Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 9

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The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a First World War battle in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France between four divisions of the Canadian Corps and three divisions of the German Sixth Army. It lasted from 9 to 12 April 1917, as part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Nivelle Offensive. The Canadian objective was to take the German-held high ground along an escarpment at the northern end of the offensive. Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadians captured most of the ridge on 9 April. The town of Thélus fell on the 10th, as did the crest of the ridge once the Canadians overcame a salient of considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll near Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadians on 12 April, and the Germans retreated to the Oppy–Méricourt line. Canadian success is attributed to technical and tactical innovations, meticulous planning and training, and powerful artillery support, and the failure of the Germans to properly apply their new defensive doctrine. For the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together and the battle remains a Canadian symbol of achievement and sacrifice; the battleground now contains the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. (more...) Recently featured: Madagascan sunset moth – Offa of Mercia – Zodiac Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that fossil leaves indistinguishable from the living Tasmanian waratah (pictured) have been dug up from lower Oligocene (28–34 million year old) rock strata? ... that The Yama Yama Man may be hiding behind a chair, "ready to spring out at you unaware"? ... that Martin Segon wrote a short biographical sketch on Skanderbeg at the end of the 15th century? ... that the racehorse Americus, despite being called "fat as a showyard bull", still finished fourth in the 1899 Steward's Cup at Goodwood? ... that Admiral John Ferrier had friendships with Lord Exmouth and the Duke of Wellington, and served under Nelson, who called Ferrier "as steady as old Time himself"? ... that Indonesian director Wim Umboh, who won nine Citra Awards, began his career in the film industry as a janitor? ... that George Grey was the winner in two different electorates in both the 1875–76 and 1879 elections in New Zealand? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

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An avalanche strikes a Pakistan Army base in Siachen, burying at least 135 soldiers in snow. Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika (pictured) dies at the age of 78. Mali's Azawad National Liberation Movement claims military victory and declares independent the new state of Azawad. Following an allegation of academic misconduct, Pál Schmitt resigns as President of Hungary. UTair Flight 120 crashes shortly after take-off from Roshchino International Airport, Tyumen, Russia, killing 32 people. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, wins a majority of contested seats in the Burmese by-elections. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 9: Vimy Ridge Day in Canada; Day of National Unity in Georgia (1989) 1413 – Henry V, who is featured in three plays by William Shakespeare, was crowned King of England. 1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville made the oldest known recording of an audible human voice, when he recorded himself singing the French folk song "Au Clair de la Lune". 1939 – After being denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution, African American singer Marian Anderson (pictured) gave an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces defeated Allied troops at the Battle of Bataan on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines before beginning to forcibly transfer more than 90,000 prisoners of war to prison camps in the Bataan Death March. 1967 – The first Boeing 737 took its maiden flight, eventually becoming the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet airliner in the world. More anniversaries: April 8 – April 9 – April 10 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 9, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

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There are some exceptions to the rule in the English language that the letter Q is followed by the letter U. The majority of these exceptions are anglicised from Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Inuktitut, or other languages which do not use the English alphabet, with Q representing a sound not found in English. For example, in the Chinese pinyin alphabet, qi is pronounced /tʃi/ by an English speaker, as pinyin uses ‹q› to represent the sound [tɕʰ], which is approximated as [tʃ] in English. In other examples, Q represents [q] in standard Arabic, such as in qat and faqir. In Arabic, the letter ق, traditionally romanised as Q, is quite distinct from ك, traditionally romanised as K; for example, قلب /qalb/ means "heart" but كلب /kalb/ means "dog". However, alternative spellings are sometimes accepted which use K (or sometimes C) in place of Q. QWERTY, one of the few native English words with Q and no U in current usage, is derived from the first six letters of a standard keyboard layout (pictured). (more...)

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A plate with fossils of Pseudostacu sp. (lobster, left) and Diplomystus birdii (fish, right), from the Hakel paleontological formation in Lebanon. The paleontological sites of Lebanon contain deposits of some of the best-preserved fossils in the world, and include some species found nowhere else. The most famous of these is the Lebanese lagerstätten of the Late Cretaceous age.

Photo: Mila Zinkova

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