Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2014-04-23/Featured content

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Featured articles

Fourteen featured articles were promoted this fortnight.

Calabi-Yau space is 6-dimensional, so this 2-dimensional projection is a very rough approximation. When used as extra dimensions in string theory, an attempt to unify all physics, some Calabi-Yau manifolds that are very different geometrically are exactly equivalent. This strange insight is known as Mirror symmetry, and is the subject of a new featured article.

The Sega Genesis, also called the Sega Mega Drive, is the subject of a new featured topic.

Zimbabwe women's national field hockey team at the 1980 Summer Olympics (nominated by Cliftonian) "The 1980 Zimbabwe women's national field hockey team won the gold medal in women's field hockey at that year's Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR. The squad of 16 women, all from Zimbabwe's white minority, was assembled less than a month before the Olympics began to help fill the gaps the American-led Olympic boycott created in the women's hockey competition. Zimbabwe's subsequent victory in the round-robin tournament with three wins and two draws was regarded as a huge upset, particularly considering the team's lack of preparation and experience; it has been called an "irresistible fairy story". Won at a time of great political transition in Zimbabwe, the gold medal was the country's first Olympic medal of any colour."
Louisiana Purchase Exposition dollar (nominated by Wehwalt) "The Louisiana Purchase Exposition dollar was a commemorative coin issue in gold dated 1903. Struck in two varieties, the coins were designed by United States Bureau of the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. The pieces were issued to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in 1904 in St. Louis; one variety depicted former president Thomas Jefferson, and the other, the recently assassinated president William McKinley. Although not the first American commemorative coins, they were the first in gold."
Misterioso (Thelonious Monk album) (nominated by Dan56) "Misterioso is a live album by American jazz ensemble the Thelonious Monk Quartet, released in 1958 by Riverside Records. Pianist and composer Thelonious Monk had overcome an extended period of career difficulties by the time of his 1957 residency at the Five Spot Café in New York City. He returned to the venue the following year for a second residency and recorded Misterioso on August 7, 1958, leading a quartet that featured drummer Roy Haynes, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin."
Elwyn Roy King (nominated by Ian Rose) "Elwyn Roy King, DSO, DFC (13 May 1894 – 28 November 1941) was a fighter ace in the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) during World War I. He achieved twenty-six victories in aerial combat, making him the fourth highest-scoring Australian pilot of the war, and second only to Harry Cobby in the AFC. A civil pilot and engineer between the wars, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1939 until his death."
Finn M. W. Caspersen (nominated by ColonelHenry) "Finn Michael Westby Caspersen, Sr. (27 October 1941 – 7 September 2009) was an American financier and philanthropist. A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, he followed his father, Olaus Caspersen, a Norwegian immigrant to the United States, as chairman and chief executive of Beneficial Corporation, one of the largest consumer finance companies in the United States. After an $8.6 billion acquisition of Beneficial by Household International in 1998, Caspersen ran Knickerbocker Management, a private financial firm overseeing the assets of trusts and foundations."
Mirror symmetry (string theory) (nominated by Polytope24) "In mathematics and theoretical physics, mirror symmetry is a relationship between geometric objects called Calabi–Yau manifolds. It can happen that two Calabi–Yau manifolds look very different geometrically but are nevertheless equivalent if they are employed as extra dimensions of string theory. In this case, the manifolds are called mirror manifolds." "Today mirror symmetry is a major research topic in pure mathematics, and mathematicians are working to develop a mathematical understanding of the relationship based on physicists' intuition. Mirror symmetry is also a fundamental tool for doing calculations in string theory, and it has been used to understand aspects of quantum field theory, the formalism that physicists use to describe elementary particles. Major approaches to mirror symmetry include the homological mirror symmetry program of Maxim Kontsevich and the SYZ conjecture of Andrew Strominger, Shing-Tung Yau, and Eric Zaslow."
Geology Hall (nominated by ColonelHenry and Tomwsulcer) "Geology Hall, formerly Geological Hall, is a building located in the historic Queens Campus section of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey's College Avenue Campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. As part of the Queen's Campus, Geology Hall was included on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. When Rutgers was selected as New Jersey's only land grant college in 1864, the college began to expand its curriculum to include instruction in science and agriculture. Rutgers president William Henry Campbell raised funds to construct a building to accommodate this expansion, and Geology Hall, designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, was built in 1872."
