Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 November 27

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From today's featured article

Jason Scott Lee

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American biographical drama film directed and co-written by Rob Cohen, and starring Jason Scott Lee (pictured), Lauren Holly, Nancy Kwan and Robert Wagner. The film follows the life of Bruce Lee (Jason) from his relocation to the United States from Hong Kong to his career as a martial arts teacher, and then television and film actor. It also focuses on the relationship between Bruce and his wife Linda Lee (Holly), and the racism to which Bruce was subjected. Rather than making a traditional biographical film, Cohen decided to include elements of mysticism and to dramatise fight scenes to give it the same tone as the films in which Bruce starred. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story received positive reviews, with Jason widely praised for his performance. The film's commercial success, exceeding box office averages for biographical films, was attributed to its romantic themes and its appeal to people outside the traditional kung fu film audience. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

James R. Hall

... that upon taking command of the Fourth United States Army in 1989, James R. Hall (pictured) became the highest-ranking military officer in the Midwestern United States?
... that the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium in Asia Minor was visited by the Roman emperors Hadrian, Caracalla, and Elagabalus?
... that years before their Neon Genesis Evangelion series became famous, Gainax's first anime, Royal Space Force, was marketed in Japan by staging a Hollywood premiere?
... that National Lacrosse Hall of Fame member Denise Wescott also coached the Germany women's national lacrosse team?
... that the Hokersar wetland is the largest bird reserve in the Kashmir Valley?
... that the Japanese mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura, who appeared as Fricka at the Bayreuth Festival in 2002, toured Mahler's Resurrection Symphony with the BSO conducted by Andris Nelsons?
... that the Columbus Quincentenary was a turning point for how the world remembered Christopher Columbus?
... that the ǃUriǁʼaekua used their cattle to defeat the Portuguese Empire decisively at the Battle of Salt River?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Portal

Ryoya Kurihara

In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Yomiuri Giants to win their fourth-straight Japan Series (MVP Ryoya Kurihara pictured).
Ingrida Šimonytė takes office as Prime Minister of Lithuania.
Argentine footballer Diego Maradona dies at the age of 60.
Douglas Stuart's debut novel Shuggie Bain wins the Booker Prize.

On this day

November 27

Alfred Nobel

1161 – A Song dynasty fleet defeated Jin ships in a naval engagement on the Yangtze river during the Jin–Song Wars.
1815 – As specified by the Congress of Vienna, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland was signed for the newly recreated Polish state that was under Russian control.
1895 – Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel (pictured) signed his last will and testament, setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after his death.
1978 – San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by supervisor Dan White.

Rachel Brooks Gleason (b. 1820)
Ada Lovelace (d. 1852)
Phillip Hughes (d. 2014)

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From today's featured list

David Bowie

English singer-songwriter David Bowie recorded over 400 different songs during his over 50-year career. Bowie worked with numerous artists throughout his career, including producers Tony Visconti, Brian Eno and singer Iggy Pop, and was the primary songwriter for many of his songs; he recorded cover versions of songs by artists including the Who, the Pretty Things and the Yardbirds. Following his psychedelic pop-influenced self-titled debut album in 1967, he released his first successful single "Space Oddity", which introduced the fictional astronaut Major Tom. He then released his folk rock-inspired second self-titled album in 1969, which represented an artistic breakthrough for Bowie, containing songs such as "Changes" and "Life on Mars?" Between 1972 and 1974, Bowie was a pioneer of the glam rock genre, as showcased on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), which launched Bowie to stardom. Bowie reached his commercial peak with Let's Dance (1983), which featured post-disco and dance songs, as evident on its title track. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

An illustration by Sidney Hall for Urania's Mirror, a set of 32 astronomical star chart cards first published in November 1824. These cards, which were based on Alexander Jamieson's A Celestial Atlas, had holes punched allowing them to be held up to the light to view a realistic depiction of the constellation.

The illustrations of the constellations in Urania's Mirror are redrawings from those in Alexander Jamieson's A Celestial Atlas, published about three years earlier, and include unique attributes differing from Jamieson's sky atlas; one of these is the "Norma Nilotica" – a measuring device for the Nile floods – seen here held by Aquarius, the water bearer.

Lithograph credit: Sidney Hall; restored by Adam Cuerden

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