Wikipedia article of the day for March 8, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 8, 2021 is Women's poll tax repeal movement.
The women's poll tax repeal movement in the United States was the attempt, predominantly led by women, to secure the abolition of poll taxes as a prerequisite for voting in the Southern states. After women were granted the right to vote in 1920, some Southern states introduced or expanded poll tax statutes in order to disenfranchise them. In response, women began organizing to repeal these laws (poster pictured), initially to little effect. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, both black and white women pressed at state and national levels for the abolition of these laws, and also filed lawsuits. Louisiana abandoned its poll tax law in 1932, and the number of women voters increased by 77 percent. Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas followed. In 1964, the Twenty-fourth Amendment was passed, prohibiting poll taxes as a barrier to voting in federal elections. The Supreme Court finally ended the struggle after four decades in its ruling on Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections in 1966.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 7, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 7, 2021 is The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson. Ralph Fiennes leads a seventeen-actor ensemble cast as Monsieur Gustave H., renowned concierge of a fictional European mountainside resort. When Gustave is framed for the murder of a wealthy dowager (Tilda Swinton), he embarks on a quest for fortune and a priceless Renaissance painting with his recently befriended lobby boy (Tony Revolori). Thematic analysis focuses on the function of color as a storytelling device and the film's exploration of fascism, nostalgia, friendship, and loyalty. The Grand Budapest Hotel was based on Anderson and longtime collaborator Hugo Guinness's vision of a fragmented tale of a character inspired by a mutual friend. Filming took place in Germany over ten weeks, in the regions around Berlin and Saxony. After premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2014, the film grossed more than $172 million at the global box office. The Grand Budapest Hotel was released to highly positive reviews, and won four Academy Awards for music and technical achievement.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 6, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 6, 2021 is Northern voalavo.
The northern voalavo (Voalavo gymnocaudus) is a rodent found in the highlands of northern Madagascar first discovered in 1994. It is the type species of the genus Voalavo, and its closest relative is the eastern voalavo of the Central Highlands. It is found at 1,250 to 1,950 m (4,100 to 6,400 ft) above sea level in montane wet and dry forests in the northern massifs. It is nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial, but it can climb and probably eats plant matter. Despite having a small range, the species is classified as being of least concern because it lacks obvious threats and mainly in protected areas. It is a small, mouse-like rodent with soft, gray fur, only slightly darker above than below. The ears are short and rounded. The long tail appears mostly naked and lacks a distinct tuft. The skull is delicate, with a long, narrow front part, narrow space between the eyes, and no development of ridges on the braincase. The molars are relatively high-crowned. It has a body mass of 17 to 25.5 g (0.60 to 0.90 oz). (This article is part of a featured topic: Voalavo.)

Wikipedia article of the day for March 5, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 5, 2021 is Riegelmann Boardwalk.
The Riegelmann Boardwalk (also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk) is a 2.7-mile-long (4.3 km) boardwalk along the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1923, it has become an icon of Coney Island, with appearances in the visual arts, music, and film. The boardwalk has been considered the most important public works project in Brooklyn since the Brooklyn Bridge, with an impact comparable to Central Park. By the mid-19th century, the Coney Island waterfront was divided by owners who erected barriers. First discussed in the late 1890s as a means of uniting the different sections of Coney Island, the boardwalk was designed by Philip P. Farley, and named for Brooklyn borough president Edward J. Riegelmann, who championed its construction. Its first portion opened in 1923, and it connects sites such as the New York Aquarium, Luna Park and MCU Park.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 4, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 4, 2021 is Warren G. Harding.
Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1921, until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, Harding was defeated for Governor of Ohio in 1910, but was elected to the Senate in 1914. He ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1920. Considered a long shot until after the convention began, he was nominated on the tenth ballot. He conducted a front porch campaign, running on the theme of a return to normalcy, and won in a landslide, the first sitting senator to be elected president. He appointed a number of well-regarded figures to his cabinet, including Andrew Mellon at the Treasury Department, Herbert Hoover at Commerce, and Charles Evans Hughes at State. After his death in San Francisco, a number of scandals, including Teapot Dome, came to light, as did his extramarital affair with Nan Britton, eroding his popular regard. Harding was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 3, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 3, 2021 is Carmen.
Carmen is an opera in four acts which Georges Bizet set to a libretto by the team Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on Prosper Mérimée's novella. When it was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. The opera was originally written with musical numbers and spoken dialogue. Set in southern Spain, it tells of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the fiery gypsy Carmen, and finally kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness broke new ground in French opera. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years. Carmen has become one of the most frequently performed operas, with the "Habanera" and the "Toreador Song" among the best known of all operatic arias. The music has been acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for Bizet's skill in expressing the emotions and suffering of his characters.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 2, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 2, 2021 is Lionel Matthews.
Lionel Matthews (15 August 1912 – 2 March 1944) was an Australian Army officer during World War II who was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest non-combat award for heroism for members of the Australian armed forces at the time. Matthews served in the 27th Brigade during the Malayan campaign, and at the surrender of Singapore in 1942 became a prisoner of war (POW). He was awarded the Military Cross for courage, energy and ability under fire during this fighting. At Sandakan POW camp Matthews established an intelligence network, collecting information, weapons, medical supplies and radio parts, and making contact with organisations outside the camp. The group was betrayed, and Matthews was arrested, beaten, tortured and starved. He refused to provide any information, and was executed by firing squad. After the war he was awarded the George Cross in recognition of his gallant and distinguished services while in Japanese hands.