Podcasts about Curmudgeon

fWotD Episode 3059: Homer Simpson Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 19 September 2025, is Homer Simpson.Homer Jay Simpson is the main protagonist of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Part of the titular family, Homer made his television debut in the short "Good Night" on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Homer while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Initially called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell, Groening instead developed a new set of characters. After two years on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family received their own series, which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989.Homer is the patriarch of the family; he is married to Marge, with whom he has three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. As the family's primary provider, Homer primarily works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He embodies numerous American working-class stereotypes: he is overweight, balding, immature, unintelligent, outspoken, aggressive, lazy, ignorant, unprofessional, and deeply fond of beer, junk food, and television. Despite these flaws, Homer is fundamentally a good-hearted man and fiercely protective of his family, especially during critical moments.In the shorts and early episodes of The Simpsons, Dan Castellaneta voiced Homer with a loose impression of Walter Matthau. However, starting with the second season of the full-length series, Homer's voice evolved into a more robust tone to better convey a broader range of emotions. Homer has also appeared in various Simpsons-related media, including video games, The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Simpsons Ride, commercials, and comic books, and has inspired a wide range of merchandise. His iconic catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been recognized in linguistics, appearing in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001.Homer is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential television characters of all time and is widely recognized as an American cultural icon. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly ranked Homer ninth on their list of the "50 Greatest TV Icons", and in 2010, placed him first on their list of the "Top 100 Characters of the Past Twenty Years". The Sunday Times referred to him as "the greatest comic creation of [modern] time", while TV Guide, in 2002, called him the second-greatest cartoon character (after Bugs Bunny). Castellaneta has received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, along with a special-achievement Annie Award. In 2000, Homer and the family were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:07 UTC on Friday, 19 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Homer Simpson 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 Ivy.

rWotD Episode 3060: Disk buffer 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, 19 September 2025, is Disk buffer.In computer storage, a disk buffer (often ambiguously called a disk cache or a cache buffer) is the embedded memory in a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) acting as a buffer between the rest of the computer and the physical hard disk platter or flash memory that is used for storage. Modern hard disk drives come with 8 to 256 MiB of such memory, and solid-state drives come with up to 4 GB of cache memory.Since the late 1980s, nearly all disks sold have embedded microcontrollers and either an ATA, Serial ATA, SCSI, or Fibre Channel interface. The drive circuitry usually has a small amount of memory, used to store the data going to and coming from the disk platters.The disk buffer is physically distinct from and is used differently from the page cache typically kept by the operating system in the computer's main memory. The disk buffer is controlled by the microcontroller in the hard disk drive, and the page cache is controlled by the computer to which that disk is attached. The disk buffer is usually quite small, ranging between 8 MB and 4 GB, and the page cache is generally all unused main memory. While data in the page cache is reused multiple times, the data in the disk buffer is rarely reused. In this sense, the terms disk cache and cache buffer are misnomers; the embedded controller's memory is more appropriately called disk buffer.Note that disk array controllers, as opposed to disk controllers, usually have normal cache memory of around 0.5–8 GiB.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:15 UTC on Friday, 19 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Disk buffer 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 Niamh.

pWotD Episode 3061: D4vd 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 530,451 views on Thursday, 18 September 2025 our article of the day is D4vd.David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as d4vd (pronounced "David"), is an American singer and songwriter. Burke began making music at his mother's recommendation to avoid receiving copyright strikes on his YouTube videos. In 2022, he released the singles "Here with Me" and "Romantic Homicide", which became viral hits on TikTok and led to his signing with Darkroom and Interscope Records. Alongside a string of releases in 2023, Burke released two extended plays (EPs), Petals to Thorns and The Lost Petals, the former charting in five regions. In 2024, Burke released five singles, including his third single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, "Feel It". His debut studio album, Withered, was released in 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:07 UTC on Friday, 19 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see D4vd 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 Olivia.

fWotD Episode 3058: Alicia (album) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 18 September 2025, is Alicia (album).Alicia is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Alicia Keys. It was primarily recorded at Oven Studios and Jungle City Studios, both in New York, after her 2016 album Here and her judgeship on the singing competition series The Voice, before being released by RCA Records on September 18, 2020. Written and produced largely by Keys, the album also features songwriting and production contributions from Swizz Beatz, Ryan Tedder, Johnny McDaid, Ed Sheeran, and The-Dream, among others. Keys collaborated with more artists on the recording than in her previous albums, enlisting vocalists such as Sampha, Tierra Whack, Diamond Platnumz, Snoh Aalegra, and Jill Scott for certain tracks.Alicia's mostly low-tempo and melodically subtle music reconciles the experimental direction of Here with her earlier work's bass drum-driven R&B and piano-based balladry. Throughout, individual songs incorporate sounds from a wide range of other genres, including orchestral pop, progressive soul, funk, ambient, country, and Caribbean music. Thematically, they explore identity as a multifaceted concept, sociopolitical concerns, and forms of love within the framework of impressionistic lyrics, personal narratives, and self-knowledge. Keys has described the album as therapeutic and reflective of greater introspection in herself, expressing ideas and feelings of hope, frustration, despair, ambivalence, and equanimity shared in her memoir More Myself (2020), which was written during Alicia's recording.The album was originally scheduled to be released on March 20, 2020, then May 15, before being delayed indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was marketed with an extended traditional rollout campaign that featured various media appearances by Keys and the release of seven singles, including the Miguel duet "Show Me Love", "Time Machine", "Underdog", and "So Done" (with Khalid). After a surprise announcement of its impending release in September, Alicia debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 in its first week and became Keys' eighth top-10 record in the US, while charting in the top 10 in several other countries. However, it fell off the US chart a few weeks later.A critical success, Alicia received praise for Keys' nuanced vocal performances and the music's broad appeal, while her thematic messages were considered balanced, healing, and timely against the backdrop of unfolding world events. The singles "Good Job" and "Perfect Way to Die" resonated especially with the importance of essential workers during the pandemic and with the 2020–2021 racial unrest over police brutality in the US, respectively. The album also won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards. In further support of the album, Keys performed in concert from June to November 2022 and in May 2023 on the Alicia + Keys World Tour, which had been postponed from 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:52 UTC on Thursday, 18 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Alicia (album) 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.

rWotD Episode 3059: Santa Marta de Penaguião Municipal Chamber 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, 18 September 2025, is Santa Marta de Penaguião Municipal Chamber.The Santa Marta de Penaguião Municipal Chamber (Portuguese: Câmara Municipal de Santa Marta de Penaguião) is the administrative authority in the municipality of Santa Marta de Penaguião. It has 7 freguesias in its area of jurisdiction and is based in the town of Santa Marta de Penaguião, on the Vila Real District. These freguesias are: Alvações do Corgo; Cumieira; Fontes; Lobrigos (São Miguel e São João Baptista) e Sanhoane; Louredo e Fornelos; Medrões and Sever.The Santa Marta de Penaguião City Council is made up of 5 councillors, representing, currently, two different political forces. The first candidate on the list with the most votes in a municipal election or, in the event of a vacancy, the next candidate on the list, takes office as President of the Municipal Chamber.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:14 UTC on Thursday, 18 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Santa Marta de Penaguião Municipal Chamber 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.

