Podcasts about Curmudgeon

fWotD Episode 3231: Duckport Canal Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 10 March 2026, is Duckport Canal.The Duckport Canal was an unsuccessful military venture by Union forces during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Ordered built in late March 1863 by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, the canal stretched from the Mississippi River near Duckport, Louisiana, to New Carthage, Louisiana, and utilized a series of swampy bayous for much of its path. It was intended to provide a water-based supply route for a southward movement against the Confederate-held city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, as high water levels made overland travel difficult. Manual digging was provided by 3,500 soldiers from Grant's army and was finished on April 12. The next day, the levee separating the canal cut and the Mississippi River was breached, and water flowed into the canal. Trees that had grown up in the bayous and falling water levels that reached as shallow as 6 inches (15 cm) at one point hampered the use of the canal, and the project was abandoned on May 4. Grant moved men and supplies through the overland route, which had been made more accessible by the same falling water levels that doomed the canal. After some inland maneuvering and a lengthy siege, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, marking a significant turning point in the war.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:02 UTC on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Duckport Canal on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Gregory.

rWotD Episode 3232: Tom Tellmann Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 10 March 2026, is Tom Tellmann.Thomas John Tellmann (born March 29, 1954) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres from 1979 to 1980, the Milwaukee Brewers from 1983 to 1984, and the Oakland Athletics in 1985.In 227 innings pitched over 112 appearances, Tellmann accepted 65 total chances (15 putouts, 50 assists) without an error for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in his major league career.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:14 UTC on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Tom Tellmann on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Kimberly.

pWotD Episode 3233: Mojtaba Khamenei Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 518,042 views on Monday, 9 March 2026 our article of the day is Mojtaba Khamenei.Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (born 8 September 1969) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who has been the third supreme leader of Iran since 8 March 2026. He is a member of the Khamenei family and the second son of the second supreme leader Ali Khamenei.Born in Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran, into the Azeri–Persian Khamenei family, he was nine when his father emerged as a leading figure in the Iranian Revolution. He received early education in Sardasht and Mahabad, and graduated high school from Tehran, after which he studied Islamic theology under the guidance of his father and Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1987 and served in the Iran–Iraq War. In 1999, he continued his studies in Qom to become a cleric, and joined the Qom Seminary as a theological teacher afterwards. He took control of the Basij paramilitary volunteer militia in 2009.Following the assassination of his father in the 2026 Iran war, Mojtaba was elected as his successor by Iran's Assembly of Experts. He has previously been sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury in 2019 as part of their policy of sanctioning individuals linked to Ali Khamenei.In political ideology and jurisprudence, he is considered to be among the most hardline of the Iranian principlists, and has close ties to some of the "most ideologically extremist clerics" per a report from Atlantic Council. Analysts have generally seen him as more favorable to developing an Iranian nuclear weapons program than his father, supporting a reinterpretation of Ali Khamenei's fatwa against nuclear weapons.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:23 UTC on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Mojtaba Khamenei on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam talk about more movies than usual, then the latest primary election results, the continuing situation with Iran, bad economic numbers, and more! As usual, tons of fun and excitement! Woo! Show Details: Recorded 2026-03-07 Length this week 2:06:25 0:00:55 - But First Random Stuff Movie: Hoppers (2026) Movie: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) Movie: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) 0:44:45 - Primary Results Talarico vs Crockett Cornyn vs Paxton Moderate vs Progressive Others 1:09:05 - Stuffs Trump Quotes Iran Updates Economic Data New Lexus The Curmudgeon's Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch. Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link) Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link) Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link) Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

fWotD Episode 3230: Zungeni Mountain skirmish Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 9 March 2026, is Zungeni Mountain skirmish.The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place on 5 June 1879 between British and Zulu forces during the second invasion of Zululand, in what is now South Africa, during the later stages of the Anglo-Zulu War. British irregular horse commanded by Colonel Redvers Buller discovered a force of 300 Zulus at the settlement of eZulaneni near Zungeni Mountain. The horsemen charged towards and scattered the Zulus before burning the settlement. Buller's men withdrew after coming under fire from Zulus who threatened to surround them.Buller's men were joined by more irregulars and a force of British regular cavalry, the latter under the command of Major-General Frederick Marshall. Two squadrons of the 17th (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers, led by Colonel Drury Drury-Lowe, approached the Zulu position. They could not close with the Zulus, who were in an area of long grass and bushes, and Zulu fire killed the 17th Lancers' adjutant, Lieutenant Frederick John Cokayne Frith. Drury-Lowe ordered some of his men to dismount and return fire. When the Zulus threatened to outflank the British, Marshall ordered a withdrawal. Aside from Frith, British casualties included two irregulars wounded; two months after the battle, the remains of 25 Zulus were discovered on the battlefield. After the skirmish, the British paused to fortify their camp before proceeding further into Zululand. They then decisively defeated the Zulu in the 4 July Battle of Ulundi.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:20 UTC on Monday, 9 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Zungeni Mountain skirmish on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Jasmine.

rWotD Episode 3231: Kirstie Marshall Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Monday, 9 March 2026, is Kirstie Marshall.Kirstie Claire Marshall (born 21 April 1969) is an Australian aerial skier and Victorian state politician.Marshall was an ex-gymnast who became an aerial skier at Mount Buller, Victoria. During her skiing career Marshall won over 40 World Cup medals, including 17 World Cup gold medals. Marshall competed in aerial skiing as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, and as a medal event at the 1994 Lillehammer and 1998 Nagano games, where she came sixth and fourteenth, respectively.In December 2002, aged 33, Marshall was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party.On 26 February 2003, she was ejected from the Lower House chamber for breastfeeding her 11-day-old baby, Charlotte Louise. A section of the Parliamentary rules, namely Standing Order 30, states: "Unless by order of the House, no Member of this House shall presume to bring any stranger into any part of the House appropriated to the Members of this House while the House, or a Committee of the whole House, is sitting." As there is no age limit to 'strangers in the House' (non-elected persons), only MPs and certain parliamentary staff are allowed in the House during sitting times.Subsequently, the Speaker of the House set aside a room in which female MPs can feed their children without violating the Standing Orders.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:19 UTC on Monday, 9 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Kirstie Marshall on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Matthew.

pWotD Episode 3232: Men's T20 World Cup Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 408,441 views on Sunday, 8 March 2026 our article of the day is Men's T20 World Cup.The ICC Men's T20 World Cup, formerly the ICC World Twenty20, is a biennial world cup for cricket in Twenty20 International (T20I) format, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was held in every odd year from 2007 to 2009, and since 2010 has been held in every even year with the exception of 2018 and 2020. In 2018, the tournament was rebranded from the World Twenty20 to the Men's T20 World Cup.The 2011 edition of the tournament was brought forward to 2010 to replace the ICC Champions Trophy. In May 2016, the ICC put forward the idea of having a tournament in 2018, with South Africa being the possible host country, but later dropped the idea due to multiple bilateral series taking place that year. The 2020 edition of the tournament was scheduled to take place in Australia but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed until 2021, with the intended host changed to India. The 2021 Men's T20 World Cup was later relocated to the United Arab Emirates and Oman due to problems relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, taking place five years after the previous (2016) iteration.As of 2026, ten editions have been played, a total of 24 teams have competed and six national teams have won the T20 World Cup so far. India hold the most victories, (2007, 2024, 2026) as they have won the competition three times. West Indies (2012, 2016) and England (2010, 2022) have won it twice, and Pakistan (2009), Sri Lanka (2014), and Australia (2021) have one title each. A total of 15 countries have hosted the tournament (including 6 island nations of the West Indies).This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:19 UTC on Monday, 9 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Men's T20 World Cup on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Emma.

