Brothers at War

As the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the American Civil War draws to a close, the race to improve content continues. The Battle of Franklin, fought on November 30, 1864, will, quite appropriately, be Picture of the Day for November 30, 2014, its 150th anniversary. If you want to help commemorate the American Civil War, why not help out at the Military History WikiProject's Operation Brothers at War. Or help out with the World War I centennial, just starting up, Operation Great War Centennial.

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 21 through 27 September. Anything in quotation marks is taken from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.

Featured articles

Seven featured articles were promoted this week.

The Russian battleship Pobeda, after having been salvaged by the Japanese and renamed Suwo.

A new featured picture: card money from Dutch Guiana. Note it's literally printed on a playing card; you can see the clubs.

George Formby Snr (nominated by SchroCat) "George Formby (born James Lawler Booth; 4 October 1875 – 8 February 1921) was an English comedian and singer in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the early 20th century. His comedy played upon Lancashire stereotypes, and he was popular around Britain. His nickname, 'The Wigan Nightingale', was coined because of the way he would use his bronchial cough as a comedic device in his act."

2002 Pacific typhoon season (nominated by Hurricanehink and Jason Rees) "The 2002 Pacific typhoon season was an active one, with many tropical cyclones affecting the Philippines, Japan, and China. Every month had tropical activity, with most storms forming from July through October. Overall, there were 37 tropical depressions declared officially or unofficially, of which 26 became named storms; of those, there were 15 typhoons, which is the equivalent of a minimal hurricane."

Sonic X (nominated by Tezero) "Sonic X (ソニックX Sonikku Ekkusu) is a Japanese anime series created by TMS Entertainment and based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series published by Sega. The series initially ran for fifty-two episodes, which were broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2003 to March 28, 2004; a further twenty-six were aired in non-Japanese regions such as the United States, Europe, and the Middle East from 2005 to 2006. The show's American localization and broadcasting were handled by 4Kids Entertainment—which heavily edited the content and created new music—until 2012, when Saban Brands obtained the rights to the series."

Russian battleship Pobeda (nominated by Sturmvogel 66) "Pobeda, (Russian: Победа), was the last of the three Peresvet-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy at the end of the nineteenth century. The ship was assigned to the Pacific Squadron upon completion and based at Port Arthur from 1903. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, she participated in the battles of Port Arthur and the Yellow Sea. Having escaped serious damage in these engagements, Pobeda was sunk by gunfire during the Siege of Port Arthur, and then salvaged by the Japanese and placed into service under the name Suwo (周防)"

Indian Head cent (nominated by Wehwalt) "The Indian Head cent, also known as an Indian Head penny, was a one-cent coin ($0.01) produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909. It was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint... In the postwar period, the cent became very popular and was struck in large numbers in most years. An exception was 1877, when a poor economy and little demand for cents created one of the rarest dates in the series. With the advent of coin-operated machines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, even more cents were produced, reaching 100 million for the first time in 1907. In 1909, the Indian Head cent was replaced by the Lincoln cent, designed by Victor D. Brenner."

"Death on the Rock" (nominated by HJ Mitchell) "'Death on the Rock' was a controversial television documentary produced by Thames Television as part of the current affairs series This Week, and broadcast on ITV on 28 April 1988. The programme examined the deaths of three Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) members in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 at the hands of British special forces (codenamed 'Operation Flavius'). 'Death on the Rock' presented evidence that the IRA members were shot without warning or while attempting to surrender. It was condemned by the British government, while tabloid newspapers denounced it as sensationalist. 'Death on the Rock' subsequently became the first individual documentary to be the subject of an independent inquiry, in which it was largely vindicated... Thames lost its franchise and the IBA was abolished as a result of the Broadcasting Act 1990—decisions which several involved parties believed were influenced by the government's anger at 'Death on the Rock'."

James Chadwick (nominated by Hawkeye7) "Sir James Chadwick, CH, FRS (20 October 1891 – 24 July 1974) was an English physicist who was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of the neutron in 1932. In 1941 he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired the U.S. government to begin serious atomic bomb research efforts. He was the head of the British team that worked on the Manhattan Project during the Second World War. He was knighted in England in 1945 for achievements in physics."

Featured lists

Three featured lists were promoted this week.

Title page of The State Arms of the Union, the image source for much of the content in a new featured list.

Historical coats of arms of the U.S. states from 1876 (nominated by Godot13) "Historical coats of arms of the U.S. states date back to the admission of the first states to the Union. Despite the widely accepted practice of determining early statehood from the date of ratification of the United States Constitution, many of the original colonies referred to themselves as states shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776. Committees of political leaders and intellectuals were established by state legislatures to research and propose a seal and coat of arms. Many of these members were signers of the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, and United States Constitution. Several of the earliest adopted state coats of arms and seals were similar or identical to their colonial counterparts."

Jimi Hendrix discography (nominated by Ojorojo) "Jimi Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who recorded from 1962 until his death in 1970. His discography sets forth the recordings released during this period. Prior to his rise to fame, he recorded 24 singles as a backing guitarist with American R&B artists, such as the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. Beginning in late 1966, he recorded three best-selling studio albums and 13 singles with the Jimi Hendrix Experience."

Lauren Bacall on screen and stage (nominated by Lady Lotus) "American actress Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) had an extensive career in films, television shows, and plays. She was one of the leading ladies during the Golden Age of Hollywood along with actresses such as Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth. Bacall started her career as a teenage fashion model when she appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar and was discovered by Howard Hawks' wife Nancy. As she naturally had a high-pitched and nasal voice, she received lessons to help deepen it and was required to shout verses by Shakespeare for hours every day as part of her training... For her roles in Applause and Woman of the Year, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical."