Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 September 16

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Today's featured article
Sherman Minton (1890–1965) was a Democratic United States Senator from Indiana and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He served as a captain in World War I, then launched a legal and political career. In 1934, Minton won election to the United States Senate. As part of the New Deal Coalition, he championed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's unsuccessful court packing plans in the Senate and became one of his top Senate allies. After Minton failed in his 1940 Senate re-election bid, Roosevelt appointed him as a judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. After Roosevelt's death, President Harry Truman, who had developed a close friendship with Minton during their time together in the Senate, nominated him to the Supreme Court, where he served for seven years. An advocate of judicial restraint, Minton was a regular supporter of the majority opinions during his early years on the Court; he became a regular dissenter after President Dwight Eisenhower's appointees altered the Bench's composition. In 1956, poor health forced Minton's retirement, after which he traveled and lectured until his death in 1965. (more...) Recently featured: Bodiam Castle – MissingNo. – Galerina marginata Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Prussian Homage (fragment pictured) by Jan Matejko was among the most wanted Polish paintings searched for by Nazis during World War II? ... that concert organist Zsolt Gárdonyi played his father's Partita "Veni Creator Spiritus" along with his own jazzy Mozart Changes at the Marktkirche? ... that Mick the Miller has been called "the world's most famous Greyhound"? ... that the vicar of St John the Baptist's Church, Allington in Wiltshire was engaged to Cassandra, sister of Jane Austen, but he died before he could marry her? ... that according to Slow Food experts, the Bulgarian Cherni Vit green cheese is the only traditional mold cheese produced in the Balkans? ... that the Mississippi restaurant Mammy's Cupboard, built in the shape of a woman, has been said to resemble Aunt Jemima? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
An explosion and subsequent fire at a fuel pipeline in Nairobi, Kenya, kill at least 100 and injure more than 100. At the US Open tennis tournament, Novak Djokovic (pictured) wins the men's singles and Samantha Stosur wins the women's singles. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the first civilian nuclear power facility in the Middle East, officially begins operating in Iran. A Tanzanian passenger ferry en route to Pemba Island sinks, killing at least 240 people. Russian director Alexander Sokurov wins the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion for his film Faust. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
September 16: Hari Malaysia in Malaysia (1963); Independence Day in Mexico (1810) and Papua New Guinea (1975) 1810 – Miguel Hidalgo, the parish priest in Dolores, Guanajuato, delivered the Grito de Dolores to his congregation, instigating the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. 1920 – A bomb in a horse wagon exploded in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City, killing 38 people and injuring 400 others. 1943 – World War II: Heinrich von Vietinghoff, commander of the German 10th Army, decided to withdraw his troops from Salerno, concluding the Allied invasion of Italy. 1990 – Construction of the Northern Xinjiang Railway was completed between Ürümqi and Alashankou, linking the railway lines of China and Kazakhstan, and adding a sizable portion to the Eurasian Land Bridge. 1992 – The British pound (£5 gold coin pictured) was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday, and suffered a major devaluation. More anniversaries: September 15 – September 16 – September 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 16, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is a common and widespread fly. Its larvae are used by humans for many purposes, including composting, manure management, forensic entomology, and live pet food. Adult flies have no functioning mouthparts. They spend all their time in search of mates and reproducing.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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