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Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2015-09-02/Featured content

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Brawny


This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 16 August to 24 August.


A gold dinar, minted for Muhammad al-Ikhshid, Egypt AH 333
Warren Harding and the finger of destiny

Six featured articles were promoted this week.

  • Carrow Road (nominated by Dweller and The Rambling Man) Carrow Road is the ground of Norwich City Football Club. The club's original ground, The Nest, was located in a disused chalk pit and had subsidence problems from the collapse of old workings. Forced by the Football Association to move as the Nest was "no longer suitable for large crowds" (a 30 foot deep hole had appeared at one corner of the pitch) the club was able to acquire a sports ground used by a local mustard maker.
  • Dave Gallaher (nominated by Shudde) Dave Gallaher (1873–1917) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer best remembered as the captain of the "Original All Blacks"—the 1905–06 national team, the first New Zealand side to tour the British Isles.
  • Imperator torosus (nominated by Sasata and Casliber) The Imperator torosus or brawny bolete is a fungus found in warm dry places in southern Europe, especially Hungary. The meaning of the name "brawny" and the epithet torusus, or "strong", in its Latin name are also reflected in the common French and German names for this bolete fungus; the flesh has an uncommon amount of chitin in its structure giving it an almost rock-like feel.
  • Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid (nominated by Cplakidas) Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid was a commander of troops of the Abbasid Caliphate, who became ruler of Egypt and parts of Syria in 935 CE. The previous governor had failed to keep order over the province, and ibn Tughj launched an invasion by land and sea, forcing out the governor and rebellious troops. Ibn Tughj was appointed governor by the caliphate; on his request he was subsequently named "al-Ikhshid", the title held by the kings of Ferghana, his ancestral homeland. He required everybody to address him only as "al-Ikhshid". He had a reputation for extreme caution in his policies, and was relatively uncultured, but with a passion for perfumes.
  • Sieges of Taunton (nominated by Harrias) The town of Taunton occupies a strategically important position on the route between Bristol and Devon and Cornwall. During the first of the English Civil Wars the town was subjected to three sieges by Royalist forces between September 1644 and July 1645. Taunton had a somewhat ruinous castle, but no town walls; the sympathies of the townspeople lay with Parliament and the Puritans.
  • Warren G. Harding (nominated by Wehwalt) Harding was the 29th president of the USA, serving from 1921 till his death in 1923 from a cerebral hemorrhage. He was a popular incumbent who shares a middle name with a certain Signpost editor, but his reputation took a nosedive after his death when some of the friends and acquaintances he shoehorned into the federal administration were found to be corrupt. Harding had either been unaware of or had ignored the illegalities committed by his appointees. He had at least two mistresses, one of whom, Nan Britton, published an account in 1927 of how he had fathered a daughter with her, a claim supported by recent DNA testing. Harding was reckoned to have "good looks, affability, enthusiasm, and persistence", but his oratory was vague and gaffe-filled, a style which H.L. Mencken famously mocked as "Gamalielese". Harding had a tendency to sit on any available fence, which he did with women's suffrage and Prohibition.
The cricket pavilion at Leyton

Four featured lists were promoted this week.

  • Lil Debbie discography (nominated by Azealia911) Lil Debbie is the stage name of Jordan Capozzi, an Italian-American rapper. She was a member of The White Girl Mob, but was "kicked out ... due to being disloyal to the other members of the group". Lil Debbie has released a number of solo mixtapes and singles.
  • List of Essex County Cricket Club grounds (nominated by AssociateAffiliate and ChrisTheDude) Essex County Cricket Club was established in 1876, and has played in first-class matches since 1894. The County Ground at Leyton was the club's home until 1977. They are now based at another County Ground in Chelmsford, with some matches played at the Castle Park in Colchester.
  • List of United States Army campaigns during World War II (nominated by Tomandjerry211, Hawkeye7, and Gecko G) The United States Army fought in a number of campaigns during World War II, beginning with the Burma campaign which began in December 1941. Campaigns in Africa, Italy, France and Germany resulted in the defeat of German forces in May 1945. The extremely hard-fought island-hopping campaigns across the Pacific Ocean were brought to a conclusion by the army-developed atomic bombs dropped on Japanese cities in August 1945.
  • List of accolades received by Fashion (film) (nominated by Prashant) Fashion was a 2008 Indian drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and produced by UTV Motion Pictures.

One featured topic was promoted this week.

  • Almirante Latorre-class battleships (nominated by Sturmvogel 66) The Alimrante Latorre class consisted of two "Dreadnought"-type battleships built for the Chilean navy by British yards. Unfortunately for the Chileans, construction started in 1913, one year before the Great War began. The two ships were commandeered by the British navy, one being converted into an aircraft carrier. The Chileans got one of the ships back in 1920, but the British kept the aircraft carrier.

Twenty-one featured pictures were promoted this week.