Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 2005
| << | Today's featured articles for September 2005 | >> | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
September 1
The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean. The 2,574 km (1,599 mi) long river has its source in Zambia and flows through Angola, along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique, where it empties into the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi's most spectacular feature is Victoria Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls. Other notable falls include the Chavuma Falls at the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngonye Falls, near Sioma in Western Zambia. Over its entire course, the Zambezi is spanned by only five bridges: at Chinyingi, Katima Mulilo, Victoria Falls, Chirundu and Tete. There are two main sources of hydroelectric power on the river. These are the Kariba Dam, which provides power to Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Cabora-Bassa Dam in Mozambique which provides power to South Africa.
Recently featured: Iron Maiden – Menstrual cycle – Penda
September 2
The USS Missouri is a United States Navy battleship, notable as both the last battleship to be built by the United States, and as the site of the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Launched on 29 January 1944, the ship was the fourth and last of the Iowa-class "fast battleship" designs, as well as the final battleship to be commissioned by the Navy. At her launching, the ship was christened by Mary Margaret Truman, daughter of Harry S. Truman, then a senator from Missouri. During World War II, the Missouri saw action at the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, as well as participating in the shelling of the Japanese home islands of Hokkaido and Honshū. In the 1950s, Missouri saw action in the Korean War, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets. She was recommissioned in the 1980s, and refitted with modern armaments. Later, she participated in the Gulf War. Missouri was decommissioned a final time on March 31, 1992, having received a total of eight battle stars, and is presently a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
Recently featured: Zambezi – Iron Maiden – Menstrual cycle
September 3
The X Window System is a windowing system for bitmap displays. It is the standard toolkit and protocol for graphical user interfaces on Unix, Unix-like operating systems and OpenVMS, and is available for almost all modern operating systems. X provides the basic framework for a GUI environment: drawing and moving windows on the screen and interacting with a mouse and keyboard. X does not mandate the user interface — this is handled by individual programs. As such, the visual styling of X-based environments varies greatly; different programs may present radically different interfaces. X features network transparency: the machine where application programs (the client applications) run need not be the user's local machine (the display server). X originated at MIT in 1984. The current protocol version, X11, was released in September 1987. The project is led by the X.Org Foundation, and the reference implementation (X11R6.8.2) is free software under the MIT License and similar permissive licenses.
Recently featured: USS Missouri – Zambezi – Iron Maiden
September 4
Gas metal arc welding is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process that utilizes a welding gun through which a continuous and consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas are fed. A constant voltage, direct current power source is most commonly used with GMAW, but constant current systems, as well as alternating current, can be used. Originally developed for welding aluminum and other non-ferrous materials in the 1940s, GMAW was soon applied to steels because it allowed for lower welding time compared to other welding processes. The cost of inert gas limited its use in steels until several years later, when the use of semi-inert gases such as carbon dioxide became common. Further developments during the 1950s and 1960s gave the process more versatility and as a result, it became a highly used industrial process. Today, GMAW is commonly used in industries such as the automobile industry, where it is preferred for its versatility and speed. Unlike welding processes that do not employ a shielding gas, such as shielded metal arc welding, it is rarely used outdoors or in other areas of air volatility.
Recently featured: X Window System – USS Missouri – Zambezi
September 5
The cat is a small feline carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. Its immediate, pre-domestication ancestor is the African wild cat, Felis silvestris. The cat has been living in close association with humans for at least 3,500 years, when the ancient Egyptians routinely used cats to keep mice and other rodents away from their grain. Currently, the cat is one of the world's most popular household pets. Purebreds make up less than one percent of the total feline population; cats of mixed ancestry are referred to as domestic longhairs and domestic shorthairs. There are dozens of breeds of domestic cats, including hairless and tailless animals, and they exist in a variety of different colors as well as multicolored. Cats have excellent vision, which aids them in hunting; necessarily carnivorous, they are skilled predators that have been known to hunt over one thousand different species for food. They communicate by calling, purring, hissing, and gesturing. Because the domestication of the cat is relatively recent, cats may also still live effectively in the wild, often forming small colonies.