fWotD Episode 3229: Luisa Capetillo Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 8 March 2026, is Luisa Capetillo.Luisa Capetillo Perón (October 28, 1882 – April 10, 1922) was a Puerto Rican labor organizer, writer, journalist, and cigar factory reader. She organized workers in Puerto Rico, the Republic of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. She also published four books in her lifetime, covering a wide variety of forms, genres, and topics. As an anarcha-feminist and social anarchist, she advocated for free love, universal education, women's liberation, and collective ownership of scientific advances while opposing state control.Capetillo was born in Arecibo, in the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico. Her father taught her to read and write, and she read extensively, including works by influential political thinkers. In 1897, she took Manuel Ledesma, the son of a wealthy aristocrat, as her lover. The two separated in 1900, but their relationship influenced her later feminist works. She began writing for the local newspaper in 1904, and in 1905, she became involved with the Free Federation of Workers (Spanish: Federación Libre de Trabajadores de Puerto Rico, FLT), an anarcho-syndicalist union, helping organize an agricultural strike in Arecibo. In 1906, she became a reader at a cigar factory, reading to the cigar makers as they worked and meeting members of the FLT-affiliated Federation of Tobacco Rollers (Spanish: Federación de Torcedores de Tabaco, FTT) and becoming a leader in the FLT over time. Starting in 1912, she moved across the Atlantic and Caribbean, writing and organizing workers. In 1915, she was arrested in Cuba for wearing trousers and deported back to Puerto Rico. She continued to travel and organize until her death in 1922.Interest in Capetillo's life surged in 1990 with the publication of the biography Luisa Capetillo, historia de una mujer proscrita (transl. Luisa Capetillo, History of an Outlawed Woman) by journalist Norma Valle Ferrer. After this, Capetillo became the subject of a docudrama series, and in 2014, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico honored her with a plaque in the Plaza in Honor of Puerto Rican Women in San Juan. She is considered one of Puerto Rico's first feminists and, according to historian Jorrell A. Meléndez-Badillo, she was an influential node in an anarchist "counter-republic of letters": a network of writers who used their writing as a form of political struggle.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:45 UTC on Sunday, 8 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Luisa Capetillo on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

rWotD Episode 3230: Mukhtar Ablyazov Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Sunday, 8 March 2026, is Mukhtar Ablyazov.Mukhtar Qabyluly Ablyazov (Kazakh: Мұхтар Қабылұлы Әблязов, Mūhtar Qabylūly Äbliazov; born 16 May 1963) is a Kazakh opposition leader, businessman and political activist who served as chairman of Bank Turan Alem (BTA Bank), and is a co-founder and a leader of the unregistered political party Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (QDT). He was also the former head of the state-owned Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) as well as briefly holding the position of Minister for Energy, Industry, and Trade under Balgimbayev's cabinet before resigning from and joining the opposition against President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In November 2001, he, along with other former Kazakh government officials founded the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (QDT). As result, Ablyazov was imprisoned in March 2002 over accusations of financial fraud and political abuse until being pardoned by Nazarbayev in 2003. After being released from prison, he ceased his formal political activities with the opposition.Ablyazov has been accused of embezzling $6 billion from BTA Bank while serving as chairman. In 2015, a French court in Lyon issued an extradition order. However, in December 2016, France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, canceled the extradition order, on the ground that Russia had a political motive in making the extradition request. Ablyazov was subsequently released from the Fleury-Mérogis Prison and was believed to reside in Paris. The UK High Court of Justice has twice issued arrest warrants on Ablyazov; most recently on 25 July 2019, and extended to 22 months a court-ordered detention originating in 2012 for a contempt of court judgement. In September 2020, Ablyazov obtained the status of political refugee in France.On December 9, 2022, CNDA finally deprived Ablyazov of political asylum in France. In July 2023, Ablyazov posted on his Facebook that he was ordered to leave French territory within 30 days.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:38 UTC on Sunday, 8 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Mukhtar Ablyazov on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Stephen.

pWotD Episode 3231: Soham murders Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 701,993 views on Saturday, 7 March 2026 our article of the day is Soham murders.The Soham murders were a double child murder committed in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England, on 4 August 2002. The victims were two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Amiee Chapman, who were lured into the home of a local resident and school caretaker, Ian Huntley, who murdered them – likely via asphyxiation – and disposed of their bodies in an irrigation ditch close to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The bodies were discovered on 17 August 2002.Huntley was convicted of the murder of both girls on 17 December 2003 and sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with the High Court later imposing a minimum term of 40 years. His girlfriend, Maxine Ann Carr – the girls' teaching assistant – had knowingly provided Huntley with a false alibi. She received a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice. Huntley died in March 2026, after sustaining severe head injuries inflicted in an attack by another inmate at HMP Frankland.The search for Holly and Jessica in the thirteen days of their disappearance has been described as one of the most intense and extensive in British criminal history.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:00 UTC on Sunday, 8 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Soham murders on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Russell.

fWotD Episode 3228: Mean (song) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 7 March 2026, is Mean (song)."Mean" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Big Machine Records released it to country radio in the United States as the album's third single on March 7, 2011. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Mean" is a six-string banjo-led country, country pop, and bluegrass track that incorporates fiddles, mandolins, hand claps, and multitracked vocals. In the lyrics, Swift addresses her detractors, recognizes her shortcomings, and strives to overcome the criticism and achieve success.Some music critics deemed "Mean" an anti-bullying anthem and praised the production as airy and catchy, while others considered the narrative ineffective. Several media publications have retrospectively listed it as one of the best country songs. "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards, and also received other industry awards and nominations. The track reached the national charts of Australia, Canada, and the United States, peaking at number two on the country music charts in the latter two countries. It received certifications in Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.The music video for "Mean" was directed by Declan Whitebloom, who wrote its treatment with Swift. Featuring themes of self-empowerment and anti-bullying, the video received a mixed response from critics, who generally criticized its viewpoint on bullying as stereotypical and deemed its concept confusing. The video received nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards. Swift included "Mean" in the set lists of the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012) and the Red Tour (2013–2014), and performed it on some dates of her later tours.Following a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of her back catalog, Swift re-recorded the song as "Mean (Taylor's Version)" for her third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023). The track peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the national charts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:00 UTC on Saturday, 7 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Mean (song) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Aditi.

rWotD Episode 3229: Crypsitricha roseata Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Saturday, 7 March 2026, is Crypsitricha roseata.Crypsitricha roseata is a species of moth in the family Tineidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1913. This species is endemic to New Zealand. The type locality of this species is the suburb of Wadestown, in Wellington.The wingspan is about 12 mm. The forewings are light rosy-purple-brownish with about eight small blackish costal marks and an irregular brown mark on the fold towards the base, terminated by a few blackish scales, and edged with some whitish suffusion. There is a narrow oblique brown fascia from before the middle of the costa to beyond the middle of the dorsum, partially edged with blackish posteriorly. A streak of brown suffusion runs from the middle of the disc to the middle of the termen, including a line of black scales, and edged above posteriorly by a fine white streak. The hindwings are grey.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:05 UTC on Saturday, 7 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Crypsitricha roseata on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Gregory.

pWotD Episode 3230: Kristi Noem Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 702,642 views on Friday, 6 March 2026 our article of the day is Kristi Noem.Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( NOHM; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who has served as the 8th United States secretary of homeland security since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 33rd governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025 and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U. S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.Born in Watertown, South Dakota, Noem began her political career in the South Dakota House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011. Noem was elected as the first female governor of South Dakota in 2018 with the endorsement of President Donald Trump. She gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for opposing statewide mask mandates in favor of voluntary measures. Noem has conservative positions on most domestic issues, particularly gun rights, abortion, and immigration. During her tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, her immigration policies generated significant controversy.Noem is a farmer, rancher, and member of the Civil Air Patrol. She has published two autobiographies, Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland (2022) and No Going Back (2024), the latter of which sparked controversy for its account of her killing a young family dog and false claims about meeting with foreign leaders. Donald Trump nominated her as his secretary of homeland security. She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 59–34, and was officially sworn in on January 25, 2025.Following the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January 2026, Noem faced questions of judgment from some lawmakers, including calls for her resignation and possible impeachment. After reports of her relationship with the political operative Corey Lewandowski and her use of government funding on television advertisements and private luxury jets emerged, criticism mounted from Congress and Trump. In March, Noem appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Noem's testimony before the committee intensified Trump's dissatisfaction with her. That month, Trump fired Noem and announced that Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin would succeed her, nominating him to the position. Noem is set to leave her position on March 31.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:18 UTC on Saturday, 7 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Kristi Noem on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Russell.

