Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 February 26

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Today's featured article
Dustbin Baby is a BBC television film directed by Juliet May, based on Jacqueline Wilson's 2001 novel Dustbin Baby. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 December 2008. The film stars Dakota Blue Richards as April, a troubled teenager who was abandoned in a dustbin as a baby, and Juliet Stevenson as Marion Bean, April's adoptive mother. The screenplay was written by Helen Blakeman, and the film was produced by Kindle Entertainment. Dustbin Baby deals with themes including maternal bond, bullying, and youth crime. The story revolves around April running away on her fourteenth birthday, while Marion searches for her. Both Jaqueline Wilson and critics responded positively to the film. It was released on DVD on 12 January 2009. Dustbin Baby was awarded the International Emmy in the children and young people category at the 2009 ceremony. Helen Blakeman won a Children's BAFTA for the screenplay, while the film itself was shortlisted for a Children's BAFTA in the drama category and shortlisted for the Kids' Vote award. The film was also awarded the 2010 KidScreen Award for best one-off, special, or TV movie aimed at a family audience and the KidScreen Award for best acting. (more...) Recently featured: Rinaldo – HMS Indefatigable – To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the Madras Forest Department was established in 1855 by Dr. Hugh Cleghorn (pictured), "the father of scientific forestry in India"? ... that the fruits of Ficus yoponensis are one of the preferred foods of the Mantled Howler Monkey and contain more vitamin C than any other possible foods? ... that Time magazine described the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, as "an old rock 'n' roll hotel", due to its association with rock stars? ... that Benjamin Burns played in the first-ever international rugby union match, between England and Scotland in 1871? ... that in 1960, the founders of a Cafe church wondered, "Would Jesus want to hang out with folks at a traditional institutional church? Or would he want to hang out over a beer in a bar, or coffee in a restaurant?" ... that the Pueblo Lands Act (1924) was passed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of its position on whether the Nonintercourse Act applies to New Mexico? ... that Zoni Weisz, a Dutch Sinto survivor of the Porajmos, has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the world's largest flower arrangement? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
STS-133 mission poster Russia launches the first GLONASS-K satellite, intended as part of the GLONASS global navigation satellite system. Algeria lifts its 19-year-old state of emergency in response to widespread protests in the country. STS-133 (mission poster pictured), the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center. An Indian court convicts 31 people of perpetrating the 2002 Godhra train burning, which led to communal riots in Gujarat. Behgjet Pacolli is elected President of Kosovo. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hits Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury Region in New Zealand, causing major damage and more than 100 deaths. Protests in Libya spread to Tripoli, as the government uses warplanes and mercenaries to attack the protesters. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
February 26: Liberation Day in Kuwait (1991); Ayyám-i-Há begins (Bahá'í calendar); Saviours' Day in the Nation of Islam 1658 – Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), the King of Denmark–Norway was forced to give up nearly half his Danish territory to Sweden to save the rest. 1815 – After escaping from Elba where he had been exiled, Napoleon Bonaparte (pictured) returned to France and regained power for a period known as the Hundred Days. 1917 – New Orleans' Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable Blues", the first jazz single ever released. 1952 – Vincent Massey was sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada. 1995 – Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, collapsed after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million while making unauthorized speculative trades on futures contracts. More anniversaries: February 25 – February 26 – February 27 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now February 26 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A panoramic view of Fort Baker, a former United States Army post located across the Golden Gate from San Francisco, California, with Angel Island and sea fog in the background. Fort Baker was one of a number of military installations on the U.S. Pacific Coast built for seacoast defense. The U.S. government acquired the land in 1866, and the fort was used by Army units until 2000.

Photo: Mila Zinkova

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