Wikipedia news from August, 15th, 2014

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From today's featured article

Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) was an American religious leader who founded the Heaven's Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997. It was the largest mass suicide in the United States. Applewhite and his friend Bonnie Nettles discussed mysticism at length and concluded that they were divine messengers. They traveled around the U.S., gaining a group of committed followers, who were told that extraterrestrials would provide them with new bodies. Applewhite initially stated that they would physically ascend to a spaceship, where their bodies would be transformed, but later believed that their souls would be placed into new bodies. In 1985, Nettles died, leaving Applewhite distraught and challenging his views on physical ascension. In 1996, they learned of the approach of Comet Hale–Bopp and rumors of an accompanying spaceship. Believing that their souls would ascend to the spaceship and be given new bodies, all the group members killed themselves in their mansion. Some commentators attributed his followers' willingness to commit suicide to his skill as a manipulator, while others argued that their willingness was due to their faith in the narrative that he constructed. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Xeromphalina setulipes – Tunnel Railway – Quagga
Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...


From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

Inkpot Madonna
... that after an absence of four years, the Inkpot Madonna (detail pictured), holding a naked Baby Jesus with quill in hand, returns to the Hildesheim Cathedral today?
... that David Friesenhausen, an astronomer and rabbi, was one of the first Jews to support the Copernican heliocentrism?
... that chili sauce is sometimes used in the preparation of sushi?
... that a possibly distinct form of the Egyptian white water-lily exists far away from its Nile Delta habitat in a small Romanian nature reserve?
... that at age 10, Darren Espanto was the youngest contestant in the history of The Next Star to be included in the Top 6?
... that rodents are characterized by their continuously-growing, razor-sharp incisors?
... that baseball catcher Cal Broughton later became a police chief who captured a gang of train robbers after a gun fight in Wisconsin?
Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

 
In the news


Maryam Mirzakhani
Mathematicians Artur Avila, Manjul Bhargava, Martin Hairer, and Maryam Mirzakhani are awarded the Fields Medal; Mirzakhani (pictured) is its first female recipient.
Actor and comedian Robin Williams dies at the age of 63.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wins Turkey's first direct presidential election.
Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 crashes near Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 39 people.
Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal.
Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Gaza conflict – Libyan conflict – Ukrainian unrest
Recent deaths: Lauren Bacall

On this day...


August 15: Victory over Japan Day; Feast of the Assumption (Christianity); Independence Day in the Congo (1960) and India (1947); Liberation Day in North and South Korea (1945)

Construction of the Panama Canal
1461 – The Empire of Trebizond, the longest surviving Byzantine successor state, was conquered by Ottoman sultan Mehmed II following a month-long siege.
1812 – War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors destroyed the United States Army's Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois, and captured the survivors.
1914 – The Panama Canal (construction pictured) opened to traffic, providing a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Isthmus of Panama.
1944 – World War II: Allied forces began their invasion of southern France.
1998 – A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern Ireland.
More anniversaries: August 14 – August 15 – August 16
Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries
It is now August 15, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page




From today's featured list


A black box with the letters "GENESIS" written on the top of the box in white and outlined in white, and with a black cable leading out from the front of the box
More than 900 games are supported by the Sega Genesis (pictured), a 16-bit video game console that was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The successor to the Master System, the Genesis can also play the complete library of Master System games when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed. The initial pack-in title was Altered Beast, which was later replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog. Top sellers included Sonic the Hedgehog, its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Disney's Aladdin. During development for the console, Sega of Japan focused on developing action games while Sega of America was tasked with developing sports games. A large part of the appeal of the Genesis library during the console's lifetime was the arcade-based experience of its games. Compared to its competition, Sega advertised to an older audience by hosting more mature games, including the uncensored version of Mortal Kombat. (Full list...)
Recently featured: International cricket five-wicket hauls by Shoaib Akhtar – Female Nobel laureates – Minister of Transport and Communications (Norway)
Archive – More featured lists...




Today's featured picture


Harlequin beetle
The harlequin beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) is a large tropical longhorn beetle native to the Americas. The species' common name is derived from the elaborate pattern of black, red and greenish yellow markings on the wing covers of both sexes.
Photograph: Didier Descouens
Recently featured: Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa – Gulf fritillary – Slender mongoose

Archive – More featured pictures...




Other areas of Wikipedia
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Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
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Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:
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Jump to: navigation, search



Welcome to Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
4,581,282 articles in English

 Arts
Biography
Geography
 History
Mathematics
Science
 Society
Technology
All portals



From today's featured article

Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) was an American religious leader who founded the Heaven's Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997. It was the largest mass suicide in the United States. Applewhite and his friend Bonnie Nettles discussed mysticism at length and concluded that they were divine messengers. They traveled around the U.S., gaining a group of committed followers, who were told that extraterrestrials would provide them with new bodies. Applewhite initially stated that they would physically ascend to a spaceship, where their bodies would be transformed, but later believed that their souls would be placed into new bodies. In 1985, Nettles died, leaving Applewhite distraught and challenging his views on physical ascension. In 1996, they learned of the approach of Comet Hale–Bopp and rumors of an accompanying spaceship. Believing that their souls would ascend to the spaceship and be given new bodies, all the group members killed themselves in their mansion. Some commentators attributed his followers' willingness to commit suicide to his skill as a manipulator, while others argued that their willingness was due to their faith in the narrative that he constructed. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Xeromphalina setulipes – Tunnel Railway – Quagga
Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...


