Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 January 19

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Sacrifice is a video game developed by Shiny Entertainment for the Windows 98 platform. Published in 2000 by Interplay Entertainment, it was the first commercial video game to take advantage of video graphics cards that can process transform, clipping, and lighting instructions. In the real-time strategy game, players control wizards who fight each other with summoned creatures and spells. The wizards collect souls to summon creatures, and their mana—energy for casting spells—constantly regenerates. Players customize their attacks by choosing from spells and creatures aligned to five gods. To defeat an opponent, the player's wizard sacrifices a friendly unit at the opposing wizard's altar, thereby desecrating it and banishing the enemy wizard. Aside from a single-player campaign, up to four players can play against each other over computer networks in a multiplayer mode. Sacrifice was praised by reviewers for the novel designs of its creatures and for its humorous content. The high level of attention needed to manage its frenetic combat was mentioned as a flaw. Despite winning several awards, Sacrifice was not a commercial success, and no sequels are planned. (more...)

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A girl in old-fashioned winter clothing, in foreground, and several adult men wearing open winter coats and hats, in background. All are walking along railroad tracks and toward the viewer. Beyond the people are a wooden fence, a railroad box car, and a large building.

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  • ... that the German dreadnought battleship SMS Thüringen destroyed the British armored cruiser HMS Black Prince at the Battle of Jutland?
  • ... that the Icelandic census of 1703 was the first census to record the names, addresses, and ages of every inhabitant of a country, regardless of social class?
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  • ... that the Lucidarius, the first German language summa, written around 1190, was reprinted at least 25 times in two decades three hundred years later, between 1479 and 1499?
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  • ... that Bach used an obbligato bassoon in a duet of his cantata Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange? BWV 155, first performed in Weimar on 19 January 1716?
  • ... that Daniel Balsam became enraged after he received unsolicited e-mails offering him breast enlargement products?
  • In the news

  • American politician Sargent Shriver (pictured), the first director of the Peace Corps, dies at the age of 95.
  • The 2011 Dakar Rally concludes in Buenos Aires.
  • At least 100 people are killed and another 90 injured in a stampede at Sabarimala in Kerala, India.
  • President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali leaves Tunisia following nationwide protests and Fouad Mebazaa becomes the acting president.
  • More than 700 people are killed by flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro.
  • South Korea starts to cull approximately 12 percent of all domestic pigs in the country after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
  • On this day...

    January 19: Theophany (Julian calendar)

    William V, Prince of Orange

  • 1607San Agustin Church in Manila, the oldest church in the Philippines, was completed.
  • 1795 – A day after William V, Prince of Orange (pictured), fled the Dutch Republic as a result of the Batavian Revolution, the Batavian Republic was established.
  • 1862American Civil War: In their first significant victory, Union forces defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Mill Springs in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky.
  • 1917 – Approximately 50 tons of TNT exploded at a munitions factory in Silvertown in West Ham, present-day Greater London, killing over 70 people and injuring over 400 others.
  • 1935 – In Chicago, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first briefs, a new style of men's undergarment.
  • 2007Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated by a Turkish nationalist for his statements on the Armenian Genocide.
  • More anniversaries: January 18January 19January 20

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    Meerkat

    The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small member of the mongoose family native to the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. They are social animals, living underground in groups of 20 to 50 members. Although the name means "lake cat" in Dutch, meerkats are not related to cats, nor are they attracted to lakes.

    Photo: Fir0002

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