Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 14

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Today's featured article
The Galápagos tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and 10th-heaviest living reptile. With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. The tortoise is native to seven of the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the Ecuadorian mainland. Shell size and shape vary between populations; these differences helped Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. Tortoise numbers declined from over 250,000 in the 16th century to a low of around 3,000 in the 1970s. The decline was caused by hunting for tortoise meat and oil, habitat clearance for agriculture, and introduction of non-native animals such as rats, goats, and pigs. Ten subspecies of the original fifteen survive in the wild. An eleventh subspecies has only a single known living individual, in captivity, nicknamed Lonesome George. Conservation efforts beginning in the 20th century have resulted in thousands of captive-bred juveniles being released onto their home islands, and it is estimated that numbers exceeded 19,000 at the start of the 21st century. Despite this rebound, the species as a whole is classified as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (more...) Recently featured: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter – Everglades National Park – Black Francis Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Shakespeare scholars used Ford's Hospital, Coventry (pictured) to understand Elizabethan doorways while planning the reconstruction of the Globe Theatre? ... that the College of Southern Nevada's baseball team was forced to forfeit 37 games in 2006 when Craig Heyer was ruled ineligible? ... that individuals who report high levels of affiliative humor are more likely to initiate friendships? ... that India won only 9 medals in the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games, comparing with 76 medals in the previous edition of the Games? ... that Henry MacLauchlan recommended to the British parliament that Ordnance Survey maps should not use contour lines? ... that Bear Bryant played in the game against Tennessee with a broken leg as a member of the 1935 Alabama Crimson Tide football team? ... that Ratna Sarumpaet's singing of the Indonesian national anthem was called "proof" of a crime? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3, a North Korean Earth observation satellite, explodes shortly after launch. The ruling Saenuri Party, led by Park Geun-hye (pictured), retains its majority in the National Assembly of South Korea. An 8.6-magnitude earthquake strikes 430 km (270 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, initially prompting tsunami warnings across the Indian Ocean. American golfer Bubba Watson wins the Masters Tournament. Joyce Banda is sworn in as the President of Malawi, following the death of Bingu wa Mutharika. An avalanche strikes a Pakistan Army base in Siachen, burying at least 135 people in snow. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 14: Easter Saturday (Eastern Christianity, 2012); N'Ko Alphabet Day in West Africa; Day of the Georgian language in Georgia (1978) 966 – After his marriage to the Christian Dobrawa of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converted to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state. 1828 – Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of American English. 1909 – Following a military revolt against the constitutional government, a mob began a massacre of Armenians in Adana Province, Turkey. 1927 – The first Volvo automobile was built in the factory in Hisingen, Gothenburg, Sweden. 1956 – The use of 2-inch quadruplex (example pictured), the first practical and commercially successful videotape format, was first demonstrated in public. 2010 – Nearly 2,700 people were killed in a magnitude 6.9 M_w earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai, China. More anniversaries: April 13 – April 14 – April 15 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 14, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Metallic Ringtail (Austrolestes cingulatus) is an Australian species of damselfly, so named because of its glossy metallic colouration and the "rings" on each abdominal segment. It is widely distributed in Tasmania, Victoria, eastern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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