Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 March 29

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Today's featured article
The Battle of Towton was the "largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil". The engagement took place near the village of the same name in Yorkshire on 29 March 1461, a Palm Sunday. It was part of the series of civil wars—the Wars of the Roses—fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York. More than 50,000 soldiers were mustered for this battle. The reigning king of England, Henry VI, headed the Lancastrians, while the Yorkists were led by Edward IV, who had declared himself king and was using this battle to affirm his claim. Their armies met on a plateau near Towton amidst a snowstorm. The Lancastrians, superior in numbers, were lured out of their defensive positions by the Yorkist archers, who took advantage of the strong wind to outrange their counterparts and inflict casualties without suffering any in return. The ensuing melee raged for hours, and the Yorkists finally gained victory after the arrival of their reinforcements. Many Lancastrians were killed in their panicked flight from the battlefield, and the heralds reported a count of 28,000 dead. Henry fled to Scotland, leaving Edward free to start the Yorkist dynasty. (more...) Recently featured: Rhodocene – Drapier's Letters – Acrocanthosaurus Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that Israel allowed a highly unusual interfaith, mixed-gender worship service at the Western Wall's Wilson's Arch (pictured) as part of a special welcome for the U.S. Sixth Fleet in 1983? ... that Louisiana historian Henry E. Chambers received his Ph.D from Johns Hopkins University, where one of his instructors was future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson? ... that the Great Barn within the Manor Farm site in Ruislip was built around 1280, using timber from the nearby Ruislip Woods? ... that Imperial German Secretary of Justice Rudolf Arnold Nieberding declared the German Lèse majesté laws as "not entirely reconcilable with the general sense of justice"? ... that John Giordano, named 1981 collegiate Coach of the Year by The Hockey News, was fired three years later when all 22 of his players signed a petition listing their grievances against him? ... that during the Second World War, the airfield at Saint-Inglevert, Pas-de-Calais, France, was used by the Armée de l'Air, the Royal Air Force, and the Luftwaffe? ... that Mia Farrow found children at Donka Hospital dying of measles because they had not received a $1 vaccination? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
An explosion at a munitions factory near Ja`ar, Yemen, kills at least 124 people. Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura (pictured) is awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Geraldine Ferraro, the first female major party vice presidential candidate in the United States, dies at the age of 75. More than 250,000 people march through London to protest against government spending cuts. Archaeologists in Texas find evidence suggesting that human settlement may have occurred in the Americas 2,500 years earlier than previously thought. In Canada, a federal election is scheduled after the Conservative minority government loses a vote of non-confidence. Earthquake in Japan · Middle East and North Africa protests Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 29: Boganda Day in the Central African Republic 1807 – German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered 4 Vesta (elevation diagram from the Hubble telescope pictured), the brightest asteroid and the second-most massive body in the asteroid belt. 1882 – The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, was founded by Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut, US. 1942 – World War II: The British Royal Air Force completed a bombing raid of Lübeck, the first major success for RAF Bomber Command against a German city. 1946 – Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico's leading universities, was founded. 1982 – Queen Elizabeth II gave Royal Assent to the Canada Act 1982, which ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom by a process known as "patriation". More anniversaries: March 28 – March 29 – March 30 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 29, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A Bell 212 Twin Huey carrying a helicopter bucket, a specialized bucket suspended on a cable to deliver water for helitack operations, which is aerial firefighting using helicopters. Helitack crews are used to attack a wildfire and gain early control of it, especially when inaccessibility would make it difficult or impossible for ground crews to respond in the same amount of time.

Photo: Mila Zinkova

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