The Wikipedia article of the day for October 31, 2016 is Drowned God.
Drowned God is a science fiction adventure game developed by Epic Multimedia Group, published by Inscape and released on October 31, 1996. The game advances the conspiracy theory that all of accepted human history is false and the human race’s development and evolution have been aided by extra-terrestrials. The player attempts to uncover the truth within the game by traveling to different worlds, interacting with historical and fictional characters, and solving puzzles. The game is based on a forged manuscript written by Harry Horse in 1983. After facing legal trouble and fines when he attempted to sell the text, Horse shelved it for more than a decade before deciding a first person adventure game would be the best way to tell its story. Producer Algy Williams hired a team of multimedia artists and programmers to help Horse develop the game. Upon its release, it sold well, but faded in popularity due to software bugs. Its concept and visuals were widely praised, but its gameplay, audio, and puzzles received a mixed reception. A planned sequel never came to fruition.
Archives for October 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for October 31, 2016
Wikipedia article of the day for October 30, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 30, 2016 is Jack Parsons (rocket engineer).
Jack Parsons (1914–1952) was an American rocket engineer and rocket propulsion researcher, chemist, and Thelemite occultist. Associated with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Parsons was one of the principal founders of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Aerojet Engineering Corporation. He invented the first rocket engine using a castable composite rocket propellant, and helped develop both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel rockets. Inspired by science fiction literature, he developed an interest in rocketry in his childhood and in 1928 began amateur rocket experiments with school friend Ed Forman. In 1934 he united with Forman and graduate student Frank Malina to form the Caltech-affiliated GALCIT Rocket Research Group, supported by Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory chairman Theodore von Kármán. After working on Jet-Assisted Take Off for the U.S. military, the GALCIT Group became JPL in 1943. For his contributions to rocket engineering, his advocacy of space exploration and human spaceflight, and his role in the founding of JPL and Aerojet, Parsons is regarded as one of the most important early figures of the U.S. space program.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 28, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 28, 2016 is St. Elmo (1914 film).
St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company and distributed by William Fox’s Box Office Attractions Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans’s 1866 eponymous novel. The story follows the life of the title character (played by William Jossey), who kills his cousin (Francis McDonald) over the love of Agnes (Madeline Pardee), falls from grace, and eventually finds redemption and love with Edna (Gypsy Abbott). It is disputed who directed the film; many sources credit Bertram Bracken, while others list St. Elmo as J. Gordon Edwards’s directorial debut. Some reviewers praised the scenery and overall production quality, considering the film an improvement over stage adaptations of the novel. Others found the scenery irrelevant and the story confusing. Despite mixed reviews, the film was financially successful, reportedly setting box office records. The following year, a film adaptation of an unrelated Evans novel, Beulah, was marketed as a sequel. As with most Balboa films, St. Elmo is now believed lost.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 26, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 26, 2016 is Bud Dunn.
Bud Dunn (1918–2001) was a horse trainer who specialized in training and showing Tennessee Walking Horses. Born in 1918 on a farm in Scott County, Kentucky, he later moved to Florence, Alabama, where he owned and operated Bud Stables, a show horse training stable that produced twenty World Championships. He additionally trained and rode two horses who won the World Grand Championship at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, a national-level horse show held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee. Dunn’s first World Grand Championship came in 1992 with the bay stallion Dark Spirit’s Rebel, and the second in 1999 with a son of that stallion, RPM. At the time of RPM’s win, Dunn was 81 years old, making him the oldest winning rider on record. For his contributions, he was twice named Trainer of the Year, and was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame and the Lauderdale County Sports Hall of Fame. Dunn’s son Steve also became a successful horse trainer, winning two World Grand Championships.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 24, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 24, 2016 is Subway (Homicide: Life on the Street).
“Subway” is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American police television drama Homicide: Life on the Street, and the 84th episode overall. It first aired on NBC in the United States on December 5, 1997. In the episode, John Lange (Vincent D’Onofrio) becomes pinned between a subway train and the station platform. The Baltimore homicide department is informed that Lange will be dead within an hour, and Pembleton tries to determine if the case is a homicide while comforting Lange in his final minutes. “Subway” received overwhelmingly positive reviews but ranked number three in its time-slot during its original broadcast, capturing 10.3 million viewers but falling behind ABC’s 20/20 and CBS’s Nash Bridges. The episode won a Peabody Award for excellence in television broadcasting and was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one for Yoshimura’s script and one for D’Onofrio’s guest performance. Vince Gilligan, an X-Files screenwriter, said that “Subway” directly influenced an episode he wrote that featured Bryan Cranston, and Cranston’s performance led to his casting in Gilligan’s series Breaking Bad.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 23, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 23, 2016 is The Left Hand of Darkness.