Recently featured: Gas metal arc welding – X Window System – USS Missouri
September 6
Jean Schmidt is an American politician. She is a U.S. Representative–elect of the Republican Party from the U.S. state of Ohio who is scheduled to be sworn in at 6:30 p.m. EDT on September 6, 2005, after winning a special election on August 2 in the state's second district to replace Rob Portman. Schmidt is the second Ohio woman of her party to be elected to Congress without succeeding her husband and the first woman to represent southwestern Ohio in Congress. Schmidt is a lifelong resident of Clermont County and won an 11-candidate primary on June 14, 2005. Schmidt faced Democratic nominee Paul Hackett, an attorney and Marine who served in the Iraq War in the special election, in which she won by 3.5 percent amid national attention. The narrowness of her victory in a district accustomed to Republican landslides led many Democrats to claim a victory for their party and forecast trouble for the Republicans in the 2006 House election.
Recently featured: Cat – Gas metal arc welding – X Window System
September 7
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It is located on the southeastern coast of China. As a former British colony, Hong Kong has one of the world's most free economies and is a major international centre of finance and trade. Though administered by the PRC under the policy of "one country, two systems," Hong Kong is legally entitled to a high degree of legal and cultural autonomy, retaining its own legal system, currency, and immigration laws. Hong Kong even maintains its own rules of the road, with traffic continuing to drive on the left. Only national defence and diplomatic relations are responsibilities of the government in Beijing.
Recently featured: Jean Schmidt – Cat – Gas metal arc welding
September 8
Władysław Sikorski was a Polish military and political leader. Before World War I, he became a founder and member of several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independence. He fought with distinction during the Polish-Soviet War, in which he played a prominent role in the decisive Battle of Warsaw. During World War II he became Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, and a staunch advocate of the Polish cause on the diplomatic scene. He supported the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet Union, which had been severed after the Soviet alliance with Germany in the 1939 invasion of Poland. In April 1943, however, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin broke off Soviet-Polish diplomatic relations following Sikorski's request that the International Red Cross investigate the Katyn Massacre. In July 1943, Sikorski was killed in a plane crash into the sea immediately on takeoff from Gibraltar. The exact circumstances of his death remain in dispute, which has given rise to ongoing conspiracy theories.
Recently featured: Hong Kong – Jean Schmidt – Cat
September 9
Anarcho-capitalism is a socio-economic ideology based on the idea of individual sovereignty (or "self-ownership"), an unlimited right to private property, and a prohibition against initiatory coercion and fraud, with contracts between sovereign individuals being the basis of law. From this is derived a rejection of the state (an entity claiming a territorial monopoly on the use of force) and the embrace of absolute laissez-faire capitalism. Anarcho-capitalists would protect individual liberty and property by replacing a government monopoly that is involuntarily funded through taxation, with private and competing businesses. The philosophy embraces stateless capitalism as one of its foundational principles. The first well-known version of anarcho-capitalism to identify itself with this term was developed by Austrian School economists and libertarians Murray Rothbard and Walter Block in the mid-20th century as an attempted synthesis of Austrian School economics, classical liberalism, and 19th-century American individualist anarchism. While Rothbard bases his philosophy on natural law, others, such as David Friedman take a pragmatic consequentialist approach by arguing that anarcho-capitalism should be implemented on the basis that such a system would have superior consequences than other alternatives.