From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

Inkpot Madonna
... that after an absence of four years, the Inkpot Madonna (detail pictured), holding a naked Baby Jesus with quill in hand, returns to the Hildesheim Cathedral today?
... that David Friesenhausen, an astronomer and rabbi, was one of the first Jews to support the Copernican heliocentrism?
... that chili sauce is sometimes used in the preparation of sushi?
... that a possibly distinct form of the Egyptian white water-lily exists far away from its Nile Delta habitat in a small Romanian nature reserve?
... that at age 10, Darren Espanto was the youngest contestant in the history of The Next Star to be included in the Top 6?
... that rodents are characterized by their continuously-growing, razor-sharp incisors?
... that baseball catcher Cal Broughton later became a police chief who captured a gang of train robbers after a gun fight in Wisconsin?
Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

 
In the news


Maryam Mirzakhani
Mathematicians Artur Avila, Manjul Bhargava, Martin Hairer, and Maryam Mirzakhani are awarded the Fields Medal; Mirzakhani (pictured) is its first female recipient.
Actor and comedian Robin Williams dies at the age of 63.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wins Turkey's first direct presidential election.
Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 crashes near Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 39 people.
Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal.
Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Gaza conflict – Libyan conflict – Ukrainian unrest
Recent deaths: Lauren Bacall

On this day...


August 15: Victory over Japan Day; Feast of the Assumption (Christianity); Independence Day in the Congo (1960) and India (1947); Liberation Day in North and South Korea (1945)

Construction of the Panama Canal
1461 – The Empire of Trebizond, the longest surviving Byzantine successor state, was conquered by Ottoman sultan Mehmed II following a month-long siege.
1812 – War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors destroyed the United States Army's Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois, and captured the survivors.
1914 – The Panama Canal (construction pictured) opened to traffic, providing a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Isthmus of Panama.
1944 – World War II: Allied forces began their invasion of southern France.
1998 – A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern Ireland.
More anniversaries: August 14 – August 15 – August 16
Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries
It is now August 15, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page




From today's featured list


A black box with the letters "GENESIS" written on the top of the box in white and outlined in white, and with a black cable leading out from the front of the box
More than 900 games are supported by the Sega Genesis (pictured), a 16-bit video game console that was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The successor to the Master System, the Genesis can also play the complete library of Master System games when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed. The initial pack-in title was Altered Beast, which was later replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog. Top sellers included Sonic the Hedgehog, its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Disney's Aladdin. During development for the console, Sega of Japan focused on developing action games while Sega of America was tasked with developing sports games. A large part of the appeal of the Genesis library during the console's lifetime was the arcade-based experience of its games. Compared to its competition, Sega advertised to an older audience by hosting more mature games, including the uncensored version of Mortal Kombat. (Full list...)
Recently featured: International cricket five-wicket hauls by Shoaib Akhtar – Female Nobel laureates – Minister of Transport and Communications (Norway)
Archive – More featured lists...




Today's featured picture


Harlequin beetle
The harlequin beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) is a large tropical longhorn beetle native to the Americas. The species' common name is derived from the elaborate pattern of black, red and greenish yellow markings on the wing covers of both sexes.
Photograph: Didier Descouens
Recently featured: Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa – Gulf fritillary – Slender mongoose

Archive – More featured pictures...




Other areas of Wikipedia
Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.

Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:
Commons Commons
 Free media repository MediaWiki MediaWiki
 Wiki software development Meta-Wiki Meta-Wiki
 Wikimedia project coordination
Wikibooks Wikibooks
 Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Wikidata
 Free knowledge base Wikinews Wikinews
 Free-content news
Wikiquote Wikiquote
 Collection of quotations Wikisource Wikisource
 Free-content library Wikispecies Wikispecies
 Directory of species
Wikiversity Wikiversity
 Free learning materials and activities Wikivoyage Wikivoyage
 Free travel guide Wiktionary Wiktionary
 Dictionary and thesaurus

Wikipedia languages

This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001, it currently contains 4,581,282 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
More than 1,000,000 articles: Deutsch ·
 español ·
 français ·
 italiano ·
 Nederlands ·
 polski ·
 русский ·
 svenska
  
More than 400,000 articles: català ·
 فارسی ·
 日本語 ·
 norsk bokmål ·
 português ·
 Tiếng Việt ·
 українська ·
 中文
  
More than 200,000 articles: العربية ·
 Bahasa Indonesia ·
 Bahasa Melayu ·
 čeština ·
 Esperanto ·
 한국어 ·
 magyar ·
 română ·
 српски / srpski ·
 suomi ·
 Türkçe
  
More than 50,000 articles: български ·
 dansk ·
 eesti ·
 Ελληνικά ·
 English (simple) ·
 euskara ·
 galego ·
 עברית ·
 hrvatski ·
 latviešu ·
 lietuvių ·
 norsk nynorsk ·
 slovenčina ·
 slovenščina ·
 srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски ·
 ไทย
  
Complete list of Wikipedias
 




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Main Page

Talk









Read

View source

View history

















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Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
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About Wikipedia
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Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
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Permanent link
Page information
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Print/export
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Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Simple English
العربية
Bahasa Indonesia
Bahasa Melayu
Български
Català
Čeština
Dansk
Deutsch
Eesti
Ελληνικά
Español
Esperanto
Euskara
فارسی
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Português
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Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
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ไทย
Tiếng Việt
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Complete list


Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page