Fulvous Whistling Duck (nominated by Jimfbleak) "The Fulvous Whistling Duck or Fulvous Tree Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) is a whistling duck that breeds across the world's tropical regions in much of Central and South America, the West Indies, the southern US, sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It has mainly reddish brown plumage, long legs and a long grey bill, and shows a distinctive white band across its black tail in flight. Like other members of its ancient lineage, it has a whistling call which is given in flight or on the ground. The preferred habitat is shallow lakes, paddy fields or other wetlands with plentiful vegetation."
Menacer (nominated by Czar) "The Menacer is a light gun peripheral released by Sega in 1992 for its Sega Genesis and Sega CD video game consoles. It was created in response to Nintendo's Super Scope and as Sega's successor to the Master System Light Phaser. The Menacer is remembered as a critical and commercial flop. Critics found the six-game pack subpar and repetitive, and criticized the peripheral's lack of games."
Cutthroat trout (nominated by Mike Cline) "The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) is a fish species of the salmonidae family native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus Oncorhynchus, it is one of the Pacific trout, a group that includes the widely distributed rainbow trout. Cutthroat trout are popular gamefish, especially among anglers who enjoy fly fishing. The common name "cutthroat" refers to the distinctive red coloration on the underside of the lower jaw. The specific name clarki was given to honor explorer William Clark, coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition."
Pokémon Channel (nominated by Tezero) "Pokémon Channel is a 2003 video game in the Pokémon series for the GameCube, developed by Ambrella and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The game's central premise is to watch television with a Pikachu so as to help Professor Oak refine and promote his TV network. It contains elements of adventure, digital pet, and simulation genres. It received mixed reviews, which generally criticized its low level of interactivity and repetitive sound effects."
Mucho Macho Man (nominated by Montanabw) "Mucho Macho Man (foaled June 15, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse notable as the winner of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was foaled in Florida and named after the Village People song "Macho Man". His breeders were Carole and John Rio of Florida, who owned his dam. His foalhood nickname was "Lazarus" because he appeared lifeless at birth, but spontaneously revived. He grew to be a very large horse, standing over 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm) high. Throughout most of his racing career, Mucho Macho Man has been owned primarily by Dean and Patti Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing of Suwanee, Georgia. They purchased a majority interest in him after his first race in 2010, and in 2012 became his sole owners. In February 2014, anticipating Mucho Macho Man's future career as a breeding stallion, Frank Stronach purchased an undisclosed share in the horse on behalf of his Adena Springs Farms, owner of Mucho Macho Man's sire, Macho Uno."
Cyclone Joy (nominated by Hurricanehink) "Severe Tropical Cyclone Joy in late 1990 produced the third highest floods on record in Rockhampton, Queensland, a town in northeastern Australia." "While drifting offshore northeastern Australia, the cyclone produced wind gusts as high as 124 km/h (77 mph) in Cairns, strong enough to cause power outages. In Mackay, a tornado spawned by Joy damaged 40 homes, while torrential rainfall just south of the city peaked at over 2 m (6.6 ft). Most storm-associated damage was wrought by severe flooding, which persisted for weeks in hardest-hit locations. Rains significantly increased water levels on 10 rivers, among them the Fitzroy River, which discharged about 18 trillion freshwater litres (4.9 trillion gallons) into Keppel Bay over 25 days. In turn, the Great Barrier Reef suffered biological damage from coral bleaching and decreased salinity. The Fitzroy River rose to a 9.30 m (30.5 ft) peak at Rockhampton, forcing thousands to evacuate homes; some stranded individuals could only obtain food by helicopter. Elsewhere in Australia, storm moisture alleviated drought conditions and diminished fires near Sydney. Overall, Joy killed six people and caused A$300 million in damage ($234 million USD). Afterwards, the Queensland government issued a disaster declaration for about 30% of the state, and the name Joy was retired from the list of tropical cyclone names."
Arthur Gould (rugby union) (nominated by Shudde and FruitMonkey) "Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould (10 October 1864 – 2 January 1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre and fullback who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales, 18 as captain, and critics consider him the first superstar of Welsh rugby. A talented all-round player and champion sprinter, Gould could side-step and kick expertly with either foot. He never ceased practising in order to develop his fitness and skills, and on his death was described as 'the most accomplished player of his generation'."