fWotD Episode 3227: Paradises Lost Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 6 March 2026, is Paradises Lost.Paradises Lost is a science fiction novella by American author Ursula K. Le Guin. It was first published in 2002 as a part of the collection The Birthday of the World. It is set during a multigenerational voyage from Earth to a potentially habitable planet. The protagonists, Liu Hsing and Nova Luis, are members of the fifth generation born on the ship. The story follows them as they deal with members of a religious cult who believe the ship ought not to stop at its intended destination. They also face a crisis brought on by a drastic change in the ship's schedule. The novella has since been anthologized as well as adapted into an opera of the same name.The novella explores the isolation brought on by space travel, as well as themes of religion and utopia. It contains elements of ecocriticism, or a critique of the idea that human beings are altogether separate from their natural environment. The novella and the collections in which it was published received high praise from commentators. For its generation ship setting and examination of utopia, critics compared it to other Le Guin works such as "Newton's Sleep", and The Telling, as well as to the works of Gene Wolfe and Molly Gloss. Scholar Max Haiven described the novella as "a chastening lesson in both the potential and the perils of freedom", while author Margaret Atwood said that it "shows us our own natural world as a freshly discovered Paradise Regained, a realm of wonder".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:56 UTC on Friday, 6 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Paradises Lost on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Emma.

rWotD Episode 3228: Nick House Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 6 March 2026, is Nick House.Nicholas Martin House (born September 1974), known as Nick House, is a British entrepreneur and nightclub owner. Based in London, his venues cater to celebrities and royals.He is the co-owner of Mahiki (a Polynesian-themed nightclub and cocktail bar), Whiskey Mist, Bodo's Schloss and Mayfair's The Punch Bowl, owned with Guy Ritchie and Madonna. He co-founded Steam & Rye with Kelly Brook in the City of London.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:05 UTC on Friday, 6 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Nick House on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kimberly.

pWotD Episode 3229: Markwayne Mullin Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,089,123 views on Thursday, 5 March 2026 our article of the day is Markwayne Mullin.Markwayne Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in a special election in 2022 to serve the remainder of Jim Inhofe's term.A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin is the first Native American U. S. senator since Ben Nighthorse Campbell retired in 2005. He is also the second Cherokee citizen elected to the Senate since 1925. From 2013 to 2023, Mullin served as the U. S. representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district. In March 2026, President Donald Trump nominated Mullin as the secretary of homeland security, to replace Kristi Noem.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:28 UTC on Friday, 6 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Markwayne Mullin on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Brian.

rWotD Episode 3227: Mutualism (biology) Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 5 March 2026, is Mutualism (biology).Mutualism describes the ecological interaction between two or more species where each species has a net benefit. Mutualism is a common type of ecological interaction. Prominent examples are:the nutrient exchange between vascular plants and mycorrhizal fungi,the fertilization of flowering plants by pollinators,the ways plants use fruits and edible seeds to encourage animal aid in seed dispersal, andthe way corals become photosynthetic with the help of the microorganism zooxanthellae.Mutualism can be contrasted with interspecific competition, in which each species experiences reduced fitness, and exploitation, and with parasitism, in which one species benefits at the expense of the other. However, mutualism may evolve from interactions that began with imbalanced benefits, such as parasitism.The term mutualism was introduced by Pierre-Joseph van Beneden in his 1876 book Animal Parasites and Messmates to mean "mutual aid among species".Mutualism is often conflated with two other types of ecological phenomena: cooperation and symbiosis. Cooperation most commonly refers to increases in fitness through within-species (intraspecific) interactions, although it has been used (especially in the past) to refer to mutualistic interactions, and it is sometimes used to refer to mutualistic interactions that are not obligate. Symbiosis involves two species living in close physical contact over a long period of their existence and may be mutualistic, parasitic, or commensal, so symbiotic relationships are not always mutualistic, and mutualistic interactions are not always symbiotic. Despite a different definition between mutualism and symbiosis, they have been largely used interchangeably in the past, and confusion on their use has persisted.Mutualism plays a key part in ecology and evolution. For example, mutualistic interactions are vital for terrestrial ecosystem function as:about 80% of land plants species rely on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi to provide them with inorganic compounds and trace elements.estimates of tropical rainforest plants with seed dispersal mutualisms with animals range at least from 70% to 93.5%. In addition, mutualism is thought to have driven the evolution of much of the biological diversity we see, such as flower forms (important for pollination mutualisms) and co-evolution between groups of species.A prominent example of pollination mutualism is with bees and flowering plants. Bees use these plants as their food source with pollen and nectar. In turn, they transfer pollen to other nearby flowers, inadvertently allowing for cross-pollination. Cross-pollination has become essential in plant reproduction and fruit/seed production. The bees get their nutrients from the plants, and allow for successful fertilization of plants, demonstrating a mutualistic relationship between two seemingly-unlike species.Mutualism has also been linked to major evolutionary events, such as the evolution of the eukaryotic cell (symbiogenesis) and the colonization of land by plants in association with mycorrhizal fungi.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:45 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Mutualism (biology) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Kimberly.

fWotD Episode 3226: Elizabeth Lyon (criminal) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 5 March 2026, is Elizabeth Lyon (criminal).Elizabeth Lyon (fl. c. 1722–1726), nicknamed Edgworth Bess or Edgware Bess, was an English thief, a prostitute, and the partner of the criminal Jack Sheppard. Little is known about her background or her early life, but it is known that she was working as a prostitute at the Black Lyon alehouse in London by 1722 or 1723. Here she met Sheppard—at the time an apprentice carpenter—and the two began a relationship.At Lyon's instigation, Sheppard soon began his career in crime, first stealing from places where he worked before moving into housebreaking; Lyon and his brother became his accomplices. Sheppard was arrested for his crimes on several occasions, invariably breaking out soon after incarceration, normally assisted by Lyon. In May 1724, she was arrested when visiting him in prison, so together the pair broke out of New Prison into the adjoining Clerkenwell Bridewell prison, then out of that to freedom.After Sheppard's execution in November 1724, Lyon entered into relationships with other men who were, or became, involved in housebreaking, sometimes accompanying them to assist in perpetrating the crimes. She was arrested in March 1726 and transported to the Province of Maryland—then a British colony in North America—in October; her name does not appear in official sources after that date. Lyon's notoriety is based on her connection to Sheppard, and in the years following his execution, novels were published and plays performed that retold his and Lyon's story.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:24 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Elizabeth Lyon (criminal) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Joanna.

pWotD Episode 3228: James Talarico Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 415,813 views on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 our article of the day is James Talarico.James Dell Talarico ( TAL-uh-REE-koh; né Causey, born May 17, 1989) is an American politician, Presbyterian seminarian, and former educator who has served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2018. Talarico is the Democratic nominee for U. S. Senate in 2026 and has been called a "rising star" among Texas Democrats.Born in Round Rock, Texas, Talarico graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in government. He later joined Teach For America, where he taught sixth-grade English language arts in San Antonio. Afterward, he served as the Central Texas executive director for Reasoning Mind, a nonprofit focused on bringing technology to low-income classrooms. He later graduated from Harvard University with a Master of Education degree in education policy.Talarico serves as vice chair of two bodies in the Texas House: the Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development Committee, and the Subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education under the Public Education Committee. He also serves on the Public Education Committee and the House Administration Committee.In September 2025, Talarico announced his candidacy for the 2026 U. S. Senate race. He defeated U. S. Representative Jasmine Crockett in the primary and will face John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in the general election.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 19:02 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see James Talarico on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.

