Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 2025
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September 1
Randy Travis (born 1959) is an American country and gospel music singer and songwriter. He has recorded more than 20 studio albums and charted more than 50 singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs charts, including 16 that reached the number-one position. Travis's commercial success began in the mid-1980s with the release of his album Storms of Life, which was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. His major songs include "On the Other Hand", "Forever and Ever, Amen", "I Told You So", "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart", and "Three Wooden Crosses". Travis is noted as a key figure in the neotraditional country movement, a return to more traditional sounds within the genre following the country pop crossovers of the early 1980s. Since surviving a near-fatal stroke in 2013, which severely limited his singing and speaking ability, he has released archival recordings and made limited public appearances. (Full article...)
September 2
During its 1905–06 season, New Brompton F.C., an English football club, competed in the Southern League Division One. The team began the season on 2 September 1905 in poor form; they failed to score in six of their first eight league games and, by midseason, they were near the bottom of the league table. In the new year, the team won three of its first seven Southern League games, but failed to score in eight of the final nine league games. New Brompton finished the season in 17th place out of 18 teams in the division. They also competed in the FA Cup, reaching the second round. The team played a total of 37 league and cup matches, winning 8, drawing 9 and losing 20. Bill Marriott was the club's top goalscorer, with four goals in the Southern League and one in the FA Cup. Joe Walton (pictured) made the most appearances, playing in 36 of the team's 37 games. The highest attendance recorded at Priestfield Road was 5,500 for a game against Portsmouth on 27 January 1906. (Full article...)
September 3
William Arthur Ganfield (September 3, 1873 – October 18, 1940) was an American minister, educator, and academic administrator. He was ordained in 1901 and began his first preaching role in Green Bay, Wisconsin, later that year. In 1905, he became a professor at Carroll College (now Carroll University) and taught there until he was elected president of Centre College in 1915. During his six-year term, he helped Centre's enrollment recover from a lull and grew the school's endowment past $1 million for the first time, in part by reinstating ties between the college and the Presbyterian Church. He returned to Carroll as its president in 1921 and oversaw a strengthening of requirements for professors and the implementing tenure, pensions, and a fixed salary for faculty. Ganfield was a supporter of sports at both schools: Centre's football team won a major upset victory over Harvard in 1921, and Carroll's football and basketball teams each won multiple league championships during his term. (Full article...)
September 4
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 the 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. Some parasites can adapt their anatomy to reflect that of the hosts, allowing them to remain undetected for much of their lifespans. Parasites usually cause harmful effects to the target colony and can inhibit the colony's growth and development. (Full article...)
September 5
Joseph Francis Shea (September 5, 1925 – February 14, 1999) was an aerospace engineer and NASA manager. 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 led NASA to decide in favor of lunar orbit rendezvous and supporting "all up" testing of the Saturn V rocket. 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 was a senior manager at Raytheon in Lexington, Massachusetts, then worked as 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. (Full article...)
September 6
Hurricane Ophelia was a long-lived tropical cyclone, the fifteenth named storm and the eighth hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Classified as a tropical depression on September 6, it moved along a looping course, tending north. It reached hurricane status on September 8, though it repeatedly lost and regained it. The system reached hurricane strength for the fourth time on September 14, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Ophelia had completed a second loop and was moving northwest toward North Carolina. It mostly remained offshore though its eyewall scraped the coastline for two days. It degraded to tropical storm strength on September 16 as it began accelerating northeast. Ophelia traversed Atlantic Canada before dissipating on September 23 over the Norwegian Sea. With the storm occurring on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, governments were quick to prepare shelters. Three people died as the result of the storm, with another missing. (Full article...)
September 7
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 was completed in 1913 and participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight as part of the Grand Fleet in 1914. She never left the North Sea during the war. Queen Mary unsuccessfully attempted to intercept a German force that bombarded the North Sea coast of England in December. She was refitting in early 1915 and missed the Battle of Dogger Bank in January. Queen Mary was sunk in the largest fleet action of the war, the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. Twice hit by the German battlecruiser Derfflinger during the early part of the battle, her magazines exploded shortly afterwards. Her wreck was discovered in 1991 and rests in pieces on the floor of the North Sea. The wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 as it is the grave of 1,266 men. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battlecruisers of the world.)
September 8
Peter Sellers (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian, known for his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther. On stage from early childhood, he built his skills in Ralph Reader's wartime Gang Show troupe. After the war, Sellers made his radio debut in ShowTime, and became a regular on BBC Radio. During the early 1950s, Sellers took part in radio's The Goon Show. Although the bulk of his film work was comedic, he also performed in other genres, portraying a wide range of characters even within the same film. His films include I'm All Right Jack (1959), Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Casino Royale (1967), Being There (1979) and five films of the Pink Panther series. Sellers was nominated three times for an Academy Award, including twice for Best Actor, and won a number of other awards. Turner Classic Movies has called Sellers "one of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century". (Full article...)
