Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 December 31

From today's featured article

Steve Bruce (born 1960) is an English football manager, currently for Hull City, and a former player. A defender, he began his professional career at Gillingham in 1979, and made over 200 appearances before transferring to Norwich City five years later. From 1987 to 1996, he played for Manchester United, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup and European Cup Winner's Cup. He was the first English player of the twentieth century to captain a team to the Double. Bruce began his managerial career with Sheffield United, and briefly managed Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace. He joined Birmingham City in 2001 and twice led them to promotion to the Premier League during his tenure of nearly six years, but resigned in 2007 to begin a second spell as manager of Wigan. At the end of the 2008–09 season he resigned to take over as manager of Sunderland, a post he held until he was dismissed in November 2011. Seven months later, he was appointed manager of Hull City, and has since led the club to promotion to the Premier League and the 2014 FA Cup Final. (Full article...)

Kvitsøy Lighthouse

... that the Kvitsøy Lighthouse (pictured) is the oldest stone tower lighthouse still in operation in Norway?
... that Frank H. Winter presented the American Astronautical Society 's first Goddard Memorial Lecture and received a medal for it?
... that Dreams, an upcoming sandbox video game, has an impressionist art-style?
... that the suicide of Chinese silent film actress Ai Xia inspired a film starring Ruan Lingyu, who also committed suicide soon after the film's release?
... that the Royalist guerrillas of Operation Honorable Dragon ran from "ghosts"?
... that Agnes Okoh, an illiterate Nigerian, founded Christ Holy Church International?
... that the sooty sea hare can swim and is able to emit toxic clouds of ink?
... that Keenan Reynolds is the only Navy quarterback to win all four games against Army?

Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad

The governments of Japan and South Korea announce their "final and irreversible" agreement regarding comfort women.
The Charter of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank enters into force.
After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral.
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case.
More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China.

Jean-Bédel Bokassa

1225 – Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history of Vietnam, married Trần Thái Tông, making him the first emperor of the Trần Dynasty at age seven.
1759 – Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin and began brewing Guinness.
1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, began in an engagement where both sides would suffer their highest casualty rates of the war.
1965 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa (pictured), leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
1999 – Panama took control of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States, in accordance with the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.

A long-exposure shot of the finale of the second act of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, the nightly fireworks show at Epcot in Walt Disney World. This three-act show premiered in 1999 and has won eleven straight Golden Ticket Awards for Best Outdoor Night Production Show.

Photograph: Chensiyuan

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.