pWotD Episode 3227: March 2026 lunar eclipse Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 202,721 views on Tuesday, 3 March 2026 our article of the day is March 2026 lunar eclipse.A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, with an umbral magnitude of 1.1507. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average, as it occured 6.7 days after perigee (on February 24, 2026, at 18:15 UTC) and 6.9 days before apogee (on March 10, 2026, at 09:45 UTC).This lunar eclipse was the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on March 14, 2025 (total); September 8, 2025 (total); and August 28, 2026 (partial).During the eclipse, the Moon occulted NGC 3423 over North America. Deep-sky objects are rarely occulted during a total eclipse from any given spot on Earth. This eclipse fell on the Lantern Festival, the first since February 11, 2017.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 18:08 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see March 2026 lunar eclipse on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Patrick.

pWotD Episode 3225: 2026 Iran war Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,060,165 views on Sunday, 1 March 2026 our article of the day is 2026 Iran war.Beginning on 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States engaged in coordinated joint attacks on various sites in Iran. Codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel and Operation Epic Fury by the United States, the attacks have targeted key Iranian officials, military commanders, and facilities. Iran's response has been named Operation True Promise IV.The operation began with joint strikes by Israel and the US in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah. The attacks included the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose compound was destroyed; Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council; and several other Iranian officials. In retaliation, Iran launched dozens of its drones and ballistic missiles throughout the Persian Gulf at targets in Israel and US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iran launched strikes on civilian airports and shipping ports in Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman. Britain's Akrotiri and Dhekelia military base in Cyprus was struck. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil and gas shipments. Hezbollah in Lebanon joined the war after the killing of Khamenei.US officials, including President Donald Trump, have offered various and shifting reasons for launching the war on Iran, including to ward off an imminent threat, destroy missile and military capabilities, prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons, and ultimately to achieve regime change by bringing the Iranian opposition to power. Iran rejected US claims that it was preparing an attack. After the strikes, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. The United Nations and several uninvolved countries condemned the initial strikes for undermining the stability of the Middle East; others condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes on US allies in the region. Critics of the operation described it as illegal under US law, an act of imperialism, and a violation of Iran's sovereignty under international law.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 16:02 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see 2026 Iran war on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Stephen.

pWotD Episode 3226: Iran Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 410,897 views on Monday, 2 March 2026 our article of the day is Iran.Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population and is the sixth-largest country in Asia. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital, largest city, and financial center.Home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, most of Iran was first united as a nation by the Medes under Cyaxares in the 7th century BC and reached its territorial height in the 6th century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in the 4th century BC. An Iranian rebellion in the 3rd century BC established the Parthian Empire, which later liberated the country. In the 3rd century AD, the Parthians were succeeded by the Sasanian Empire, which oversaw a golden age in the history of Iranian civilization. During this period, ancient Iran saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanization, religion, and administration. Once a center for Zoroastrianism, Iran underwent Islamization following the 7th century AD Muslim conquest. Innovations in literature, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and art were renewed during the Islamic Golden Age and Iranian Intermezzo, a period during which Iranian Muslim dynasties ended Arab rule and revived the Persian language. This era was followed by Seljuk and Khwarazmian rule, Mongol conquests and the Timurid Renaissance from the 11th to 14th centuries.In the 16th century, the native Safavid dynasty re-established a unified Iranian state with Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion, laying the framework for the modern state of Iran. During the Afsharid Empire in the 18th century, Iran was a leading world power, but it lost this status after the Qajars took power in the 1790s. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty by Reza Shah, who ousted the last Qajar Shah in 1925. Following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rose to power. Attempts by Mohammad Mosaddegh to nationalize the oil industry led to the Anglo-American coup in 1953. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 overthrew the monarchy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was established by Ruhollah Khomeini, the country's first supreme leader. In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, sparking the eight-year-long Iran–Iraq War, which ended in a stalemate. Iran has since been involved in proxy wars with Israel and Saudi Arabia; in June 2025, Israeli strikes on Iran escalated tensions into the Twelve-Day War. Following the war and amid a growing economic crisis, potentially the largest protests since 1979 erupted in late December 2025. The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran with the stated goal of regime change in late February 2026.Iran's government is an Islamic theocracy governed by elected and unelected institutions, with ultimate authority vested in the supreme leader. While it holds elections, key offices, including the head of state and military, are not subject to public vote. The Iranian government is an authoritarian regime which has been widely criticized internationally due to its poor human rights record, including restrictions on freedom of assembly, expression, and the press, as well as its treatment of women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents. International observers have raised concerns over the fairness of its electoral processes, especially the vetting of candidates by unelected bodies such as the Guardian Council. Iran maintains a centrally planned economy with significant state ownership in key sectors, though private enterprise exists alongside this. It is a middle power, due to its large reserves of fossil fuels (including the world's second largest natural gas supply and third largest proven oil reserves), its geopolitically significant location, and its role as the world's focal point of Shia Islam. Iran is a threshold state with one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs, which it claims is solely for civilian purposes; however, the IAEA, a United Nations (UN) agency tasked with monitoring the production of nuclear weapons, has on two occasions found Iran to be non-compliant with its safeguards obligations. It is a founding member of the UN and a member state of numerous international organisations. Iran has 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the 10th-highest in the world) and ranks 4th in intangible cultural heritage or human treasures.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 16:11 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Iran on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Danielle.

Is Katy becoming a curmudgeon? Listen to this recent event, and weigh in! This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode that drops today, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.  Want to hear the whole epside and many many more like it? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month.  You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be part of our new chat community, you'll have access to Patreon-only content in addition to bonus episodes, you'll be invited to join us for live meet-ups, and you'll get to enjoy ad-free listening! But most importantly, you'll be doing your part to help keep this show alive—an independent podcast with no corporate support. (You'll also help keep it virtually ad-free!) Check our our Patreon page for all the details, and consider joining us at the $5 level or above. We are eternally grateful! ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of an intimate group of listeners on a magical and unforgettable journey to Rome, discovering the city with us as your guides, find out more here. ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started. BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more. TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue. START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up. SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps. WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured! NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon. TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!  

fWotD Episode 3225: Montana-class battleship Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 4 March 2026, is Montana-class battleship.The Montana class was a planned set of battleships for the United States Navy. Intended as the successor to the Iowa class, the Montanas were to be slower but larger, better armored, and better armed. Five ships were approved for construction during World War II, but changes in wartime building priorities resulted in their cancellation in favor of continuing production of Essex-class aircraft carriers and Iowa-class battleships.Armament would have been twelve 16-inch (406 mm) Mark 7 guns in four 3-gun turrets, up from the nine Mark 7 guns in three turrets used by the Iowa class. Unlike the three preceding classes of battleships, the Montana class was designed without any restrictions from treaty limitations. With increased anti-aircraft capability and substantially thicker armor in all areas, the Montanas would have been the largest, best-protected, and most heavily armed US battleships ever, and the only ones to rival Japan's Yamato-class battleships in terms of displacement.Preliminary design work for the Montana class began before the US entry into World War II. The first two vessels were approved by Congress in 1939 following the passage of the Naval Act of 1938. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor delayed the construction of the Montana class. The success of carrier combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea, and to a greater extent the Battle of Midway, diminished the perceived value of the battleship. Consequently, the US Navy first delayed, and later cancelled, the Montana class in favor of more urgently needed aircraft carriers as well as amphibious and anti-submarine vessels.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:05 UTC on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Montana-class battleship on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Salli.

rWotD Episode 3226: Cristián de la Fuente Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Wednesday, 4 March 2026, is Cristián de la Fuente.Cristián Andrés de la Fuente Sabarots (Spanish pronunciation: [kɾisˈtjan de la ˈfwente]; born March 10, 1974) is a Chilean actor, presenter, model and producer. He began his career appearing in the Chilean telenovelas before moving to United States for starring in television series Family Law (1999–2001) and Hidden Hills (2002–2003). De la Fuente later made his big screen debut in the 2001 action film Driven and later appeared in films Vampires: Los Muertos (2002) and Basic (2003). In later years he was a regular cast member in In Plain Sight (2008–12) and Devious Maids (2015). De la Fuente also acted in a number of Spanish-language telenovelas.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:48 UTC on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Cristián de la Fuente on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Aditi.

