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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 1 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 1: Pigeon photography

Pigeon photography was an aerial photography technique invented in 1907 
by Julius Neubronner, court apothecary of Empress Frederick, who also 
used pigeons for film special effects and to deliver medications. A 
homing pigeon was fitted with an aluminum breast harness to which a 
lightweight time-delayed miniature camera could be attached. The 
technique was publicized at the 1909 Dresden International Photographic 
Exhibition. It was successfully demonstrated at the first German 
Aviation Show and at the 1910 and 1911 Paris Air Shows. The lack of 
military or commercial interest in the technology after the First World 
War led Neubronner to abandon his experiments, but his idea was briefly 
resurrected in the 1930s by a Swiss clockmaker, and reportedly also by 
the German and French militaries. There was interest in the concept 
even during the Cold War, by the American Central Intelligence Agency. 
The construction of sufficiently small and light cameras with a timer 
mechanism, and the training and handling of the birds to carry the 
necessary loads, presented major challenges, as did the limited control 
over the pigeons' position, orientation and speed when the photographs 
were being taken. Today some researchers, enthusiasts, and artists 
similarly employ small digital photo or video cameras with various 
species of wild or domestic animals.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_photography>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1234:

An Englishman lost the Battle of the Curragh in Ireland , at the same
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 2 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 2: Talbot Baines Reed

Talbot Baines Reed (1852–1893) was an English writer of boys' fiction 
who established a genre of school stories that endured into the second 
half of the 20th century and was widely imitated. Among his best-known 
work is The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's. He was a regular and prolific 
contributor to The Boy's Own Paper, in which most of his fiction first 
appeared. Through his family's business, Reed became a prominent 
typefounder, and wrote a classic History of the Old English Letter 
Foundries which, published in 1887, was hailed as the standard work on 
the subject. Reed's affinity with boys, his instinctive understanding 
of their standpoint in life and his gift for creating believable 
characters, ensured that his popularity survived through several 
generations. He also wrote regular articles and book reviews for his 
cousin Edward Baines's newspaper, the Leeds Mercury. After struggling 
with illness for most of 1893, Reed died in November that year, at the 
age of 41. Tributes honoured him both for his contribution to 
children's fiction and for his work as the definitive historian of 
English typefounding.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talbot_Baines_Reed>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1513:

Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León reached Florida, becoming the 
first European known to do so, purportedly while searching for the 
Fountain of Youth in the New World.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n>
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 3 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 3: Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident

The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen 
Square in central Beijing on 23 January 2001. The incident is disputed: 
the official Chinese press agency, Xinhua News Agency, stated that five 
members of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual movement, set themselves on 
fire to protest the unfair treatment of Falun Gong by the Chinese 
government. The Falun Dafa Information Center stated the incident was a 
hoax staged by the Chinese government to turn public opinion against 
the group and to justify the torture and imprisonment of its 
practitioners. The incident received international news coverage, and 
video footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by 
China Central Television. A wide variety of opinions and 
interpretations of what may have happened emerged: the event may have 
been set up by the government, it may have been an authentic protest, 
or the self-immolators "new or unschooled" practitioners, among others. 
The campaign of state propaganda that followed the event eroded public 
sympathy for Falun Gong, and the government began sanctioning 
"systematic use of violence" against the group.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_self-immolation_incident>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1043:

Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England, the last king of the 
House of Wessex.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor>
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 4 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 4: Tryon Creek

