Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 May 13b

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Bruce Willis

Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It stars Bruce Willis (pictured), Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia. Based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane (Willis) who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. Filming took place in 1987 and 1988, on a $25–35 million budget. Reviews were mixed, but Die Hard became the year's highest-grossing action film. It received four Academy Award nominations, elevated Willis to leading-man status and made Rickman a celebrity. It is now considered one of the greatest action films. It revitalized the genre, largely due to its depiction of McClane as a vulnerable and fallible protagonist. "Die Hard" became a shorthand for plots in which a hero battles in a restricted environment. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2017. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Mathura

... that Sacred Heart Catholic Church (pictured) in Mathura, India, combines Gothic principles, Indian craftsmanship, and a Russian dome?
... that Paul Odgers was the last survivor of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's tactical headquarters who was present at the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath?
... that the upcoming television series House of the Dragon takes place before Game of Thrones and chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen?
... that in The Gamblers, Shostakovich tried to set Gogol's play word for word but gave up after one act, and Krzysztof Meyer completed the opera decades later?
... that Norwegian footballer Sissel Grude retired aged 22, but returned for a one-off appearance 22 years later?
... that two utility companies fought in court over who would supply electricity to North Dakota radio station KBMR?
... that during his fourteen years as mayor, László Bogdán transformed the town of Cserdi in what was known as the "Cserdi miracle"?
... that the stargazer snake eel sometimes has a shrimp perched on its head?

In the news

Clashes in Israel

At least nine people are killed in a school shooting in Kazan, Russia.
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Hamas rockets attacks in Israel kill dozens of people and injure hundreds, following clashes (pictured) that began in Jerusalem.
In Afghanistan, a bombing near a school in Kabul kills at least 85 people and injures more than 140 others.

On this day

May 13: Eid al-Fitr (Islam, 2021)

Robert Smalls

1779 – Negotiated by Russian and French mediators, the Treaty of Teschen was signed by Austria and Prussia, leading to the end of the War of the Bavarian Succession.
1862 – American Civil War: Robert Smalls (pictured) escaped from slavery by commandeering the CSS Planter and sailing it from Confederate-controlled waters to the Union blockade.
1909 – The first edition of the Giro d'Italia began in Milan, with Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna becoming the eventual winner.
1958 – Algerian War: A group of French military officers led a coup in Algiers, demanding the formation of a government to defend French control of Algeria.
2005 – Uzbek Interior Ministry and State Security Service troops fired at protesters in Andijan, killing between 187 and 1,500 people.

Ole Worm (b. 1588)
Kate Marsden (b. 1859)
Ralph Milne (b. 1961)

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Today's featured picture

The rupie was the unit of currency of German East Africa between 1890 and 1916. During World War I, the colony was cut off from Germany as a result of a wartime blockade and the colonial government needed to create an emergency issue of banknotes. Paper made from linen or jute was initially used, but because of wartime shortages, the notes were later printed on commercial paper in a variety of colours, wrapping paper, and in one instance, wallpaper. This one-rupie banknote was issued in 1915, and is now part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

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Banknote design credit: Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank; photographed by Andrew Shiva

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