fWotD Episode 3224: John Tonkin Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 3 March 2026, is John Tonkin.John Trezise Tonkin (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 3 March 1971 to 8 April 1974. A member of the Labor Party, Tonkin was a minister in the Willcock, Wise and Hawke governments. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1933 to 1977, making him the longest-serving member of the Parliament of Western Australia as of 2021.Tonkin was born in the Goldfields town of Boulder, Western Australia, the eldest of three children. His family moved several times before returning to Boulder, where he attended Boulder City Central School and Eastern Goldfields High School. After several successive jobs, he graduated from Claremont Teachers College and became a teacher, mainly working in small schools in rural areas. After several unsuccessful attempts to enter state parliament, Tonkin was elected as the member for North-East Fremantle in the 1933 state election.Tonkin first served as a minister from 1943 to 1947. He held several portfolios during this time, the most important being that of Minister for Education. Labor lost the 1947 state election, which resulted in Tonkin losing his portfolios. He transferred to the electoral district of Melville when North-East Fremantle was abolished at the 1950 state election. After the resignation of Wise as Labor leader in 1951, Hawke became leader and Tonkin became deputy leader. When Labor won the 1953 state election, he reassumed his role as a minister, including as the minister for works and minister for water supplies. In 1955, he became the first deputy premier of Western Australia following an act of Parliament to formally create the position. Labor lost the 1959 state election, causing Tonkin to lose his portfolios again.Following the resignation of Hawke in 1966, Tonkin became the leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia. After its longest period in opposition ever, the Labor Party won the 1971 state election to defeat David Brand and make Tonkin premier. Labor's one-seat majority meant that any by-election had a chance of defeating the Tonkin government. By-elections occurred in 1971 and in 1973, each of which was narrowly won by Labor. The Tonkin government's achievements included reforms in industrial relations and employment, and the passing of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. After three years in government, Labor was defeated in the 1974 state election. Tonkin was succeeded as premier by Charles Court. Tonkin was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia in 1977, and has been honoured with the Tonkin Highway and John Tonkin College being named after him.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:43 UTC on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see John Tonkin on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Joanna.

rWotD Episode 3225: Breckinridge County, Kentucky Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 3 March 2026, is Breckinridge County, Kentucky.Breckinridge County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,432. Its county seat is Hardinsburg, Kentucky. The county was named for John Breckinridge (1760–1806), a Kentucky Attorney General, state legislator, United States Senator, and United States Attorney General. It was the 38th Kentucky county in order of formation. Breckinridge County is now a wet county, following a local-option election on January 29, 2013, but it had been a dry county for the previous 105 years.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Breckinridge County, Kentucky on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Ruth.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan talk about the war in Iran and the violence in Mexico. Those are the unavoidable big things of the week. But also beeping and bulbs, almost getting run over, movies, random trips, and a RobinLetter update. A full show! Show Details: Recorded 2026-02-28 Length this week 1:56:07 0:02:58 - But First Beeping and Bulbs Near Misses Movie: Blade II (2002) Movie: A Minecraft Movie (2025) 0:49:38 - Iran War Why Attack? Possible Outcomes Whose Interests? Managing Attention 1:21:00 - Potpourri El Mencho Killing Random Yucatan Trip? Iran Again RobinLetter Update The Curmudgeon's Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch. Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link) Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link) Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link) Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

fWotD Episode 3223: Galaxy Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 2 March 2026, is Galaxy.A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. Galaxies, averaging an estimated 100 million stars, range in size from dwarfs with less than a thousand stars, to the largest galaxies known – supergiants with one hundred trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy's centre of mass. Most of the mass in a typical galaxy is in the form of dark matter, with only a few percent of that mass visible in the form of stars and nebulae. Supermassive black holes are a common feature at the centres of galaxies.Galaxies are categorised according to their visual morphology as elliptical, spiral, or irregular. The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy. In addition to shape, galaxies may be notable due to special properties, such as interacting with another galaxy, producing stars at an unusual rate, or having an active galactic nucleus. It is estimated that there are between 200 billion (2×1011) and 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. Most galaxies are 1,000 to 100,000 parsecs in diameter (approximately 3,000 to 300,000 light years) and are separated by distances in the order of millions of parsecs (or megaparsecs). For comparison, the Milky Way has a diameter of at least 26,800 parsecs (87,400 ly). Its nearest large neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy, is just over 750,000 parsecs (2.4 million ly) away.Most galaxies are gravitationally organised into groups, clusters and superclusters. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group, which it dominates along with the Andromeda Galaxy. The group is part of the Virgo Supercluster. At the largest scale, these associations are generally arranged into sheets and filaments surrounded by immense voids. While there are good models describing the formation of stars from gravitational condensation of dense clouds of gas, galaxy formation is less well understood. The process operates on the scale of a billion years. Galaxies occasionally collide during their lifetime.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:31 UTC on Monday, 2 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Galaxy on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Matthew.

rWotD Episode 3224: Daqin Railway (company) Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Monday, 2 March 2026, is Daqin Railway (company).Daqin Railway Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company that operates several railways with a total length of 1000 km, including the Daqin Railway and most assets on railway transportation of CR Taiyuan. The company is based in Datong, Shanxi. It was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2006 with IPO capital raising of $1.9 billion US dollars.Daqin Railway is a component of SSE 50 Index. The parent company of Daqin Railway was CR Taiyuan, a state-owned enterprise that the China Railway acted as its only shareholder.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:15 UTC on Monday, 2 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Daqin Railway (company) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Kajal.

fWotD Episode 3222: High and Low (1963 film) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 1 March 2026, is High and Low (1963 film).High and Low (Japanese: 天国と地獄, Hepburn: Tengoku to Jigoku; lit. 'Heaven and Hell') is a 1963 Japanese police procedural film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was written by Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijirō Hisaita, and Ryūzō Kikushima as a loose adaptation of the 1959 novel King's Ransom by Evan Hunter. Starring Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa and Tatsuya Mihashi, it tells the story of Japanese businessman Kingo Gondō (Mifune) struggling for control of the major shoe company at which he is a board member. He plans a leveraged buyout of the company with his life savings, when a kidnapper mistakenly abducts his chauffeur's son to ransom him for ¥30 million. The film is viewed as influential on police procedural cinema, and has been remade multiple times internationally.The film was produced by Toho, who bought the rights to Hunter's novel in 1961 for $5,000. Working on a production budget of ¥230 million, filming on High and Low began on 2 September 1962, taking place on location at Yokohama and on set at Toho Studios. Only one attempt could be made to film the ransom exchange. The shoot required multiple cameramen, leading to all other film productions being shut down for the day. Filming ended on 30 January 1963. Kurosawa worked with Masaru Satō to score the film in their eighth collaboration together; the film's soundtrack contains a variety of influences, including mambo, classical, and modern popular music. Post-production took just under a month and, after test screenings in mid-February 1963, the film received a wide distribution.High and Low was released in Japan on 1 March 1963 and became the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office for that year. The film received generally positive reviews both domestically and abroad. In September 1963, the film was entered into the Official Selection for the Venice Film Festival. The limited American release of the film in late November coincided with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an event that led to a depression in initial box office takings. High and Low was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globe Awards for 1964. Critical opinion of the film has remained high, with analyses of the film focusing on Kurosawa's humanism in tackling the issue of a growing class divide, the growth of an international consumer culture, and the film's use of structure to interrogate morality and social division.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:04 UTC on Sunday, 1 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see High and Low (1963 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Brian.

rWotD Episode 3223: Peel Sound Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Sunday, 1 March 2026, is Peel Sound.Peel Sound is an Arctic waterway in the Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It separates Somerset Island on the east from Prince of Wales Island on the west. To the north it opens onto Parry Channel while its southern end merges with Franklin Strait.There are several named islands within the sound, including: Lock, Vivian, Prescott, Pandora, Otrick, Barth, De la Roquette, and Gibson.Sir John Franklin passed through the strait in 1846 during an unseasonably warm summer, since typically Peel Sound is frozen. Its east side was traced by James Clark Ross in 1849. In 1858 Francis Leopold McClintock tried to penetrate it and was blocked by ice.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Sunday, 1 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Peel Sound on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.

