Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart toured Italy with his father Leopold three times between 1769 and 1773. The first, financed by performances for the nobility and by public concerts, was an extended tour of 15 months to a number of major Italian cities. The second and third journeys were to Milan, for Wolfgang to complete operas that had been commissioned there on the first visit. From the perspective of Wolfgang's musical development the journeys were a considerable success, and his talents were recognised by honours which included a papal knighthood and memberships in leading philharmonic societies. Each of Wolfgang's operas written for Milan's Teatro Regio Ducal was a critical and popular triumph. In the course of the three visits he met many leading musicians in Italy, including the renowned theorist Giovanni Battista Martini, under whom he studied in Bologna. Leopold also hoped that Wolfgang, and possibly he himself, would obtain a prestigious appointment at one of the Italian Habsburg courts. This objective became more important as Leopold's advancement in Salzburg became less likely; but his persistent efforts to secure employment displeased the imperial court, which precluded any chance of success. The journeys thus ended not with a triumphant return, but on a note of disappointment and frustration. (more...)
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... that the porcelain crab Pisidia longicornis (pictured) is sometimes found among mussels and oysters in European fish markets? ... that nobody was ever convicted for the 1949 Menarsha synagogue attack in Syria, which left 12 people dead? ... that the garden of Caerhays Castle is home to the largest collection of magnolias in England? ... that Major-General Humphrey Atherton's accidental death was seen by the Quakers as a punishment from God for his persecution of them? ... that the book Actors on Acting by Helen Chinoy, collections of essays about theatre, have been used widely as college text and remained in print for more than 50 years? ... that Matt Striebel ranks eighth on the Princeton Lacrosse career assists list and eleventh on the Princeton soccer career assists list? ... that the Brazilian river monitor Pará was so badly damaged after passing the Paraguayan fort at Humaitá on 23 February 1868 that she had to be beached to prevent her from sinking? ... that by winning the 2010 Irwin Tools Night Race, Kyle Busch became the first driver to win a race in all three major NASCAR divisions in the same weekend? ... that Cornish Saint Endelienta, a hermit, is believed to have subsisted solely on the milk of a cow who was also her only companion? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article In the news A 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes the South Island of New Zealand, causing widespread damage in Christchurch. Typhoon Kompasu (pictured) makes landfall in South Korea, becoming the strongest typhoon to affect Seoul in fifteen years. Thirty thousand people in North Carolina, United States, are evacuated ahead of Hurricane Earl, which has impacted the Leeward Islands. Three bombings kill at least 30 people and injure more than 200 others in Lahore, Pakistan. In the Iraq War, Operation Iraqi Freedom concludes and Operation New Dawn begins, marking the end of foreign combat operations in Iraq. The discovery of Balaur, a new genus of dinosaurs closely related to Velociraptor, is announced. Argentine footballer Francisco Varallo, the last surviving player from the inaugural FIFA World Cup, dies at the age of 100. A mass shooting in Bratislava, Slovakia, leaves eight people dead, including the gunman. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events... On this day...September 4: Immigrant's Day in Argentina
1260 – Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines: The Siena Ghibellines defeated the Florence Guelphs at the Battle of Montaperti outside of Siena, present-day Italy. 1886 – After over 25 years of fighting against the United States Army and the armed forces of Mexico, Geronimo (pictured) of the Chiricahua Apache surrendered at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona. 1957 – Defying the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent African American students from attending Little Rock's Central High School. 1984 – The Progressive Conservative Party led by Brian Mulroney won the largest majority government by total number of seats in Canadian history during the federal election. 1998 – Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the company Google in Menlo Park, California, US, to promote the web search engine that they developed as a research project while attending Stanford University.More anniversaries: September 3 – September 4 – September 5
Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 4, 2010 (UTC) – Refresh this page Today's featured pictureThe cryptic mantis (Sibylla pretiosa) is a mantid native to southern Africa. Its common name comes from its ability to grow asymmetrically to match the vegetation of its environment. They have unusual leaf-like projections on the joint of their four walking legs and leaf-like wings, generally the only green portion of the insect's otherwise brown and mottled exoskeleton. Adult females grow to 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) in length while the males are generally about 1 cm smaller.
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