Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 September 7

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Today's featured article
Pedro I (1798–1834) was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he reigned over Portugal. Acting as regent on his father's behalf, he declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal on 7 September 1822. His acclamation as Brazilian emperor was followed by a victorious war against Portuguese armies. From the onset his reign was troubled by a long ideological conflict between him and a sizable parliamentary faction over the role of the monarch in the government. Other obstacles arose concurrently. In 1826 he briefly became king of Portugal before abdicating in favor of his eldest daughter, Dona Maria II. Her crown was later usurped by Prince Dom Miguel, Pedro I's younger brother. At the same time the unsuccessful Cisplatine War against the neighboring United Provinces of South America led to the secession of a Brazilian province (later to become Uruguay). Unable to deal with both Brazilian and Portuguese affairs, Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and immediately departed for Europe to restore his daughter to her throne. He invaded Portugal ahead of an army and defeated his brother, dying soon after of tuberculosis at age 35. (more...) Recently featured: Avery Brundage – Sebastian Shaw – 1740 Batavia massacre Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the wasp Deinodryinus velteni (pictured) is one of only three Deinodryinus species described from the fossil record? ... that British record producer Shahid "Naughty Boy" Khan started his career by winning twice in one year, once for The Prince's Trust and then on Deal or No Deal? ... that Irapé Dam on the Jequitinhonha River is the tallest dam in Brazil? ... that 2012 Australian Paralympic 100 metre runner Gabriel Cole became a serious runner after the intervention of his high school French teacher? ... that Karen Gillan, who portrays Amy Pond, was so moved by her exit from Doctor Who that she could not read the script without crying? ... that 2012 Australian Paralympic athletics competitor Matthew Silcocks has Poland's syndrome, a syndrome he had at birth, that caused development problems with his right arm? ... that the Black Salamander may defend itself by biting a western garter snake attacking it? ... that Ben Burns, a pioneering white editor of black publications, answered if he was "Negro or white" by saying: "Neither, I'm Jewish"? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The Dawn spacecraft (artist's concept pictured) leaves asteroid 4 Vesta, heading towards the dwarf planet Ceres. The ENCODE project announces the creation of an "encyclopedia" of the human genome, publishing a coordinated series of 30 papers in Nature, Genome Biology, and Genome Research. A Bahraini court upholds sentences up to life in prison for 13 opposition leaders. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, dies at the age of 92. In Mali, Islamist militants seize control of Douentza, ousting the local secular militia. Armenia severs ties with Hungary after convicted murderer Ramil Safarov is pardoned upon his repatriation from Hungary to Azerbaijan. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
September 7: Independence Day in Brazil (1822) 1571 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, was arrested for his involvement in a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. 1652 – Chinese peasants on Taiwan began a rebellion against Dutch rule before being suppressed four days later. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Sergeant Ezra Lee made the first documented attack using a submersible when he piloted the Turtle (replica pictured) to attempt to attach explosive charges on the hull of HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée forced the Russians to withdraw at the Battle of Borodino. 1936 – The last thylacine died in captivity in Hobart Zoo in Australia. 1986 – Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. More anniversaries: September 6 – September 7 – September 8 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 7, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Battle of Malakoff, during the Crimean War, was fought between the Russian and the allied French-British armies on 7 September 1855. In one of the war's defining moments, a French zouave installed the French flag on the top of the Russian redoubt, as depicted here. The battle brought about the capture of Sevastopol after an 11-month siege.

Artist: William Simpson; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

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