Wikipedia article of the day for May 29, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 29, 2021 is Mysteries of Isis.
The mysteries of Isis were religious initiation rites performed in the cult of the goddess Isis in the Greco-Roman world. Alluding to the worship of Isis from ancient Egyptian religion, they were modeled on other mystery rites, particularly the Eleusinian mysteries, which honored the Greek goddess Demeter. By undergoing the mystery rites, initiates signaled their dedication to Isis. Many texts from the Roman Empire refer to the Isis mysteries, but the only source to describe them is a work of fiction, the novel The Golden Ass, written in the second century by Apuleius. In it, the initiate undergoes ritual purification before descending into the innermost part of Isis's temple, where he experiences a symbolic death and rebirth and has an intense religious experience. Some aspects of the mysteries of Isis and of other mystery cults resemble elements of Christianity, but the evidence for their influence on Christianity is unclear.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 28, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 28, 2021 is Menstrual cycle.
The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that make pregnancy possible. Naturally occurring hormones drive two concurrent and coordinated cycles that last about 28 days. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs and the release of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The uterine cycle governs the preparation and maintenance of the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to receive a fertilized egg. Menstruation, a "period" in common parlance, begins on day one of the cycle, and lasts for about five days. Around day fourteen, an egg is usually released from the ovary. Estrogen stimulates the uterus lining to thicken to accommodate an embryo should fertilization occur. If implantation does not occur, the lining is released during menstruation. Menarche (the first period) usually occurs around age twelve, and menstrual cycles usually continue for 30–45 years until menopause.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 27, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 27, 2021 is 2007 Coca-Cola 600.
The 2007 Coca-Cola 600 was the twelfth stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event in the U.S. It was held on May 27, 2007, before a crowd of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway (pictured), now called Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races. The 400-lap race on the speedway's standard 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track covers the longest distance of any event on the NASCAR calendar. The 2007 race was won by Casey Mears of the Hendrick Motorsports team, who started from 16th position. J. J. Yeley finished second and Kyle Petty came in third. There were thirteen cautions and 29 lead changes among fifteen drivers during the race. Kurt Busch held the lead for 107 laps, longer than any other driver. The 2007 race is Mears's only win in the Nextel Cup Series, now known as the NASCAR Cup Series.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 26, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 26, 2021 is Yazid I.
Yazid I (c. 646 – 683) was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from April 680 until his death. His appointment, the first hereditary succession to the caliphate in Islamic history, was opposed by several Muslim grandees from Medina, including Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali. Husayn refused to recognize Yazid following his accession and left for Kufa in Iraq to lead a revolt, but was killed in the Battle of Karbala. To suppress the subsequent rebellion in Arabia, Yazid sent an army that captured and sacked Medina. Next, Mecca was besieged for several weeks until the army withdrew as a result of Yazid's death. The caliphate fell into a decade-long civil war known as the Second Fitna, ending with the establishment of the Marwanid dynasty. Yazid is considered an illegitimate ruler and a tyrant by many Muslims. Modern historians consider him a capable ruler, albeit less successful than his father Mu'awiya I, whose style of governance he continued.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 25, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 25, 2021 is Operation Rösselsprung (1944).
Operation Rösselsprung was a combined airborne and ground assault by the German XV Mountain Corps on the Supreme Headquarters of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II. Launched on 25 May 1944, the operation was aimed at the Partisan leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito (pictured) and his headquarters. It is associated with the Seventh Enemy Offensive. The operation involved direct action via an airborne assault by the 500th SS Parachute Battalion and a planned subsequent link-up with ground forces, including Home Guard forces of the Independent State of Croatia and collaborationist Chetniks. Tito, his principal staff and Allied military personnel escaped. The operation failed due to fierce Partisan resistance, the failure of the various German intelligence agencies to share the limited intelligence available on Tito's exact location, and the lack of contingency planning by the commander of the German airborne force.

Wikipedia article of the day for May 24, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 24, 2021 is Final Fantasy IX.
Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Squaresoft for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main Final Fantasy series. Players follow the bandit Zidane Tribal, who kidnaps Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII of Alexandria as part of a gambit by the neighboring nation of Lindblum. The game was developed alongside Final Fantasy VIII. Envisioned by developers as a retrospective for the series, it departed from the futuristic settings of Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VIII by returning to the medieval style of the earlier installments. Final Fantasy IX was released to critical acclaim and is often considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Final Fantasy IX was commercially successful, selling more than 5.5 million copies on PlayStation by March 2016. Ports featuring minor gameplay and graphical enhancements were released for various other platforms in the late 2010s. (This article is part of a featured topic: Final Fantasy series.)

Wikipedia article of the day for May 23, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 23, 2021 is Western Chalukya literature in Kannada.
A large body of Western Chalukya literature in the Kannada language was produced during the empire's reign (973–1200) in present-day India (map pictured). Kannada literature from this period, usually considered Old Kannada, constituted the bulk of the Chalukya court's textual production and pertained mostly to the socio-religious development of the Jain faith, with some of that of the Shaiva faith. Important literary contributions in the Kannada language came not only from court poets, noblemen, royalty, ascetics and saints who wrote in the marga (mainstream) style, but also from commoners and artisans, including cobblers, weavers, cowherds and shepherds who wrote in the desi (folk) style. These poets revolutionised Kannada literature, rejecting traditional themes that eulogised kings and noblemen, and writing didactic poems that were closer to the spoken and sung form of the language. In addition to hundreds of male poets, over thirty female poets have been recorded.