Wikipedia article of the day for August 18, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 18, 2021 is Gurian Republic.
The Gurian Republic was an insurrection and protest movement in the western Georgian region of Guria between 1902 and 1906, against the Russian Empire. It arose from a revolt over land grazing rights; taxation, land ownership and economic factors were also concerns. The Republic established its own system of government, although it was not anti-Russian, desiring to remain within the Empire. The 1905 Russian Revolution led to uprisings throughout the Empire, including Georgia, and in reaction the imperial authorities deployed the military to end the rebellions. The peasants were able to fend off a small force of Cossacks, but overwhelming military force was used to re-assert control in 1906. Some of the Republic's leaders were executed, imprisoned or exiled, but others later played prominent roles in the 1918–1921 Democratic Republic of Georgia. The Gurian Republic demonstrated that peasants could participate in the socialist movement, an idea previously downplayed by leading Marxists.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 17, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 17, 2021 is Murder of William de Cantilupe.
William de Cantilupe was killed by multiple stab wounds in Scotton, Lincolnshire, in March 1375. The de Cantilupes were a wealthy English family and had a history of service to the crown. They were major landholders in the Midlands, with estates in Greasley, Ilkeston, and Withcall. William de Cantilupe's ancestors included royal councillors and, distantly, Saint Thomas de Cantilupe. Among the suspects in the murder were his wife Maud and the sheriff Thomas Kydale. Maud may have had an affair with Kydale during her husband's frequent absences on service during the war in France. Fifteen members of the household were also accused. De Cantilupe's murder was the first to come within the purview of the Treason Act 1351, a statute which declared the murder of a man by his wife or servants to be petty treason. Maud was tried and acquitted. She then married Kydale. Two members of the household staff were convicted and executed. Others who were indicted did not appear for trial and were outlawed. One of the outlaws, de Cantilupe's steward, John Tailour of Barneby, was pardoned by Richard II.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 16, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 16, 2021 is Dimple Kapadia.
Dimple Kapadia (born 1957) is an Indian actress of Hindi films. She was discovered at age 14 by Raj Kapoor, who cast her in the title role of Bobby, a major success in 1973. The same year, she married and then quit acting until 1984. Both Bobby and her comeback film Saagar (1985) won her Filmfare Awards for Best Actress. She established herself as a leading lady in both mainstream and parallel Hindi cinema and won acclaim for Kaash (1987), Drishti (1990) and Lekin (1991). Her portrayal of a professional mourner in Rudaali (1993) won her a Filmfare Critics Award and the National Film Award for Best Actress; a supporting role in Krantiveer (1994) earned her a fourth Filmfare Award. Less active in later decades, Kapadia played troubled middle-aged women in Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Leela (2002). She followed with several leading roles, but character parts in films including Luck by Chance (2009), Finding Fanny (2014) and the Hollywood thriller Tenet (2020) brought her more success.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 15, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 15, 2021 is Shaw and Crompton.
Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, containing the town of Shaw. Formerly known as Crompton, the parish lies at the edge of the South Pennines, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Manchester. There is evidence of ancient British and Anglian activity in the area, and by the Middle Ages it was a small township, although lacking a lord's manor. Farming was the main industry with some hand-loom woollen weaving until textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution initiated rapid urbanisation. By the late 19th century Crompton had emerged as a densely populated mill town. Imports of foreign cotton led to a decline in textiles in the mid–20th century and the last mill closed in 1989. The borough is mainly suburban, with a population of 21,065 as of 2011. Of the 48 cotton mills, some very large, that have existed in the area, six now serve as home to large distribution companies, among them Yodel's Shaw National Distribution Centre.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 14, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 14, 2021 is Ring ouzel.
The ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) is a medium-sized thrush, breeding mainly in Europe. Males are mostly black with a white crescent across the breast, females are browner and duller than males, and young birds may lack chest markings. A high-altitude bird, it breeds in open mountain areas with some trees or shrubs, often including heather or juniper. It is migratory, wintering in southern Europe, northern Africa and Turkey, often in mountains with juniper. A typical clutch of three to six brown-flecked pale blue or greenish eggs is incubated by the female and hatches after 13 days. The downy chicks fledge in another 14 days. The thrush is omnivorous, eating invertebrates, particularly insects and earthworms, some small vertebrates, and a wide range of fruit. Most animal prey is caught on the ground. With an extensive range and a large population, the ring ouzel is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. There are declines in several countries, perhaps due to climate change or human disturbance.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 13, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 13, 2021 is Battle of Blenheim.
The Battle of Blenheim was fought on 13 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The French were seeking to knock Austria out of the war by seizing its capital, Vienna. An army of the reconstituted Grand Alliance, led by the Duke of Marlborough, marched south from the Dutch Republic to the Danube. There he defeated the Bavarians at the Battle of Donauwörth and joined an Austrian army under Prince Eugene. A French army under Marshall Tallard bolstered the Elector of Bavaria's forces. The opposing armies met on the banks of the Danube near the village of Blindheim. Marlborough unexpectedly attacked the slightly larger Franco-Bavarian army and after a hard day's fighting inflicted a crushing defeat. France suffered around 30,000 casualties, Tallard was taken prisoner and Bavaria was knocked out of the war. Before the campaign ended, the Allies had taken several important towns and were preparing to invade France in 1705.

Wikipedia article of the day for August 12, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 12, 2021 is Star Trek Generations.
Star Trek Generations is a 1994 American science fiction film, the seventh in the Star Trek film series. Malcolm McDowell (pictured) joined cast members from the 1960s television show Star Trek and the 1987 spin-off The Next Generation, including William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. In the film, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D joins with Captain James T. Kirk to stop the villain Tolian Soran from destroying a planetary system. David Carson directed with photography by franchise newcomer John A. Alonzo. The distributor, Paramount, marketed the film with merchandising tie-ins, including toys, books, games, and the first website to ever promote a major motion picture. The film opened at the top of the United States box office its first week of release and grossed a total of $118 million worldwide. Critical reception was lukewarm, with critics divided on the film's characters and comprehensibility to a casual viewer.