Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 November 29

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
Bix Beiderbecke (1903–1931) was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist, and composer. He was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s. He helped to invent the jazz ballad style and hinted at what, in the 1950s, would become cool jazz. Beiderbecke taught himself to play cornet largely by ear, leading him to adopt a non-standard fingering that some critics have connected to his original sound. He first recorded with a Midwestern jazz ensemble The Wolverines (pictured with Beiderbecke) in 1924, after which he played briefly for the Jean Goldkette Orchestra before joining Frankie Trumbauer for an extended gig at the Arcadia Ballroom in St. Louis, Missouri. Beiderbecke and Trumbauer both joined Goldkette in 1926. The band toured widely and famously played a set opposite Fletcher Henderson at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in October 1926. The following year, Trumbauer and Beiderbecke left Detroit to join the best-known and most prestigious dance orchestra in the country: the New York-based Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Beiderbecke's most influential recordings date from his time with Goldkette and Whiteman, although they were generally recorded under his own name or Trumbauer's. Beiderbecke left the Whiteman band in 1930 and the following summer died in his Queens apartment at the age of twenty-eight. (more...) Recently featured: Montague Druitt – 2nd Canadian Infantry Division – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that despite failing to defend a convoy (engagement pictured), and having one of his ships wrecked, Robert Linzee still rose to be an admiral in the Royal Navy? ... that Winter: Five Windows on the Season by Adam Gopnik was the 50th Massey Lecture and occurred on the 75th anniversary of the CBC? ... that the Pioneer Youth League of British Guiana was banned by the British colonial authorities in December 1953? ... that Jacque LaPrarie, Eric Hochberg, Tom Tarver, Mike Stephans, and Chas Dodd all led the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team in passing yards? ... that Rollin White was an American gunsmith who invented a revolver with a bored-through cylinder which allowed the use of metallic cartridges? ... that the Belgian Landrace, a breed of domestic pig, is known for its musculature and high quality of pork? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Abdelilah Benkirane The Justice and Development Party, led by Abdelilah Benkirane (pictured), wins a plurality in the Moroccan parliamentary election. Gary Speed, manager of the Welsh national football team, commits suicide at the age of 42. NASA launches the Mars Science Laboratory on a multi-year mission to assess the habitability of Mars. The incumbent National Party, led by John Key, wins a plurality in the New Zealand general election. A NATO helicopter fires upon a Pakistani checkpoint, killing 28 soldiers. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan apologizes on behalf of the state for the 1937–38 Dersim Massacre. The interim government of Egypt resigns amid violent protests in which at least 30 people have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded. Tony Stewart wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto racing championship. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 29: Liberation Day in Albania (1944) 1781 – The crew of the overcrowded British slave ship Zong killed 133 African slaves by dumping them into the sea to claim insurance. 1854 – The Eureka Flag (pictured) was flown for the first time during the Eureka Stockade rebellion in Australia. 1864 – American Indian Wars: A 700-man Colorado Territory militia attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, killing 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, and children. 1963 – Five minutes after takeoff from Montreal, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831 crashed, killing all 118 people aboard. 2007 – Philippine soldiers led by Senator Antonio Trillanes, on trial for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, staged a mutiny and temporarily seized a conference room in The Peninsula Manila hotel. More anniversaries: November 28 – November 29 – November 30 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 29, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Small White (Pieris rapae) is a butterfly species native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. It has also been accidentally introduced to North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where it has become a pest on cultivated mustard family crops.

Photo: JJ Harrison

Recently featured: African striped skink – Fissure in Fimmvörðuháls, Iceland – European Hedgehog

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

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.