Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 August 31

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Today's featured article
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404 to Newmarket. The parkway runs through the parklands of the Don River valley, after which it is named. It was the second expressway to be built by Metropolitan Toronto (Metro). Planning began in 1954, the year of Metro's formation. The first section opened on August 31, 1961, and the final section on November 17, 1966. The parkway operates well beyond its intended capacity of 60,000 vehicles per day and is known for daily traffic jams; some sections carry an average of 100,000 vehicles a day. Planned as part of a larger expressway network within Toronto, it was one of the few expressways built before the public opposition which cancelled many of the others. (more...) Recently featured: Hemming's Cartulary – Orval Grove – 1911 Atlantic hurricane season Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that causes of the deaths at the Berlin Wall (examples of memorials pictured) included shooting, drowning, suffocation, suicide, and falling from a balloon? ... that Edward Fitzgerald's clients have included public hate-figures such as Myra Hindley, Mary Bell, Maxine Carr, Jon Venables, various IRA prisoners and Abu Hamza? ... that the Kotezi Viaduct was renamed twice before its official opening, following a naming dispute between two villages? ... that sculptor Louise Nevelson had an affair with Diego Rivera, much to the dismay of Frida Kahlo? ... that the houseboat *Vallejo, made an icon of Bay Area culture by artist Jean Varda and philosopher Alan Watts in the 1960s, originally served as a passenger ferry in Portland, Oregon in the 1870s? ... that coal balls* are not made of coal? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan selects Yoshihiko Noda (pictured) as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Naoto Kan. Indian civil activist Anna Hazare ends his 12-day fast after the Parliament of India adopts a resolution to pass an ombudsman bill. Tony Tan Keng Yam is elected President of Singapore. Samples of asteroid 25143 Itokawa retrieved by the Hayabusa probe confirm that most meteorites originate from S-type asteroids. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 31: Eid ul-Fitr ends at sunset (Islam, 2011); Independence Day in Malaysia (1957), Trinidad and Tobago (1962) and Kyrgyzstan (1991) 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days prior, Byzantine Empress Theodora died without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty. 1888 – Mary Ann Nichols' body was found on the ground in front of a gated stable entrance in Buck's Row, London, allegedly the first victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper (depiction pictured). 1959 – A parcel bomb sent by Ngo Dinh Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, failed to kill Sihanouk of Cambodia. 1982 – Anti-government demonstrations were held in 66 Polish cities to commemorate the second anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement. 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a high speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. More anniversaries: August 30 – August 31 – September 1 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 31, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter George Clooney at the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009. Clooney made his acting debut on American television in 1978, but gained fame and recognition on the long-running medical drama ER from 1994 to 1999. During that time, he started attracting a variety of leading roles in films, with the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven being his biggest commercial success. He made his directorial debut a year later with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Clooney is also noted for his social activism and has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since January 2008.

Photo: Nicolas Genin

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