Tryon Creek is a 4.85-mile (7.81 km) tributary of the Willamette River 
in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia 
River, its watershed covers about 6.5 square miles (16.8 km2) in 
Multnomah and Clackamas counties. The stream flows southeast from the 
Tualatin Mountains (West Hills) through the Multnomah Village 
neighborhood of Portland and the Tryon Creek State Natural Area to the 
Willamette in the city of Lake Oswego. Parks and open spaces cover 
about 21 percent of the watershed, while single-family homes dominate 
most of the remainder. The largest of the parks is the state natural 
area, which straddles the border between the two cities and counties. 
The bedrock under the watershed includes part of the last exotic 
terrane, a chain of seamounts, acquired by the North American Plate as 
it moved west during the Eocene. Named for mid-19th century settler, 
Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon, Sr., the creek ran through forests of cedar 
and fir. Efforts to establish a large park in the watershed began in 
the 1950s and succeeded in 1975 when the state park was formally 
established. As of 2005, about 37 percent of the watershed was wooded 
and supported more than 60 species of birds as well as small mammals, 
amphibians, and fish.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryon_Creek>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1660:

Charles II of England issued the Declaration of Breda, describing his 
conditions for the Restoration of the crown of England.
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 5 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 5: Zodiac (film)

Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David 
Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same 
name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. joint production stars 
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr. Zodiac tells the 
story of the hunt for a notorious serial killer known as "Zodiac" who 
killed in and around the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s 
and early 1970s, leaving several victims in his wake and taunting 
police with letters and ciphers mailed to newspapers. The case remains 
one of San Francisco's most infamous unsolved crimes. Fincher, 
screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and producer Brad Fischer spent 18 
months conducting their own investigation and research into the Zodiac 
murders. During filming, Fincher employed the digital Thomson Viper 
Filmstream camera to shoot the film. Contrary to popular belief, Zodiac 
was not shot entirely digitally; traditional high-speed film cameras 
were used for slow-motion murder sequences. Reviews for the film were 
highly positive; however, it did not perform strongly at the North 
American box office. It performed better in other parts of the world, 
earning $84 million, with a budget of $65 million spent on its 
production.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_%28film%29>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1081:

The Komnenian dynasty came to full power when Alexios I Komnenos was 
crowned Byzantine Emperor.
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 6 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 6: Offa of Mercia

Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The 
son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne 
after a period of civil war. In the early years of Offa's reign it is 
likely that he consolidated his control of midland peoples such as the 
Hwicce and the Magonsæte. Taking advantage of instability in the 
kingdom of Kent to establish himself as overlord, Offa was also in 
control of Sussex by 771, though his authority did not remain 
unchallenged in either territory. He extended Mercian supremacy over 
most of southern England and regained complete control of the 
southeast. Offa was a Christian king but came into conflict with the 
Church, and had long-running disputes with both the Archbishop of 
Canterbury and the Bishop of Worcester. Many historians regard Offa as 
the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great. His reign 
was once seen by historians as part of a process leading to a unified 
England, but this is no longer the majority view. Offa died in 796 and 
was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith, who reigned for less than five 
months before Coenwulf of Mercia took the throne.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1250:

Seventh Crusade: Egyptian Ayyubids annihilated the crusader army and 
captured King Louis IX of France as a hostage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fariskur>
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 7 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 7: Chrysiridia rhipheus

The Madagascan sunset moth is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae 
family. It is considered to be one of the most impressive and beautiful 
Lepidoptera. Famous worldwide, it is featured in most coffee table 
books on the Lepidoptera and is much sought after by collectors. It is 
very colourful, though the iridescent parts of the wings do not have 
pigment; rather the colours originate from optical interference. The 
moth was considered to be a butterfly by Dru Drury, who described it in 
1773 and placed it in the genus Papilio. Jacob Hübner placed it in the 
moth genus Chrysiridia in 1823. Later redescriptions led to junior 
synonyms such as Chrysiridia madagascariensis. At first the moth was 
thought to be from China or Bengal, but was later found to be endemic 
to Madagascar. It is found throughout the year in most parts of the 
island, with peak populations between March and August, and smallest 
numbers between October and December. Females lay about 80 eggs under 
the leaves of Omphalea spp. The caterpillars are whitish-yellow with 
black spots and red feet and are covered in club-ended black setae. 
Silk spun from the mouth helps the caterpillars hold onto smooth leaves 
and climb back to the plant when they fall.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysiridia_rhipheus>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1724:

