 October 2016 with the rest of series three, the episode stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis (pictured) as the outgoing Kelly and the more introverted Yorkie. They meet at a 1980s nightclub in San Junipero, a beach resort town. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker as an optimistic love story, it is more positive in tone than previous episodes. "San Junipero" was the first episode written following the show's departure from Channel 4; it was inspired by nostalgia therapy and originally featured a heterosexual couple. Some pieces of music, such as "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle, hint at the episode's plot twist. Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa, and London, England, with Owen Harris as director. The

With a high of F and a low of 47

With a high of F and a low of 47F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 19, 2019 is Thomasomys ucucha . Thomasomys ucucha is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. Found only in the Cordillera Oriental mountain range of Ecuador (map shown), it is known from forests and grasslands from 3,380 to 3,720 meters (11,090 to 12,200 ft) above sea level. It may share its habitat with seven other species of Thomasomys. First collected in 1903 and formally described as a new species in 2003, T. ucucha most closely resembles the woodland Oldfield mouse, which occurs further to the north. Medium-sized, dark-furred, and long-tailed, T. ucucha can be distinguished from other species of Thomasomys by its large, broad, procumbent upper incisors. Head-and-body length is 94 to 119 mm (3.7 to 4.7 in), and body mass is 24 to 46 grams (0.85 to 1.62 oz). The front part of the skull is flat, short, and broad. The incisive foramina, openings at the front of the palate, are short, and the palate itself is broad and smooth. It is listed as a

With a high of F and a low of 45F.

With a high of F and a low of 45

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 18, 2019 is Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) . Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) is an oil mural by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Satan is depicted as a goat in moonlit silhouette who hulks over a coven of terrified witches; a young woman in black sits at far right, withdrawn from the others, perhaps in defiance. The mural is one of the fourteen Black Paintings Goya created on the plaster walls of his home, the Quinta del Sordo, around 1822. He was in his mid-70s, living alone and suffering mental and physical distress. As in some of his earlier works, Witches' Sabbath seems to explore themes of aging, death, violence and intimidation. It is generally seen by art historians as a satire on the credulity of the age and as a condemnation of superstitions, such as the witch trials of the Spanish Inquisition. Some fifty years after Goya's death, the murals were removed from the home by transferring them to canvas supp

With a high of F and a low of 41

With a high of F and a low of 41F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 17, 2019 is The Jonathan Ross Show . "Talk That Talk" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her 2011 studio album of the same name. It features a rap verse by Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with her on "Umbrella" in 2007 and "Run This Town" in 2009. A hip hop song with R&B beats, rough drums and unrefined synths, it was written by Jay-Z, Ester Dean, The Notorious B.I.G., Buckwild, Sean Combs, and Chucky Thompson together with the Norwegian production duo StarGate. Def Jam Recordings serviced the track to urban radio in the United States on January 17, 2012. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2013 ceremony. It reached number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart, and made top ten lists in Israel, Norway, and South Korea. Over one million copies were downloaded in the US. Rihanna performed the song on The Jonat

With a high of F and a low of 40F.

With a high of F and a low of 40

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 16, 2019 is Political career of John C. Breckinridge . The political career of John C. Breckinridge included service in the governments of Kentucky, the United States, and the Confederate States of America. Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was inaugurated in 1857 as James Buchanan's vice president, and remains the youngest person to ever hold the office. In 1860 he ran as the presidential candidate of a dissident group of Southern Democrats and won the electoral votes of most of the Southern states, but he finished a distant second among four candidates, losing the election to the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln. Most Southern states seceded, but Kentucky stayed in the Union. Previously elected to a U.S. Senate term that began in 1861, Breckenridge fled the state, joined the Confederate States Army, and was expelled from the Senate. Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him Secretary of War in February 1865

With a high of F and a low of 45F.

With a high of F and a low of 45

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 15, 2019 is Wōdejebato . Wōdejebato is an undersea volcanic mountain with a flat top (a guyot), and probably a shield volcano, in the northern Marshall Islands of the Pacific. Formed of basaltic rocks, it is connected through a 74-kilometre (46 mi) submarine ridge to the smaller Bikini Atoll to its southeast. Named for a sea god of Bikini, Wōdejebato rises 4,420 metres (14,500 ft) above the ocean floor, to within 1,335 metres (4,380 ft) of the surface. It was probably formed by a hotspot in present-day French Polynesia before being shifted by plate tectonics. A volcanic episode in the Late Cretaceous led to the formation of an island and a carbonate platform that disappeared below the sea. A second volcanic episode between 85 and 78.4 million years ago created an island that was eventually eroded, generating an atoll or atoll-like structure that covered the former island with carbonates. The second carbonate platform drowned about 68 millio

With a high of F and a low of 36F.

With a high of F and a low of 36

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 14, 2019 is Roxy Ann Peak . Roxy Ann Peak is a 3,576-foot-tall (1,090 m) mountain in the Western Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Composed of several geologic layers, most of the peak is of volcanic origin and dates roughly to the early Oligocene, 30–35 million years ago. It is primarily covered by oak savanna and open grassland on its lower slopes, and mixed coniferous forest on its upper slopes and summit. Despite the peak's relatively small topographic prominence of 753 feet (230 m), it rises 2,200 feet (670 m) above Medford and is the city's most important open space reserve and recreational resource. Roxy Ann Peak was originally settled 8,000 to 10,000 years ago by ancestors of the native Latgawa tribe. In the early 1850s, a sudden influx of non-indigenous settlers led to the Rogue River Wars. The peak was named after one of its first landowners, Roxy Ann Bowen, in the late 1850s. In 1937, the 1,740-acre (700 ha) Pres

With a high of F and a low of 35F.

