Why does a black line appear on HN sometimes?

Question

Over the years, I've noticed periods when HN starts showing a black line above the orange top (with the menu New|Past|Comments|...etc). When inspecting it with dev tools, it seems to be a 1x1 pixel gif: https://news.ycombinator.com/s.gifDoes anyone know why does this appear periodically?Thanks.

johncoltrane · Accepted Answer

They add this black line when an important figure of tech dies. It is the HN equivalent of a black armband: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_armbandToday, it's Tony Hoare: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324054

jadamson · Answer

It signifies that someone notable in the industry has recently died, in this case Tony Hoare [1][1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324054

Why does a black line appear on HN sometimes?

Over the years, I've noticed periods when HN starts showing a black line above the orange top (with the menu New|Past|Comments|...etc). When inspecting it with dev tools, it seems to be a 1x1 pixel gif: https://news.ycombinator.com/s.gif
Does anyone know why does this appear periodically?
Thanks.

They add this black line when an important figure of tech dies. It is the HN equivalent of a black armband: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_armband
Today, it's Tony Hoare: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324054

It signifies that someone notable in the industry has recently died, in this case Tony Hoare [1]
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324054