Wikipedia article of the day for June 29, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 29, 2021 is Berlin to Kitchener name change.
Berlin, Ontario, changed its name to Kitchener by referendum in May and June 1916. Named in 1833 after the capital of Prussia and later the German Empire, Berlin was heavily German-Canadian, and its residents enjoyed a blend of British and German culture. The name Berlin became unsavoury for residents after Great Britain and Canada's entry into the First World War, as German Canadians experienced increasing anti-German sentiment. In a vote characterized by intimidation and high voter turnout, the 19 May 1916 referendum on changing the name narrowly passed; a second vote to choose the new name saw low turnout. The vote settled on Kitchener, named for British field marshal War Secretary Lord Kitchener. The city was officially renamed on 1 September 1916. After the war, the city experienced a decline in its German culture with German Canadians being culturally assimilated into the broader Canadian identity.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2021 is Phillip Davey.
Phillip Davey (1896–1953) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross. Along with his unit, the 10th Battalion, he landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915. He fought with his unit against the Ottoman army until he was evacuated sick in early November. He rejoined his battalion on the Western Front in October 1916. In January 1918 he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in rescuing a wounded man under fire. He was promoted to corporal in April. On 28 June, in the lead-up to the capture of Merris, he killed an eight-man German machine-gun crew, saving his platoon from annihilation, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. During this action he was severely wounded. He returned to Australia to be discharged, and was employed by South Australian Railways before dying in 1953, having suffered for years with bronchitis and emphysema. His medals are displayed in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2021 is CM Punk.
CM Punk (born 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), in which his 434-day reign as WWE Champion stands as the sixth-longest in history. His professional career on the independent circuit, primarily with Ring of Honor (ROH), began in 1999, and he won the ROH World Championship once. He signed with WWE in 2005, won several championships, and became WWE's 19th Triple Crown Champion in 203 days, the fastest wrestler to achieve this. He is also the only back-to-back Money in the Bank winner, won Superstar of the Year at the 2011 Slammy Awards, and was twice voted Wrestler of the Year. His wrestling character was consistently portrayed as outspoken, confrontational, sharp-tongued, anti-establishment, straight edge, and iconoclastic. He retired from professional wrestling in 2014, and then pursued a short-lived career in mixed martial arts. He later worked as a commentator with Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), and as an analyst on WWE Backstage.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2021 is Shojo Beat.
Shojo Beat was a shōjo manga magazine published in North America by Viz Media. Launched in June 2005 as a sister magazine for Shonen Jump, it featured serialized chapters from six manga series per issue, as well as articles on Japanese culture, manga, anime, fashion and beauty. Viz launched a related imprint of the same name for female-oriented manga, light novels and anime. Targeted at women aged 16 to 18, the first issue of Shojo Beat launched with a circulation of 20,000. By 2007, the average circulation was approximately 38,000 copies, with half coming from subscriptions rather than store sales. It was well received by critics, though some found the early issues boring and poorly written. In May 2009, Viz announced that it was discontinuing the magazine; the July 2009 issue was the last released. Fans were disappointed at the news. Industry experts felt its loss left female manga fans without a magazine of their own, but praised Viz for continuing the Shojo Beat imprint and branding for its shōjo manga and anime releases.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2021 is Grevillea juniperina.
Grevillea juniperina, the prickly spider-flower, is a plant of the family Proteaceae native to eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland in Australia. It is a small prickly-leaved shrub from 0.2 to 3 m (8 in to 10 ft) high, generally growing on clay-based or alluvial soils in eucalypt woodland. Scottish botanist Robert Brown described G. juniperina in 1810, and seven subspecies are recognised. The flower heads (inflorescences) appear from winter to early summer and are red, orange or yellow. Birds visit and pollinate the flowers. G. juniperina plants are killed by bushfire, regenerating afterwards from seed. The species adapts readily to cultivation and has been important in horticulture as it is the parent of many popular garden hybrids. G. j. juniperina, a subspecies restricted to western Sydney and environs, has its habitat threatened by housing development and other factors.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2021 is New Rochelle 250th Anniversary half dollar.
The New Rochelle 250th Anniversary half dollar is a fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1937 as a commemorative coin to mark the 250th anniversary of the settling of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York. The coin's obverse (pictured) depicts a fatted calf being led by John Pell, who sold the land on which New Rochelle now stands; a "fatt calfe" was to be presented to him annually on June 24 if he asked for it, lest New Rochelle's land be forfeited back to him. The other side shows a fleur-de-lis, an element of the city seal of New Rochelle and of France's La Rochelle, its eponym. The piece is dated 1938 but was minted the previous year. Artist Gertrude K. Lathrop designed the coin; she was hired based on her work on the 1936 Albany Charter half dollar. New Rochelle's coin committee sold the half dollar for $2.00 both locally and by mail order, sending them to all 48 states and internationally, distributing them during 1937 and early 1938. Lathrop's work has been both praised and criticized by numismatic commentators.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 23, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 23, 2021 is Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created and owned by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. In addition to video games, Sonic incorporates printed media, animations, a 2020 feature film, and merchandise. The first Sonic game, released for the Sega Genesis on June 23, 1991, was developed after Sega requested a mascot character to compete with Nintendo's mascot Mario. Sonic's success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies during the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s. When Sega exited the console market and shifted to third-party development in 2001, it continued the series on Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation systems. Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega's flagship franchise and one of the bestselling video game franchises, having sold more than 140 million copies by 2016. Several Sonic games have been listed among the greatest of all time. Although later games, notably the 2006 series reboot, have been criticized for a perceived decline in quality, Sonic is influential in the video game industry and is frequently referenced in popular culture.