Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 November 12

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
Tumbler Ridge is a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. The municipality, with its population of 2,454 people, incorporates a townsite and a large area of mostly Crown Land. The housing and municipal infrastructure were built simultaneously in 1981 by the provincial government to service the coal industry. In 1981, a consortium of Japanese steel mills agreed to purchase 100 million tonnes of coal from two mining companies that were to operate the Quintette mine and the Bullmoose mine. Declining global coal prices after 1981, and weakening Asian markets in the late 1990s, made the town's future uncertain. When price reductions were forced onto the mines, the Quintette mine was closed in 2000 and the town lost about half its population. Since 2000 rising coal prices have led to the opening of new mines. After dinosaur footprints, fossils, and bones were discovered in the municipality, the Peace Region Paleontology Research Centre opened in 2003. Economic diversification has also occurred with oil and gas exploration, forestry, and recreational tourism. Nearby recreational destinations include numerous trails, mountains, waterfalls, snowmobiling areas and provincial parks. (more...) Recently featured: Harry Cobby – SS Edmund Fitzgerald – Edward VII Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Margie Goldstein-Engle (pictured), who as a child cleaned out horse stalls to pay for riding lessons, became a 10-time American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year? ... that Hurricane Cindy of 1959 subdued a drought in the Carolinas, bringing more than 9 inches (230 mm) of rain in some areas? ... that Guiding Eyes for the Blind teams senior citizens with elementary school students and also uses prison inmates in rearing the puppies it later trains as guide dogs to the blind? ... that Wilhelm Marckwald went from directing theater in Germany and film in Spain to working as a boilerman and gardener in England? ... that the Airborne Avenger could be purchased for home assembly or ready to fly? ... that baseball player Tom Raftery set a South Atlantic League record by stealing 80 bases in a season? ... that the Spanish colonial capital of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala was founded three times in different locations? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Lucas Papademos Mexican Secretary of the Interior Francisco Blake Mora is killed in a helicopter crash in Morelos near Mexico City. Sébastien Loeb wins the World Rally Championship for a record eighth year in succession. Lucas Papademos (pictured) is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece following the resignation of George Papandreou. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declares the Western Black Rhinoceros extinct. Pennsylvania State University president Graham Spanier and head football coach Joe Paterno are dismissed in response to a child sexual abuse scandal. Russian Phobos sample return mission Fobos-Grunt and Chinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1 are launched from Baikonur. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 12: Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, a holy day in the Bahá'í Faith 1028 – Future Byzantine empress Zoe first took the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros. 1893 – Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of British India, and Abdur Rahman Khan, Amir of Afghanistan, signed the Durand Line Agreement, establishing what is now the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. 1936 – The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California across San Francisco Bay, opened to traffic. 1942 – World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Japanese air attack pictured), the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allied and Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, began. 1991 – In Dili, East Timor, Indonesian forces opened fire on student demonstrators protesting the occupation of East Timor, killing at least 250 people. More anniversaries: November 11 – November 12 – November 13 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 12, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An artist's rendition of an Allosaurus fragilis with its jaws open fully, based on the research of paleontologist Robert T. Bakker. Allosaurus were active predators of large animals, and probably had the ability to open their jaws extremely wide. Studies suggest that they attacked prey open-mouthed, slashing flesh with their teeth, and tearing it away without splintering bones. Allosaurus was a genus of theropod dinosaurs that lived in the upper Jurassic period.

Image: Steveoc 86

Recently featured: Kohala, Hawaii – Friedrich Schiller – Impala with Red-billed Oxpeckers

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.