The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1969. The novel became immensely popular, winning both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and establishing Le Guin as a major author of science fiction. The novel tells the story of Genly Ai, an Earthman sent to the planet of Gethen as an envoy of the Ekumen. He is stymied by the cultural barrier created by the Gethenians’ lack of a fixed gender identity. The novel is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of novels and short stories by Le Guin set in the fictional Hainish universe, which she introduced in 1964. The book was among the first published in the feminist science fiction genre. The effect of sex and gender on culture and society, a major theme throughout the novel, touched off a feminist debate when it was first published. Left Hand has been reprinted more than 30 times, and has received a highly positive response from reviewers. Widely influential, it has been described as a seminal work in the genre of science fiction. In 1987 the literary critic Harold Bloom said, “Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high literature, for our time”.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 22, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 22, 2016 is 2003–04 Arsenal F.C. season.
The 2003–04 season was the 109th in the history of Arsenal Football Club, with competitive matches played between August and May. Managed by Arsène Wenger (pictured) and nicknamed “The Invincibles”, the club ended the Premier League campaign as champions with a record of 26 wins, 12 draws and no defeats. Arsenal fared less well in the other competitions, eliminated in the FA Cup by Manchester United and in the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in the space of a week. Over five competitions, 34 players represented the club, including 15 goalscorers. Arsenal’s top goalscorer was Thierry Henry, who scored 39 goals in 51 games. The Frenchman was given the accolades of PFA Players’ Player of the Year by his peers and the FWA Footballer of the Year by football writers. Awarded a golden replica trophy by the Premier League once the season concluded, Arsenal later set a new league record of 49 matches unbeaten. In 2012, the team of 2003–04 won the “Best Team” category in the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 21, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 21, 2016 is S. O. Davies.
Stephen Owen Davies (died 25 February 1972) was a Welsh coal miner and Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil from 1934 to 1972. In 1918 he became miners’ agent for the Dowlais district of the South Wales Miners’ Federation, and in 1924 was appointed its chief organiser, legal adviser, and vice-president. Elected to parliament in 1934, Davies consistently defied official Labour policy to champion causes such as disarmament and Welsh nationalism, with a persistence that brought him several suspensions and ensured that he was never offered ministerial office. After a spoil heap at a coal mine collapsed in the village of Aberfan on 21 October 1966 killing 116 schoolchildren and 28 adults, Davies controversially said that he had long thought that it was unsafe. He had not reported his suspicions for fear that an enquiry would cause the closures of local pits. In 1970 he was deselected as parliamentary candidate by his local party association on account of his age, but won the seat in the general election as an Independent, a rare example in British politics of an independent candidate defeating a major party’s organisation.
Wikipedia article of the day for October 20, 2016
The Wikipedia article of the day for October 20, 2016 is No. 91 Wing RAAF.
No. 91 (Composite) Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing active during the Korean War and its immediate aftermath. It was formed on 20 October 1950 to administer No. 77 (Fighter) Squadron, No. 30 Communications Flight, No. 391 (Base) Squadron, and No. 491 (Maintenance) Squadron. The wing and its units were headquartered at Iwakuni, Japan, except for No. 77 Squadron, which was based in Korea and tasked by the US Fifth Air Force. No. 30 Flight was re-designated No. 30 Communications Unit in November 1950, No. 30 Transport Unit a year later, and No. 36 (Transport) Squadron in March 1953. Operating mainly C-47 Dakotas, it undertook medical evacuation, cargo and troop transport, and courier flights. No. 77 Squadron converted from P-51 Mustangs to Gloster Meteors (pictured) between April and July 1951, and operated primarily in the ground attack role. It remained in Korea on garrison duty following the July 1953 armistice, and returned to Australia in November 1954; No. 491 Squadron disbanded the same month. No. 36 Squadron returned to Australia in March 1955; the following month, No. 391 Squadron and No. 91 Wing headquarters disbanded.
