Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 November 2

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Today's featured article
Deinosuchus is an extinct relative of the alligator that lived 80 to 73 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period. The name is derived from the Greek δεινός/deinos ("terrible") and σουχος/soukhos ("crocodile"). Although Deinosuchus was far larger than any modern crocodile or alligator—measuring up to 12 m (40 ft) and weighing up to 8.5 metric tons (9.4 short tons)—its overall appearance was fairly similar to its smaller relatives. It had large, robust teeth that were built for crushing, and its back was covered with thick semispherical osteoderms. One study indicates that Deinosuchus may have lived for up to 50 years, growing at a similar rate to that of modern crocodilians, but maintaining this growth over a much longer period of time. Deinosuchus fossils have been found in ten U.S. states, as well as northern Mexico. It lived on both sides of the Western Interior Seaway, and was an opportunistic apex predator in the coastal regions of eastern North America. Deinosuchus reached its largest size in its western habitat, but the eastern populations were far more abundant. Deinosuchus was probably capable of killing and eating large dinosaurs. It may have also fed upon sea turtles, fish, and other aquatic and terrestrial prey. (more...) Recently featured: 1991 Perfect Storm – The Human Centipede (First Sequence) – Manchester United F.C. Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the heart cockle (pictured) is named after the shape of its bivalve shell? ... that the log-Cauchy distribution has been proposed as a model for the progression of HIV in individuals? ... that Finners Quinlan had his professional baseball career cut short when he lost an eye and a leg while fighting in World War I? ... that Young Thor is one of the first Western-developed digitally distributed video games to be released on the PlayStation Network in Japan? ... that independent filmmaker Michael Roemer paid just $5,000 to acquire the rights to use Motown hits for his 1964 film Nothing But a Man? ... that during the British aircraft carrier Argus's 1920 Spring Cruise with the Atlantic Fleet, three of her aircraft were blown over the side of the carrier? ... that despite winning the 2011 ARCA Racing Series championship by 340 points, Ty Dillon lost the series' rookie of the year title by two points? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Michael D. Higgins UNESCO becomes the first UN agency to admit Palestine as a full member state. Qantas resumes flights after Fair Work Australia orders the airline and trade unions to end industrial action. Labour Party candidate Michael D. Higgins (pictured) is elected President of Ireland. In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Texas Rangers to win the World Series. The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow reopens after a six-year renovation costing 21 billion rubles (US$680 million). Leaders of the Eurozone countries agree to a package of measures aimed at preventing the collapse of participating economies. The Renaissance Party, led by Hamadi Jebali, wins plurality in Tunisia's first Constituent Assembly election held since the country's revolution. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its inaugural commercial flight, from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 2: All Souls' Day in Western Christianity; Day of the Dead in Mexico 1889 – The Dakota Territory, an organized incorporated territory of the United States, was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota. 1936 – The BBC Television Service launched as the world's first regular, public all-electronic high-definition television service. 1949 – The Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference ended with the Netherlands agreeing to transfer sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to the United States of Indonesia. 1960 – The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales acquitted publisher Penguin Books of obscenity in the publishing of Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence (pictured). 1963 – President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam was assassinated, marking the culmination of a coup d'état led by Duong Van Minh. More anniversaries: November 1 – November 2 – November 3 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 2, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

In projective geometry, Desargues' theorem states that two triangles are in perspective axially if and only if they are in perspective centrally. Lines through the triangle sides meet in pairs at collinear points along the axis of perspectivity. Lines through corresponding pairs of vertices on the triangles meet at a point called the center of perspectivity.

Image: DynaBlast

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