Super Mario 64 was one of the first video games released for the
Nintendo 64 and was the console's flagship killer application. It
debuted in Japan on June 23, 1996 and in the U.S. on September 29,
1996. As the first 3D game in the Mario franchise, Super Mario 64
defined the 3D platformer, much as the franchise's original game,
Super Mario Bros., defined the 2D sidescrolling platformer. In leaping
from 2D to 3D, Super Mario 64 replaced the linear obstacle courses of
traditional platform games with vast worlds where the objective is to
collect special items — in this case stars — which are
awarded for exploration or successfully carrying out tasks. While
doing so, it managed nonetheless to preserve the feel of earlier Mario
games, including many game play elements and characters from them. It
is considered by many to be one of the greatest games of all time.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_64
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1606:
Guy Fawkes was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot
against the English Parliament and King James I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes)
1747:
The first clinic specializing in the treatment of venereal diseases
was opened.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually-transmitted_infection)
1876:
The United States ordered all Native Americans to move into
reservations.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American)
1946:
In Yugoslavia, a new constitution established the six constituent
republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Serbia and Slovenia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia)
1961:
Aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, Ham the Chimp became the first higher
primate in outer space.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_2)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this
world of sin and woe... No one pretends that democracy is perfect or
all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of
government except all those other forms that have been tried from time
to time." -- Winston Churchill
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)
The Laal language is a still-unclassified language spoken by about 300
people in three villages in the Moyen-Chari prefecture of Chad on
opposite banks of the Chari River, called Gori, Damtar, and Mailao. It
may be a language isolate, in which case it would represent an
isolated survival of an earlier language group of central Africa. It
is unwritten (except by linguists). According to SIL-Chad missionary
David Faris, it is in danger of extinction, with most people under 25
shifting to the locally more widespread Baguirmi language. This
language first came to the attention of academic linguists in 1977,
through Pascal Boyeldieu's fieldwork in 1975 and 1978. His fieldwork
was based for the most part on a single speaker, M. Djouam Kadi of
Damtar.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laal_language
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
King Charles I was beheaded for high treason in front of the
Banqueting House in London during the English Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England)
1820:
Edward Bransfield of the Royal Navy discovered Antarctica.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bransfield)
1933:
Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler)
1948:
Nathuram Godse bowed before Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of India,
wished him well, then shot him to death with a Beretta pistol.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathuram_Godse)
1994:
The Buffalo Bills became the first team in the National Football
League to play in four consecutive Super Bowls.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bills)
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Wikiquote of the day:
Time's glory is to command contending kings,<br> To unmask falsehood,
and bring truth to light. <br> -- William Shakespeare --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare)
The Pulaski Skyway is a cantilever truss structure in New Jersey
carrying U.S. Highways 1 and 9 between the far east side of Newark and
Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City, passing through Kearny. The Skyway
spans the Passaic River and Hackensack River, the New Jersey Turnpike,
many local roads, and several railroads. It is named for General
Kazimierz Pulaski, the Polish military leader who helped the United
States in the Revolutionary War. It is known as a 'skyway' because it
travels high (41.1 meters/135 feet at its highest point) above the
meadows to avoid drawbridges across the two navigable rivers. The
Skyway was opened in 1932 as the last part of the Route 1 Extension,
considered by many to be the first "super highway" in the United
States, and is still in use in its original form, with only minor
changes.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulaski_Skyway
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1845:
The Raven, a popular poem by Edgar Allan Poe, was first published in
the New York Evening Mirror.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe)
1856:
The Victoria Cross was first awarded, recognizing acts of valour
during the Crimean War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross)
1886:
Carl Benz received a patent for the first successful gasoline-driven
automobile.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Benz)
1959:
The Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty was first released.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty)
2002:
In his State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush
described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as "regimes that sponsor terror",
forming an "Axis of Evil".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_evil)
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Wikiquote of the day:
Wise men don't need to prove their point; <br> men who need to prove
their point aren't wise.<br> The Master has no possessions.<br> The
more he does for others, the happier he is. <br> The more he gives to
others, the wealthier he is. <br> The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
<br> By not dominating, the Master leads. <br> -- Lao Zi --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lao_Zi)
Since the featured article by email went silent 6 weeks ago, I've received
many emails asking me what happened. I apologize for taking so long to
respond. I'll attempt to explain why.
The featured article by email was the brainchild of Kate. It was she who had
the idea, set it up, and maintained it. In December, Kate left Wikipedia.
After she left, there was no one to maintain it, so it went silent. It came
at a bad time for me, as so I have only recently gotten around to fixing the
situation.
Not long ago, I began looking for someone to replace Kate. I have found a
volunteer, so I believe that you can expect to see the
featured-article-by-email return very soon.
Sincerely Yours,
Mark Pellegrini
Wikipedia Featured Article director
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Raul654