Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 15

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Today's featured article
Caroline of Ansbach (1683–1737) was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain. Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state. As a young woman, Caroline was much sought-after as a bride. After rejecting the suit of the nominal King of Spain, Archduke Charles of Austria, she married George Augustus, the third-in-line to the British throne and heir apparent to the Electorate of Hanover. Caroline moved permanently to Britain in 1714 when her husband became Prince of Wales. Caroline succeeded as queen and electress consort in 1727, when her husband became King George II. Her eldest son, Frederick, became Prince of Wales. He was a focus for the opposition, like his father before him, and Caroline's relationship with him was strained. As princess and as queen, Caroline was known for her political influence. Her tenure included four regencies during her husband's stays in Hanover, and she is credited with strengthening the Hanoverian dynasty's place in Britain during a period of political instability. Her death in 1737 left Caroline widely mourned not only by the public, but also by the King, who refused to remarry. (more...) Recently featured: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – Ediacara biota – Boeing 777 Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the white rock shell (empty shell pictured) and the mulberry whelk both feed on other molluscs, but the white rock shell is also a cannibal? ... that Gojko Balšić, one of the founders of the League of Lezhë in 1444, was Skanderbeg's nephew? ... that Ryan Hanigan hit the first Major League Baseball pitch thrown to him for a double? ... that Haxhi Qamili, the main leader of the Peasant Revolt in Albania in 1914, was arrested by Serbian forces, tried in a court presided over by Xhelal Bey Zogu, and sentenced to hanging? ... that Marta met the Sierra Leone women's national football team in 2011 as part of the United Nations Development Programme? ... that the Lufilian Arc supplies 80% of the world's cobalt? ... that the family of Miami Zombie victim Ronald Poppo, a graduate of Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School, believed he had died 30 years ago? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt dissolves the country's parliament (Egyptian coat of arms pictured). More than 90 people are killed in a series of car bombings across Iraq. Jon McGregor wins the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his novel Even the Dogs. An Australian coroner rules that a dingo was responsible for the death of Azaria Chamberlain in 1980. More than 70 people are buried and presumed dead as the result of two earthquakes in Afghanistan. In ice hockey, the Los Angeles Kings defeat the New Jersey Devils to win the Stanley Cup. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 15: Flag Day in Denmark 1219 – Northern Crusades: According to a popular Danish legend, the Dannebrog (Flag of Denmark), today one of the oldest state flags in the world still in use, fell from the sky and gave the Danish forces renewed hope to defeat the Estonians at the Battle of Lyndanisse (pictured). 1520 – Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Exsurge Domine to censure propositions from Martin Luther's 95 theses and threaten him with excommunication. 1859 – The shooting of a pig in the San Juan Islands led to the so-called Pig War over the border between the United States and British North America. 1920 – Three African American circus workers were lynched by a mob in Duluth, Minnesota, a crime that shocked the country for having taken place in the Northern United States. 1954 – The Union of European Football Associations, the administrative and controlling body for European football, was founded in Basel, Switzerland. More anniversaries: June 14 – June 15 – June 16 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 15, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Jökulsárlón is a large glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland, on the borders of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It now stands 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km² (6.9 sq mi). It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland at over 248 metres (814 ft) depth as glacial retreat extended its boundaries.

Photo: Ira Goldstein

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