Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 April 2

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Hathor was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god Ra, and the symbolic mother of their earthly representatives, the pharaohs. She was one of several goddesses who acted as the Eye of Ra, Ra's feminine counterpart, and in this form she had a vengeful aspect that protected him from his enemies. Her beneficent side represented music, dance, joy, love, sexuality and maternal care. These two aspects of the goddess exemplified the Egyptian conception of femininity. Hathor crossed boundaries between worlds, helping deceased souls in the transition to the afterlife. She was often depicted as a cow, although her most common form was a woman wearing a headdress of cow horns and a sun disk. More temples were dedicated to her than to any other goddess; her most prominent temple was Dendera. She was one of the deities commonly invoked in private prayers and votive offerings, particularly by women desiring children. (Full article...)

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Jenny

... that the human-like behaviour of Jenny (depicted), a resident of London Zoo, reinforced Charles Darwin's view that humans were "created from animals"?
... that publishers have had their pre-approved books confiscated, or their stalls dismantled overnight, during the Riyadh International Book Fair?
... that public primary schools in Hong Kong are required to admit siblings of current students?
... that Canadian ice hockey player Aggie Kukulowicz was followed by a KGB agent for six years and never spoke with him, but reportedly once bought him an ice cream cone?
... that Charles Villiers Stanford's Violin Sonata No. 2 was first performed in 1898, but had not yet been published when it was first recorded in the 1990s?
... that unlike many slasher film antagonists, the true identity and motivations of the character Billy in Black Christmas are never revealed?
... that Chelsea chairman Ken Bates attempted to hang a joke medal around the neck of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson as a peace offering after the 2000 FA Charity Shield?
... that as head of the War Assets Administration, retired major general Robert McGowan Littlejohn had to dispose of $34 billion worth of surplus government property?

In the news

Coronavirus pandemic

The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen

Vincent van Gogh's painting The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen (pictured) is stolen from the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands.
North Macedonia becomes a member of NATO.
The 2020 Summer Olympics are postponed for one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On this day

April 2: World Autism Awareness Day; Feast day of Saint Francis of Paola (Catholicism); Rama Navami (Hinduism, 2020); Malvinas Day in Argentina

Rakesh Sharma

1513 – Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León sighted land, which he named La Florida, according to a popular legend while searching for the Fountain of Youth.
1865 – American Civil War: On the third attempt, Union forces captured Petersburg, Virginia, although Confederate officials and most of their remaining troops were able to escape.
1973 – The Liberal Movement, a South Australian political party, was established following a split from the Liberal and Country League.
1984 – Aboard Soyuz T-11, Rakesh Sharma (pictured) became the first Indian to be launched into space.
2002 – Operation Defensive Shield: Palestinian militants sought refuge from advancing Israeli forces in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, beginning a month-long standoff.

Muflih al-Turki (d. 872)
Arthur, Prince of Wales (d. 1502)
Lise Thibault (b. 1939)

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Today's featured picture

Chalcostephia flavifrons is a species of dragonfly native to tropical central Africa. A small species, the wings are about 1 in (2.5 cm) in length and are translucent apart from the pterostigmata. The purpose of these thicker, pigmented sections near the wingtip is to prevent wing flutter, and thus assist in gliding. The wing venation is characteristic of the species. This dragonfly is commonly known as the "yellowface", but seen from above, the head is largely obscured by the enormous compound eyes which almost meet in the middle, giving the insect a wide field of view and enabling it to see in all directions.

This picture shows a female C. flavifrons dragonfly photographed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Photograph credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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