Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 March 23

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Today's featured article
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Manchester city centre, 3 miles (5 km) south-southwest of Sale and 10 miles (16 km) east of Warrington. As of the 2001 UK census, it had a population of 41,000. Historically a part of Cheshire, Altrincham was established as a market town in 1290, a time when most communities were based around agriculture rather than trade, and there is still a market in the town today. Further socioeconomic development came with the extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Altrincham in 1765 and the arrival of the railway in 1849, stimulating industrial activity in the town. Outlying villages were absorbed by Altrincham's subsequent growth, along with the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall, formerly the home of the Earl of Stamford, and now a tourist attraction with three Grade I listed buildings and a deer park. Altrincham today is an affluent commuter town, partly because of its transport links. It is also a centre for sport, home to Altrincham F.C. and an English Premier League ice hockey club, Manchester Phoenix. (more...) Recently featured: Ring-tailed lemur – Buildings of Nuffield College, Oxford – Tom Derrick Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Amish dolls (pictured) are left faceless, possibly to emphasize that "all are alike in the eyes of God"? ... that Sebastian Weigle, named "Conductor of the Year" by Opernwelt three times between 2003 and 2006, performed Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Frankfurt Opera? ... that in 1885, the racehorse Paradox won the 2000 Guineas in May by a head, but lost the Epsom Derby in June, also by a head? ... that some of the leaders of pro-Venetian alliance during Skanderbeg's war against Venice were members of the Humoj family? ... that 2011–12 Ivy League men's basketball season was the first time that four teams (Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale) played in the postseason? ... that in spite of being shot eight times, Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. ordered his men to tie him to a tree so he could keep fighting, action for which action he received the Medal of Honor? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré (pictured) is ousted in a coup d'état. Mohammed Merah, the suspect in a series of fatal shootings in southern France, dies during a police siege. Hungarian mathematician Endre Szemerédi wins the Abel Prize for his contributions to discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science. George Tupou V, the King of Tonga, dies in Hong Kong at the age of 63. Lindsey Vonn and Marcel Hirscher win the Alpine Skiing World Cup. Joachim Gauck is elected President of Germany. Conflict in Syria – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 23: Gudi Padwa and Ugadi in various parts of India (2012); Republic Day in Pakistan (1956); Day of Hungarian–Polish Friendship in Hungary and Poland 1775 – American Revolution: Patrick Henry (pictured) made his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, urging military action against the British Empire. 1848 – Captained by William Cargill, Scottish settlers on the John Wickliffe arrived at what is now Port Chalmers in the Otago Region of New Zealand. 1879 – Fighting in the War of the Pacific between Chile and a Peruvian–Bolivian alliance opened with the Battle of Topáter. 1989 – Two researchers announced the discovery of cold fusion, a claim which was later discredited. 2007 – Iranian military personnel seized 15 British Royal Navy personnel from HMS Cornwall, claiming that the British ship sailed into Iran's territorial waters. More anniversaries: March 22 – March 23 – March 24 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 23, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An illustration of Humpty Dumpty by American artist William Wallace Denslow, depicting the title character from the nursery rhyme of the same name. He is typically portrayed as an egg, although the rhyme never explicitly states that he is, possibly because it may have been originally posed as a riddle. The earliest known version is in a manuscript addition to a copy of Mother Goose's Melody published in 1803.

Restoration: Jujutacular

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