Recently featured: Władysław Sikorski – Hong Kong – Jean Schmidt
September 10
In Scientology doctrine, space opera is the term used by the movement's founder L. Ron Hubbard for extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions in Earthly affairs. It forms a major element of the beliefs of Scientology. Hubbard claimed that the modern-day science fiction genre of space opera is merely an unconscious recollection of real events from millions of years ago. Scientology's doctrines famously include the story of Xenu, the ruler of the Galactic Confederacy, who brought billions of frozen people to Earth 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Such beliefs have existed in Scientology since its beginning, with Hubbard lecturing about civilizations such as Helatrobus, the Espinol Confederacy and Arslycus. He described repeated instances of them using brainwashing implants on hapless beings. He also spoke of alien invasions of Earth, such as that carried out around 6235 BC by the Fifth Invader Force, who were "very strange insect-like creatures with unthinkably horrible hands."
Recently featured: Anarcho-capitalism – Władysław Sikorski – Hong Kong
September 11
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement from the 14th to the 16th century. The word renaissance means "rebirth", and the era is best known for the renewed interest in the culture of classical antiquity. The Italian Renaissance began in northern Italy, centering in Florence. It then spread south, having an especially significant impact on Rome, which was largely rebuilt by the Renaissance popes. The Italian Renaissance is best known for its cultural achievements. This includes works of literature by such figures as Petrarch, Castiglione, and Machiavelli; artists such as Michaelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and great works of architecture such as The Duomo in Florence and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. At the same time, present-day historians also see the era as one of economic regression and of little progress in science. Furthermore, some historians argue that the lot of the peasants and urban poor, the majority of the population, worsened during this period.
Recently featured: Space opera in Scientology doctrine – Anarcho-capitalism – Władysław Sikorski
September 12
Sandy Koufax is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He is best known for his string of six amazing seasons from 1961 to 1966 before arthritis ended his career at the age of 31. A notoriously difficult pitcher to hit against, he was the first major leaguer to pitch more than three no-hitters, the first to allow fewer than seven hits per nine innings pitched over his career, and the first to strike out more than nine batters per nine innings pitched in his career. Among National League pitchers with at least 2000 innings pitched who have debuted since 1913, he has both the highest career winning percentage (.655) and the lowest career earned run average (2.76); his 2396 career strikeouts ranked seventh in major league history upon his retirement, and trailed only Warren Spahn's total of 2583 among left-handers. Retiring virtually at the peak of his career, Koufax later became–at age 36–the youngest person ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Recently featured: Italian Renaissance – Space opera in Scientology doctrine – Anarcho-capitalism
September 13
Tynwald Day is the national holiday of the Isle of Man, usually occurring on July 5. On this day, Tynwald, the Isle's legislature, meets in St John's, rather than its usual meeting place, Douglas. The session is held both in the chapel of St John the Baptist and in open air, on Tynwald Hill (an artificially-constructed mound). The meeting, the first recorded instance of which dates to 1417, is known as "Midsummer Court." It is attended by members of the two branches of Tynwald, the House of Keys and the Legislative Council. The Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, the representative of Lord of Mann (the British sovereign), presides, except on the rare occasions when the British monarch or a member of the British royal family is in attendance. All bills that have received the royal assent are promulgated on Tynwald Day; any Act of Tynwald which is not promulgated within 18 months of passage ceases to have effect. Other proceedings include the presentation of petitions and the swearing-in of certain public officials.
Recently featured: Sandy Koufax – Italian Renaissance – Space opera in Scientology doctrine
September 14
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge spans the San Francisco Bay and links the California cities of Oakland and San Francisco in the United States. The bridge consists of two major segments connecting a central island, Yerba Buena Island, with each shore. The western segment terminating in San Francisco consists of two suspension bridges end-to-end with a central anchorage. The eastern span terminating in Oakland consists of a truss causeway, five medium-span truss bridges and a double-tower cantilever span, scheduled to be replaced by an entirely new structure now under construction. The original bridges were designed by Ralph Modjeski. The bridge was built at the same time as San Francisco's other famous bridge – the Golden Gate.