Featured lists

Four featured lists were promoted this fortnight.

List of plantations in West Virginia (nominated by Caponer) "Former plantations that operated within the present-day boundaries of the U.S. state of West Virginia were located in the counties of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians and in the Kanawha and Ohio River valley regions. Beginning in the mid-to-late 18th century, members of the Washington family and other prominent Virginia families began to build elegant Georgian mansions on their plantations in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians region of present-day West Virginia. Plantations initially developed in the counties lying within the Northern Neck Proprietary of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron within the Shenandoah Valley and South Branch Potomac River valleys. They carried over the practice of slavery from the plantations of the Piedmont and Tidewater regions of Virginia, where plantations had become the foundation of society and industry. Following the French and Indian War, settlement and agricultural development continued unabated in the Shenandoah and South Branch Potomac valleys. Early instances of western Virginia plantations with grand homes include the John Ariss-designed Harewood (1774) for George Washington's brother Samuel Washington and Happy Retreat (1780) built by Washington's younger brother Charles Washington, both of which are located near Charles Town in present-day Jefferson County. In Hampshire County, Nicholas Casey constructed a Georgian mansion (1774) at his Wappocomo plantation, one of the first plantation houses of its kind in the South Branch Potomac River valley."
85th Academy Awards (nominated by Birdienest81) "The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and directed by Don Mischer. Actor Seth MacFarlane hosted the show for the first time. The ceremony was the first in the Academy's 85-year history to adopt the phrase "The Oscars" as the ceremony's official name during the broadcast and marketing."
Premier League Golden Boot (nominated by Bloom6132) "The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, from 1994 to 2001 it was called the Carling Golden Boot and from 2001 to 2004, the Barclaycard Golden Boot; as of 2013, it is referred to as the Barclays Golden Boot. In addition to the trophy, winners of the Golden Boot are usually given £1,000 for every goal they scored throughout the season to donate to a charity of their choice, although Robin van Persie – the most recent recipient of the award – was given £30,000 after scoring 26 goals in the 2012–13 season."
1st Magritte Awards (nominated by Earthh) In this, the Belgian equivalent of the Academy Awards, Mr. Nobody, a story of a life going down different paths based on the decisions made, was the big winner, with six awards out of seven nominations.

Featured pictures

Seven featured pictures were promoted this week.

Lynx and Telescopium Herschilii and Canis Major, Lepus, Columba Noachi & Cela Sculptoris (created by Sidney Hall and Richard Rouse Bloxam, after Alexander Jamieson, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden. Part of a series of plates from Urania's Mirror, continuing the goal of creating a complete restored set of all thirty-two plates. As of time of writing, three remain to be completed.
The Adoration of the Shepherds (unknown author, digitized by the Google Art Project, nominated by Andrew J.Kurbiko) An example of a Ukrainian religious icon, showing the Adoration of the Shepherds
Nave, Organ and Altar of the Immaculate Conception Church, Farm Street, London (created and nominated by Diliff) Three beautiful images showing aspects of the Gothic Revival Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street.
Bolinus cornutus (created by H. Zell, nominated by Armbrust) Five systematic views of the predatory sea snail Bolinus cornutus, also called the Horned Murex.

Featured topics

One featured topic was promoted this fortnight.

Sega Genesis (nominated by SexyKick) Includes an article on the video game console (known as the Sega Mega Drive outside the U.S.), all the optional accessories and add-ons, the portable version, the online services, and lists of games.