September 9
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The Battle of Arkansas Post 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. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union army started to move against Vicksburg in November 1862. He entrusted William T. Sherman with command of the riverine movement towards Vicksburg, rather than John A. McClernand, whom Grant did not trust. Initial advances stalled, and McClernand arrived and took command in early January 1863. On January 10, 1863, Union warships bombarded Arkansas Post. At 1:00 pm on January 11, Union forces again attacked, by land and water. The land attack was repulsed, but the Confederates agreed to surrender. When Grant learned of the operation against Arkansas Post, he disapproved, but he was later convinced of the wisdom of the operation. The siege of Vicksburg ended with a Confederate surrender on July 4, 1863, a key contribution to the eventual Union victory. (Full article...)
September 10
Hydrogen is a chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting about 75% of all normal matter. Under standard conditions, hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules with the formula H2; it is colorless, odorless, non-toxic, and highly combustible. Stars, including the Sun, mainly consist of hydrogen in a plasma state, while on Earth, hydrogen in its gaseous state and in molecular forms, such as in water. The most common isotope of hydrogen (1H) consists of one proton, one electron, and no neutrons. Hydrogen gas was first produced artificially 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; its name means 'water-former' in Greek. 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.
September 11
Tumbler Ridge is a district municipality in the foothills of the B.C. Rockies in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. With a population of 2,399 in 2021, the municipality encompasses an area of 1,558 km2 (602 sq mi). Located near the confluence of the Murray River and Flatbed Creek and the intersection of Highway 52 and 29, it is part of the Peace River South provincial electoral district and the Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies federal riding. It is a planned community, with the housing and infrastructure built simultaneously in 1981 by the provincial government to service the coal industry. After dinosaur footprints and fossils were discovered in the municipality, along with fossils of Triassic fishes and Cretaceous plants, the Peace Region Paleontology Research Center opened in 2003. The study of the area led to a recognition of its geological importance and listing in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network. (Full article...)
September 12
Felice Beato (c. 1832 – 1909) was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first 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. His travels let him 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. Beato was the official photographer of the Nile Expedition led by G. J. Wolseley to Khartoum, Sudan, in relief of General Charles Gordon. Beato influenced other photographers; and his impact in Japan, where he taught and worked with other photographers and artists, was particularly deep and lasting. He pioneered and refined the techniques of hand-colouring photographs and making panoramas. (Full article...)
September 13
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The first season of Supernatural 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 their father, John, who is hunting the demon who killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend. The brothers use their father's journal to continue the family business of saving people and hunting supernatural creatures. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles (both pictured) star as Sam and Dean, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan recurring as John and Nicki Aycox as the demonic Meg Masters. This is the only season to air on The WB; subsequent seasons aired on The CW. The season averaged about 3.81 million American viewers and earned many award nominations, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for work done on the pilot episode. Some critics criticized the mostly anthology-like format, while others praised the show's emotional moments and brotherly chemistry between the lead actors. (This article is part of a featured topic: Supernatural season 1.)
September 14
Mother Solomon (1816–1890) 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 taught her oral tradition. She learned English at a mission school and began attending the Wyandot Mission Church. Solomon married in 1833 and had several children. Some of them died before 1843, when the Indian Removal Act forced the tribe to move to Kansas, where they lived in poor conditions. Solomon had more children there. By 1860, her husband and remaining children had died. She remarried the Wyandot sheriff John Solomon; they relocated to near 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 mission church. A popular local figure, her death in 1890 was widely reported in newspapers. (Full article...)
September 15
The red wattlebird is a passerine bird native to southern Australia. With a length of 33–37 cm (13–14½ in), it is the second largest species of Australian honeyeater. 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. 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. (Full article...)
September 16
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 lies close to the pass of the same name where the Salta–Antofagasta railway crosses the 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). After the volcanic landslide, Socompa 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. (Full article...)
September 17
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a novel published in December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics lecturer at the University of Oxford. It was the sequel to his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), in which many of the characters were playing-cards; in this novel the theme is chess. As in the earlier book, the central figure, Alice, finds herself in a fantastical universe. She passes through a large mirror into another world and finds that, just as in a reflection, things there are reversed, including logic. Eventually, after a succession of strange adventures, she wakes and realises she has been dreaming. The original illustrations are by John Tenniel. The book contains several verse passages and, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, introduces phrases that have become common currency. Through the Looking Glass has been adapted for the stage and screen and translated into many languages. Critical opinion of the book has generally been favourable.
