Wikipedia article of the day for December 16, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 16, 2020 is Banksia serrata.
Banksia serrata, the old man banksia, is a species of woody shrub or tree in the family Proteaceae. It is found from Queensland to Victoria, commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m (50 ft) in height, though it can be much smaller in more exposed areas. It has wrinkled grey bark and shiny dark green serrated leaves. The large yellow or greyish-yellow flower spikes turn grey as they age, and pollinated flowers develop into large, grey, woody seed pods. This Banksia species is one of four collected by Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four published in 1782 as part of Carl Linnaeus the Younger's original description of the genus. Throughout its range, it grows exclusively in sandy soils, and is usually the dominant plant where it grows in scrubland or low woodland. B. serrata is pollinated by and provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months. It is a common plant of parks and gardens.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 15, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 15, 2020 is The Emperor's New School.
The Emperor's New School is an American animated television series created by Mark Dindal that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons between January 2006 and November 2008. Based on the 2000 film The Emperor's New Groove, the series centers on Kuzco, who must graduate from Kuzco Academy to become emperor of the Inca Empire, with the help of the villager Pacha and fellow student Malina. The series combines physical comedy with a self-aware tone. J. P. Manoux replaced David Spade as the voice actor for Kuzco. New School used traditional 2D animation to preserve elements of the film's distinctive art style. The high-school setting provided storylines based on the everyday challenges of adolescence. New School received mixed reviews from critics; several praised the voice acting of Eartha Kitt (pictured) but others found the characters unlikable. The series was also criticized for its minimal educational value and frequent displays of socially aggressive behavior.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 14, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 14, 2020 is 1789 Virginia's 5th congressional district election.
The first election for Virginia's 5th congressional district took place on February 2, 1789. In a race that turned on the candidates' positions on the need for a Bill of Rights, James Madison (depicted) defeated James Monroe for a place in the First Congress. It is the only congressional election in U.S. history in which two future presidents opposed each other. The race came about when former governor Patrick Henry and other Anti-Federalists sought to defeat Madison. They put forward Monroe, a young but experienced politician, who campaigned vigorously. Despite bitterly cold weather, the two candidates debated outdoors; traveling after one such meeting, Madison suffered frostbite on his face. Madison won the election comfortably, to the applause of his supporters such as President-elect George Washington. The race did not affect Madison's friendship with Monroe, who would serve as Madison's Secretary of State and succeed him as president in 1817.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 13, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 13, 2020 is 1982 Formula One World Championship.
The 1982 Formula One World Championship featured sixteen rounds from January to September, spanning the 36th season of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One motor racing. Keke Rosberg (pictured) won the Drivers' Championship, becoming the second driver to achieve the feat after winning only one race in the season. The year was marked by several incidents and tragedies: a drivers' strike at the first race in South Africa, a partial race boycott as part of the ongoing FISA–FOCA war at the San Marino Grand Prix, as well as the death of two drivers. Gilles Villeneuve died during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, and Riccardo Paletti at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix. Didier Pironi, while leading the championship, crashed during qualifying for the German Grand Prix, forcing him to retire from the sport. Nevertheless, Scuderia Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship after replacing Villeneuve with Patrick Tambay and Pironi with 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 12, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 12, 2020 is Complete blood count.
A complete blood count (CBC) is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit (the volume percentage of red blood cells). The CBC is often carried out as part of a medical assessment, and can be used to monitor health or diagnose diseases. The results are interpreted by comparing them to reference ranges, which vary with gender and age. A landmark in the automation of blood cell counts was the Coulter principle (1953), which uses electrical impedance measurements to count blood cells and measure their sizes. This technology remains in use in many automated analyzers. Further research in the 1970s involved the use of optical measurements to count and identify cells, which enabled the automation of the white blood cell differential.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 11, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 11, 2020 is London Beer Flood.
The London Beer Flood was an accident at Meux & Co's Horse Shoe Brewery (pictured) on 17 October 1814. When one of the 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) wooden vats of fermenting porter burst, the pressure destroyed another vessel, and between 128,000 and 323,000 imperial gallons (580,000–1,470,000 l; 154,000–388,000 US gal) of beer were released. The resulting wave of porter destroyed the back wall of the brewery and swept into an area of slum-dwellings. Eight people were killed. The coroner's inquest returned a verdict that they had lost their lives "casually, accidentally and by misfortune". The brewery was nearly bankrupted by the event; it avoided collapse after a rebate from HM Excise on the lost beer. After the accident the brewing industry gradually stopped using large wooden vats, replacing them with lined concrete vessels. The brewery moved in 1921, and the Dominion Theatre is now where the brewery used to stand.

Wikipedia article of the day for December 10, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for December 10, 2020 is Death of Cleopatra.
The death of Cleopatra, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, occurred in 30 BC in Alexandria, when she was 39 years old. According to Greek and Roman historians, she poisoned herself using either an ointment or a sharp implement such as a hairpin. Modern scholars debate the validity of these accounts, and of ancient reports involving snakebites as the cause of death. Cleopatra's death effectively ended the final war of the Roman Republic between triumvirs Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony, in which she aligned herself with Antony, father to three of her children. Her suicide circumvented the humiliation of being paraded as a prisoner in a Roman triumph celebrating the military victories of Octavian, who in 27 BC became Rome's first emperor. Cleopatra's death marked the end of the Hellenistic period and Ptolemaic rule of Egypt, as well as the beginning of Roman Egypt. The death has been depicted in various works of art throughout history. (This article is part of a featured topic: Cleopatra.)