Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 December 14

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article
Vidya Balan (born 1978) is an Indian film actress, who appears in Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam language films. At age sixteen, Balan landed her first acting role in the sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). After making several unsuccessful attempts to start a career in film, she acted in television commercials and music videos. In 2003, Balan made her feature film debut with the independent Bengali drama Bhalo Theko and in 2005, she garnered praise for her first Hindi film, Parineeta. Her subsequent portrayal of glamorous characters in the films Heyy Babyy (2007) and Kismat Konnection (2008) met with negative comments from film critics. She later portrayed five consecutive roles to wide critical acclaim in Paa (2009), Ishqiya (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011), The Dirty Picture (2011), and Kahaani (2012). These roles have fetched her the tag of a "female hero" and established her as a leading contemporary actress of Hindi cinema. Balan has received one National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards and four Screen Awards. She initially drew criticism for her weight and dress sense, but was later credited in the media for retaining her individuality and breaking stereotypes of a Hindi film heroine. (Full article...) Recently featured: Rex Ryan – Pepper v Hart – Battle of Radzymin Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Torkilstrup's 17th-century post mill (pictured) was in operation until 1945, but is now a windmill museum? ... that the 1952 film Anhonee had Nargis enacting a dual role, and also marked the first occasion in Bollywood where an actor was cast in such a role? ... that Alastair Cook has scored the most number of Test centuries for England, and is the youngest batsman to score more than 7,000 runs in Test cricket? ... that the Supreme Court of the United States decision in Zivotofsky v. Clinton concerned the status of Jerusalem in United States foreign policy? ... that the Namib sand gecko spends the day underground, emerging at night to feed on small arthropods? ... that the 2007 film Atonement received fourteen nominations from the British Academy Film Awards, the most of any film that year? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using a Unha-3 carrier rocket. Indian sitar player and classical composer Ravi Shankar dies at the age of 92. Prime Minister of Mali Cheick Modibo Diarra resigns after his arrest by leaders of the Malian coup d'état and is replaced by Django Sissoko. John Dramani Mahama is re-elected President of Ghana. In the Romanian legislative election, the ruling Social Liberal Union wins a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In Qatar, the UN Climate Change Conference agrees to extend the Kyoto Protocol until 2020. Recent deaths: Iajuddin Ahmed – Jenni Rivera – Patrick Moore Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
December 14: Day of the Children Killed During the War in Abkhazia (1992); Day of the Martyred Intellectuals in Bangladesh (1971); Monkey Day 1836 – The Toledo War, the mostly bloodless boundary dispute between Ohio and the adjoining Territory of Michigan, unofficially ended with a resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention". 1960 – Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test between Australia and the West Indies, causing the first Tied Test in the history of cricket. 1962 – NASA's Mariner 2 became the world's first spacecraft to successfully conduct a planetary encounter when it flew by Venus. 1999 – Torrential rains caused flash floods (damage pictured) in Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. 2004 – Cuba and Venezuela founded the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas. More anniversaries: December 13 – December 14 – December 15 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 14, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Biham–Middleton–Levine traffic model is a cellular automaton that describes cars driving on a grid. The blue dots are cars that only move downwards; the red dots are cars that only move rightwards. The two types of cars take turns to move. Despite its simplicity, the model eventually forms an interesting pattern from a random starting position. When there are few cars, the traffic will always end up flowing smoothly, whereas when there are many cars, the traffic will become jammed. In this animation, there are neither too many cars nor too few cars, so it displays a mixture of jams and free flows.

Animation: User:Purpy Pupple

Recently featured: Chromodoris joshi – Taos Pueblo church – Sea salt harvesting

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.