September 18
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Alicia is the seventh studio album by Alicia Keys (pictured) and released on September 18, 2020. Alicia's mostly low-tempo and melodically subtle music reconciles her experimental direction with bass drum–driven R&B and piano-based balladry. The songs explore identity as a multifaceted concept, sociopolitical concerns, and forms of love within multiple frameworks. Keys described the album as therapeutic and reflective of greater introspection in herself. 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's eighth top-10 record in the US, while charting in the top 10 in several other countries. It received critical praise for Keys's 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 album won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album in 2022. (Full article...)
September 19
Homer Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is the boorish father of the Simpson family; with his wife, Marge, he has three children: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Homer embodies several American working-class stereotypes: he is overweight, balding, immature, unintelligent, outspoken, aggressive, lazy, ignorant, unprofessional, and fond of beer, junk food, and television. Despite his flaws, he is fundamentally a good-hearted man and fiercely protective of his family, especially during crises. He was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening and is voiced by Dan Castellaneta (pictured). Homer is one of the most influential fictional characters on television and is widely recognized as an American cultural icon. His catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in several dictionaries. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, along with a special-achievement Annie Award for voicing Homer. (Full article...)
September 20
Myst V: End of Ages is a 2005 adventure video game, developed by Cyan Worlds, published by Ubisoft, and released for Macintosh and Windows PC platforms. Directed by Rand Miller (pictured) it is the fifth instalment in the Myst series. Like in past entries, gameplay consists of navigating worlds known as "Ages" via the use of special books and items which act as portals. End of Ages replaces pre-rendered environments used in past games with worlds rendered in real-time 3D graphics, allowing easy navigation. It also includes an in-game camera. Additionally, the faces of actors were digitally mapped onto three-dimensional character models. End of Ages was positively received, despite complaints such as lessened interactivity compared to previous games and poorer graphics. After the game's release Cyan announced the end of software development and the layoff of most of its staff, but was able to rehire much of the development team a few weeks later. (This article is part of a featured topic: Myst series.)
September 21
The Caerleon pipe burial is a second-century Roman grave associated with the legionary fortress and settlement Isca Augusta in Caerleon. In 1927 building works across the River Usk from the fortress uncovered a grave containing a stone-lined tomb. Within the tomb was a lead canister containing cremated bone fragments, a piece of linen bearing traces of frankincense and a 3.8 cm (1.5 in) broken lead pipe which would originally have reached the surface. This type of burial is rare in Britain and was investigated by the archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler. The anatomist Arthur Keith determined that the bone fragments were of a single adult, confirmed in 2001 by Alice Roberts. Tombs with vertical lead or earthenware pipes are found throughout the Roman Empire, and these features are believed to have facilitated sacrifices and offerings to the departed. In particular, pipe burials are thought to have allowed relatives to pour blood or wine into the container to nourish the soul of the deceased. (Full article...)
September 22
Thomas J. Hudner Jr. (1924 – 2017) was a United States Navy officer and naval aviator. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Hudner attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and the United States Naval Academy. Initially uninterested in aviation, he eventually took up flying and joined Fighter Squadron 32, flying the F4U Corsair at the outbreak of the Korean War. Arriving near Korea in October 1950, he flew support missions from the aircraft carrier, USS Leyte. He later served in the Vietnam War. After retiring as a captain in 1973, he worked for various veterans' organizations in the United States. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner is named for him. (Full article...)
September 23
20 Exchange Place is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1931, it was designed by Cross & Cross as the headquarters of the City Bank–Farmers Trust Company, predecessor of Citigroup. The building, standing at approximately 741 feet (226 m) with 57 usable stories, was one of the city's tallest buildings and the world's tallest stone-clad building upon its completion. The building has a granite and limestone facade, while its internal superstructure is made of steel. The lower section of the facade fills the entirety of an irregular quadrilateral city block and contains piers with figures depicting the "giants of finance". The upper stories, consisting of a square tower with chamfered corners, are offset from the base. The building is an official city landmark and a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District. (Full article...)
September 24
Burger's Daughter is a novel by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer (pictured). Set in the mid-1970s, it details a group of white anti-apartheid activists seeking to overthrow the South African government. It follows the life of Rosa Burger as she comes to terms with her father's legacy as an activist in the South African Communist Party. Gordimer was involved in South African politics and knew Bram Fischer, Nelson Mandela's treason trial defence lawyer. She modelled the novel's Burger family on Fischer's family and described Burger's Daughter as an homage to Fischer. The novel was first published in the United Kingdom in 1979. It was banned in South Africa a month after its publication, and its import and sale were prohibited by the South African Publications Control Board. Three months later, the Publications Appeal Board overturned the ban and restrictions were lifted. The novel was generally well-received by critics and won the Central News Agency Literary Award in 1980. (Full article...)
