Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 28

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
Ariel is the brightest and third most massive of the 27 known moons of Uranus. Discovered on 24 October 1851 by William Lassell, it is named for a sky spirit in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock and Shakespeare's The Tempest. Like its parent planet, Ariel orbits on its side, giving it an extreme seasonal cycle. As of 2011, almost all knowledge of Ariel derives from a single flyby of Uranus performed by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986, which managed to image 35% of the moon's surface. There are no plans at present to return to study the moon in more detail. After Miranda, Ariel is the second-smallest of Uranus's five round satellites, and the second-closest to its planet. Among the smallest of the Solar System's 19 known spherical moons (it ranks 14th among them in diameter), Ariel is composed of roughly equal parts ice and rocky material. Like all of Uranus's moons, Ariel probably formed from an accretion disk that surrounded the planet shortly after its formation, and, like other large moons, it may be differentiated, with an inner core of rock surrounded by a mantle of ice. Ariel has a complex surface comprising extensive cratered terrain cross-cut by a system of scarps, canyons and ridges. The surface shows signs of more recent geological activity than other Uranian moons, most likely due to tidal heating. (more...) Recently featured: Buildings of Jesus College, Oxford – SMS Baden – Coenred of Mercia Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Second World War Allies feared that Nazi Germany intended to use a secret underground rocket base in France to fire ballistic missiles (V-2 pictured) at New York City? ... that the f-word did not begin as an acronym, as is commonly claimed, but is of much older Proto-Germanic origin? ... that while at the New York Cosmos, association footballer Keith Eddy captained a team which included Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer? ... that Tikal Temple IV, a Maya pyramid in Guatemala, was one of the tallest structures in the pre-Columbian New World? ... that Cal Lampley formed the first all-black, 45-piece band, the US Navy B-1 Band, in the then white-only US Navy? ... that each of the Five Discourses of Matthew has a shorter parallel in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke? ... that the moose botfly Cephenemyia ulrichii shoots its larvae into people's eyes, perhaps because human eyes and moose nostrils both face forward? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi (pictured), accusing him of crimes against humanity during the ongoing civil war in Libya. New York becomes the sixth and largest U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. Mario Draghi is appointed for an eight-year term as President of the European Central Bank, effective 1 November. Pauline Nyiramasuhuko is convicted of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Actor Peter Falk, best known for playing the detective Columbo, dies at the age of 83. The Nabro Volcano erupts, emitting the greatest quantity of sulfur dioxide ever recorded by satellite. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 28: Vidovdan in Serbia 1846 – Belgian clarinetist Adolphe Sax received a patent for the saxophone. 1895 – The United States Court of Private Land Claims ruled that the title claimed by James Reavis to 18,600 sq mi (48,000 km²) in present-day Arizona and New Mexico was "wholly fictitious and fraudulent". 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (pictured) and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip during a motorcade in Sarajevo, sparking the outbreak of World War I. 1969 – In response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, groups of gay and transgender people began to riot against New York City Police officers, a watershed event for the worldwide gay rights movement. 1981 – Seventy-three leading officials of Iran's Islamic Republic Party were killed when a bomb exploded at the party's headquarters in Tehran. More anniversaries: June 27 – June 28 – June 29 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 28, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large goose native to southern Australia. It is 75–100 cm (30–40 in) long, weighs 3–7 kg (7–15 lb) and has a 150–190 cm (60–75 in) wingspan, with males slightly larger than females. Its plumage is almost uniformly grey, bearing rounded black spots.

Photo: JJ Harrison

Recently featured: Battle of Kennesaw Mountain – Great coat of arms of the Russian Empire (1800) – River Thames in London

Archive – More featured pictures...

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.