pWotD Episode 3060: Google Chrome 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 394,834 views on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 our article of the day is Google Chrome.Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and also for Android, where it is the default browser. The browser is also the main component of ChromeOS, where it serves as the platform for web applications.Most of Chrome's source code comes from Google's free and open-source software project Chromium, but Chrome is licensed as proprietary freeware. WebKit was the original rendering engine, but Google eventually forked it to create the Blink engine; all Chrome variants except iOS used Blink as of 2017.As of April 2024, StatCounter estimates that Chrome has a 65% worldwide browser market share (after peaking at 72.38% in November 2018) on personal computers (PC), is most used on tablets (having surpassed Safari), and is also dominant on smartphones. With a market share of 65% across all platforms combined, Chrome is the most used web browser in the world today.Google chief executive Eric Schmidt was previously involved in the "browser wars", a part of U. S. corporate history, and opposed the expansion of the company into such a new area. However, Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page spearheaded a software demonstration that pushed Schmidt into making Chrome a core business priority, which resulted in commercial success. Because of the proliferation of Chrome, Google has expanded the "Chrome" brand name to other products. These include not just ChromeOS but also Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox, and Chromebase.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 07:31 UTC on Thursday, 18 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Google Chrome 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.

fWotD Episode 3057: Through the Looking-Glass Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 17 September 2025, is Through the Looking-Glass.Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a novel published in December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford. It was the sequel to his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), in which many of the characters were anthropomorphic playing-cards. In this second novel the theme is chess. As in the earlier book, the central figure, Alice, enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a large looking-glass (a mirror) into a world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just as in a reflection, things are reversed, including logic (for example, running helps one remain stationary, walking away from something brings one towards it, chessmen are alive and nursery-rhyme characters are real). Among the characters Alice meets are the severe Red Queen, the gentle and flustered White Queen, the quarrelsome twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the rude and opinionated Humpty Dumpty, and the kindly but impractical White Knight. Eventually, as in the earlier book, after a succession of strange adventures, Alice wakes and realises she has been dreaming. As in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the original illustrations are by John Tenniel.The book contains several verse passages, including "Jabberwocky", "The Walrus and the Carpenter" and the White Knight's ballad, "A-sitting On a Gate". Like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the book introduces phrases that have become common currency, including "jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day", "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast", "un-birthday presents", "portmanteau words" and "as large as life and twice as natural".Through the Looking Glass has been adapted for the stage and the screen and translated into many languages. Critical opinion of the book has generally been favourable and either ranked it on a par with its predecessor or else only just short of it.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:42 UTC on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Through the Looking-Glass 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.

rWotD Episode 3058: Forensic Science Laboratory bombing 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, 17 September 2025, is Forensic Science Laboratory bombing.The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) targeted the Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory (NIFSL) facilities on Newtownbreda Road in the southern outskirts of Belfast with a large 3,000 lb bomb on 23 September 1992. The huge impact of the bomb destroyed the lab and damaged over 1,000 homes within a 1.5 mile radius, including adjacent Belvoir Park, a Protestant housing estate. It was one of the biggest bombs ever detonated during Northern Ireland's Troubles, causing massive damage and being felt over 10 miles away. Hundreds of residents had to be treated for shock. Several military vehicles were damaged. The lab was a key target because it analysed evidence in cases involving IRA attacks. The IRA had given a warning, and British Army bomb disposal experts were investigating an abandoned van when the explosion occurred. One estimate put the repair damage cost at £20 million at the time.According to journalist and author Toby Harnden, the attack was planned and carried out from beginning to end by the IRA South Armagh Brigade. Volunteers from the brigade hijacked a truck near Newry and packed it with explosives weighing 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg). They left the truck outside the Forensic Science Laboratory at 8:40pm. Nearly 45 minutes later, after a coded warning, the bomb exploded.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:19 UTC on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Forensic Science Laboratory bombing 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.

pWotD Episode 3059: Robert Redford 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 2,864,009 views on Tuesday, 16 September 2025 our article of the day is Robert Redford.Charles Robert Redford Jr. (August 18, 1936 – September 16, 2025) was an American actor and filmmaker. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award; a BAFTA Award; and five Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994; the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1996; the Academy Honorary Award in 2002; the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005; the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016; and the Honorary César in 2019. He was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014.Redford started his career in television acting in Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone before making his Broadway debut playing a newlywed husband in Neil Simon's comedic play Barefoot in the Park (1963). Redford made his film debut in War Hunt (1962) before finding leading man stardom acting in Barefoot in the Park (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Candidate (1972), and The Sting (1973), the last of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Redford's stardom continued with roles in films such as The Way We Were (1973); The Great Gatsby (1974); Three Days of the Condor (1975); All the President's Men (1976); The Electric Horseman (1979), Brubaker (1980), The Natural (1984); and Out of Africa (1985). He later acted in Sneakers (1992), All Is Lost (2013), Truth (2015), Our Souls at Night (2017), and The Old Man & the Gun (2018). Redford portrayed Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the last of which served as Redford's final on-screen appearance.Redford made his directorial film debut with the family drama Ordinary People (1980), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. He went on to direct eight feature films including the drama The Milagro Beanfield War (1984); the period drama A River Runs Through It (1992); the historical drama Quiz Show (1994); the neo-western The Horse Whisperer (1998); and the sports fantasy The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000). Redford co-founded the Sundance Resort and Film Institute in 1981. He was also known for his extensive work as a political activist where he was a champion of environmentalism, Native American and indigenous people's rights, and LGBT rights.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:58 UTC on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Robert Redford 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 Ayanda.

fWotD Episode 3056: Socompa Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 16 September 2025, is Socompa.Socompa is a large stratovolcano (composite volcano) on the border of Argentina and Chile. It has an elevation of 6,051 metres (19,852 ft) and is part of the Chilean and Argentine Andean Volcanic Belt (AVB). Socompa is within the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the segments of the AVB, which contains about 44 active volcanoes. It begins in Peru and runs first through Bolivia and Chile, and then Argentina and Chile. Socompa lies close to the pass of the same name where the Salta-Antofagasta railway crosses the Chilian border.Most of the northwestern slope of Socompa collapsed catastrophically 7,200 years ago to form an extensive debris avalanche deposit. The Socompa collapse is among the largest known on land with a volume of 19.2 cubic kilometres (4.6 cu mi) and a surface area of 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi); its features are well-preserved by the arid climate. The deposit was at first considered to be either a moraine or a pyroclastic flow deposit, until the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens prompted awareness of the instability of volcanic edifices and the existence of large-scale collapses. There are large toreva blocks, which were left behind within the collapse crater. After the landslide, the volcano was rebuilt by the effusion of lava flows and much of the scar is now filled in.Socompa is also noteworthy for the high-altitude biotic communities that are bound to fumaroles on the mountain. They are well above the sparse regular vegetation in the region, which does not extend up the mountains. The climate on the mountain is cold and dry.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:53 UTC on Tuesday, 16 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Socompa 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.

rWotD Episode 3057: Apartment House 1776 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, 16 September 2025, is Apartment House 1776.Apartment House 1776 is a 1976 composition by the American composer John Cage, composed for the United States Bicentennial and premiered by six orchestras across the country in 1976. The work was commissioned jointly by the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. In these performances, the work was performed together with Cage's 1975–76 orchestral work Renga.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:06 UTC on Tuesday, 16 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Apartment House 1776 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.