Recently featured: Tynwald Day – Sandy Koufax – Italian Renaissance
September 15
The Krag-Petersson rifle was the first repeating rifle adopted by the armed forces of Norway, and one of the first repeating arms adopted anywhere in the world. Developed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, the action of the Krag-Petersson was uniquely actuated by the oversized hammer. Another distinguishing feature is that the cartridge rising from the magazine is not seated automatically, but has to be pushed into the breech of the rifle. Testing by the Norwegian military revealed that the Krag-Peterssen was a robust, accurate and quick firing weapon, and the Royal Norwegian Navy adopted the rifle in 1876. The rifle was also extensively tested by other nations, but not adopted. After being phased out around 1900, the remaining rifles were sold off to civilians, and often extensively rebuilt. Today it is so difficult to find one in original condition that the Krag-Petersson has been described as "the rifle everybody has heard about, but hardly anybody has ever seen". It was the first rifle designed by Ole H. J. Krag that was adopted by an armed force.
Recently featured: San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge – Tynwald Day – Sandy Koufax
September 16
The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception and motor output. Many neural pathways link the cerebellum with the motor cortex—which sends information to the muscles causing them to move—and the spinocerebellar tract—which provides feedback on the position of the body in space (proprioception). The cerebellum integrates these two functions, using the constant feedback on body position to fine-tune motor movements. Because of this 'updating' function of the cerebellum, lesions within it are not so debilitating as to cause paralysis, but rather present as feedback deficits resulting in disorders in fine movement, equilibrium, posture, and motor learning. Initial observations by physiologists during the 18th century indicated that patients with cerebellar damage show problems with motor coordination and movement. Modern research has shown that the cerebellum has a broader role in a number of key cognitive functions, including attention and the processing of language, music, and other sensory temporal stimuli.
Recently featured: Krag-Petersson – San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge – Tynwald Day
September 17
A templon is a Byzantine architectural feature first appearing in Christian churches about the fifth century AD and is still found in some Eastern Christian churches. It eventually evolved into the modern iconostasis, still found in Orthodox churches today. It separates the laity in the nave from the priests preparing the sacraments at the altar. It is usually composed of carved wood or marble colonnettes supporting an architrave (a beam resting on top of columns). Three doors, a large central one and two smaller flanking ones, lead into the sanctuary. The templon did not originally obscure the view of the altar, but as time passed, icons were hung from the beams, curtains were placed in between the colonnettes, and the templon became more and more opaque. It is often covered with icons and can be very elaborate.
Recently featured: Cerebellum – Krag-Petersson – San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
September 18
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School near Denver and Littleton, Colorado, in the United States. Two teenage students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a shooting rampage, killing twelve fellow students and a teacher before committing suicide. It is considered to be the worst school shooting in U.S. history. As a result of the massacre, questions arose regarding gun control and the availability of assault weapons in the United States. Much discussion was prompted regarding the role of violent movies and video games in American society. Soon, other topics of focus surfaced including the nature of high school cliques and bullying. Several of the victims who were believed to have been killed due to their religious beliefs became a source of inspiration to others, notably Christians, and led some to lament the decline of religion in public education and society in general. The shooting also resulted in an increased emphasis on school security, and a moral panic aimed at goth culture, heavy metal music, and violent video games.
Recently featured: Templon – Cerebellum – Krag-Petersson
September 19
James I of England was a King who ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 until his death, and in England and Ireland as James I from 24 March 1603 until his death. James I was the first English monarch of the Stuart dynasty, succeeding the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, who died unmarried and childless. James was a popular and successful monarch in Scotland, but the same was not true in England. He was unable to deal with a hostile English Parliament; the refusal on the part of the House of Commons to impose sufficiently high taxes crippled the royal finances. His taste for political absolutism, his mismanagement of the kingdom's funds and his cultivation of unpopular favourites established the foundation for the English Civil War, during which James's son and successor, Charles I, was tried and executed.
Recently featured: Columbine High School massacre – Templon – Cerebellum
September 20
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish football club located in Gothenburg. The club, formed 4 October 1904, has won 17 national championship titles, 4 national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups. IFK Göteborg, Malmö FF, and AIK are often considered to be the three biggest and most classic Swedish football clubs with 42 championship titles in total. IFK Göteborg is also the only Swedish team to have won a European cup competition, the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, where they have played the majority of the seasons during their existence. The last time they played in a lower league was in 1976.