pWotD Episode 3224: Ali Khamenei Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 2,738,521 views on Saturday, 28 February 2026 our article of the day is Ali Khamenei.Ali Hosseini Khamenei (19 April 1939 – 28 February 2026) was an Iranian cleric and politician who served as the supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his killing by US and Israeli forces in 2026. Khamenei previously served as the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East at the time of his death and the longest-serving Iranian leader since Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.Born into the Khamenei family, he studied at a hawza in his hometown of Mashhad, later settling in Qom in 1958, where he attended the classes of Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei became involved in opposition to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and was arrested six times before being exiled for three years by the Shah's regime. Khamenei was a mainstream figure in the 1978–1979 Iranian Revolution, and upon its success, held many posts in the newly established Islamic Republic of Iran. In the aftermath of the revolution, he was the target of an attempted assassination that paralysed his right arm. There had been continued assassination threats against Khamenei by Israel. Khamenei served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989 during the Iran–Iraq War, when he also developed close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After the death of Khomeini in 1989, Khamenei was elected supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts.As supreme leader, Khamenei supported Iran's nuclear program for civilian use while issuing a fatwa forbidding the production of weapons of mass destruction. Khamenei favoured economic privatization of state-owned industries and, with oil and gas reserves, transformed Iran into an "energy superpower". His foreign policy centered on Shia Islamism and exporting the Iranian Revolution. Khamenei played a pivotal role in the development of the IRGC, transforming it into a primary tool for domestic control and regional influence. Under Khamenei, Iran supported the "Axis of Resistance" coalition in the Syrian civil war, War in Iraq, Yemeni civil war and the Gaza war, as well as Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war. A staunch critic of Israel and of Zionism, Khamenei supported the Palestinians in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; his rhetoric included calls for Israel's destruction and antisemitic tropes. Under Khamenei, Iran was involved in proxy wars with Israel and Saudi Arabia; in 2025 and 2026, tensions with Israel and the United States escalated to a 12-day armed conflict and ongoing strikes.Identified as a pragmatic hardliner, Khamenei sidelined leftist factions, moderate clerics, and political dissidents, while occasionally easing restrictions when the regime's stability or legitimacy had been threatened. His leadership had been closely associated with the expansion of state militarization and the consolidation of power within the office of the Supreme Leader. Khamenei had also faced many protests, including the 1999 Iranian student protests, the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, the 2011–2012 Iranian protests, the 2017–2018 Iranian protests, the 2018–2019 Iranian general strikes and protests, the 2019–2020 Iranian protests, the Mahsa Amini protests, and the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. Journalists, bloggers and other individuals were put on trial in Iran for the charges of insulting Supreme Leader Khamenei, often in conjunction with blasphemy charges. Their sentences included lashing and jail time; some of them died in custody. He was also known by the title Ayatollah and was considered one of the leading Shia Muslim marja' in the world. Khamenei's critics viewed him as a repressive despot responsible for repression, mass murders and other acts of injustice.On 28 February 2026, Khamenei was killed in an airstrike during the 2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 07:29 UTC on Sunday, 1 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Ali Khamenei on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Salli.

fWotD Episode 3221: Hume MRT station Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 28 February 2026, is Hume MRT station.Hume MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Downtown Line (DTL) in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Located at the junction of Hume Avenue and Upper Bukit Timah Road, the station serves landmarks such as Bukit Timah Hill, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the Rail Corridor, the Rail Mall and the Former Ford Factory. It is the first underground infill station to open in Singapore.During the construction of the DTL, only the structural provisions for the station were built due to lack of projected ridership levels. Following petitions from nearby residents advocating for the station's opening, the government announced in March 2019 that Hume station would be built in tandem with the redevelopment of the Rail Corridor. Fitting-out works began in February 2021, and the station opened on 28 February 2025 ahead of schedule. The station features a colour scheme of green, yellow, and white. Andre Wee's Continuity, an artwork depicting the Former Ford Factory, is displayed in the station as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit programme.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:20 UTC on Saturday, 28 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Hume MRT station on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Amy.

rWotD Episode 3222: Khibiny National Park Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Saturday, 28 February 2026, is Khibiny National Park.Khibiny National Park (Russian: Национальный парк «Хибины») protects a mountainous region of taiga and tundra on the Khibiny Mountains and Lovozero Massif of the western Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. The mountains contain commercially important minerals, and the park's borders reflect the need to balance three uses - protection of the unique natural environment, recreation (hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter), and industrial mining. The park was officially created in 2018, and is located in the districts of Kirovsk and Olenegorsk in Murmansk Oblast.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:10 UTC on Saturday, 28 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Khibiny National Park on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Justin.

pWotD Episode 3223: Scream 7 Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 218,540 views on Friday, 27 February 2026 our article of the day is Scream 7.Scream 7 is a 2026 American slasher film that is a sequel to Scream VI (2023) and the seventh installment in the Scream film series. It is directed by Kevin Williamson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Guy Busick, from a story by James Vanderbilt and Busick. The film stars Neve Campbell, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Courteney Cox reprising their roles from the previous films, with Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, and Joel McHale also starring. The film follows a new Ghostface killer who targets Sidney Prescott's daughter.Following the exit of Scream (2022) and Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett in August 2023, Christopher Landon was hired to direct the seventh Scream film. However, the film went through a creative retooling after the departure of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in late 2023, with Landon also leaving the project. In March 2024, Campbell confirmed her return to the franchise after being absent from Scream VI, with Williamson hired to direct Scream 7 after serving as writer and producer of the early films in the series. Filming began in January 2025 and concluded that March.Scream 7 premiered at the Paramount Pictures studio lot on February 25, 2026, and was released in the United States on February 27, by Paramount Pictures. The film received negative reviews from critics.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:44 UTC on Saturday, 28 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Scream 7 on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.

fWotD Episode 3220: Fort Southerland Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 27 February 2026, is Fort Southerland.Fort Southerland, also known as Redoubt E and possibly Fort Diamond, is a redoubt built during the American Civil War to protect Camden, Arkansas. Confederate forces built it along with four other redoubts in early 1864 after a Union victory in the Little Rock campaign the previous year. Fort Southerland is about the size of a city block and is roughly oval. It could hold three cannons. When Union forces captured Camden in April 1864 during the Camden Expedition, they improved the defenses of the five redoubts, which were not sufficient for proper defense of the city. After the Confederates retook Camden later that month, they continued to improve the city's defenses.The fort lies within Fort Southerland Park, a municipal park dedicated in 1974. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, and is part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark. Along with Fort Lookout (Redoubt A), it is one of only two of the redoubts around Camden still in existence.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:23 UTC on Friday, 27 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Fort Southerland on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Gregory.

rWotD Episode 3221: Murder of Ibrahim Oktugan Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 27 February 2026, is Murder of Ibrahim Oktugan.On 7 May 2024, Ibrahim Oktugan, a 74-year-old Principal of a private high school in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district, was fatally shot by a former student identified as Yousif K., a 17-year-old of Iraqi origin who held Turkish citizenship. The suspect had been expelled from the school approximately five months earlier due to disciplinary issues. On the day of the attack, he returned to the school, entered Oktugan's office, and shot him five times. Oktugan was transported to hospital but died from his injuries despite emergency medical treatment.School officials stated that Oktugan had expelled the suspect following repeated behavioral problems, which were cited as the motive for the murder. Kadriye Deveci, a teacher at the school, described the student as "very problematic" in an interview with Rawin, stating that Oktugan believed that the student was "not a good example" and was frequently disrespectful toward teachers. Deveci added that the family had attempted to contest the expulsion, but school authorities ultimately decided they could no longer tolerate the student’s conduct. Following the killing, family members, colleagues, and students gathered to protested the murder, calling on authorities to take stronger measures to protect educators and address violence within the education sector.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:04 UTC on Friday, 27 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Murder of Ibrahim Oktugan on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.