pWotD Episode 3058: Stephen Graham 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 606,411 views on Monday, 15 September 2025 our article of the day is Stephen Graham.Stephen Graham (born 3 August 1973) is an English actor and film producer. He began his career in 1990, with early notable roles in Snatch (2000) and Gangs of New York (2002), before his breakthrough role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film This Is England (2006).On television, Graham reprised his role as Combo in This Is England '86, This Is England '88, and This Is England '90. He also starred in the drama Little Boy Blue, in the fifth series of Line of Duty, in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, in the BBC drama Time, and in the sixth series of Peaky Blinders. He created, co-wrote and executive produced the miniseries Adolescence (2025) on Netflix, in which he also appeared, and won all of three nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards for it.Graham's film appearances include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), The Irishman (2019), Boiling Point (2021) and its sequel series of the same name (2023), and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and its sequel Venom: The Last Dance (2024). He has received nominations for seven British Academy Television Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards and one British Academy Film Award. He was appointed OBE in 2023.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:33 UTC on Tuesday, 16 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Stephen Graham 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 Nicole.

fWotD Episode 3055: Red wattlebird Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 15 September 2025, is Red wattlebird.The red wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata) is a passerine bird native to southern Australia. At 33–37 cm (13–14+1⁄2 in) in length, it is the second largest species of Australian honeyeater, after the yellow wattlebird. It has mainly grey-brown plumage, with red eyes, distinctive pinkish-red wattles on either side of the neck, white streaks on the chest and a large bright yellow patch on the lower belly. The sexes are similar in plumage. Juveniles have less prominent wattles and browner eyes. John White described the red wattlebird in 1790. Three subspecies are recognized.The species is found in southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and southwest Western Australia in open forest and woodland, and is a common visitor to urban gardens and parks. Loud and conspicuous, the red wattlebird is generally found in trees, where it gets most of its food; occasionally it forages on the ground. It is one of the largest nectarivorous birds in the world, feeding from a wide variety of flowering plants. Insects also comprise part of its diet. It is territorial and at times aggressive towards birds of other species, often defending rich sources of nectar. Breeding throughout its range, the red wattlebird builds a cup-shaped nest in a tree and raises one or two broods a year. Although it has declined in places from land-clearing, it is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:31 UTC on Monday, 15 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Red wattlebird 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.

rWotD Episode 3056: Rhodamine B 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, 15 September 2025, is Rhodamine B.Rhodamine B is a chemical compound and a dye. It is often used as a tracer dye within water to determine the rate and direction of flow and transport. Rhodamine dyes fluoresce and can thus be detected easily and inexpensively with fluorometers.Rhodamine B is used in biology as a staining fluorescent dye, sometimes in combination with auramine O, as the auramine-rhodamine stain to demonstrate acid-fast organisms, notably Mycobacterium. Rhodamine dyes are also used extensively in biotechnology applications such as fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and ELISA.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:36 UTC on Monday, 15 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Rhodamine B 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 Kevin.

pWotD Episode 3057: Ricky Hatton 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 1,114,830 views on Sunday, 14 September 2025 our article of the day is Ricky Hatton.Richard John Hatton (6 October 1978 – 14 September 2025), also known by nicknames such as the Hitman and the People's Champion, was a British professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and later worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships in the light-welterweight division, and one at welterweight. In 2005 he was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN.In 2000 Hatton won the British light-welterweight title, followed by the World Boxing Union (WBU) title the following year; he made a record fifteen successful defences of the latter from 2001 to 2004. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2005 by defeating Kostya Tszyu for the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Ring and lineal titles. This was followed up later that year with a victory over Carlos Maussa to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Super version), thereby becoming a unified light-welterweight world champion.Making his welterweight debut in 2006, Hatton won a tough fight against WBA champion Luis Collazo to win a world title in his second weight class. A return to light-welterweight in 2007 saw him win the vacant IBF title for a second time, as well as the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title. In the same year, Hatton had his career first defeat against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an attempt to win the World Boxing Council (WBC), Ring and lineal welterweight titles. This defeat took a severe toll on Hatton's wellbeing, as did a second defeat in 2009 when he lost his IBO, Ring and lineal light-welterweight titles to Manny Pacquiao.After Hatton's career was put on a long hiatus, rumours of a comeback continued to circulate in the media over the next several years. In 2011, Hatton announced his retirement from the sport, but in 2012, more than three years after his last fight, he confirmed his comeback. A loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in his first match back prompted Hatton to immediately announce his final retirement. He remained retired for 13 years before announcing a comeback in July 2025.Hatton has been lauded as one of the most beloved and popular British boxers of all time, with a raucous fan base that travelled in their tens of thousands across the Atlantic to support him. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:33 UTC on Monday, 15 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Ricky Hatton 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 Raveena.

Doing a little light hearted hangout with @JamieTheCleaner for a few minutes on his channel before we kick things off with Dr. Patel over on Curmudgeon's Corner. www.phoenixeod.com https://thehouseofrags.com/collections/phoenix-e-o-d It's So Easy, Even A Curmudgeon Can Do It!

rWotD Episode 3055: Kitts Hummock, Delaware 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, 14 September 2025, is Kitts Hummock, Delaware.Kitts Hummock is an unincorporated community in Kent County, Delaware, United States. Kitts Hummock is located on the Delaware Bay at the end of Kitts Hummock Road, southeast of Dover. It was originally named "Kidds Hammock" after 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd and rumors he buried treasure there. The "Hammock" referred to is the ecological version, meaning a stand of hardwood trees, and the name was inadvertently changed by employees of the Delaware Department of Transportation. A hummock is a similar rise in elevation, leading some to believe the reasoning behind the name.Kitts Hummock Beach is an official sanctuary for horseshoe crabs, the state marine animal of Delaware and a "signature species" of the Delaware Bay Estuary.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:17 UTC on Sunday, 14 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Kitts Hummock, Delaware 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 Danielle.

fWotD Episode 3054: Mother Solomon Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 14 September 2025, is Mother Solomon.Margaret Grey Eyes Solomon (November 1816 – August 18, 1890), better known as Mother Solomon, was a Wyandot nanny and cultural activist. Solomon was born along Owl Creek in Marion County, Ohio, to a Wyandot chief father. In 1822, her family moved to the Big Spring Reservation in Wyandot County, where elders relayed oral tradition to her. She learned housekeeping and English at a mission school and began attending the Wyandot Mission Church. Solomon married a Wyandot man in 1833 and had several children with him, some of whom died before 1843. That year, the Indian Removal Act forced the Wyandots to move to Kansas. Illness and poor living conditions were initially widespread in the new community. Solomon had more children in Kansas, though by 1860, her husband and remaining children had died.Solomon became homesick after marrying the Wyandot sheriff John Solomon in 1860. Alongside her nephew, the Solomons relocated to around Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1865. When John died in 1876, she began babysitting children, and her village nicknamed her "Mother Solomon". Solomon promoted Wyandot culture and advocated for the restoration of the run-down mission church. During its rededication in 1889, she sang a Wyandot translation of the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and impressed many attendees with her stage presence. Solomon died in 1890. She was a popular local figure, and her death was widely reported in newspapers. The Wyandot County Museum has since displayed her belongings.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:31 UTC on Sunday, 14 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Mother Solomon 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.