September 25
Joan (Autumn/Winter 1998) was the twelfth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. Continuing his dual fascination with religion and violence, it was inspired by imagery of persecution, most significantly the 1431 martyrdom of Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake. The collection's palette was mainly red, black and silver; colours which evoked notions of warfare, death, blood and flames. Many looks referenced ecclesiastical garments and medieval armour, including items that mimicked chainmail and one ensemble that had silver-plated armour pieces. The runway show was staged in London. The set design was sparse and industrial: a dark room lit by metal lamps suspended over the runway. The 100-foot (30 m) runway was covered in black ashes, and models entered through a black backdrop backlit in red. Ninety-one looks were presented; primarily womenswear with some menswear. Critical response to the clothing and the runway show was positive. (Full article...)
September 26
SMS Rheinland was one of four Nassau-class battleships, the first dreadnoughts built for the Imperial German Navy and launched on September 26, 1908. Her service with the High Seas Fleet during World War I included fleet advances into the North Sea, some in support of raids by I Scouting Group as well as the Battle of Jutland, in which Rheinland was engaged by British destroyers. The ship also saw duty in the Baltic Sea during the Battle of the Gulf of Riga. She returned to the Baltic as the core of an expeditionary force to aid the White Finns in the Finnish Civil War in 1918, but ran aground. The damage done by the grounding was too severe and Rheinland was decommissioned to be used as a barracks ship for the remainder of the war. In 1919, following the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow, Rheinland was ceded to the Allies who, in turn, sold the vessel to ship-breakers in the Netherlands to eventually be broken up to scrap metal. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.)
September 27
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The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, first operated on 27 September 1825. It initially connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham in north-east England. The transport of coal proved profitable, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. The opening of the S&DR was seen as proof of steam railway effectiveness. While coal was hauled by steam locomotives, horses drew passenger coaches along the rails until carriages hauled by locomotives were introduced in 1833. The S&DR suffered severe financial difficulties at the end of the 1840s but the discovery of iron ore in Cleveland led to an increase in revenue. At the beginning of the 1860s it took over railways that had crossed the Pennines, but was itself taken over by the North Eastern Railway, continuing to operate independently until 1876. Much of the original route is now served by the Tees Valley line. (Full article...)
September 28
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"Feather" is a song by American singer Sabrina Carpenter (pictured) from Emails I Can't Send Fwd:, the 2023 deluxe edition of her fifth studio album. A dance-pop, disco, and disco-pop song, "Feather" is a post-breakup track celebrating the freedom and relief one feels upon ending a relationship. Carpenter co-wrote it with Amy Allen and its producer, John Ryan. Its production was described as light and airy by music critics, who thought the song had impact on Carpenter's success the following year. "Feather" reached number 21 in the US, where it became her first song to reach the top 40, and was also Carpenter's first number 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. The music video, which depicts the deaths of several men who mistreat Carpenter and her dancing at their joint funeral in a church, caused controversy when the Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn criticized the church scenes and suspended the priest who allowed them to be filmed. Carpenter performed the song on Saturday Night Live and on her tours. (Full article...)
September 29
Casey Stengel (July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was the manager of the championship New York Yankees teams of the 1950s and of the New York Mets of the early 1960s. An outfielder for the 1912 Brooklyn Dodgers, he played on their 1916 National League championship team, then for the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. In 1925 he began a career as a manager, with mostly poor finishes for the next 20 years. In 1948, after he won the PCL title with the Oakland Oaks, the Yankees hired him. In his twelve seasons, they won ten pennants and seven World Series, including a record-setting five in a row (1949–1953), but Stengel was fired after losing the 1960 World Series. The Mets were an expansion team when they hired him in late 1961. They finished last all four seasons with Stengel, and he retired in 1965. Remembered as one of the great characters in baseball history, and known for his humorous sayings, Stengel was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. (Full article...)
September 30
The battle of Morlaix was fought in Brittany on 30 September 1342 between an Anglo-Breton army under William, Earl of Northampton and a far larger Franco-Breton force led by Charles of Blois (pictured). England and France, fighting the Hundred Years' War since 1337, had each sided with a faction in the Breton Civil War. The English had prepared a defensive position and when the first of three French divisions advanced it was shot to pieces by English archers using longbows. The second division, of men-at-arms, attacked but their charge was halted when they fell into a camouflaged ditch. Presented with a large, close-range target the English archers inflicted many casualties. The English then withdrew into a wood to their rear, which the French besieged, possibly for several days, before Northampton broke out with a night attack. This was the first major land battle of the Hundred Years' War and the tactics used foreshadowed those of both the French and the English for the rest of the 1340s. (Full article...)