Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 February 19

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

The Turban Head eagle was a ten-dollar gold piece, or eagle, struck by the United States Mint from 1795 to 1804. The piece was designed by Robert Scot, and was the first in the eagle series, which continued until the Mint ceased striking gold coins for circulation in 1933. The common name is a misnomer; Liberty does not wear a turban but a cap, believed by some to be a pileus or Liberty cap: her hair twisting around the headgear makes it appear to be a turban. The number of stars on the obverse was initially intended to be equal to the number of states in the Union, but with the number at 16, that idea was abandoned in favor of using 13 stars in honor of the original states. The initial reverse, featuring an eagle with a wreath in its mouth, proved unpopular and was replaced by a heraldic eagle. Increases in the price of gold made it profitable for the coins to be melted down, and in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson ended coinage of eagles; the denomination was not struck again for circulation for a third of a century. Four 1804-dated eagles (one shown), which were struck in 1834 for inclusion in sets of US coins to be given to foreign potentates, are among the most valuable US coins. (Full article...)

Recently featured: White-bellied Sea Eagle – Eagle (comic) – History of Lithuania (1219–1295)

Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that one of the critical/endangered Ecoregions in Poland is home to the heaviest surviving wild land animal in Europe (pictured)?

... that more than three-quarters of Alaska's lode gold was mined from the Juneau gold belt?

... that in 1896 Émile Mayade won the first city-to-city motor race in which the winner was the fastest finisher?

... that the first McColley's Chapel was the oldest Methodist church in Georgetown Hundred?

... that the 1984 Simple Minds album Sparkle in the Rain spent 57 weeks in the UK LP charts?

... that the University of North Texas' Tony Mitchell is a projected lottery pick in June's 2013 NBA Draft?

... that UN criticism of the exclusion of women from the line of succession to the Liechtensteiner throne was rejected by Hans-Adam II, who noted that the rule was older than the state itself?

Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news

The Women's Cricket World Cup concludes with Australia defeating the West Indies in the final.

Over 80 people are killed and 200 others are injured in a bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town in Quetta, Pakistan.

In central Russia, shock waves from a meteor (pictured)—the largest on record since 1908—injure more than 1,000 people, mainly due to widespread broken glass.

In an EU-wide scandal, horse meat and pork are found in food products labelled as containing beef.

North Korea conducts its third nuclear weapons test.

Recent deaths: Richard Briers

Wikinews – More current events...

On this day...

February 19: Armed Forces Day in Mexico

1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina exploded in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.

1937 – An attempt to assassinate Italian Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani (pictured) in Addis Ababa failed, triggering a brutal crackdown of Ethiopians over the following three days.

1942 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forcible relocation of over 112,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese people residing in the United States to internment camps.

1963 – Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, a non-fiction book credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States, was first published.

2006 – A methane explosion in a coal mine in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, trapped and killed 65 miners.

More anniversaries: February 18 – February 19 – February 20

Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries

It is now February 19, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

American professional golfer Morgan Pressel, who first qualified for the Women's Open at age 12. Pressel had her first victory in the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2007. She made her first professional hole-in-one, an eagle, at that year's Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Photograph: Keith Allison; Edit: Brandmeister

Recently featured: Buzz Aldrin saluting – Cary Grant – A mass grave for children in Dadaab

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.