Wikipedia article of the day for May 13, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 13, 2021 is Die Hard.
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It stars Bruce Willis (pictured), Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia. Based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane (Willis) who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. Filming took place in 1987 and 1988, on a $25–35 million budget. Reviews were mixed, but Die Hard became the year's highest-grossing action film. It received four Academy Award nominations, elevated Willis to leading-man status and made Rickman a celebrity. It is now considered one of the greatest action films. It revitalized the genre, largely due to its depiction of McClane as a vulnerable and fallible protagonist. "Die Hard" became a shorthand for plots in which a hero battles in a restricted environment. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2017.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 12, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 12, 2021 is Boeing 747.
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range, wide-body airliner and cargo aircraft manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States. On September 30, 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the custom-built Everett Plant, the largest building in the world by volume. The first flight took place on February 9, 1969, and the 747 was certified that December. Entering service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970, it was the first airplane dubbed a "Jumbo Jet". The 747 is a quadjet, with ten-abreast economy seating typically accommodating 366 passengers. It has a pronounced 37.5° wing sweep, allowing a Mach 0.85 (490 kn; 560 mph; 900 km/h) cruise speed. Boeing introduced the -200 in 1971, with more powerful engines for a heavier maximum takeoff weight and a longer range. The heavier 747-400 was introduced in 1989 and is the most common variant. By June 2020, 1,556 aircraft had been built. As of 2020, 61 Boeing 747s have been lost in accidents, in which 3,722 people have died.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 11, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 11, 2021 is Ted Kaczynski.
Ted Kaczynski (born 1942), also known as the Unabomber, is an American domestic terrorist, primitivist and former mathematics professor. He was accepted to Harvard College at the age of 16 and, after graduating and earning his PhD, he taught at UC Berkeley for three years. He then moved to a small cabin in Montana to pursue a simple life. Kaczynski began sending mail bombs to people associated with universities, airlines, and the advancement of modern technology in 1978. He mailed a total of sixteen bombs, killing 3 people and injuring 23 others. Kaczynski's bombing campaign came under investigation by the FBI, who employed over 150 people in the most expensive FBI investigation ever conducted at the time. Kaczynski's manifesto, an anarcho-primitivist essay, was published in The Washington Post on the condition that he would desist from terrorism. He was eventually arrested in 1996 (mug shot pictured) and later imprisoned at ADX Florence in Colorado.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 10, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 10, 2021 is A Crow Looked at Me.
A Crow Looked at Me is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo project of the American musician Phil Elverum. Released in 2017, it was composed in the aftermath of his 35-year-old wife, Geneviève Castrée's, diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2015 and her death in July 2016. Elverum wrote and recorded the songs over a six-week period in the room where she died, mostly using her instruments. The lyrics are presented in a diary-like form and sung in a raw, intimate style. They bluntly detail Castrée's illness and death, Elverum's grief, and his relationship with their infant child. It is soundtracked by sparse folk instrumentation. It was widely praised for its emotional potency. The album went on to be one of the most acclaimed albums of 2017 and of Elverum's career. His following albums, Now Only (2018) and Lost Wisdom pt. 2 (2019), further detail and examine Castrée's illness and early death.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 9, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 9, 2021 is Rugrats.
"Mother's Day" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Rugrats, first broadcast on May 6, 1997, on Nickelodeon. In this Mother's Day special, Tommy Pickles and Phil and Lil Deville attempt to find the perfect mother for Chuckie Finster, who is being raised by his father Chas. They discover that Chuckie's mother, voiced by Kim Cattrall (pictured), died of a terminal illness. Norton Virgien and Toni Vian directed the episode. "Mother's Day" was praised by critics for its storyline and its representation of breastfeeding, and has been the subject of several retrospective reviews for its treatment of the death of a parent. It won a CableACE Award and was nominated for the Humanitas Prize in the Children's Animation Category. Rugrats received a nomination for the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program after Nickelodeon submitted "Mother's Day" for consideration.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 8, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 8, 2021 is Preening.
Preening is a bird maintenance behaviour that involves using the beak to position feathers, interlock the barbules, clean plumage, and reduce parasites. Feathers contribute to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and flight, so birds spend much time on preening. They may fluff up their feathers to "rezip" the barbules, and use their beaks to gather preen oil from a gland at the base of their tail. They spread the oil by drawing each contour feather through their bills. Ritualised preening has become part of some courtship displays and a displacement activity when birds are subjected to stress. Preening can be a social activity involving two or more birds called "allopreening", which occurs either between a mated pair or flock members in a social species. This may assist in grooming, the recognition of individuals, or reducing conflict. Most allopreening is confined to the head and neck. Ingestion of pollutants or pathogens during preening can lead to health problems. Injury and infection can cause overpreening in caged birds.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 7, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 7, 2021 is Frances Gertrude McGill.
Frances Gertrude McGill (1882–1959) was a Canadian scientist who was a forensic pathologist, nicknamed the "Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan" for her deductive skills and public fame. McGill influenced the development of forensic pathology in Canadian police work. After receiving her medical degree in 1915, McGill moved to Saskatchewan, where she was hired first as the provincial bacteriologist and then as the provincial pathologist. She worked extensively with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local police forces for more than thirty years, and was instrumental in establishing the first RCMP forensic laboratory. She directed the RCMP laboratory for three years, and trained new RCMP recruits in forensic detection methods. After retiring in 1946, McGill was appointed Honorary Surgeon for the RCMP by the Canadian minister of justice, becoming one of its first official female members. McGill Lake in northern Saskatchewan was named in her honour.