pWotD Episode 3056: Groypers 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 854,534 views on Saturday, 13 September 2025 our article of the day is Groypers.The Groypers, sometimes called the Groyper Army, are a group of alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists led by Nick Fuentes. Members of the group have attempted to introduce alt-right politics into mainstream conservatism in the United States and participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and the protests leading up to it. They have targeted other conservative groups and individuals whose agendas they view as too moderate and insufficiently racist and nationalist. The Groyper movement has been described as white nationalist, homophobic, nativist, fascist, sexist, antisemitic, and an attempt to rebrand the declining alt-right movement.Groypers are a loosely defined group of Fuentes's followers and fans. After him, there is no clear second in the Groyper hierarchy. Groypers are named after a cartoon amphibian named "Groyper", a variant of the Internet meme Pepe the Frog. In February 2021, the Groyper movement splintered between Fuentes and Patrick Casey over fears of infiltration by federal informants and doxing at the 2021 America First Political Action Conference, held by Fuentes. Jaden McNeil of America First Students joined in support of Fuentes's conference and accused Casey of disloyalty to Fuentes. In May 2022, McNeil distanced himself from Fuentes in an "interpersonal clash of egos" following conflict over his former position as treasurer of Fuentes's America First Foundation.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:00 UTC on Sunday, 14 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Groypers 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 Kevin.

rWotD Episode 3054: Bernt Theodor Anker 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, 13 September 2025, is Bernt Theodor Anker.Bernt Theodor Anker (7 March 1867 – 21 August 1943) was a Norwegian linguist, priest and author. Anker was one of the first priests to use Nynorsk from the pulpit, and was a strong proponent of Nynorsk in the church and in society.He was born in Vestre Aker and grew up in Bergen and in Risor, where his father was the customs inspector from 1877. He attended the Latin school in Drammen during 1884. Anker finished his Cand.theol. at the University of Oslo in 1890, where he had studied theology, comparative studies, and politics. Anker worked as a priest and teacher throughout his professional life. He first served as a sexton in Arendal from 1890-93 followed be assignments as parish priest in Søndeled, Kviteseid and Lårdal. He finished his career as provost of Hardanger og Voss prosti in Hordaland.Theologically, he was strongly influenced by the writing of N. F. S. Grundtvig and became involved in Grundtvigianism. He was also active in youth work throughout his life. He translated four historical books and four prophetical books of the Old Testament for the first translation of the Holy Bible into Nynorsk in 1921. One of his hymns appears in Norsk Salmebok, the hymnal of the Church of Norway.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:18 UTC on Saturday, 13 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Bernt Theodor Anker 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.

fWotD Episode 3053: Supernatural season 1 Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 13 September 2025, is Supernatural season 1.The first season of Supernatural, an American dark fantasy television series created by Eric Kripke, premiered on September 13, 2005, and concluded on May 4, 2006, after 22 episodes. It focuses on brothers Sam and Dean Winchester as they track down their father, John, who is on the trail of the demon who killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend. During their travels, they use their father's journal to help them carry on the family business—saving people and hunting supernatural creatures. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles star as Sam and Dean, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan recurring as their father, John, and Nicki Aycox as the demonic Meg Masters. This is the only season to air on The WB, with all subsequent seasons airing on The CW, a joint venture of The WB and UPN.The first sixteen episodes of the season aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm ET in the United States, after which the series was rescheduled to Thursdays. Overall, the season averaged about 3.81 million American viewers. The season gained many award nominations, among them two Primetime Emmy Awards for work done on the pilot episode. While some critics did not like the mostly anthology-like format, others praised the show for the emotional moments and noted the brotherly chemistry between the lead actors.The season was internationally syndicated, airing in the United Kingdom on ITV, in Canada on Citytv, and in Australia on Network Ten. The first season was released on DVD as a six-disc box set on September 5, 2006, by Warner Home Video in Region 1. Although the season was split into two separate releases in Region 2, the complete set was released on October 2, 2006, and in Region 4 on October 2, 2007. The episodes are also available through digital retailers such as Apple's iTunes Store, Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace (now Microsoft Store), and Amazon.com's on-demand TV service.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:15 UTC on Saturday, 13 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Supernatural season 1 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 Kajal.

pWotD Episode 3055: Killing of Iryna Zarutska 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 1,056,343 views on Friday, 12 September 2025 our article of the day is Killing of Iryna Zarutska.The killing of Iryna Zarutska occurred on August 22, 2025, at the East/West Boulevard light rail station on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had fled her country because of the Russian invasion, was fatally stabbed. Her assailant was arrested upon exiting the train and charged with first-degree murder.The killing drew international coverage for Zarutska's status as a refugee seeking safety in the United States, prompted a public statement from Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles, and footage of the killing sparked outrage on social media, leading to policy discussions about transit security, fare enforcement, and gaps in the criminal justice and mental health systems.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:38 UTC on Saturday, 13 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Killing of Iryna Zarutska 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 Kevin.

fWotD Episode 3052: Felice Beato Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 12 September 2025, is Felice Beato.Felice Beato (c. 1832 – 29 January 1909), also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photographers. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, and views and panoramas of the architecture and landscapes of Asia and the Mediterranean region. Beato's travels gave him opportunities to create images of countries, people, and events that were unfamiliar and remote to most people in Europe and North America. His work provides images of such events as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Second Opium War, and represents the first substantial body of photojournalism. He influenced other photographers; and his impact in Japan, where he taught and worked with numerous other photographers and artists, was particularly deep and lasting.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:36 UTC on Friday, 12 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Felice Beato 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 Ivy.

rWotD Episode 3053: EFunds Corporation 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, 12 September 2025, is EFunds Corporation.EFD (or eFunds Corporation) was a Scottsdale, Arizona based payments processor of electronic payments including debit card and automated teller machine (ATM) transactions. It provided financial service companies and other large enterprises with new account decisions, fraud detection and payment processing services. On June 27, 2007, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) announced that it was acquiring EFD in an all-cash transaction valued at about $1.8B. The target completion date for the acquisition was the 3rd quarter of 2007.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:01 UTC on Friday, 12 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see EFunds Corporation 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 Stephen.

pWotD Episode 3054: Killing of Charlie Kirk 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 1,110,734 views on Thursday, 11 September 2025 our article of the day is Killing of Charlie Kirk.On September 10, 2025, American conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The outdoor event was the first in the fall for his American Comeback Tour, organized by the conservative organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA.The killing came amid deepening tensions and increasingly frequent political violence in the United States, and prompted widespread reactions from public figures across the country.A manhunt for the suspect is ongoing. Two individuals were initially detained but were later released after law enforcement determined they had no connection to the incident. The shooter and their motive remain unidentified, although photos and a video of a person of interest have been released.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 05:05 UTC on Friday, 12 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Killing of Charlie Kirk 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 Niamh.

fWotD Episode 3051: Timber Ridge Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 11 September 2025, is Timber Ridge.Timber Ridge is a mountain ridge of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians straddling the U. S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. Timber Ridge extends from the forks of Sleepy Creek at Stotlers Crossroads in Morgan County, West Virginia, to Lehew in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The ridge is predominantly forested, as its name suggests, with the exception of a number of orchards and open fields. From WV 127/VA 127 at Good to Lehew, Timber Ridge serves as the boundary line between Hampshire County, West Virginia, and Frederick County, Virginia.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:24 UTC on Thursday, 11 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Timber Ridge 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.

