From today's featured article
Donkey Kong is a character created by Shigeru Miyamoto (pictured) for the Japanese video game company Nintendo. He stars in the Donkey Kong franchise while also appearing in the Mario franchise. Donkey Kong is a large, powerful gorilla who leads the Kong family of simians. Stubborn and buffoonish, he attacks using barrels. Donkey Kong debuted as the antagonist in Donkey Kong (1981), characterized as Mario's rebellious pet. Since Donkey Kong Country (1994), he has appeared as a player character protecting his stash of bananas. Donkey Kong has also appeared in animation, comics, children's books, theme park attractions, and merchandise such as Lego toys. Journalists regard Donkey Kong as one of the greatest video game characters. The Donkey Kong franchise was Nintendo's first major international success and remains one of its bestselling franchises. Donkey Kong has been the subject of analysis regarding his gender role and his transition from villain to hero. ( Full article... )
Did you know ...
- ... that seed fossils (example pictured) from western North America, despite being first reported in 1906, were not fully described and named Pteroheterochrosperma until 2023?
- ... that Stephen Linard designed clothes for David Bowie and Boy George?
- ... that beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration can mostly be seen in girls due to its inheritance nature?
- ... that SUNY Potsdam basketball coach Jerry Welsh won all but 13 of his 267 games at the team's home court?
- ... that the " Song of Healing ", an emotional song from The Legend of Zelda, is an inversion of a different, more jaunty Zelda song?
- ... that the Glenford Dike section of the Ashokan Rail Trail may be the earliest example of an intentional rail with trail in the U.S.?
- ... that Sandra Caron changed her name to avoid associations with a woman once described as "the most highly paid woman in British show business in the 1950s and 1960s"?
- ... that the 1984 Indiana's 8th congressional district election was decided by just four votes?
- ... that Boleslovas Baranauskas became the chairman of his country's parliament two months after he was imprisoned at a forced-labour camp?
In the news
- José Jerí (pictured) is removed as the president of Peru by Congress, and replaced by José María Balcázar.
- American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies at the age of 84.
- The Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, wins the Bangladeshi general election .
- In the Barbadian general election , the Labour Party wins a third term and every seat in the House of Assembly.
On this day
- 1371 – Robert II became King of Scots as the first monarch of the House of Stewart.
- 1959 – Lee Petty won the first edition of the Daytona 500 , a NASCAR auto race at the Daytona International Speedway (pictured) in Florida.
- 1974 – Samuel Byck attempted to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate U.S. president Richard Nixon, but he was stopped by police.
- 2019 – A group broke into the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain, and stole several mobile telephones and digital storage devices.
- Peder Syv (b. 1631)
- James Russell Lowell (b. 1819)
- Clarence 13X (b. 1928)
- Bronwyn Oliver (b. 1959)
Today's featured picture
 | Shapur II (309–379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth King of Kings, the monarch of the Sasanian Empire in what is now Iran. He took the title at birth and held it until his death at age 70, making him the longest-reigning monarch in Sasanian history. The son of Hormizd II, who reigned from 302 to 309, Shapur's reign saw the military resurgence of the Sasanian Empire and the expansion of its territory. This included, at the age of 16, successful military campaigns against Arab insurrections and tribes, and later campaigns against the Roman Empire, the invasion of Armenia, and expansion into India. This photograph shows a 4th-century silver bust of the head of a Sasanian king, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It is not known with certainty which king is depicted, but it may be Shapur II. Sculpture credit: unknown Recently featured: |