Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 28, 2019 is Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar.
The Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar is a half dollar commemorative coin struck by the United States Mint in 1937, though it bears the date 1936. Designed by William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson, the coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of Norfolk being designated as a royal borough, and the 100th anniversary of it becoming a city. Virginia Senator Carter Glass sponsored a bill for a Norfolk half dollar, but it was amended in committee to provide for commemorative medals instead. Unaware of the change, Glass and other advocates shepherded it through Congress. A bill calling for coins was passed in 1937, but by then, the anniversaries had passed, and sales were poorer than hoped; almost a third of the coins could not be sold. The Norfolk half dollar is the only U.S. coin to depict the British crown, shown on the reverse on the city's ceremonial mace.

‘The Plagiarists’ Review: A Sharp Satire Built on Social Discomfort

By GLENN KENNY

The Plagiarists ()

Opening June 28, 2019

from NYT Critics' Pick https://ift.tt/2ZLL37Y

Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 27, 2019 is Coprinellus micaceus.
Coprinellus micaceus is a common species of fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae with a cosmopolitan distribution. The species typically grows in dense clusters on or near rotting hardwood tree stumps or underground tree roots. Depending on their stage of development, the tawny-brown mushroom caps may range in shape from oval to bell-shaped to convex, and reach diameters up to 3 cm (1.2 in). In young specimens, the cap surface is coated with a fine layer of reflective mica-like cells, inspiring the species name as well as the common names "mica cap", "shiny cap", and "glistening inky cap". A few hours after collection, the gills will start to dissolve into a black, inky, spore-laden liquid. The fruit bodies are edible before the gills blacken and dissolve, and cooking will stop the process. Chemical analysis of the fruit bodies has revealed the presence of antibacterial and enzyme-inhibiting compounds.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 26, 2019 is 1907 Tiflis bank robbery.
A bank robbery was committed by Bolsheviks on 26 June 1907 in the city of Tiflis, Russian Empire, what is now Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. Planned by Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Maxim Litvinov, Leonid Krasin, and Alexander Bogdanov, it was carried out by revolutionaries led by Stalin's early associate Kamo. The attack killed forty people and injured fifty others; the robbers escaped with 341,000 rubles. The Bolsheviks were unable to use most of the large banknotes they had stolen because the serial numbers were known to the police. Lenin thought of a plan to have the notes cashed simultaneously throughout Europe, but this strategy failed. Kamo was imprisoned for this and other crimes, but was released after the Russian Revolution; no other major conspirator was ever tried. After his death, Kamo was buried under a monument constructed near the robbery site, but the grave and monument have since been removed.

‘The Chambermaid’ Review: Amid Luxury, an Entrancing Drudgery

By A.O. SCOTT

The Chambermaid ()

Opening June 26, 2019

from NYT Critics' Pick https://nyti.ms/2J7101Q

Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 25, 2019 is Raymond Leane.
Raymond Leane (1878–1962) was an Australian Army brigadier general. Twice decorated for gallantry, he was wounded three times during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, and temporarily commanded the 11th Battalion there before the Australian force was withdrawn to Egypt. Leane led the 48th Battalion in fighting on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918 before commanding the 12th Brigade during the last part of the war. He was described by the Australian Official War Historian, Charles Bean, as "the foremost fighting leader" in the Australian Imperial Force. Leane was also called "the head of the most famous family of soldiers in Australian history", as four of his brothers and six of his nephews served in World War I, with two of each being killed. After the war, he served as Commissioner of the South Australia Police from 1920 to 1944, for which he was knighted in 1945.

Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 24, 2019 is Shergar.
Shergar (1978–1983) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1981 Shergar ran in six races, winning five of them. In June that year he won the 202nd Epsom Derby by ten lengths—the longest winning margin in the race's history. Three weeks later he won the Irish Sweeps Derby by four lengths; a month after that he won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by four lengths. He was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland, but was stolen by an armed gang in February 1983. In 1999 Sean O'Callaghan, a former member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, published details of the theft and said it was an operation to raise money for arms. An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph concluded that the horse was shot four days after the theft. No arrests were made for the theft, and Shergar's body was never recovered. In his honour the Shergar Cup was inaugurated in 1999.