rWotD Episode 3052: Tavolzhan 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, 11 September 2025, is Tavolzhan.Tavolzhan (Russian: Озеро Таволжан), also known as Solyonoye (Russian: Озеро Солёное) is a salt lake in Sladkovsky District, Tyumen Oblast, Russian Federation.The lake is the largest in the district and is located 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the southwest of Sladkovo, the district capital. Tavolzhan village lies by the eastern lakeshore, Alexandrovka close to the southwestern end and Mikhailovka near the southern shore. The nearest city is Petropavl in Kazakhstan, 63 kilometers (39 mi) to the southwest of the southern end.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:00 UTC on Thursday, 11 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Tavolzhan 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 Olivia.

pWotD Episode 3053: Charlie Kirk 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 14,954,133 views on Wednesday, 10 September 2025 our article of the day is Charlie Kirk.Charles James Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) was an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality. He co-founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 and was its executive director. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Turning Point Action (TPAction) and a member of the Council for National Policy (CNP). The Washington Post described him as "one of the most prominent voices on the right" in his later years.Kirk was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, Illinois. In high school, Kirk actively engaged in politics, supporting Republican candidate Mark Kirk (no relation) and his U. S. Senate campaign, as well as campaigning against a price increase in his school's cafeteria. He briefly attended Harper College before dropping out to pursue political activism full-time, influenced by Tea Party member Bill Montgomery. In 2012, Kirk founded TPUSA, a conservative student organization that quickly grew with backing from donors like Foster Friess.Kirk expanded the organization's influence through initiatives like the Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist, which sought to fire or silence professors for sharing opinions opposed by Turning Point. Critics called this a form of modern day McCarthyism. In 2019, Kirk founded Turning Point Action, a political advocacy arm, and later, with Pentecostal pastor Rob McCoy, formed Turning Point Faith—aimed at mobilizing religious communities on conservative issues. Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a conservative talk radio program. A key ally of Donald Trump, Kirk promoted conservative and Trump-aligned causes. He received criticism for a variety of controversial statements, especially regarding his opposition to gun control, abortion, LGBTQ rights, his criticism of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr., and his promotion of Christian nationalism, COVID-19 misinformation, false claims of electoral fraud in 2020, and the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.In September 2025, Kirk was shot and killed at the age of 31 while speaking at a TPUSA event on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU), as part of his long-running public debate events at higher education institutions across the United States. The shooting received international attention and condemnation.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 06:16 UTC on Thursday, 11 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Charlie Kirk 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 Joey.

rWotD Episode 3051: Charlie Oliver (trade unionist) 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, 10 September 2025, is Charlie Oliver (trade unionist).Cecil Thompson "Charlie" Oliver AM (23 December 1901 – 24 February 1990) was an Australian trade unionist and politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1948 to 1951, representing the seat of Boulder, and was later prominent in the labour movement in New South Wales as the state secretary (1951–1978) and state president (1980–1985) of the Australian Workers' Union.Oliver was born in Bangor, Carnarvonshire, Wales, to Elizabeth (née Thompson) and John Murray Oliver. His family moved to England when he was a child, living first in Chester and later in Liverpool. He left school at the age of 13 to work as an agricultural labourer, and emigrated to Western Australia after World War I with an older brother. Oliver initially settled in Meekatharra, where he worked as a miner, and later also lived in Koolanooka, Perenjori, and Big Bell. He joined the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) in 1923, and in 1942 accepted a position as a district-level organiser.In 1943, Oliver was appointed state secretary of the AWU's mining division, which was based in Boulder. He entered parliament at the 1948 Boulder by-election, which had been caused by the death of Philip Collier (a former premier). His chief opponent was the Liberal Party candidate, Billy Snedden, who was a future federal Leader of the Opposition. Oliver was re-elected unopposed at the 1950 state election, but felt under-utilised in parliament, and in mid-1951 resigned to accept a position as the AWU's New South Wales state secretary.Oliver remained AWU state secretary until 1978, helping to improve the union's finances and membership numbers. He then served as AWU state president from 1980 to 1985. Oliver also served as ALP state vice-president during the 1955 party split, and was credited with helping to reduce its impact. He was elected state president of the party in 1960, and remained in the position until his voluntary resignation in 1970, although the party won only a single state election during that time (in 1962). In retirement, Oliver lived in Sydney, dying there in February 1990 (aged 88). He had been made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1984, "for services to trade unionism".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Charlie Oliver (trade unionist) 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.

fWotD Episode 3050: Hydrogen Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 10 September 2025, is Hydrogen.Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all normal matter. Under standard conditions, hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules with the formula H2, called dihydrogen, or sometimes hydrogen gas, molecular hydrogen, or simply hydrogen. Dihydrogen is colorless, odorless, non-toxic, and highly combustible. Stars, including the Sun, mainly consist of hydrogen in a plasma state, while on Earth, hydrogen is found as the gas H2 (dihydrogen) and in molecular forms, such as in water and organic compounds. The most common isotope of hydrogen (1H) consists of one proton, one electron, and no neutrons.Hydrogen gas was first produced artificially in the 17th century by the reaction of acids with metals. Henry Cavendish, in 1766–1781, identified hydrogen gas as a distinct substance and discovered its property of producing water when burned; hence its name means 'water-former' in Greek. Understanding the colors of light absorbed and emitted by hydrogen was a crucial part of developing quantum mechanics.Hydrogen, typically nonmetallic except under extreme pressure, readily forms covalent bonds with most nonmetals, contributing to the formation of compounds like water and various organic substances. Its role is crucial in acid-base reactions, which mainly involve proton exchange among soluble molecules. In ionic compounds, hydrogen can take the form of either a negatively charged anion, where it is known as hydride, or as a positively charged cation, H+, called a proton. Although tightly bonded to water molecules, protons strongly affect the behavior of aqueous solutions, as reflected in the importance of pH. Hydride, on the other hand, is rarely observed because it tends to deprotonate solvents, yielding H2.In the early universe, neutral hydrogen atoms formed about 370,000 years after the Big Bang as the universe expanded and plasma had cooled enough for electrons to remain bound to protons. After stars began to form, most of the hydrogen in the intergalactic medium re-ionized.Nearly all hydrogen production is done by transforming fossil fuels, particularly steam reforming of natural gas. It can also be produced from water or saline by electrolysis, but this process is more expensive. Its main industrial uses include fossil fuel processing and ammonia production for fertilizer. Emerging uses for hydrogen include the use of fuel cells to generate electricity.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:33 UTC on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Hydrogen 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.

pWotD Episode 3052: J. J. McCarthy 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 439,084 views on Tuesday, 9 September 2025 our article of the day is J. J. McCarthy.Jonathan James McCarthy (born January 20, 2003) is an American professional football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected tenth overall by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft.McCarthy played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, seeing playing time as a true freshman backup in 2021. In 2022, he led Michigan to an undefeated regular season, a Big Ten Conference championship and a berth in the 2022–23 College Football Playoff (CFP). In 2023, McCarthy was named the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year after leading the Wolverines to a 15–0 record and a national championship, the program's first since 1997. In his three years at Michigan, the Wolverines won three Big Ten titles and made three College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. McCarthy finished his college career with a 27–1 record (.964) as a starting quarterback, the highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history. As a high school football player, McCarthy won a national championship with IMG Academy in 2020.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:30 UTC on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see J. J. McCarthy 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 Arthur.

