Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 May 30

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Today's featured article
Charles Holden (1875–1960) was an English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the University of London's Senate House. He also created many war cemeteries in Belgium and northern France for the Imperial War Graves Commission. Although not without its critics, his architecture is widely appreciated. He was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for architecture in 1936 and was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry in 1943. His station designs for London Underground became the corporation's design standard influencing designs by all architects working for the organisation in the 1930s. Many of his buildings have been granted listed building status, protecting them from unapproved alteration. Modestly believing that architecture was a collaborative effort, he twice declined the offer of a knighthood. (more...) Recently featured: Deinonychus – Mono–Inyo Craters – Ernst Lindemann Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Smålandsstövare (pictured) originates from dogs brought home by soldiers in the 16th century wars of the Swedish Empire? ... that Kenkoy was a Philippine comics character whose name became synonymous with the words joker, jester, or a hilarious person? ... that botanist Alfred Byrd Graf's richly illustrated books included some of the more than 100 plant species he had discovered on his worldwide journeys, including the first known white African Violet? ... that kalamata olives are protected under the European Protected Geographical Status scheme? ... that in the early stages of World War II the steamer Refah from neutral Turkey was torpedoed by an unidentified submarine in the eastern Mediterranean killing 168 of the 200 people aboard? ... that three Welsh boxers have won the British super-featherweight title, Neil Haddock, Robert Dickie and Floyd Havard? ... that when the steam ferry *Issaquah* was first launched in Lake Washington in 1914, it got stuck in mud? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh (pictured) dies from complications of surgery in Moscow. The UEFA Champions League concludes with FC Barcelona defeating Manchester United in the final at Wembley Stadium. The 2011 Indian Premier League concludes with the Chennai Super Kings defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. Egypt re-opens the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip. American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron dies at the age of 62. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 30: Memorial Day in the United States (2011); Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago; Lod Massacre Remembrance Day in Puerto Rico 1431 – Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc (pictured) was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, after being convicted of heresy in a politically motivated trial. 1815 – The East Indiaman ship Arniston was wrecked during a storm at Waenhuiskrans, near Cape Agulhas, present-day South Africa, with the loss of 372 lives. 1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law, establishing the U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas, repealing the 1820 Missouri Compromise, and allowing settlers in those territories to determine if they would permit slavery within their boundaries. 1922 – The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., featuring a sculpture of the sixteenth U.S. President Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French, opened. 1967 – Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu announced the establishment of Biafra, a secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria, an event that sparked the Nigerian Civil War one week later. More anniversaries: May 29 – May 30 – May 31 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 30, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A species of blow-fly belonging to the Bengalia genus (species unidentified). Unlike the bright green or blue of most blow-flies, members of Bengalia tend to dull colours. They are noted as kleptoparasites of ants and will snatch food and pupae being carried by ants, or feed on winged termites.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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