Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 March 18

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Today's featured article
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is a 2003 documentary centered on the April 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, which saw President Hugo Chávez temporarily removed from office. Focusing on the role of Venezuela's private media, the film examines several key incidents: the protest march and violence that provided the impetus for Chávez's ousting, the opposition's formation of an interim government, and Chávez's dramatic return. Given direct access to the president, Irish filmmakers Kim Bartley and Donnacha Ó Briain intended to make a fly-on-the-wall biography; they spent seven months filming in Venezuela, following Chávez and interviewing citizens. As the coup unfolded, Bartley and Ó Briain captured footage of protesters and the erupting violence on the streets of the capital, Caracas. Later, they filmed many of the political upheavals in the presidential palace. The film was positively received by mainstream critics and won several awards. Reviewers cited the filmmakers' unprecedented proximity to key events and praised the film for its "riveting narrative". Criticism focused on its lack of context and pro-Chávez bias, a perception which has led to disputes over its neutrality and accuracy; particular attention is paid to its framing of the violence of 11–13 April, the filmmakers' editing of the timeline, and the alleged omission of incidents and personnel. The film is variously cited as an accurate portrayal or a misrepresentation of the events of April 2002. (more...) Recently featured: Anthony Roll – Final Fantasy XII – Grand Coulee Dam Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that there are only 70 individual plants of Molokai twinsorus fern (herbarium specimen pictured) remaining in the wild and they are all on Maui? ... that the Mauro Solar Riser was the first manned aircraft to fly on solar power? ... that St Mary's Church, Bungay in Suffolk contains a panel depicting the Resurrection given to the church by the author H. Rider Haggard? ... that the American Bladesmith Society has partnered with several colleges to offer courses in bladesmithing and has launched its own museum? ... that the Syrian Constitution guarantees a 50% quota of the People's Assembly for workers and peasants? ... that the rare European fungus Episphaeria fraxinicola produces minute cup-like fruit bodies on the bark of ash trees? ... that the Michigan football coach complained his "defense was in the law library" after law student Oscar Lambert was declared ineligible? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Engineers work to contain radiation following a series of accidents at Japan's Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant (pictured). Amid an ongoing armed conflict, the U.N. Security Council approves military force against Libya, including a no-fly zone. An American drone attack kills almost 40 people in North Waziristan and draws condemnation from Pakistan. Murder charges in Pakistan against CIA contractor Raymond Allen Davis are dropped after the payment of blood money. Security forces confront protesters in Bahrain following the deployment of forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council. The 14th Dalai Lama submits his resignation as political leader of the Tibetan government in exile. The People's Republic of China adopts a new five-year plan, which includes a goal of increasing GDP by eight percent this year. Earthquake and tsunami in Japan Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 18 1241 – Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongols overwhelmed the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków provinces in the Battle of Chmielnik and plundered the abandoned city of Kraków. 1913 – King George I of Greece (pictured) was assassinated in Thessaloniki by Alexandros Schinas, who had no apparent motive. 1925 – The Tri-State Tornado spawned in Missouri, traveled over 219 miles (352 km) across Illinois and Indiana, and killed 695 along the way, making it the tornado with the longest continuous track ever recorded in the world and the deadliest in U.S. history. 1970 – The National Assembly of Cambodia ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk as head of state, and Prime Minister Lon Nol invoked emergency powers to take over. 1996 – The deadliest fire in Philippine history burned a nightclub in Quezon City, leaving 162 dead. More anniversaries: March 17 – March 18 – March 19 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 18 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A transit map of the New York City Subway, one of the oldest and most extensive public transportation systems in the world. It has 468 stations in operation and 209 mi (337 km) of routes, with a total of 842 miles (1,355 km) in track. It is the busiest rapid transit rail system by annual ridership in the Western Hemisphere, and fifth busiest in the world. The system's stations are located throughout the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Staten Island has its own rail line which is not part of the system, but is included in the map as well.

Map: CountZ

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