rWotD Episode 3050: Florencia Klipauka Lewtak 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, 9 September 2025, is Florencia Klipauka Lewtak.Florencia Naiara Klipauka Lewtak (born 22 December 1993) is an Argentine politician. She has been a member of the National Chamber of Deputies since 2021, elected for the Juntos por el Cambio coalition in Misiones Province. Since 2024, she took position in favour of Javier Milei politics so she decided to have sat in the La Libertad Avanza parliamentary bloc.She belongs to the local Activar party.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:05 UTC on Tuesday, 9 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Florencia Klipauka Lewtak 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 Ruth.

fWotD Episode 3049: Battle of Arkansas Post Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 9 September 2025, is Battle of Arkansas Post.The Battle of Arkansas Post, also known as the Battle of Fort Hindman, was fought from January 9 to 11, 1863, along the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate forces constructed Fort Hindman near Arkansas Post in late 1862. Also in late 1862, Major General John A. McClernand of the Union Army (as the United States Army was known during the war) was authorized to recruit troops in the Midwest for an expedition down the Mississippi River against Vicksburg, Mississippi. Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant began an overland campaign against Vicksburg along the Mississippi Central Railroad in November. Grant and Union General-in-Chief Henry Halleck did not trust McClernand, and through machinations placed the start of the riverine movement against Vicksburg under the command of Major General William T. Sherman before McClernand could arrive. Sherman's movement was defeated at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in late December, and Confederate cavalry raids forced Grant to abandon his overland campaign.McClernand arrived at Memphis, Tennessee, in late December and found that Sherman had left without him. McClernand moved downriver, joined Sherman's force, and took command in early January 1863, calling it the Army of the Mississippi. Both Sherman and McClernand had independently come to the conclusion that Arkansas Post should be attacked: Confederate forces raiding from Fort Hindman had recently captured a Union supply vessel and Sherman may have been hoping for a victory to restore his reputation after Chickasaw Bayou. McClernand's troops and a Union Navy fleet commanded by Acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter moved upriver towards the Arkansas River. The expedition began unloading troops downriver from the fort late on January 9. The next day, some of Porter's warships bombarded the fort, while McClernand's troops maneuvered into position. At 1:00 pm on January 11, Porter's warships began another bombardment of the fort, and McClernand's troops attacked the Confederate positions, which consisted of the fort and a line of rifle pits that extended west to a bayou.McClernand's attack was repulsed, but white flags of surrender began to appear over parts of the Confederate line in uncertain circumstances. Confusion ensued, and Union troops moved up close to the Confederate line and swamped parts of it. The Confederate commander, Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill, agreed to surrender. When Grant learned of the operation against Arkansas Post, he disapproved and ordered McClernand back to the Mississippi River, although Grant was later convinced of the wisdom of the operation. Grant relieved McClernand on January 30 and took command of the campaign against Vicksburg. In April and May, Grant's army crossed the Mississippi River downriver from Vicksburg and won a series of battles. The Confederate forces withdrew into the Vicksburg defenses in mid-May. The Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Confederate surrender on July 4, 1863; this was a key contribution to the eventual Union victory.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:03 UTC on Tuesday, 9 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Battle of Arkansas Post 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 3051: Matt Prater 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 300,244 views on Monday, 8 September 2025 our article of the day is Matt Prater.Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American professional football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for longest field goal (64 yards) from 2013 until 2021 and holds the NFL record for most 50+ yard field goals in a career with 81 as of end of 2024 season.He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was originally signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006.He was cut by the Denver Broncos after completing a suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. With the Lions in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Prater set the NFL records for consecutive field goal conversions of 50+ yards (14 field goals) and 55+ yards (seven field goals).This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:07 UTC on Tuesday, 9 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Matt Prater 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 Brian.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, we sit down with Dr. Puraj Patel — bariatric and minimally invasive surgeon at Henry Ford Health, husband and father, and the owner & founder of Clean Cut Detail in Novi, MI. We dive into his journey from the operating room to the detailing bay, exploring how precision, discipline, and purpose drive his life both as a surgeon and an entrepreneur. We'll talk about: How robotic surgery and detailing surprisingly share the same demand for focus. Balancing family life with two high-pressure careers in medicine. Building a business from the ground up while saving lives in the OR. The importance of community, passion, and resilience. ✨ “Scalpel Meets Polisher.” Don't miss this inspiring conversation that bridges health, hustle, and horsepower.

rWotD Episode 3049: Hermann Baranowski 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, 8 September 2025, is Hermann Baranowski.Hermann Baranowski (11 June 1884 in Schwerin – 5 February 1940 in Aue) was a German politician and military figure. A member of the Nazi Party, he is best known as the commandant of two German concentration camps of the SS Death's Head unit. In April 1900, at the age of fifteen, he volunteered for the navy and fought in the First World War, serving aboard the SMS Moltke. In 1912 he married August Dibbern with whom he had two children, a boy and a girl. In 1930 he was discharged as a lieutenant and then worked first as an office clerk in Kiel and later as a sales representative in Hamburg.Baranowski joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) in 1930. The following year he signed up for the SS (SS #24009). His first appointment was as the leader of the 4th SS Standarte in Hamburg-Altona. In March 1936 Himmler appointed him commandant of the Lichtenburg concentration camp. However, he was soon removed, demoted and sent as a Lagerführer (compound leader) at Dachau concentration camp.However, in 1938 he was promoted to Schutzhaftlagerführer at Dachau concentration camp. He served as the commandant (SS-Oberführer) of Sachsenhausen concentration camp from May 1938 until September 1939. He died at Aue in 1940.He was noted to be especially sadistic. However, Rudolf Höss, commandant at Auschwitz, described Baranowski as: very strict and hard, but of a scrupulous sense of fair play and fanatical sense of duty. As a very old SS leader and National Socialist he became my role model. I constantly saw in him a grander reflection of myself. He also had movements where his good nature, his soft heart revealed themselves, and yet he was hard and uncompromisingly strict in all matters of duty. So he constantly brought home to me how the hard 'must' demanded by the SS had to silence all soft stirrings.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:10 UTC on Monday, 8 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Hermann Baranowski 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.

