Three weeks in the land of featured content

Contribute —

Featured articles

1801 illustration of a bluebuck by Jean-Nicolas-Sébastien Allamand

Nineteen featured articles were promoted these weeks.

The bluebuck (nominated by FunkMonk, Sainsf and 7&6=thirteen) is an extinct species of antelope that lived in South Africa until around 1800. It is congeneric with the roan antelope and sable antelope, but was smaller than either. It was sometimes considered a subspecies of the roan antelope, but a genetic study has confirmed it as a distinct species.
The Yugoslav torpedo boat T1 (nominated by Peacemaker67) was a sea-going torpedo boat that was operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally built as 76 T, a 250t-class torpedo boat built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1914, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines.
The 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division (nominated by EnigmaMcmxc) of the British Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. The division's baptism by fire came in the first days of the Battle of the Somme, where it captured the strongly held Mametz Wood at the loss of nearly 4,000 men. After a distinguished record during the first world war, it ceased to exist by March 1919, but was reformed in 1939. It was never deployed overseas as a division, having been restricted to home defence duties around the United Kingdom. In 1944, it was disbanded and than recreated as a training formation. In this form, the division completed the training of recruits, who were then dispatched overseas as reinforcements. At the end of the war, the division was again stood down.
The Left Hand of Darkness (nominated by Vanamonde93) is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1969. The novel follows the story of Genly Ai, a native of Terra, who is sent to the planet of Gethen as an envoy of the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets. Ai's mission is to persuade the nations of Gethen to join the Ekumen, but he is stymied by his lack of understanding of Gethenian culture. Individuals on Gethen are "ambisexual", with no fixed gender identity. This fact has a strong influence on the culture of the planet, and creates a barrier of understanding for Ai. The novel became immensely popular; in 1970 it won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards as the year's Best Novel, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction.
Chicago Pile-1 (nominated by Hawkeye7) was the world's first nuclear reactor to achieve criticality. Its construction was part of the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort to create atomic bombs during World War II. It was built by the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, under the west viewing stands of the original Stagg Field. The first human-initiated, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred in CP-1 in 1942 under the supervision of Enrico Fermi, who described the apparatus as "a crude pile of black bricks and wooden timbers". In 1943, CP-1 was moved to Red Gate Woods, and reconfigured to become Chicago Pile-2. There, it was operated until 1954, when it was dismantled and buried.
Yugoslav monitor Drava (nominated by Peacemaker67 and 23 editor) was a river monitor operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. She was originally built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy as the name ship of the Enns-class river monitors. As SMS Enns, she was part of the Danube Flotilla during World War I, and fought against the Serbian and Romanian armies from Belgrade to the lower Danube. After World War I she was provided to the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and renamed Drava. She remained in service throughout the interwar period, but was not always in full commission due to budget restrictions. During the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, Drava spent six days shelling airfields near Mohács in Hungary and fought off a small flotilla of Hungarian gunboats. Later she was attacked by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers of the Luftwaffe. The anti-aircraft gunners on the ship claimed three enemy aircraft, but nine of the Stukas scored hits. She was raised and scrapped by Hungary during their occupation of parts of Yugoslavia.
Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed (nominated by Iridescent) is a 45.1 by 55.9 cm (17.8 by 22.0 in) oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1830. It shows a scene from the Histories by Herodotus, in which Candaules, king of Lydia, invites his bodyguard Gyges to hide in the couple's bedroom and watch his wife Nyssia undress, to prove to him her beauty. Nyssia notices Gyges spying, and challenges him to either kill himself or Candaules as a punishment; Gyges chooses to kill Candaules and to take his place as king. The painting shows the moment at which Nyssia, at this point unaware that she is being watched by anyone other than her husband, removes the last of her clothes. The painting was immediately controversial, and perceived as a cynical combination of a pornographic image and a violent and unpleasant narrative, and it was condemned as an immoral piece of the type one would expect from a foreign, not a British, artist.
Title TK (nominated by Moisejp) is the third studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released in 2002 by 4AD in the United Kingdom and Elektra Records in the United States. The album generated three singles: "Off You", "Huffer", and "Son of Three". Title TK reached the top 100 in France, Germany, the UK, and Australia, and number 130 in the US. The reception of Title TK has been generally positive; appraisal has included commendation for Albini's contributions to the sound of the album, and for how the arrangements isolate the individual musical components, such as vocals, guitar, and drums.