Recently featured: James I of England – Columbine High School massacre – Templon
September 21
Sylvia is a full-length ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique. Sylvia is notable for its mythological Arcadian setting, creative choreographies, expansive sets, great influence on the arts and, above all, its remarkable score. The ballet's origins are in Tasso's 1573 poem "Aminta," which describes the basic plot of Delibes' work. Jules Barbier and Baron de Reinach adapted this for the Paris Opera. This piano arrangement was composed in 1876 and the orchestral suite was done in 1880. When Sylvia premiered on June 14, 1876 at the Palais Garnier, it went largely unnoticed. In fact, the first seven productions of Sylvia were not successful. It was the 1952 revival, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, that popularized the ballet.
Recently featured: IFK Göteborg – James I of England – Columbine High School massacre
September 22
The Giver is a soft science fiction novel written by Lois Lowry in 1993. It is set in a future society which is at first presented as a utopia and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. Jonas's society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a move which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of "Receiver of Memory", the man who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed. As Jonas receives the memories from his predecessor—the Giver—he discovers how shallow his Community's life has become. Despite controversy and adverse criticism from some readers, who profess concern that the book's subject material is inappropriate for young children, The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 3.5 million copies. In Lowry's native United States, it is a part of many middle-school or junior-high reading lists. The novel forms a loose trilogy with Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004), two other books set in the same future period.
Recently featured: Sylvia – IFK Göteborg – James I of England
September 23
_qualifying_at_USGP_2005.jpg)
Formula One is regarded as the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. It is based around a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held on purpose-built circuits or closed-off city streets, whose results determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors. Europe is Formula One's traditional centre and remains its leading market; however, Grands Prix have been held all over the world, and with new races in Bahrain, China and Turkey, its scope is continually expanding. As the world's most expensive sport, its economic impact is significant, and its financial and political battles are widely observed. The sport is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and is generally promoted and controlled by Bernie Ecclestone through a variety of corporate entities.
Recently featured: The Giver – Sylvia – IFK Göteborg
September 24
The Tamil people are an ethnic group from South Asia with a recorded history going back almost two millennia. The oldest Tamil communities are those of southern India and north-eastern Sri Lanka. Unlike many ethnic groups, the Tamils have at no time been governed by a single political entity; Tamil̲akam, the traditional name for the Tamil lands, has always been under the rule of more than one kingdom or state. Despite this, the Tamil cultural identity has always been strong. Historically, this identity has been primarily linguistic, with Tamils being those whose first language was Tamil. In recent times, however, the definition has been broadened to also include emigrants of Tamil descent who maintain Tamil traditions, even when they no longer speak the language. Tamils are ethnically, linguistically and culturally related to the other Dravidian peoples of South Asia. There are an estimated 74 million Tamils around the world.
Recently featured: Formula One – The Giver – Sylvia
September 25
Bath is a city in south-west England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. The city was first recorded as a Roman spa, though tradition suggests an earlier foundation. The waters from its spring were considered to be a cure for many afflictions. From Elizabethan to Georgian times it was a resort city for the wealthy. As a result of its popularity during the latter period, the city contains many fine examples of Georgian architecture, particularly The Royal Crescent. The city has a population of over 90,000 and is a World Heritage Site.