pWotD Episode 3222: Rashmika Mandanna Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 237,118 views on Thursday, 26 February 2026 our article of the day is Rashmika Mandanna.Rashmika Mandanna (born 5 April 1996) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu and Hindi films. Her accolades include four SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award South. One of South India's highest-paid actresses, she was featured in Forbes India's 2024 list of "30 Under 30".After a brief modelling career in 2014, Mandanna made her acting debut with the Kannada romantic comedy Kirik Party (2016) and gained further commercial success with the action film Anjani Putra and the romantic drama Chamak (both 2017). She expanded into Telugu cinema in 2018 with the comedy drama Chalo and achieved her breakthrough with the romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, which earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She went on to star as the leading lady in the action comedies Sarileru Neekevvaru and Bheeshma (both 2020).Mandanna gained wider recognition with the pan-India success of the Telugu action film Pushpa: The Rise (2021). She played a supporting role in the period drama Sita Ramam (2022) and starred as the lead in the Tamil film Varisu (2023) before venturing into Hindi cinema with two unsuccessful releases. She achieved her highest-grossing films with the action dramas Animal (2023), Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)—for which she earned the SIIMA Award for Best Actress—and Chhaava (2025). While her recurring roles in androcentric narratives have drawn criticism for constraining her acting range, she garnered critical praise for her portrayal of a woman in a toxic relationship in The Girlfriend (2025).In addition to her acting career, she is the celebrity endorser for several brands and products. Mandanna is married to actor Vijay Deverakonda.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 07:06 UTC on Friday, 27 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Rashmika Mandanna on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Niamh.

fWotD Episode 3219: Mary Fortune Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 26 February 2026, is Mary Fortune.Mary Helena Fortune (29 July 1832 – 9 November 1911) was an Australian author and journalist who was one of the earliest female writers of detective fiction. A prolific pseudonymous writer of fiction, poetry, and journalism, she contributed chiefly to The Australian Journal. Her best-known work, The Detective's Album, comprised more than 500 short stories published in the journal between 1868 and 1908. Fortune's writing was characterised by its unsparing portrayals of colonial society and urban Melbourne, including the prevalence of violence and the treatment of women.Born in Ireland, Fortune moved to Canada as a child and travelled to Australia with her son in 1855, possibly to escape her marriage. She lived in the goldfields settlements that emerged during the Australian gold rushes, where she had another (likely illegitimate) child, entered a short-lived bigamous marriage with a mounted policeman, and may have traded in illegal alcohol. Her early writings, including radical poetry, appeared in local goldfields newspapers. She then became a frequent and longstanding contributor to The Australian Journal after its founding in 1865.Although best known for her short crime fiction, Fortune also wrote serial novels, poetry, journalism, a memoir, and at least one play. Her work extended beyond crime fiction and included romance, Gothic fiction, and ghost stories. Drawing on her experiences in the goldfields and in Melbourne's rapidly urbanising environment, her writing often criticised colonial society—particularly its treatment of women—and examined the police's failure to address sexual violence and crimes against women.Despite her popularity as a writer, Fortune experienced alcoholism, poverty, and periods of homelessness throughout her later life. Her surviving son, George Fortune, became a career criminal and spent more than 20 years in prison. Fortune died in 1911 shortly after leaving an asylum. Having written under several pseudonyms, her identity was nearly lost after her death until it was rediscovered by a book collector in the 1950s. Further details of her life have since been uncovered by the historian Lucy Sussex, who has written extensively about Fortune and her work.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:19 UTC on Thursday, 26 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Mary Fortune on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Justin.

rWotD Episode 3220: Adamantius (praefectus urbi) Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 26 February 2026, is Adamantius (praefectus urbi).Adamantius (Ancient Greek: Ἀδαμάντιος; fl. 474–479) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, praefectus urbi of Constantinople (474–479), patricius and honorary consul.Adamantius was the son of Vivianus, consul in 463 and praetorian prefect of the East; his brother was Paulus, consul in 512.Between 474 and 479, Adamantius held the office of praefectus urbi of Constantinople.In 479 he is attested as patricius. That year he was conferred consular honours by Emperor Zeno and sent as envoy to the rebel general Theodoric the Great. He went to Thessalonica, where he freed the ex-consul Iohannes from an enraged mob, and joined with Sabinianus Magnus at Edessa; they reached Theodoric in Dyrrachium, where they started negotiations, but Zeno recalled them back when the rebels kept on attacking imperial territories.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:07 UTC on Thursday, 26 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Adamantius (praefectus urbi) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Danielle.

pWotD Episode 3221: Martin Short Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 210,595 views on Wednesday, 25 February 2026 our article of the day is Martin Short.Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television shows. His awards include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Actor Awards, and a Tony Award. Short was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2019.Short is known for his work on the television programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live. He created the characters Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimley. He also acted in the sitcom Mulaney (2014–2015), the variety series Maya & Marty (2016), and the drama series The Morning Show (2019). He has also had an active career on stage, starring in Broadway productions including Neil Simon's musicals The Goodbye Girl (1993) and Little Me (1998–1999). The latter earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the former a nomination in the same category.On film, Short has acted in comedy films such as Three Amigos (1986), Innerspace (1987), Three Fugitives (1989), Father of the Bride (1991), Captain Ron (1992), Clifford (1994), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Mumford (1999) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). Short voiced roles in The Pebble and the Penguin (1995), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Treasure Planet (2002), Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), Frankenweenie (2012), and The Wind Rises (2013). He also voiced the Cat in the Hat in the PBS Kids series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010–2013).In 2015, Short started touring nationally with the comedian Steve Martin. In 2018, they released their Netflix special An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life which received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Since 2021, he has co-starred in the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Martin and Selena Gomez. For his performance he has earned nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award, the Golden Globe Award, and a Critics' Choice Television Award, and won a SAG Award.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:25 UTC on Thursday, 26 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Martin Short on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ayanda.

rWotD Episode 3219: Henry Clay Monument Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Wednesday, 25 February 2026, is Henry Clay Monument.The Henry Clay Monument is a public monument in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, United States. Work on the monument, which consists of a state of Henry Clay atop a Doric column, began in 1852, shortly after his death, and ended in 1855.As a politician in the early 19th century, Clay was an advocate for the American System of protective tariffs that helped Pottsville's anthracite industry, and upon his death in 1852, several prominent citizens in the city advocated for the erection of a monument in his honor. Work commenced with the laying of a cornerstone on July 26, 1852, and ended in June 1855, with the structure dedicated on July 4 (Independence Day) of that year. The column was designed by Frank Hewson and created by George Fissler, while the statue was designed by sculptor H. Wesche and cast at the Robert Wood & Company foundry in Philadelphia. Both these structures are made of cast iron and painted white.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:12 UTC on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Henry Clay Monument on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Amy.

fWotD Episode 3218: The Voices of Morebath Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 25 February 2026, is The Voices of Morebath.The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village is a 2001 non-fiction history book by the Irish historian of British Christianity Eamon Duffy and published by Yale University Press about Morebath, England, during the English Reformation of the 16th century. Using the detailed churchwarden's accounts maintained by Sir Christopher Trychay, the vicar of Morebath's parish, Duffy recounts the religious and social implications of the Reformation in a small conservative Catholic community through the reign of Henry VIII, during the violent 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion, and into the Elizabethan era. Trychay's accounts – first reprinted in 1904 – had been used in other scholarly works and were first encountered by Duffy during research for his 1992 The Stripping of the Altars on pre-Reformation English religion. The Voices of Morebath depicts both Morebath and Trychay through their strong early resistance to the Reformation to their eventual adoption of new religious norms under the Protestant Elizabethan Religious Settlement.The Voices of Morebath was praised for its coverage of ecclesiastical and secular parochial matters, particularly its personal treatment of Trychay. It drew criticism for instances where examples from Morebath are used to comment on broader subjects. Other reviewers commented that Duffy conceded the limitations of a local source. Though popular, some reviewers appraised the book as overly complex for the broad audience it had been written and marketed towards. In 2002, The Voices of Morebath won Duffy the Hawthornden Prize and the book was shortlisted for both the Samuel Johnson Prize and British Academy Book Prize.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:08 UTC on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see The Voices of Morebath on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Niamh.

