Just one of a number of stunning new featured pictures coming from historic buildings in the UK; this one is from Wells Cathedral. See more below!
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 3 August through 9 August 2014. Descriptions for the articles borrow shamelessly from the article's text.
Featured articles
Eight featured articles were promoted this week. We're holding one back until next week, though, for sufficiently awesome reasons.
A wonderful moustache in a wonderful article: a new FA this week is about John Hay, secretary to Abraham LincolnA roughly-contemporaneous depiction of the Battle of Öland, a 1676 battle in the Scanian War that pitted the Danes and Dutch against the Swedish.Two Avro Ansons fused together after the 1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision, a bizarre but wonderful tale now the subject of a featured article.
Canis Major(nominated by Cas Liber) is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. In the second century, it was included in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for "greater dog". The Milky Way passes through Canis Major and several open clusters lie within its borders.
U.S. Route 141(nominated by Imzadi1979) runs north-northwesterly from an interchange with Interstate 43 (I-43) in Bellevue, Wisconsin, near Green Bay, to a junction with US 41/M-28 near Covington, Michigan. Since the 1960s, the section south of Green Bay has been converted into a freeway in segments.
The Battle of Öland(nominated by Peter Isotalo) was a 1676 naval battle between an allied Danish-Dutch fleet and the Swedish navy during the Scanian War (1675–79), fought for supremacy over the southern Baltic. Sweden was in urgent need of reinforcements for its north German possessions; Denmark sought to ferry an army to Scania in southern Sweden to open a front on Swedish soil. Just as the battle began, the Swedish flagship Kronan sank, and soon, the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in disorder. The battle resulted in Danish naval supremacy, then and throughout the war.
Sesame Street international co-productions(nominated by Figureskatingfan) are educational children's television series based on the American Sesame Street that contain original sets, characters, and curriculum goals tailored to the countries in which they are produced. By the US show's 40th anniversary in 2009, they were seen in more than 140 countries.
Kangana Ranaut(nominated by AB01 & Krimuk90) is an Indian film actress who is the recipient of a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards. After receiving recognition for her performance in her feature film debut—the 2006 thriller Gangster, she earned critical acclaim for her roles in Fashion (2008) and Tanu Weds Manu (2011). She also appeared in commercially successful productions like Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) and Krrish 3 (2013; one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time). Ranaut established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema after playing the protagonist of the comedy-drama Queen (2014).
In the 1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision, (nominated by Ian Rose) two Australian military aircraft remained locked together after colliding. Both navigators and the pilot of the lower aircraft bailed out to safety after the aircraft struck. The pilot of the upper aircraft found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft using his ailerons and flaps, together with the still-functioning engines on the machine underneath. He survived an emergency landing in a nearby paddock.
John Hay(nominated by Wehwalt) (1838–1905) was an American statesman and official. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also an author and biographer, and wrote poetry and other literature through much of his life.
List of works by Leslie Charteris(nominated by SchroCat) Charteris was a British-American writer. Born in Singapore to a Chinese father and an English mother, Charteris left college to begin writing on a full-time basis. His third book introduced the fictional Simon Templar, or "The Saint", a character that would define much of the rest of his work.
Shakira discography(nominated by WonderBoy1998) In comparison to Marina, Shakira has "ten studio albums, four live albums, two compilation albums, forty-nine singles (including nine as featured artist), and nine promotional singles", and she remains "the only South American artist to peak at number one on the Australian Singles Chart, the UK Singles Chart, and the US Billboard Hot 100."
The William Crooks.Mandarin ducks A pair of ducks! A pair of ducks! A most ingenious pair of ducks! We've quips and quibbles heard in flocks but none to beat this pair of ducks! (...I've been doing Pirates of Penzance rehearsals for months.)
Dining hall of Magdalene College(created and nominated by David Iliff) This very ornate dining hall is part of the University of Cambridge's Magdalene College. According to the nominator, the "Detail is good enough that you can practically read what was for lunch on the menu".
Chapel of St John's College(created and nominated by David Iliff) Taken by the same photographer as the dining hall, this image captures the even more ornate chapel at Cambridge's St John's College. They say that "The beauty of the interior speaks for itself, but I think the the ambiance and details are captured nicely."
Nighthawks(nominated by Armbrust) From the Art Institute of Chicago, the 1942 painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper captures several individuals getting a hearty meal at a late night diner.
Selwyn College Old Court(created and nominated by David Iliff) This uncommon exterior shot from Iliff (one reviewer commented that "You haven't nominated one of these in ages") shows the courtyard and Old Court at Selwyn College, a constituent college within the University of Cambridge.
William Crooks(created by the National Photo Company, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) The William Crooks was the first locomotive to operate in the state of Minnesota, and is one of very few locomotives from the time of the American Civil War to survive to the present day.
Red Skelton(created by unknown photographer, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden, with minor tweaks by Chris Woodrich) Description... Yes, when Red Skelton became a featured article two weeks ago, we did a restoration of it to use in the Signpost report (and. er, the article too, I guess). Expect John Hay in another couple weeks.
Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, 2014(created by NASA and collaborators, nominated by Crisco 1492) According to NASA's press release, this image is the result of "Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope" who were able to assemble "a comprehensive picture of the evolving universe—among the most colorful deep space images ever captured by the 24-year-old telescope."
Union Films(nominated by Crisco 1492) This large topic comes on what even the nominator admits is an "obscure" topic: lost 1940s movies from Union Films, a Chinese-owned company located in what is now Indonesia.
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Discuss this story
Infamous?
Just wondering why the dodo is "infamous". According to my dictionary, infamous means "well known for some bad quality or deed". What, exactly, is it supposed to have done — other than have the audacity to go extinct after being overhunted by humans, of course? MeegsC (talk) 20:12, 19 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]