fWotD Episode 3048: Peter Sellers Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 8 September 2025, is Peter Sellers.Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. Sellers featured on a number of hit comic songs, and became known to a worldwide audience through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series.Sellers made his stage debut at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, when he was two weeks old. He began accompanying his parents in a touring variety act. He worked as a drummer and toured around England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a spell in Ralph Reader's wartime Gang Show entertainment troupe. After the war, Sellers made his radio debut in ShowTime, and eventually became a regular performer on various BBC Radio shows. During the early 1950s, Sellers, along with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, and Michael Bentine, took part in the successful radio series The Goon Show, which ended in 1960.Sellers began his film career during the 1950s. Although the bulk of his work was comedic, often parodying characters of authority such as military officers or policemen, he also performed in other film genres and roles. Films demonstrating his artistic range include I'm All Right Jack (1959), Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Party (1968), Being There (1979) and five films of the Pink Panther series (1963–1978). Sellers's versatility enabled him to portray a wide range of comic characters using different accents and guises, and he would often assume multiple roles within the same film, frequently with contrasting temperaments and styles. Satire and black humour were major features of many of his films, as they had been in his radio and record performances, and they had a strong influence on a number of later comedians. Sellers was nominated three times for an Academy Award, twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his performances in Dr. Strangelove and Being There, and once for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in I'm All Right Jack and was nominated an additional three times for the satire Only Two Can Play, for Doctor Strangelove and The Pink Panther, and for Being There. In 1980 he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role in Being There, having previously been nominated three times in the same category. Turner Classic Movies calls Sellers "one of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century".In his personal life, Sellers struggled with depression and insecurities. An enigmatic figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he played. His behaviour was often erratic and compulsive, and he frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars, especially in the mid-1970s, when his physical and mental health, together with his alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. Sellers was married four times and had three children from his first two marriages. He died from a heart attack, aged 54, in 1980. English filmmakers the Boulting brothers described Sellers as "the greatest comic genius this country has produced since Charles Chaplin".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:04 UTC on Monday, 8 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Peter Sellers 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 Nicole.

pWotD Episode 3050: Carlo Acutis 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 511,765 views on Sunday, 7 September 2025 our article of the day is Carlo Acutis.Carlo Acutis (3 May 1991 – 12 October 2006) was an English-born Italian teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his use of digital media to promote Catholic devotion. Born in London and raised in Milan, he developed an early interest in computers and video games, teaching himself programming and web design and assisting his parish and school with digital projects.Active in parish life, he served as a catechist and helped inspire several people to convert to Catholicism. He later created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. He was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia and died at the age of fifteen. Since his death, his relics have been displayed in Assisi and his exhibitions on Eucharistic miracles have travelled worldwide. In 2020, he was beatified by the Catholic Church after the recognition of a proposed 2013 miracle in Brazil attributed to his intercession, while a second miracle in Costa Rica was confirmed in 2024. Acutis is regarded as a model for young believers and was canonised as a saint on 7 September 2025, alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati. Acutis has been referred to as the "patron saint of the Internet", "God's Influencer" and the "first millennial saint".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:02 UTC on Monday, 8 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Carlo Acutis 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 Joanna.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss tariffs, immigration raids, the Venezuelan boat, deterioration of the rule of law, damage from RFK Jr, Trump/Epstein, and triggered by all this, Ivan's possible escape plan from the US. Before that though, on the lighter side, some movies and Alex's suggestions on how to monetize this podcast. And a song triggered by technical difficulties! Show Details: Recorded 2025-09-06 Length this week 2:03:15 0:01:35 - But First Tire Blowout Getting Spanish Citizenship Red Lines Movie: Star Wars (1977) Movie: Wicked: Part I (2024) Monetization 1:03:06 - But Second Tariff Impacts Immigration Raids Venezuelan Boat Rule of Law RFK Jr Trump/Epstein 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 3047: HMS Queen Mary Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 7 September 2025, is HMS Queen Mary.HMS Queen Mary was the last battlecruiser built by the Royal Navy before the First World War. The sole member of her class, Queen Mary shared many features with the Lion-class battlecruisers, including her eight 13.5-inch (343 mm) guns. She was completed in 1913 and participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight as part of the Grand Fleet in 1914. Like most of the modern British battlecruisers, the ship never left the North Sea during the war. As part of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, Queen Mary attempted to intercept a German force that bombarded the North Sea coast of England in December 1914, but was unsuccessful. The ship was refitting in early 1915 and missed the Battle of Dogger Bank in January, but participated in the largest fleet action of the war, the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. She was hit twice by the German battlecruiser Derfflinger during the early part of the battle and her magazines exploded shortly afterwards, sinking her with the loss of more than 98 percent of the ship's complement.Her wreck was discovered in 1991 and rests in pieces, some of which are upside down, on the floor of the North Sea. Queen Mary is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 as it is the grave of 1,266 officers and ratings.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:30 UTC on Sunday, 7 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see HMS Queen Mary 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.

rWotD Episode 3048: Rockin' in the Rockies 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, 7 September 2025, is Rockin' in the Rockies.Rockin' in the Rockies is a 1945 American musical western feature film starring the Three Stooges (not to be confused with their 1940 short subject Rockin' thru the Rockies). The picture is one of the Stooges' few feature-length films made during the run of their better-known series of short subjects for Columbia Pictures, although the group had appeared in supporting roles in other features. It is the only Stooges feature-length film with the team's best known line-up (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard) in starring roles.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:02 UTC on Sunday, 7 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Rockin' in the Rockies 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.

pWotD Episode 3049: Aryna Sabalenka 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 365,134 views on Saturday, 6 September 2025 our article of the day is Aryna Sabalenka.Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is currently the world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA, and is a former world No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won 21 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including four majors – two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open – as well as nine WTA 1000 events. She has also won six doubles titles, including the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open, both partnering with Elise Mertens.Sabalenka came to prominence in 2017 when, together with Aliaksandra Sasnovich, she led the Belarus Fed Cup team to a runner-up finish even though both were ranked outside the top 75 at the time. She finished 2018 and 2019 ranked No. 11 in the world in singles. Following two major singles semifinal appearances in 2021, Sabalenka rose to the world No. 2 ranking but struggled to maintain that success in 2022 consistently. In 2023, she won her first major singles title at the Australian Open and obtained the world No. 1 ranking, being named the ITF World Champion for the season. Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title and won the US Open the following year, clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking. In 2025, she defended her title at the US Open, and finished as the runner-up at the Australian and French Opens.Sabalenka began playing doubles regularly in 2019. With Mertens as her partner, she found instant success by winning the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami) that same year. After the US Open doubles title later in the season, she qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. With the 2021 Australian Open doubles title, Sabalenka became the world No. 1 in the discipline, after which she shifted to playing exclusively singles.Sabalenka has an aggressive style of play, often accumulating high numbers of winners and unforced errors. With her height, she also displays powerful serves.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:40 UTC on Sunday, 7 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Aryna Sabalenka 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.

rWotD Episode 3047: Star Hawkins 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, 6 September 2025, is Star Hawkins.Star Hawkins is a science fiction detective character appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily their flagship science-fiction anthology title Strange Adventures. He and his ever-present robot assistant Ilda first appeared in Strange Adventures #114 (March 1960) and featured in 21 issues of the title, but after that only made four other appearances in other DC Comics before he was killed off in Mystery In Space vol 2 #2 (December 2006). The characters were created by John Broome and Mike Sekowsky.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:52 UTC on Saturday, 6 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Star Hawkins 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 Danielle.

