Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 July 14

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Today's featured article
The trade dollar was a United States dollar coin minted to compete with other large silver coins that were already popular in the Orient. The idea first came about in the 1860s, when the price of silver began to decline due to increased mining efforts in the western United States. The Coinage Act of 1873 made trade dollars legal tender up to five dollars. The coins were first struck in 1873, and most of the production was sent to China. Eventually, bullion producers began converting large amounts of silver into trade dollars, causing the coins to make their way into American commercial channels. This caused frustration among those who were given them in payment, as the coins were largely maligned and traded for less than one dollar each. In response to their wide distribution in American commerce, the coins were officially demonetized in 1876, but continued to circulate. Production of business strikes ended in 1878, though the mintage of proof coins continued until 1883. The trade dollar was remonetized when the Coinage Act of 1965 was signed into law. (more...) Recently featured: Somerset – Walter Bache – Parthian Empire Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Jean Thurel (pictured) was a soldier in the French Régiment de Touraine for more than 90 years? ... that Picasso said he discovered "what painting was all about" after seeing African art in the Paris Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro? ... that detailed drawings by French explorer Louis Delaporte guided the reconstruction of Pha That Luang, a major Buddhist temple in Laos? ... that the world has been divided into 11 constituencies for French residents overseas to vote in the 2012 legislative election? ... that Sam Stein won his first World Series of Poker bracelet at the 2011 World Series of Poker but his largest single-event prize was a $1 million result at the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure? ... that the vocals in the music of Nier are sung in versions of French, English, and Japanese after 1000 years of language drift? ... that conversation in a Paris café inspired the Surrealist sculpture Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure), consisting of a fur-covered teacup, saucer and spoon? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
At least 21 people are reported killed and 141 others injured in three coordinated bomb blasts in Mumbai. Following political pressure amid an ongoing phone hacking controversy, News Corporation abandons its bid for full ownership of BSkyB. Ahmed Wali Karzai (pictured), Afghan politician and half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, is assassinated. Twelve people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy, are killed in an explosion at a naval base, the worst peacetime military accident in the history of Cyprus. The sinking of cruise ship Bulgaria on the Volga River in Tatarstan, Russia, leaves 129 people dead or missing. The World Netball Championships conclude with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
July 14: Bastille Day in France (1789) 1791 – The Priestley Riots began, in which Joseph Priestley and other religious Dissenters were driven out of Birmingham, England. 1865 – The first ascent of the Matterhorn marked the end of the golden age of alpinism. 1950 – In an early battle of the Korean War, North Korean troops began attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in Taejon, South Korea. 1957 – Rawya Ateya took her seat in the National Assembly of Egypt to become the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world. 1960 – English primatologist Jane Goodall (pictured) arrived in Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve, Tanganyika, to begin her groundbreaking study of the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. 1987 – Over 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour period in Montreal, causing severe flooding and over CA$220 million in damages. More anniversaries: July 13 – July 14 – July 15 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now July 14, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A self-portrait of Louis-Marie Autissier (1772–1830), a French-born Belgian portrait miniature painter. He is considered the founder of the Belgian school of miniature painting in the nineteenth century. Born at Vannes, in Brittany, he joined the French Revolutionary Army at Rennes in 1791. On leaving the army in 1795, Autissier went to Paris and trained his art by studying paintings at the Louvre. In 1796 he settled in Brussels, but continued to divide his time between Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Although he enjoyed great success in his career, serving as court painter to Louis Napoleon, French King of the Netherlands, and later to Willem I, Autissier died penniless.

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