With a high of F and a low of 35

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 13, 2019 is Parliament of 1327 . The Parliament of 1327 was instrumental in the transfer of the English crown from King Edward II to his first son, Edward III, on 13 January. Edward II had become increasingly unpopular with the English nobility, and by 1325 even his wife Isabella despised him. Toward the end of the year, she took their first son to France, where she joined and probably entered into a relationship with the powerful and wealthy nobleman Roger Mortimer, whom her husband had exiled. The following year, they invaded England to depose Edward II, who was soon captured and imprisoned. Isabella and Mortimer summoned a parliament, which began gathering at the Palace of Westminster on 7 January. The king was accused of offences ranging from the promotion of favourites to the destruction of the church, a betrayal of his coronation oath to the people. An unruly mob may have helped intimidate those attending parliament into agreeing to o

With a high of F and a low of 40

With a high of F and a low of 40F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 12, 2019 is Banksia oblongifolia . Banksia oblongifolia, the fern-leaved banksia, is a many-stemmed shrub up to 3 m (9.8 ft) high, with leathery serrated leaves and rusty-coloured new growth. It is found along the eastern coast of Australia from Wollongong, New South Wales, in the south to Rockhampton, Queensland, in the north, generally growing in sandy soils in heath, open forest or swamp margins and wet areas. The yellow flower spikes commonly appear in autumn and early winter, developing up to 80 seed pods. The pods open and release seed when burnt, and the shrub resprouts from its woody lignotuber after bushfires. Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles described B. oblongifolia in 1800. Two varieties were recognised in 1987, but these have not been generally accepted. A wide array of mammals, birds, and invertebrates visit the flower spikes. Though easily grown as a garden plant, the shrub is not commonly seen in horticulture.

Equal Rights Advocates was one of 248 women’s rights, workers’ rights, and economic justice organizations from across the country to submit a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging the swift passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.  Drafted by the American Association of University Women, National Women’s Law Center, and the National Partnership for Women and Families, the letter asks the House to prioritize this legislation that will help close the gender wage gap in 2019.  It reads, in part: There is no more fitting way to begin this historic Congress than by making real, concrete progress in ensuring all women receive fair pay. The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it provides robust protection against sex-based pay discrimination. Among other provisions, this comprehensive bill bars retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages. It closes loopholes that have allowed employers to pay wo

With a high of F and a low of 46F.

With a high of F and a low of 46

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 11, 2019 is Weird Tales . American science fiction and fantasy magazines flourished from the mid-1920s to the 1940s. The first magazine to focus on fantasy and horror was Weird Tales, launched in 1923, which established itself as the leading weird fiction magazine over the next two decades, with regular contributors such as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard. In 1926 Hugo Gernsback's Amazing Stories appeared (pictured), running only science fiction. Its letters column, which often provided contact information, marked the beginning of organized science fiction fandom. Astounding Stories of Super-Science, founded in 1930, became the leading magazine in its genre, publishing early classics such as Murray Leinster's "Sidewise in Time". John W. Campbell took over as editor in 1937 and ran works by Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and A. E. van Vogt. Only eight science fiction and fantasy magazines survive

With a high of F and a low of 44F.

With a high of F and a low of 44

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 10, 2019 is John/Eleanor Rykener . John Rykener was a sex worker who was arrested in December 1394 for performing a sex act in women's clothes with John Britby in the Cheapside area of London. The Lord Mayor questioned him on the offences of prostitution and sodomy; a record of the interrogation was found in the 1990s in the City of London archives. Rykener introduced himself as Eleanor. He told the mayor that he had sex with both men and women, including priests and nuns, and that he had paid sexual encounters in Oxford and near the Tower of London. There is no evidence that he was prosecuted for either crime; prostitutes were not usually arrested in London during this period, and sodomy was pursued in ecclesiastical courts. Rykener has appeared in studies of English social, sexual and gender history and as a character in at least one modern work of popular historical fiction. His story has been adapted for the stage.

With a high of F and a low of 41F.

With a high of F and a low of 41

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 9, 2019 is Walking Liberty half dollar . The Walking Liberty half dollar is a silver 50-cent piece that was designed by Adolph A. Weinman and issued by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1947. In 1915, the new Mint director, Robert W. Woolley, incorrectly believed that he was not only allowed but required by law to retire coin designs that had been in use for 25 years. He began replacing the Barber coinage: dimes, quarters and half dollars bearing similar designs, first struck in 1892 by long-time Mint Engraver Charles E. Barber. Weinman's design of Liberty striding towards the Sun for the half dollar proved difficult to perfect, and it never struck well, which may have been a factor in its replacement by the Franklin half dollar beginning in 1948. Nevertheless, art historian Cornelius Vermeule considered the piece to be among the most beautiful US coins. Since 1986, a modification of Weinman's obverse design has been used for the

With a high of F and a low of 38

With a high of F and a low of 38F.

The Wikipedia article of the day for January 8, 2019 is Ceratosaurus . Ceratosaurus was a theropod dinosaur in the Late Jurassic, around 150 million years ago. This genus was first described in 1884 by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh based on a nearly complete skeleton discovered in Garden Park, Colorado, in rocks belonging to the Morrison Formation. In 2000 and 2006, a partial specimen from the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal was described, providing evidence for the presence of the genus outside of North America. Ceratosaurus was a predator with deep jaws supporting long, blade-like teeth. It had a prominent, ridge-like horn on the midline of the snout and a pair of horns over the eyes. The forelimbs were very short but remained fully functional, with four-fingered hands. The tail was thick from top to bottom. It shared its habitat with other large theropods including Torvosaurus and Allosaurus. It may have hunted plant-eating dinosaurs or aquatic prey such as fish. The

With a high of F and a low of 42F.

With a high of F and a low of 42