The Ecstatic (nominated by Dan56) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Mos Def. After venturing further away from hip hop with an acting career and two poorly received albums, Mos Def signed with Downtown Records and recorded the album primarily at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. The Ecstatic was described by music journalists as a conscious and alternative hip hop record with an eccentric, internationalist quality. Released in 2009, it charted at number nine on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 168,000 copies.
St Botolph's Church (nominated by Noswall59) is an Anglican place of worship in the village of Quarrington. Recognised for its age and tracery, the church has been designated a grade II* listed building. The oldest parts of the building date to the 13th century, although substantial rebuilding took place over the following century. With capacity for 124 people, the church serves the ecclesiastic parish of Quarrington with Old Sleaford.
J. R. Kealoha (nominated by KAVEBEAR) (died 1877) was an American Union Army soldier of Native Hawaiian descent. Kealoha enlisted in the 41st United States Colored Infantry, and participated in the Siege of Petersburg. He was present at the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House in 1865.
Lazarus Aaronson (nominated by P. S. Burton) (1895–1966) was a British poet and a lecturer in economics. As a young man, he belonged to a group of Jewish friends who are today known as the Whitechapel Boys, many of whom later achieved fame as writers and artists. Though less radical in his use of language, he has been compared to his more renowned Whitechapel friend, Isaac Rosenberg, in terms of diction and verbal energy. Aaronson's poetry is characterised as more post-Georgian than modernistic, and reviewers have traced influences from both the English poet John Keats, and Hebrew poets such as Shaul Tchernichovsky and Zalman Shneur. In total, he published three collections of poetry: Christ in the Synagogue (1930), Poems (1933), and The Homeward Journey and Other Poems (1946).
Ride the Lightning (nominated by Retrohead) is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released in 1984, by the independent label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. Although rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased the band's musical growth and lyrical sophistication. Instead of relying strictly on fast tempos as on its debut Kill 'Em All, Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. The album received positive response from music critics, who saw it as a more ambitious effort than its predecessor. It peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200, and sold half a million copies by November 1987. It was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2012 for shipping six million copies in the United States.
Cortinarius violaceus (nominated by J Milburn and Casliber) is a fungus in the webcap genus Cortinarius native across the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit bodies are dark purple mushrooms with caps up to 15 cm (5.9 in) across, sporting gills underneath. The stalk measures 6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.7 in) by 1 to 2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in), sometimes with a thicker base. The dark flesh has a smell reminiscent of cedar wood. Forming symbiotic relationships with the roots of various plant species, it is found predominantly in conifer forests in North America and deciduous forests in Europe.
The 2003–04 season (nominated by Lemonade51) was the 109th in the history of Arsenal F.C. It began on 1 July 2003 and concluded on 30 June 2004, with competitive matches played between August and May. The club ended the Premier League campaign as champions without a single defeat – a record of 26 wins and 12 draws. Arsenal fared less well in the cups, eliminated in the FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals by Manchester United and Middlesbrough respectively, and at the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea.
The CMLL World Middleweight Championship (nominated by MPJ-DK) is a professional wrestling world championship promoted by the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. The official definition of the middleweight division in Mexico is a person between 82 kg (181 lb) and 87 kg (192 lb), but the weight limits are not strictly adhered to. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via legitimate competition; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. Since its creation in 1991, there have been 17 individual championship reigns shared between 12 wrestlers.
William Borah (nominated by Wehwalt) (1865–1940) was an outspoken Republican United States Senator, one of the best-known figures in Idaho's history. A progressive who served from 1907 until his death in 1940, Borah is often considered an isolationist, for he led the Irreconcilables, senators who would not accept the Treaty of Versailles, Senate ratification of which would have made the United States part of the League of Nations.
Vincent van Gogh (nominated by Modernist, Ceoil, Victoriaearle and John) (1853–1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold, symbolic colours, and dramatic, impulsive and highly expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. He sold only one painting during his lifetime and became famous after his suicide at age 37, which followed years of poverty and mental illness.
Komm, du süße Todesstunde (nominated by Gerda Arendt) is a church cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in Weimar for the 16th Sunday after Trinity, probably first performed in 1716. The text of the cantata was provided by court poet Salomon Franck. He based it on the prescribed gospel reading about the young man from Nain. His text reflects on longing for death, seen as a transition to a life united with Jesus. The text includes as a closing chorale the fourth stanza of the hymn "Herzlich tut mich verlangen" by Christoph Knoll.