Recently featured: Tamil people – Formula One – The Giver
September 26
The Algerian Civil War was an armed conflict between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups which began in 1991. It is estimated to have cost over 100,000 lives. The conflict has effectively ended with a government victory, following the surrender of the Islamic Salvation Army and the defeat of the Armed Islamic Group. The conflict began in December 1991, when the government cancelled elections after the first round results had shown that the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) party would win, citing fears that the FIS would end democracy. Islamist guerrillas rapidly emerged and began an armed campaign against the government and its supporters. They formed themselves into several armed groups, principally the Islamic Armed Movement (MIA), based in the mountains, and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), based in the towns. The guerrillas initially targeted the army and police, but some groups soon started attacking civilians. The MIA and its allies, under attack from both sides, opted for a unilateral ceasefire with the government in 1997, while the GIA was torn apart by splits as various subdivisions objected to its new massacre policy. In 1999, following the election of a new president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a new law gave amnesty to most guerrillas, motivating large numbers to "repent" (as it was termed) and return to normal life. The violence declined substantially, with effective victory for the government.
Recently featured: Bath – Tamil people – Formula One
September 27
The documented history of Arizona began when Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado's expedition entered the area in 1540–42 during its search for Cibola. All of present-day Arizona became part of Mexico's northwest frontier upon the Mexican assertion of independence from Spain in 1810. The United States took possession of most of Arizona at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. In 1853, the land below the Gila River was acquired from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona was administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until it was organized into a separate Arizona Territory on February 24, 1863. With the encouragement of Brigham Young, Mormons went from Utah in the mid-to-late 1800s to the Phoenix Valley (or Valley of the Sun), Mesa, Tempe, Prescott, Snowflake, Heber, and many other Arizona towns to settle there. Arizona was admitted into the Union—officially becoming a U.S. state—on February 14, 1912.
Recently featured: Algerian Civil War – Bath – Tamil people
September 28
Miles Davis was one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the twentieth century. Davis was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development of jazz after the Second World War. He played on some of the important early bebop records, the first cool jazz records were recorded under his name, he was largely responsible for the development of modal jazz, and jazz fusion arose from Davis's bands of the late sixties and early seventies and the musicians who worked with him. Davis was in a line of jazz trumpeters that started with Buddy Bolden and ran through Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, and Dizzy Gillespie. Many of the major figures in postwar jazz played in one of Davis's groups at some point in their career. Some authorities consider Davis to have been the first person really to understand the difference between live and recorded music.
Recently featured: History of Arizona – Algerian Civil War – Bath
September 29
Blitzkrieg was an operational-level military doctrine which employed mobile forces attacking with speed and surprise to prevent an enemy from organising a coherent defence. Conceived in the years after World War I, it grew out of the earlier doctrine of "Fire and Infiltration". It was used by the German Wehrmacht in World War II. Operations early in the war—the invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union—were highly effective, owing to surprise, enemy unpreparedness and superior German military doctrines. Methods of blitzkrieg operations centered on using manoeuvre rather than attrition to defeat an opponent. The blitzkrieg thus first and foremost required a concentration of armoured assets at a focal point, closely supported by mobile infantry, artillery and close air support assets. These tactics required the development of specialised support vehicles, new methods of communication, new tactics, and the presence of a decentralised command structure. Broadly speaking, blitzkrieg operations required the development of mechanised infantry, self-propelled artillery and engineering assets that could maintain the rate of advance of the tanks. In combat, blitzkrieg forced slower defending forces into defensive pockets that were encircled and then destroyed by following German infantry.
Recently featured: Miles Davis – History of Arizona – Algerian Civil War
September 30
The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a preferential voting system designed to minimise wasted votes and provide proportional representation in multi-candidate elections while ensuring that votes are explicitly for candidates rather than party lists. STV voting systems achieve this by initially allocating an individual's vote to their most preferred candidate and then subsequently transferring unneeded or unused votes after candidates are either elected or eliminated according to the voter's stated preferences. STV is promoted as a proportional representation method in multi-party multi-seat elections. In Australia, it is known as the Hare-Clark Proportional method, while the same system with parties able to indicate preferences is called simply STV. When STV methods are applied to single-seat elections, they simplify to instant-runoff voting and have different proportionality implications for a similar ballot due to the existence of only one winner.
Recently featured: Blitzkrieg – History of Arizona – Algerian Civil War