Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 April 29

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From today's featured article

Flight Lieutenant Eaton, "'Knight Errant' of the desert skies", 1929

Charles Eaton (1895–1979) was a senior officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and later a diplomat. Born in London, he joined the British Army in World War I and saw action on the Western Front before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Shot down in 1918, he was twice captured by German forces, and twice escaped. Eaton left the military in 1920 and worked in India until moving to Australia in 1923. Two years later he joined the RAAF, serving initially as an instructor. Between 1929 and 1931, he was chosen to lead three expeditions to search for lost aircraft in central Australia, which earned him national attention and the Air Force Cross. In 1939, Eaton became commanding officer of No. 12 Squadron at the newly established RAAF Station Darwin, Northern Territory. Promoted group captain, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942. He took command of No. 79 Wing at Batchelor, Northern Territory, in 1943, and was mentioned in despatches during operations in the South West Pacific. Retiring from the RAAF in December 1945, Eaton took up diplomatic posts in the Dutch East Indies, heading a United Nations commission as Consul-General during the Indonesian National Revolution. He returned to Australia in 1950, and became a farmer in later life. Popularly known as "Moth" Eaton, he is commemorated by several memorials in the Northern Territory. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

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... that the sea (wave pictured) contains over 97% of Earth's water?

... that the Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar ended in defeat for France and Spain, which lost 10,000 men while the English and Dutch defenders lost only 400?

... that Alex Valencia was named "player of the year" when IK Start won silver in the 2005 Norwegian Premier League?

... that foundations of a medieval limestone church were found during the building of Haslev Church in 1916?

... that Sir Sigismund Zinzan tilted in the tournament celebrating the creation of King James's son, Henry, as Prince of Wales in 1610, and led a horse draped in black at Henry's funeral in 1612?

... that the Class 374 is the first high speed train type purchased by a part owned French rail company not to be based on the TGV?

... that a boy's eligibility to lodge in a Zawlbûk in a traditional Mizo community depends on the length of his pubic hair?

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Today's articles for improvement

Canberra Marathon – Island – Ernő Rubik

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In the news

The Independence Party and the Progressive Party win the most seats in the Icelandic parliamentary election.

The South Sudanese government announces that the rebel South Sudan Liberation Army has laid down its arms.

The 11th-century minaret (pictured) of the Great Mosque of Aleppo in Aleppo, Syria, is destroyed during civil war fighting.

More than 390 people are killed and 1,000 injured when a building collapses outside Dhaka, Bangladesh.

British businessman James McCormick is convicted of fraud for selling fake bomb detectors to military and police forces in several countries.

In association football, Manchester United win the Premier League.

Recent deaths: George Jones – Shamshad Begum

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On this day...

April 29: Shōwa Day in Japan

1587 – Anglo-Spanish War: In the Bay of Cádiz, Francis Drake led the first of several naval raids on the Spanish Armada that destroyed so many ships that Philip II of Spain had to delay his plans to invade England for over a year.

1770 – British explorer James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour (replica pictured), the first European ship to land in eastern Australia, reached the coast of Botany Bay near present-day Sydney.

1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide buried the town of Frank, Alberta and killed 70 of the town's 90 residents, making it the deadliest landslide in Canadian history.

1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the People's Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.

1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened and indicted Hideki Tojo and 27 other Japanese leaders for war crimes.

1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opened at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.

More anniversaries: April 28 – April 29 – April 30

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From today's featured list

Fourteen awards from thirty-three nominations have been received by Ivy Queen, a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and record producer, for her contributions to the music industry, in the genres of Latin reggaetón, hip hop, and bachata. In 2006, Ivy Queen received the first Premio Juventud "Diva Award", which honored the singer for her musical career. In 2009, "Dime" became her most nominated work at the Billboard Latin Music Award ceremony, where she was awarded both "Hot Latin Song of the Year, Female" and "Tropical Airplay Song of the Year, Female" out of five total nominations. It also received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for "Urban Song of the Year". She has been given the "Award-Winning Song" award for "Cuéntale", "Te He Querido, Te He Llorado", "Dime", and, most recently in 2012, "La Vida Es Así" at the Broadcast Music, Inc. awards. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The Sony A700 is a 12.4 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera that features notable anti-shake technology. Introduced in 2007, it is a prosumer model and one of the first Sony DLSRs made after purchasing Konica Minolta's camera technologies in 2006. It is the successor to the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D and is compatible with Minolta A-mount lenses and accessories. It was replaced by the α77 in 2011.

Photo: Evan Amos

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