Featured lists

Eleven featured lists were promoted these weeks.

Ayrton Senna (1960–1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula One world championships. Senna contested 161 races in his career which included, 41 Grand Prix wins (nominated by Lourdes); the majority of his race victories were for the McLaren team with 35. He was most successful at Monaco, where he won six times during his career, including a record five consecutive times between 1989 and 1993. His largest margin of victory was 1:23.199 at the 1993 European Grand Prix, while the narrowest margin was at the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix, when he beat Nigel Mansell by 0.014 seconds.
Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) was a Reformed theologian of the Reformation period. His bibliography (nominated by Jfhutson) contains five biblical commentaries, six major theological and philosophical works and 329 letters.
Lecrae (born 1979) is an American Christian hip hop artist. In total, he has won sixteen awards and received an additional twenty-eight nominations (nominated by 3family6).
Montana is a state located in the Western United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, Montana is the 7th least populous state with 989,417 inhabitants but the 4th largest by land area spanning 145,545.80 square miles (376,961.9 km²) of land. There are 129 cities and towns in Montana (nominated by Mattximus).
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award of India. Instituted in 1954, the award is conferred on "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive a certificate signed by the President of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year on Republic Day and registered in The Gazette of India. A total of 133 awards were presented in the 1980s (nominated by Dharmadhyaksha and Vivvt), including ten foreign recipients.
The Davis Cup is an annual international team event in men's tennis, which is run by the International Tennis Federation, who describe it as the "World Cup of tennis". Since its establishment in 1900, 14 nations have won the competition (nominated by NapHit). The United States are the most successful nation in the history of the competition, with 32 victories.
Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. His bibliography (nominated by SchroCat) is made up mostly of publications in periodicals and newspapers, and he was also interviewed nine times during his lifetime. He also wrote seven novels, twelve short story collections and seven scripts.
Bridge of Spies is a 2015 historical legal thriller directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is set during the Cold War and is based on the 1960 U-2 incident and its aftermath. Tom Hanks plays lawyer James B. Donovan who is tasked with negotiating the release of the captured American pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) in exchange for the convicted KGB spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). It grossed a worldwide total of over $165 million on a production budget of $40 million. The film garnered many awards and nominations (nominated by Cowlibob) in a variety of categories with particular praise for Rylance's performance. Bridge of Spies received six nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Rylance went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Parks and Recreation is an American situation comedy created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The show premiered on NBC in 2009 and concluded in 2015 after airing seven seasons. The sitcom was nominated for a variety of awards (nominated by Mymis), including fifteen Primetime Emmy Award nominations, twice as a series and twice for writing.
Evita is a 1996 American musical drama film based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name about First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón. Directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone, the film starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce in the leading roles. Made on a budget of $56 million, it grossed over $141 million worldwide. The film garnered awards and nominations (nominated by IndianBio) in several categories and has won 19 awards from 40 nominations, with particular recognition for Madonna, Parker, Rice, Webber, and the song "You Must Love Me" from the film.
Gwen Stefani (born 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She has recorded songs (nominated by Carbrera) for three studio albums and one EP, and has been featured on songs on other artists' respective albums.

Featured portals

One featured portal was promoted these weeks.

The highway system of the U.S. state of California (nominated by Rschen7754) is a network of roads owned and maintained by the state of California through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Most of these are numbered in a statewide system, and are known as State Route X (abbreviated SR X). United States Numbered Highways are labeled US X, and Interstate Highways are Interstate X, though Caltrans typically uses State Route X for all classes.