Jump to content

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2015-12-16/Featured content

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Featured content

An unusually slow week

Gregor MacGregor created this "banknote" as part of his Poyais scheme

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 6 to 12 December.
Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.

Featured articles

George Mason was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
Vítor Baía has won a record 25 titles with FC Porto

Four featured articles were promoted this week.

  • Bessie Braddock (nominated by Brianboulton) (1899–1970) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for the Liverpool Exchange division from 1945 to 1970. She was a member of Liverpool County Borough Council from 1930 to 1961. Although she never held office in government, she won a national reputation for her forthright campaigns in connection with housing, public health and other social issues.
  • George Mason (nominated by Wehwalt) (1725–1792) was a Virginia planter, politician, and a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of three men who refused to sign. His writings, including substantial portions of the Fairfax Resolves of 1774, the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, and his Objections to this Constitution of Government (1787) in opposition to ratification of the Constitution of the United States, have been a significant influence on political thought and events. The Virginia Declaration of Rights served as a basis for the United States Bill of Rights, of which he has been deemed the father.
  • Gregor MacGregor (nominated by Cliftonian) (1786–1845) was a Scottish soldier, adventurer and confidence trickster who from 1821 to 1837 attempted to draw British and French investors and settlers to "Poyais", a fictional Central American territory he claimed to rule as "Cazique". Hundreds invested their savings in supposed Poyaisian government bonds and land certificates, while about 250 emigrated to MacGregor's invented country in 1822–23 to find only an untouched jungle; over half of them died. MacGregor's Poyais scheme has been called one of the most brazen confidence tricks in history.
  • Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge (nominated by West Virginian) is a historic Whipple truss bridge in Capon Lake, West Virginia. It is located off Carpers Pike and crosses the Cacapon River. The bridge formerly carried Capon Springs Road over the Cacapon River, thus connecting the unincorporated communities of Capon Springs with Capon Lake.

Featured lists

Two featured lists were promoted this week.

  • Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak (nominated by Cyclonebiskit) Accompanying Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic coastal impacts was a moderate tornado outbreak spawned by the cyclone's outer bands. The event spanned August 26–31, 2005, with 57 tornadoes touching down across 8 states. One person died and numerous communities suffered damage of varying degrees from central Mississippi to Pennsylvania, with Georgia sustaining record monetary damage for the month of August. Due to extreme devastation in coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, multiple tornadoes may have been overlooked—overshadowed by the effects of storm surge and large-scale wind—and thus the full extent of the hurricane's tornado outbreak is uncertain.
  • List of FC Porto records and statistics (nominated by Parutakupiu) FC Porto is a Portuguese sports club based in Porto, which is best known for its professional association football team. This list includes the major honours won by Porto and all-time statistics and records set by the club, its players and its coaches. Porto have won 27 league titles and lifted the Taça de Portugal on 16 occasions. Internationally, Porto is the most successful Portuguese club, with a total of seven titles. Former captain João Pinto and striker Fernando Gomes hold the club records for most appearances (587) and goals (352), respectively.

Featured pictures

Four featured pictures were promoted this week.