Johann Sebastian Bach debuted the St John Passion, a musical 
representation of the Passion, at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_Passion>
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 8 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 8: Biddenden Maids

The Biddenden Maids, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, were conjoined twins 
supposedly born in the village of Biddenden, Kent, in the year 1100. It 
is claimed that they were joined at both the shoulder and the hip, and 
that on their death they bequeathed land to the village. The income 
from this land was used to pay for a gift of food and drink to the poor 
every Easter. Since at least 1775 this has included hard biscuits 
imprinted with an image of two conjoined women, known as "Biddenden 
Cakes". Some historians dismissed the story as a folk myth, claiming 
that the image on the cakes had originally represented two poor women 
and that the story of the conjoined twins was invented to account for 
it. Despite doubts as to its authenticity, in the 19th century the 
legend became increasingly popular and the village of Biddenden was 
thronged with rowdy visitors every Easter. In 1907 the land supposedly 
bequeathed by the twins was sold. The income from the sale allowed the 
annual distribution of gifts to expand in scale, providing the widows 
and pensioners of Biddenden with cheese, bread and tea at Easter and 
with cash payments at Christmas. Biddenden cakes continue to be given 
to the poor of Biddenden each Easter Monday, and are sold as souvenirs 
to visitors.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biddenden_Maids>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1341:

Italian scholar and poet Petrarch took the title poet laureate at a 
ceremony in Rome.
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 9 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 9: Battle of Vimy Ridge

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a First World War battle in the 
Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France between four divisions of the 
Canadian Corps and three divisions of the German Sixth Army. It lasted 
from 9 to 12 April 1917, as part of the opening phase of the 
British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French 
Nivelle Offensive. The Canadian objective was to take the German-held 
high ground along an escarpment at the northern end of the offensive. 
Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadians captured most of the 
ridge on 9 April. The town of Thélus fell on the 10th, as did the crest 
of the ridge once the Canadians overcame a salient of considerable 
German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll near 
Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadians on 12 April, and the Germans 
retreated to the Oppy–Méricourt line. Canadian success is attributed to 
technical and tactical innovations, meticulous planning and training, 
and powerful artillery support, and the failure of the Germans to 
properly apply their new defensive doctrine. For the first time all 
four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together and 
the battle remains a Canadian symbol of achievement and sacrifice; the 
battleground now contains the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vimy_Ridge>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1413:

Henry V, who is featured in three plays by William Shakespeare, was 
crowned King of England.
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English Wikipedia Article of the Day | 10 Apr 2012 02:05
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[Daily article] April 10: Sideshow Bob

Sideshow Bob is a recurring character in the animated television series 
The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly 
in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who 
is a graduate of Yale, a member of the Republican Party, and a champion 
of high culture. He began his career as a sidekick on Krusty the 
Clown's television show, but after enduring constant abuse, Bob 
attempted to frame his employer for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets 
Busted". The plan was foiled by Bart Simpson, and Sideshow Bob was sent 
to prison. Bob made his second major appearance in season three's 
"Black Widower". In each appearance thereafter, Bob has assumed the 
role on The Simpsons of an evil genius. Episodes in which he is a 
central character typically involve Sideshow Bob being released from 
prison and executing an elaborate revenge plan, usually foiled by Bart 
and Lisa. His plans often involve murder and destruction, usually 
targeted at Bart or, less often, Krusty, though these plans often 
involve targeting the entire Simpson family. Sideshow Bob shares some 
personality traits of Grammer's character Frasier Crane from the 
sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, and has been described as "Frasier pickled 
in arsenic". As of 2012, Bob has had speaking appearances in thirteen 
episodes and been featured in eleven; the most recent of the latter, 
"The Bob Next Door", aired during the twenty-first season.

Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideshow_Bob>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1815:
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