Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 February 24

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Today's featured article
HMS Indefatigable was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy and the lead ship of her class. Her keel was laid down in 1909 and she was commissioned on 24 February 1911. When the First World War began, the ship was serving with the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron (BCS) in the Mediterranean, where she unsuccessfully pursued the battlecruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau of the German Imperial Navy as they fled towards the Ottoman Empire. The ship bombarded Ottoman fortifications defending the Dardanelles on 3 November 1914, then, following a refit in Malta, returned to the United Kingdom. Indefatigable was sunk on 31 May 1916 during the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the war. Part of Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet, she was hit several times in the first minutes of the "Run to the South", the opening phase of the battlecruiser action. Shells from the German battlecruiser Von der Tann caused an explosion ripping a hole in her hull, and a second explosion hurled large pieces of the ship 200 feet (60 m) in the air. Only three of the crew of 1,017 survived. (more...) Recently featured: To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World – Evolutionary history of lemurs – Joseph Johnson Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the 1977 dissolution of Rosendale Village (pictured) in Upstate New York was viewed by its mayor as a work of conceptual art? ... that until Sony upset the applecart in 1968, every color television in the world used RCA's shadow mask tube design? ... that Edward L. Kessel assembled the world's most comprehensive collection of Platypezidae flat-footed flies? ... that the 14th-century Church of St Mary in Barton Bendish, Norfolk, contains a 12th-century doorway moved from a nearby church when that was demolished? ... that commanding prices up to $400,000, pre–World War II versions of the Martin D-45 guitar (first made for Gene Autry) are the most expensive production-model guitars in the United States? ... that the prehistoric Neolithic Tell Ramad, located 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Damascus in Syria, is considered one of the few sites fundamental to our understanding of the origin of agriculture? ... that Sean Hughes MP got Scottish MPs to give him their free tickets to the 1986 English FA Cup Final so his constituents could watch the Everton–Liverpool Merseyside derby? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Behgjet Pacolli Behgjet Pacolli (pictured) is elected President of Kosovo. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hits Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury region in New Zealand, causing major damage and at least 98 deaths. Protests in Libya spread to Tripoli, as the government uses warplanes and mercenaries to attack the protesters. In stock car racing, Trevor Bayne becomes the youngest person to win the Daytona 500. The Iranian film Nader and Simin, A Separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi, wins the Golden Bear at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. Authorities open fire on demonstrators in Bahrain amid continuing protests across the Middle East and North Africa. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
February 24: Independence Day in Estonia (1918); Flag Day in Mexico 1607 – Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, considered the first fully developed opera, was first performed in Mantua (now in modern Italy). 1822 – The first Swaminarayan temple, Swaminarayan Mandir in present-day Ahmedabad, India, was inaugurated. 1826 – The Treaty of Yandabo was signed, ending the First Anglo-Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in the history of the British Raj. 1944 – World War II: The United States Army long-range penetration special operations unit known as Merrill's Marauders began a 1000-mile (1600 km) march over the Patkai region of the Himalayas and into the Burmese jungle behind Japanese lines. 2006 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (pictured) declared a state of emergency in an attempt to subdue a possible military coup. More anniversaries: February 23 – February 24 – February 25 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now February 24 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Nardwuar the Human Serviette is a Canadian celebrity interviewer and musician. Born John Ruskin, he legally changed his name in 1986. His interview style is eccentric and will often confuse or anger his interviewees, although others will play along. He has also attended press conferences to ask surreal questions. As a musician, he is the lead singer and keyboardist for The Evaporators and has contributed to the UNICEF benefit song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?"

Photo: William Jans

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