Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 January 25

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From today's featured article

The Elgin, Illinois, Centennial half dollar was a fifty-cent commemorative coin issued by the U.S. Bureau of the Mint in 1936, part of the wave of commemoratives authorized by Congress and struck that year. Intended to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Elgin, the piece was designed by local sculptor Trygve Rovelstad. The obverse depicts an idealized head of a pioneer man. The reverse shows a grouping of pioneers, and is based upon a sculptural group that Rovelstad hoped to build as a memorial to those who settled Illinois, but which was not erected in his lifetime. He hoped that the coin would both depict and be a source of funds for the memorial. Texas coin dealer L.W. Hoffecker, who assisted Rovelstad, was able to sell about 20,000 coins, four-fifths of the issue: the remaining 5,000 were returned to the Mint for melting. Unlike many commemorative coins of that era, the piece was not bought up by dealers and speculators, but was sold directly to collectors at the issue price. Art historian Cornelius Vermeule considered the Elgin coin among the most outstanding American commemoratives. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the male ornamental tree trunk spider (male and female pictured) usually becomes mutilated while mating, especially when the female is aggressive?
... that segregation in Mississippi was challenged in 1959 when police prevented Dr. Gilbert Mason from swimming in the ocean, precipitating the Biloxi Wade-Ins and subsequent race riots?
... that the stapes, named for its resemblance to a stirrup, is the smallest bone in the human body, measuring 3 mm × 2.5 mm (0.12 in × 0.098 in)?
... that Loree Rodkin designed the jewelry worn by Michelle Obama to the 2009 inaugural balls?
... that the memoir Wave is based on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami?
... that the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade suffered 42 dead in the Battle for No.3 Post, but had to abandon it as untenable less than two days after capturing it?
... that Michael Jackson once led the National Football League (NFL) in receiving touchdowns?

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In the news

The dwarf planet Ceres is observed to be releasing water vapour.
Scientists in Brazil identify a new species of river dolphin.
Amidst civil unrest, Catherine Samba-Panza is chosen as interim president of the Central African Republic.
Ukrainian police clash with rioters (aftermath pictured) protesting against new anti-protest laws.
Scientists measure the optical spectrum of ball lightning for the first time.
Egypt approves a new constitution.
Archaeologists discover the tombs of Sobekhotep I and the previously unknown Abydos Dynasty pharaoh, Seneb Kay.
During heavy fighting over Malakal, South Sudan, a Nile ferry carrying refugees sinks, drowning more than 200 people.

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On this day...

January 25: Feast Day of Gregory of Nazianzus (Eastern Orthodox Church); Burns Night (Scots culture); Dydd Santes Dwynwen in Wales

1554 – Jesuit missionaries José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega established a mission at São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga, which grew to become São Paulo, Brazil.
1704 – English colonists from the Province of Carolina and their native allies began a series of brutal raids against a largely pacific population of Apalachee in Spanish Florida.
1949 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented the first Emmy Awards to honor excellence in the American television industry.
1971 – Idi Amin Dada seized power in a military coup d'état from President Milton Obote, beginning eight years of military rule in Uganda.
2004 – Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity (artist's impression pictured) landed on Mars and rolled into Eagle crater, a small crater on the Meridiani Planum.

More anniversaries: January 24 – January 25 – January 26

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It is now January 25, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Western view of the Taj Mahal, viewed during the golden hour. Symbolically, the constantly changing sunlight reflected by the mausoleum's marble has a metaphoric role which associates light with the presence of God. Located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal was constructed in the 17th century by Shah Jahan and has been called the finest example of Mughal architecture. In 1983 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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