Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 January 5

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Today's featured article
Justus (died between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, probably arriving with the second group of missionaries despatched in 601. Justus became the first Bishop of Rochester in 604, and attended a church council in Paris in 614. Following the death of King Æthelberht of Kent in 616, Justus was forced to flee to Gaul, but was reinstated in his diocese the following year. In 624 Justus became Archbishop of Canterbury, overseeing the despatch of missionaries to Northumbria. After his death, he was revered as a saint, and had a shrine in St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. (more...) Recently featured: Loggerhead sea turtle – Battle of Bardia – 2006 Gator Bowl Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: The black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) ... that the fungi Aquamarina speciosa, Keissleriella rara, Massarina carolinensis and Paraphaeosphaeria pilleata were discovered growing on stems of dead black needlerush plants (pictured)? ... that a duel between Clay Beauford of the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature and a copper company's lobbyist was called off due to difficulties in finding French sabres? ... that Bostick's Store in Causeyville Historic District in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, has been in business continuously since it was built in 1895? ... that the Estonian Maritime Museum paid 300 tons of scrap iron for the steam-powered icebreaker Suur Tõll? ... that during the Battle of Bull's Ferry in New Jersey in 1780, Continental officer "Light-Horse Harry" Lee was in charge of rounding up British Army cattle? ... that when Tony Bennett broke a grand piano before a concert at the Brighton Dome, staff went to the Hounsom Memorial Church in Hangleton and borrowed theirs? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Portia Simpson-Miller Christopher Loeak is elected President of the Marshall Islands. Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo join the UN Security Council as non-permanent members. Scores of people are killed and 20,000 more displaced by inter-tribal fighting in Pibor, South Sudan, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers. The People's National Party, led by Portia Simpson-Miller (pictured), wins a majority in the Jamaican general election. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 5: Perihelion (01:00 UTC, 2012); Tenth of Tevet (Judaism, 2012); Twelfth Night (Western Christianity) 1757 – Louis XV of France survived an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who later became the last person to be executed in the country by drawing and quartering. 1976 – The Troubles: In response to the killings of six Catholics the night before, the South Armagh Republican Action Force killed ten Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. 1996 – Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash was assassinated by a bomb-laden cell phone, planted by Israel's Shin Bet. 2008 – Mikheil Saakashvili (pictured) was decisively re-elected as President of Georgia in "the first genuinely competitive presidential election" in the history of the country. More anniversaries: January 4 – January 5 – January 6 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 5, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Sinai Agama (Pseudotrapelus sinaitus) is an agamid lizard native to northern and eastern Africa and the Middle East. It grows to about 25 cm (10 in) long, with the tail accounting for up to two thirds of the total length. It is active during daytime and feeds on insects and other arthropods and plants. During the breeding season, males become a striking blue colour to attract females.

Photo: Ester Inbar

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