Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 June 11

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Cyclone Raja was a severe tropical cyclone that spawned in the South Pacific in December 1986. It holds the 24-hour rainfall record of 674.9 mm (26.57 in) for the French Overseas Territory of Wallis and Futuna. After it was named on 23 December, it unexpectedly headed southeast toward Futuna. The system peaked at Category 3 on 28 December, with sustained winds of around 150 km/h (90 mph). It turned southwest the next day, toward Fiji and several smaller islands in the Lau group. The storm dissipated on 5 January over the north Tasman Sea. Raja caused two deaths as it impacted the island nations of Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, Tonga and Fiji. Gusty winds and rough seas caused extensive damage to crops, coastal installations and buildings in Tuvalu, and greater destruction in Futuna. Raja was responsible for the worst flood of the Labasa River in Fiji since 1929. The name Raja was later retired from the South Pacific naming lists. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Annunciation Church

... that among those buried in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (pictured) are Peter the Great's sister, niece, son, and mistress?
... that Liberian lawyer Alfred Brownell won the "Green Nobel" prize for his efforts to protect more than 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) of tropical forest land?
... that the Salt Pan of the Dead Man is one of the most important sources of lithium in the world?
... that Dutch physician Aletta Jacobs's legal challenge to be added to the Amsterdam electoral rolls backfired, leading to a constitutional amendment granting voting rights to men only?
... that Palmer Street was the location of a secret British spy base that intercepted the communications of London's embassies?
... that Ruth-Margret Pütz was considered one of the leading coloratura sopranos of the 1960s?
... that Canadian sports lawyer Gord Kirke agreed to represent Bret Hart due to the wrestler's poetry?
... that Nancy Fish, widow of P. T. Barnum, is said to have met her second husband when she fell from the Great Pyramid of Giza into his arms?

In the news

Hong Kong protesters

Hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest against proposed legislation regarding extradition (protesters pictured).
In the Danish general election, centre-left and left-wing parties win a majority, with Mette Frederiksen expected to become prime minister.
In association football, the UEFA Champions League concludes with Liverpool defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Brigitte Bierlein is named interim chancellor of Austria, after a parliamentary motion of no confidence dismisses the government of Sebastian Kurz.

On this day

June 11

George Wallace protesting desegregation at the University of Alabama

1509 – Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England, becoming the first of his six wives.
1594 – In the Philippines, Philip II of Spain recognized the right to govern of the Principalía, the local nobles and chieftains who had converted to Roman Catholicism.
1963 – The University of Alabama was desegregated as Governor George Wallace stepped aside after defiantly blocking the entrance (pictured) to an auditorium.
2008 – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologised to the First Nations for past governments' policies of forced assimilation.

Roger Bresnahan (b. 1879) · Peter Dinklage (b. 1969) · Julius Evola (d. 1974)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Millicent Fawcett (11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was a British intellectual, political leader, activist and writer, known primarily for her work as a campaigner for women's suffrage. She took a moderate line regarding women's rights but was a tireless campaigner. In 1897 she became the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, a position she held until 1919. She placed much of her focus on improving women's opportunities for higher education and served as a governor of Bedford College, London (now part of Royal Holloway), as well as co-founding Newnham College, Cambridge. As a politician, Fawcett was appointed to lead the British government's commission to South Africa in July 1901, investigating conditions in the concentration camps that had been created there in the wake of the Second Boer War. Her report corroborated what campaigner Emily Hobhouse had said about the terrible conditions in the camps.

This picture of Fawcett was produced by Elliott & Fry, a Victorian photography studio based in London. The photograph was published in 1913; this copy is in the collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Photograph credit: Elliott & Fry; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.