Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 October 1

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"A Streetcar Named Marge" is the second episode of The Simpsons' fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1992. In the episode, Marge wins the role of Blanche DuBois in a musical version of Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire. Homer offers little support for his wife's acting pursuits, and Marge begins to see parallels between him and Stanley Kowalski, the play's boorish lead male character. The episode contains a subplot in which Maggie attempts to retrieve her pacifier from a strict daycare owner. Jeff Martin wrote the episode, and Rich Moore served as director. Jon Lovitz made his fourth guest appearance on The Simpsons, this time as musical director Llewellyn Sinclair, as well as Llewellyn's sister, who runs the daycare. The episode generated controversy with an unflattering original song about New Orleans; one newspaper published the lyrics before the episode aired, and the president of Fox Broadcasting issued a public apology. The episode was well received by many fans, and show creator Matt Groening has named it one of his favorite episodes. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Air-raid shelter at St Leonard's Court

... that St Leonard's Court in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames has a Grade II listed underground air-raid shelter (entrance pictured) built in the 1930s?
... that the stories of Italian author and Holocaust survivor Rubino Romeo Salmonì were an inspiration for Roberto Benigni's 1997 film Life Is Beautiful?
... that Restaurant Andrew Fairlie is known for a signature dish of lobster cold smoked over whisky casks?
... that Zufar al-Kilabi was given a high position in the Umayyad court and army in return for abandoning his support for the rebellion of Ibn al-Zubayr?
... that Channel 4's 2016 Paralympics trailer "We're the Superhumans" featured a big band comprised of musicians with disabilities?
... that Moldavian pediatrician Anastasie Fătu proposed a ban on open-casket church funerals?
... that Jordan has remained one of the safest countries in the Middle East, despite regional turmoil?
... that RKO Pictures fired director Howard Hawks after Bringing Up Baby flopped, but the 1938 screwball comedy is now regarded as one of Hawks' masterpieces?

In the news

Shimon Peres

Nobel Peace Prize-winning former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres (pictured) dies at the age of 93.
The Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) makes its first observations in Guizhou, China.
Yahoo! confirms that hackers infiltrated its network in late 2014 and stole information associated with at least 500 million user accounts – the largest data breach reported to date.
In rugby union, the Rugby Championship is won by New Zealand.

On this day...

October 1: National Day in China (1949); Unification Day in Cameroon (1961); Independence Day in Nigeria (1960), Palau (1994), and Tuvalu (1978); Filipino American History Month begins in the United States

Aerial view of Stanford University

1800 – With the signing of the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso, Spain returned the colonial territory of Louisiana to France in return for the Tuscany area of Italy.
1891 – Stanford University (pictured), founded by railroad magnate and California Governor Leland Stanford and his wife Jane on their former farm lands in Palo Alto, California, officially opened with 559 students and free tuition.
1946 – Mensa, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world, was formed in the United Kingdom.
1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav National Army forces invaded the area surrounding Dubrovnik, Croatia, beginning a seven-month siege of the city.
2012 – A ferry collision offshore Hong Kong killed 39 people and injured 92 others.

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Today's featured picture

The islet of Ko Tapu stands in front of Khao Phing Kan, an island in Phang Nga Bay, northeast of Phuket in Thailand. The islands are limestone tower karsts and part of Ao Phang Nga National Park. Since 1974, when they were featured in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, the islands have been popularly called James Bond Island.

Photograph: Diego Delso

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