Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 3

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Today's featured article
Casino Royale is the 21st film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 2006, it was directed by Martin Campbell and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. Casino Royale is set at the beginning of Bond's career as Agent 007, just as he is earning his license to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami International Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury agent assigned to provide the money he needs to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre by beating him in a high-stakes poker game. The story arc continues in the following Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008). The film is a reboot, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not meant to precede or succeed any previous Bond film. Casting the film involved a widespread search for a new actor to portray James Bond, and significant controversy around Craig when he was selected to succeed Pierce Brosnan. It is the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name. The film received largely positive critical response, with reviewers highlighting Craig's performance and the reinvention of the character of Bond. It earned over $594 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing James Bond film to date. (more...) Recently featured: Edward Elgar – Johnstown Inclined Plane – Gianni Schicchi Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that John Dillinger is said to have frequented a bar in Cottage Home (pictured) while preparing for his heist of the Massachusetts Avenue State Bank? ... that Alfredo Alcala's Voltar was described as one of the earliest epic comic book series to result from a single creator's vision? ... that Tendai Mzungu made his Australian Football League debut in Round 9 of the 2011 AFL season, despite missing the previous ten weeks of football due to a knee injury? ... that the video game Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure was created by designer Ryan Creighton and his five-year old daughter Cassie, who created the illustrations and dialogue? ... that Sabitri Mitra and Mamata Banerjee are the only women in the 38-member Cabinet of West Bengal? ... that because of its elongated orbit, the maximum surface temperature of the extrasolar planet HD 205739 b is thought to vary by about 100 °C? ... that Florida's longest-serving state legislator, W. D. Childers, earned the nickname "Banty Rooster" for his eccentric mannerisms and colorful, folksy expressions? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Sepp Blatter Sepp Blatter (pictured) is re-elected President of FIFA amid corruption allegations within association football's world governing body. One of the largest outbreaks of E. coli ever recorded strikes Germany and several other European countries. Germany permanently closes eight nuclear plants and announces plans to abandon nuclear power by 2022. President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh dies from complications of surgery in Moscow. In auto racing, Sebastian Vettel wins the Monaco Grand Prix and Dan Wheldon wins the Indianapolis 500. A referendum to introduce divorce passes in Malta. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 3: Feast day of Saint Charles Lwanga and the Uganda Martyrs (Roman Catholic Church) 1839 – In Humen, China, Qing government official Lin Zexu (pictured) ordered the destruction of nearly 1.2 million kg (2.6 million lbs) of opium, the primary catalyst for the First Opium War. 1888 – American writer Ernest Thayer's baseball poem "Casey at the Bat" was first published in the San Francisco Examiner. 1937 – Nearly six months after he abdicated the British throne, Edward, Duke of Windsor married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony near Tours, France. 1963 – Buddhist crisis: Soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam attacked protesting Buddhists in Huế, South Vietnam, with liquid chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised. 1984 – The Indian Army began Operation Blue Star to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple based on accusations they were stockpiling weapons there. More anniversaries: June 2 – June 3 – June 4 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 3, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An ink-and-wash illustration of a stucco relief on a building in Palenque, a Maya city in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century, but was abandoned around 800. It was rediscovered in the 16th century, but remained mostly unexplored until 1773. This particular piece was likely constructed during the long reign of K'inich Janaab' Pakal (mid-7th century), and is thought to depict Mayan ancestral rulers or the parents thereof. The standing figure holds a sceptre in the left hand, and in the right, a length of material. The seated figures adopt a posture of submission or deference, with hands placed on opposite shoulders.

Artist: Ricardo Almendáriz; Restoration: Lise Broer

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