fWotD Episode 3217: Kent Haruf Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 24 February 2026, is Kent Haruf.Alan Kent Haruf (, rhymes with sheriff; February 24, 1943 – November 30, 2014) was an American writer born and raised in Colorado. He wrote six novels and several short stories set on the High Plains, mostly in the fictional town of Holt.After completing his undergraduate degree in English at Nebraska Wesleyan, Haruf enrolled in the Peace Corps and performed work in lieu of military service before receiving a master's degree from the University of Iowa. He initially struggled to establish a career as a writer; in addition to stints as a janitor, construction worker and farmhand, Haruf spent years teaching English at a high school in Wisconsin and at universities in Nebraska and Illinois. His writing was first published in 1984 when he was 41. Although Haruf's first two novels received critical praise, commercial success eluded him until the publication of Plainsong in 1999, which became a bestseller. He followed it up with Eventide (2005), a direct sequel to Plainsong, and Benediction (2013).Throughout Haruf's career, critics praised his spare and elegant prose, authentic portrayals of rural life, and attention to the beauty found in ordinary things, although he was occasionally criticized for redundancy. In early 2014, Haruf was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease. He wrote his final book, Our Souls At Night, while ill and died that November. The book was published posthumously and adapted into a film of the same name. A Colorado magazine, 5280, wrote that Haruf is "widely considered Colorado's finest novelist", and the Dublin Review of Books called his work "both uniquely American and profoundly universal".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:44 UTC on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Kent Haruf on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Amy.

rWotD Episode 3218: Don (given name) Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 24 February 2026, is Don (given name).Don is a masculine given name in the Irish language, as well as a short form of two masculine given names in the English language. The Irish name is derived from the Irish donn; the name can either mean "brown", or "chief", "noble". The Irish name is a variant spelling of Donn. The English name is unrelated to the Irish name; this name is a short form of the given name Donald or Donovan. Pet forms of this English name include Donnie and Donny. Don can also be a surname, also derived from "brown".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:57 UTC on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Don (given name) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Emma.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan talk Tesla, AI, Tariffs, Economy, Epstein, Cars, Movies and RobinLetter. Is that enough for you? I hope so, cause that's what you have this week. Plus the benefits of checking your mail! So there ya go! Show Details: Recorded 2026-02-21 Length this week 1:37:37 0:00:35 - Part One Movie: Tuck Everlasting (2002) Movie: Allegiant (2016) 0:16:49 - Part Two Tesla Pulling Back From Cars Electric Car Competition AI Risks and Benefits 0:49:04 - Part Three Looking at Mail Tariff Decision Negative Indicators 1:14:55 - Part Four New Epstein Consequences RobinLetter Update Expensive Cars The Curmudgeon's Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch. Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link) Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link) Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link) Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

fWotD Episode 3216: First Jewish–Roman War Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 23 February 2026, is First Jewish–Roman War.The First Jewish–Roman War (66–73/74 CE), also known as the Great Jewish Revolt, the First Jewish Revolt, the War of Destruction, or the Jewish War, was the first of three major Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire. Fought in the province of Judaea, it resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, mass displacement, land appropriation, and the dissolution of the Jewish polity.Judaea, once independent under the Hasmoneans, fell to Rome in the first century BC. Initially a client kingdom, it later became a directly ruled province, marked by the rule of oppressive governors, socioeconomic divides, nationalist aspirations, and rising religious and ethnic tensions. In 66 AD, under Nero, unrest flared when a local Greek sacrificed a bird at the entrance of a Caesarea synagogue. Tensions escalated as Governor Gessius Florus looted the temple treasury and massacred Jerusalem's residents, sparking an uprising during which rebels killed the Roman garrison while pro-Roman officials fled.To quell the unrest, Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, invaded Judaea but was defeated at Bethoron and a provisional government, led by Ananus ben Ananus, was established in Jerusalem. In 67 CE, Vespasian was sent to suppress the revolt, invading Galilee and capturing Yodfat, Tarichaea, and Gamla. As rebels and refugees fled to Jerusalem, the government was overthrown, leading to infighting between Eleazar ben Simon, John of Gischala and Simon bar Giora. After Vespasian subdued most of the province, Nero's death prompted him to depart for Rome to claim the throne. His son Titus led the siege of Jerusalem, which fell in the summer of 70 AD, resulting in the Temple's destruction and the city's razing. In 71, Titus and Vespasian celebrated a triumph in Rome, and Legio X Fretensis remained in Judaea to suppress the last pockets of resistance, culminating in the fall of Masada in 73/74 CE.The war had profound consequences for the Jewish people, many being killed, displaced, or sold into slavery. The rabbinic sages emerged as leading figures and established a rabbinic center in Yavneh, marking a key moment in the development of Rabbinic Judaism as it adapted to the post-Temple reality. These events in Jewish history signify the transition from the Second Temple period to the Rabbinic period. The revolt also hastened the separation between Christianity and Judaism. The victory strengthened the new Flavian dynasty, which commemorated it through monumental constructions and coinage, imposed a punitive tax on all Jews, and increased military presence in the region. The Jewish–Roman wars culminated in the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE), the last major attempt to restore Jewish independence, which resulted in even more catastrophic consequences.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:08 UTC on Monday, 23 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see First Jewish–Roman War on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Brian.

rWotD Episode 3217: Connectix Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Monday, 23 February 2026, is Connectix.Connectix Corporation was a software and hardware company that released innovative products that were either made obsolete as Apple Computer incorporated the ideas into system software, or were sold to other companies once they became popular. It was formed in October 1988 by Jon Garber; the dominant board members and co-founders were Garber, Bonnie Fought (the two were later married), and close friend Roy McDonald. McDonald was still Chief Executive Officer and president when Connectix finally closed in August 2003.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Monday, 23 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Connectix on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Olivia.

fWotD Episode 3215: Donkey Kong (character) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 22 February 2026, is Donkey Kong (character).Donkey Kong (DK) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. A flagship character of the Japanese video game company Nintendo, he is the star of the Donkey Kong franchise and also appears in the Mario franchise. Donkey Kong is a large, powerful gorilla who leads the Kong family of simians. He is stubborn and buffoonish, and attacks using barrels. He wears a red necktie bearing his initials and is accompanied by supporting characters such as his sidekick Diddy Kong, rival Mario, and archenemy King K. Rool.Donkey Kong debuted as the antagonist of Donkey Kong, a 1981 platform game. He has appeared in many video games, including the original Donkey Kong arcade games, the Donkey Kong Country series of side-scrolling platform games, Mario games such as Mario Kart and Mario Party, and the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. The original game characterized Donkey Kong as Mario's rebellious pet; games since Country feature him as a player character protecting his stash of bananas. Some games include Cranky Kong, an alternate, elderly incarnation who breaks the fourth wall. Donkey Kong has appeared in animation, comics, children's books, Super Nintendo World theme park attractions, and merchandise such as Lego construction toys. Miyamoto designed the original Donkey Kong using Popeye characters, but when Nintendo was unable to obtain the license, he created Donkey Kong to replace Bluto. He designed him as a dumb, humorous antagonist, named donkey to convey stubborn and kong to imply gorilla, and drew inspiration from the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong. The Rare developer Kevin Bayliss redesigned Donkey Kong as a 3D model for Donkey Kong Country (1994), which served as the basis for his appearance until he was redesigned for Donkey Kong Bananza (2025). Donkey Kong has been voiced by Takashi Nagasako and Koji Takeda in games, and was voiced by Richard Yearwood in the television series Donkey Kong Country (1997–2000) and by Seth Rogen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).Donkey Kong has been listed among the greatest video game characters. He is one of Nintendo's most enduring characters; the Donkey Kong franchise was Nintendo's first major international success, established it as a prominent force in the video game industry, and remains one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises. Donkey Kong has also been the subject of analysis regarding his similarities to King Kong (which sparked the 1983 Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. lawsuit), his gender role, and his transition from villain to hero.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:25 UTC on Sunday, 22 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Donkey Kong (character) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Stephen.