fWotD Episode 3046: Hurricane Ophelia (2005) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 6 September 2025, is Hurricane Ophelia (2005).Hurricane Ophelia was a long-lived tropical cyclone in September 2005 that moved along an erratic path off the East Coast of the United States for much of its existence. The fifteenth named storm and the eighth hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Ophelia originated from a complex set of systems across the Atlantic in early September. An area of low pressure consolidated near the Bahamas and was classified as Tropical Depression Sixteen on September 6. Stuck in a region of meager steering currents, largely dominated by a lull between two ridges to the north and east, this system moved along a looping course with a general northward trajectory. The following day it organized into Tropical Storm Ophelia and soon reached hurricane status on September 8. Over the next week, Ophelia's intensity oscillated between tropical storm and hurricane levels due to intrusions of dry air, varying levels of wind shear, and gradual upwelling of cooler waters along its meandering path. Gradually growing in size, the system reached hurricane strength for the fourth time and its peak strength on September 14, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). By this time Ophelia had completed a second loop and was moving northwest toward North Carolina. Changing direction once again, the system turned away from the state though its eyewall scraped the coastline for two days. The system degraded to tropical storm strength for a final time on September 16 as it began accelerating northeast. Becoming embedded within the westerlies, Ophelia transitioned into an extratropical cyclone the next day. Remaining on a steady east-northeast to northeast path for the next week, Ophelia traversed Atlantic Canada and the northern Atlantic Ocean before dissipating on September 23 over the Norwegian Sea.Ophelia's erratic track prompted warnings and watches for a large swath of the Eastern Seaboard, ultimately a greater area than necessary. With the storm occurring on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, state governments were quick to prepare shelters out of an abundance of caution. National Guard servicemen were deployed to North Carolina while thousands more were on standby there and in South Carolina. More than 2,000 people used public shelters as Ophelia approached land. As the hurricane's core remained largely offshore, its impacts were significantly less than feared. Some coastal locales saw heavy rain, notably more than 15 in (380 mm) in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The greatest impacts were felt in North Carolina, where more than 240,000 people lost power and more than 1,500 homes were damaged. Total monetary losses in the state were estimated at $70 million. Extensive beach erosion occurred due to the hurricane's prolonged effects. Tropical storm-force wind gusts and heavy rain caused minor damage in Florida, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. Rough seas led to one fatality in Florida and left another person missing in South Carolina while rain-slicked roads contributed to a fatal accident in North Carolina. Atlantic Canada saw negligible effects as Ophelia's remnants traversed the region; one person died after falling from his roof while preparing for the storm. In the storm's wake, 37 of North Carolina's counties were declared disaster areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided roughly $5.2 million in public assistance and the National Guard assisted with distribution of relief supplies.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:54 UTC on Saturday, 6 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Hurricane Ophelia (2005) 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 Danielle.

rWotD Episode 3046: Dalal Al-Bizri 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, 5 September 2025, is Dalal Al-Bizri.Dalal Al-Bizri (Arabic: دلال البزري) is a Lebanese researcher, writer, and lecturer. She was born in Lebanon, lived for more than ten years in Cairo in Egypt where she conducted researches on sociology before going back to settle in Beirut again after the Arab Uprising.Al-Bizri was the director of the review "Bāḥit̲āt" published by the Union of Lebanese Women Researchers in 1994. She is a regular columnist in several media such as Courrier International, Al-Mustaqbal, and Nawafidh.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:13 UTC on Friday, 5 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Dalal Al-Bizri 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.

fWotD Episode 3045: Joseph Francis Shea Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 5 September 2025, is Joseph Francis Shea.Joseph Francis Shea (September 5, 1925 – February 14, 1999) was an American aerospace engineer and NASA manager. Born in the New York City borough of the Bronx, he was educated at the University of Michigan, receiving a Ph. D. in Engineering Mechanics in 1955. After working for Bell Labs on the radio inertial guidance system of the Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile, he was hired by NASA in 1961. As Deputy Director of NASA's Office of Manned Space Flight, and later as head of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, Shea played a key role in shaping the course of the Apollo program, helping to lead NASA to the decision in favor of lunar orbit rendezvous and supporting "all up" testing of the Saturn V rocket. While sometimes causing controversy within the agency, Shea was remembered by his former colleague George Mueller as "one of the greatest systems engineers of our time".Deeply involved in the investigation of the 1967 Apollo 1 fire, Shea suffered from stress. He was moved to an alternative position in Washington and left NASA shortly afterwards. From 1968 until 1990, he worked as a senior manager at Raytheon in Lexington, Massachusetts, and thereafter became an adjunct professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. While Shea served as a consultant for NASA on the redesign of the International Space Station in 1993, he was forced to resign from the position due to health issues.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:52 UTC on Friday, 5 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Joseph Francis Shea 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.

rWotD Episode 3045: Nelson Mandela Boulevard 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, 4 September 2025, is Nelson Mandela Boulevard.Nelson Mandela Boulevard (Persian: بلوار نلسون ماندلا) (old name: Jordan Street and Africa Boulevard) still known as Jordan is an affluent and upper-class district in northern Tehran, Iran. Some people draw similarities between Jordan District and the Kensington area in London as the area is a mixture of residential and commercial locale, filled with the homes and businesses of politicians, diplomats, expatriates, and artists. Before the Iranian Revolution in 1979, it was called Jordan Street, named after the American Presbyterian missionary Samuel M. Jordan and used to be one of Tehran's most popular avenues. Renamed Nelson Mandela Boulevard in recent years, it is amongst the most famous streets in northern Tehran after Valiasr Street which is the longest conventional street in the Middle East. It is also famous for being one of the liveliest streets of Tehran, experiencing regular traffic jams even at 2:00 am during summer.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:45 UTC on Thursday, 4 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Nelson Mandela Boulevard 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 Niamh.

fWotD Episode 3044: Parasitic ant Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 4 September 2025, is Parasitic ant.A parasitic ant is a type of ant that exploits the social structure of another ant species for its own survival and reproduction. The most common types of parasitic ants infiltrate a colony of a closely related species by using pheromones identical to those of the colony's workers to avoid conflict and blend in. The parasite lays eggs alongside existing ones for the host colony's worker ants to raise and nurture as their own. Other parasitic ants transport the host colony's pupae and larvae back to parasite's colony, where the brood will be raised as their own. The host brood that were transported are unable to differentiate between the parasites and their own colony, and serve as worker ants for the parasites. The earliest parasitic ants most likely evolved 16 million years ago as temporary social parasites (ants that infiltrate a colony and kill the host queen).Parasites usually cause harmful effects to the target colony and can inhibit the colony's growth and development. In some cases parasites have been observed to evolve their anatomy to reflect that of their target species, which causes them to remain undetected inside a colony for the majority of their lifespans. The parasites may also experience social parasitic syndrome, causing changes to their anatomy adapted for parasitism. Social parasitic syndrome has been identified in the genera Acromyrmex and Pseudoatta.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:30 UTC on Thursday, 4 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Parasitic ant 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 Raveena.

rWotD Episode 3044: 2012–13 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team 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, 3 September 2025, is 2012–13 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team.The 2012–13 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sooners were led by Lon Kruger in his second season. The team played its home games at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 20–12, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Iowa State. The received an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA tournament, where they lost in the second round to San Diego State.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:10 UTC on Wednesday, 3 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 2012–13 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team 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 Joey.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam goes solo while Ivan enjoys the holiday weekend. Sam talks about movies, the feeding frenzy around Trump's health, and the general descent into authoritarianism we are right smack in the middle of. Plus some stories about going to the fair, and moving a car over a few feet. And that is that. Show Details: Recorded 2025-08-30 Length this week 1:47:40 0:00:36 - But First Just Me Going to the Fair Movie: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) Movie: All About Eve (1950) 0:31:29 - Trump Health Fair Report Rumor/Hype Spiral Remote Diagnosis Sticking to the Known? 0:58:49 - Getting Bad National Guard / ICE Targeting Opponents Destroying the CDC Administrative State 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.