Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 July 4

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From today's featured article

William Hale Thompson
campaign poster

In the 1927 Chicago mayoral election, Republican candidate William Hale Thompson (campaign poster shown) defeated Democratic incumbent William Emmett Dever. Dever had enforced Prohibition despite his opposition to it, which led to rising violence in the city. Thompson, who had been mayor from 1915 to 1923, was openly backed by the mobster Al Capone. He promised to end the enforcement of Prohibition, bitterly attacked his opponents throughout the campaign, and claimed that the United Kingdom was conspiring to take back control of the United States. Dever's supporters attempted to push back against Thompson's rhetoric and claims; they insisted that Dever had the attitude and policies appropriate for the city. Thompson, the last non-Democrat to win a Chicago mayoral election, damaged Chicago's reputation across the United States, and historians rank him among the most unethical mayors in American history. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Order of Tito's Tacos

... that Tito's Tacos of Culver City, California, has sold the same hard-shell tacos (pictured) filled with shredded beef, iceberg lettuce, and grated cheddar cheese for 60 years?
... that the Tarzan of Manisa planted thousands of trees on Mount Sipylus in Turkey?
... that the creation of the Swedish Levant Company in 1738 was controversial because of a disagreement between several Swedish merchants and the Hat Party?
... that Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL, was acquitted of murder in a trial that included a surprise confession by a witness claiming he was the murderer himself?
... that the historic French trick-taking card game of la Bête has its origins in 16th-century Spanish Ombre, and was created by introducing the concept of bidding into Triomphe?
... that Maddie Shevlin dislocated her thumb on debut in her first season of Australian rules football and missed the next ten weeks?
... that the United States embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, was bombed while Fraser Wilkins was serving as the first US ambassador to Cyprus?
... that this article is a load of old cobblers?

In the news

Solar eclipse viewed from La Serena, Chile

A total solar eclipse (pictured) occurs in parts of the South Pacific and South America.
More than forty people are killed in attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan.
A fire on the Russian submarine Losharik kills 14 crew members.
A human crush at a concert in Antananarivo, Madagascar, kills 16 people and injures more than 100 others.

On this day

July 4: Republic Day in the Philippines (1946); Independence Day in the United States (1776)

Brazilian cruiser Bahia

1187 – Saladin defeated Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin and captured the True Cross.
1610 – Polish–Muscovite War: The outnumbered forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth defeated the Tsardom of Russia at the Battle of Klushino.
1945 – The Brazilian cruiser Bahia (pictured) was accidentally sunk by one of its own crewmen, killing more than 300 and leaving the rest adrift in shark-infested waters.
1954 – Four CIA officers arrived in Guatemala to begin Operation PBHistory in an attempt to justify the United States' overthrow of President Jacobo Árbenz one week prior.
1988 – Kylie Minogue's first album, Kylie, was released, going on to top the charts in the UK, New Zealand, and Japan.

Elizabeth of Portugal (d. 1336) · John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (d. 1826) · Yonatan Netanyahu (d. 1976)

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Today's featured picture

Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time; the area was fully built by around 1900. Back Bay was planned by architect Arthur Gilman, influenced by Haussmann's renovation of Paris. It is noted for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes – considered one of the most preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States – and numerous architecturally significant buildings, as well as cultural institutions, such as the Boston Public Library. Initially conceived as a residential-only area, commercial buildings were permitted from around 1890 and Back Bay now features many office buildings, including the John Hancock Tower, Boston's tallest skyscraper. It is also considered a fashionable shopping destination and is home to several major hotels. Today, along with neighboring Beacon Hill, it is one of Boston's two most expensive residential neighborhoods. In 1973, Back Bay was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

This picture is a panoramic view of the Back Bay skyline, taken in 2017, as seen across the Charles River from the Longfellow Bridge. Among the buildings depicted, from left to right, are the Berkeley Building, the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower.

Photograph credit: Tony Jin

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