Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 January 23

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From today's featured article

Skye is the largest island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Its peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillins, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period and its history includes a time of Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod (Dunvegan Castle, the clan's seat, pictured) and Clan Donald. The 18th-century Jacobite risings led to the breaking up of the clan system and subsequent Clearances that replaced entire communities with sheep farms. Resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, fishing and whisky-distilling, and the largest settlement is Portree, known for its picturesque harbour. There are links to various nearby islands by ferry and, since 1995, to the mainland by a road bridge. The abundant wildlife includes the golden eagle, red deer and Atlantic salmon. Skye has provided the locations for various novels and feature films and is celebrated in poetry and song. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that the European birch aphid (pictured) and silver birch aphid were thought to be the same species until chromosomal differences between them were found?

... that the India-sponsored Pan-African e-Network project aims to link all member states of the African Union with each other and India through a satellite and submarine cable network?

... that while poverty in South Korea, particularly absolute poverty, has significantly declined since mid-20th century, relative poverty has recently risen?

... that French General Jean Théveney was mentioned in dispatches seven times during the First World War and the occupation of Morocco?

... that The Bay Lights art installation uses 25,000 white LED lights, programmed to create a series of abstract patterns that ascend and descend the cables on the San Francisco Bay Bridge?

... that the town of Plogonnec in Brittany is twinned with Llandysul in West Wales?

... that after his map was stolen, Harry Yates navigated by the Leaning Tower and landed his plane in a volcano crater?

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In the news

After hundreds of workers are taken hostage in an attack at a gas facility near In Aménas, Algeria, a raid by Algerian forces results in dozens of fatalities.

Boeing 787 aircraft (pictured) are grounded worldwide over concerns about the safety of their lithium-ion batteries.

Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake is dismissed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa following her contested impeachment.

In the Central African Republic, the government signs a ceasefire agreement with rebels, ending a month of conflict and establishing a new coalition government.

France commits troops to aid government forces in the current Northern Mali conflict.

Sakine Cansız, one of the co-founders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and two other Kurdish activists are shot dead in Paris.

Recent deaths: Taihō Kōki – Stan Musial – Pauline Phillips

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On this day...

January 23

1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history killed about 830,000 people in Shaanxi Province, China.

1793 – The Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth for the second time.

1899 – Pursuant to the adoption of the Malolos Constitution and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, Emilio Aguinaldo was sworn in as the first President of the Philippines.

1968 – USS Pueblo (pictured) was seized by North Korean forces, who claimed that it had violated their territorial waters while spying.

2002 – American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later murdered by Al Qaeda agents.

More anniversaries: January 22 – January 23 – January 24

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It is now January 23, 2013 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A 1905 photograph of the Executive Mansion, the official residence of the Governor of Virginia. Designed by Alexander Parris and completed in 1813, it is the oldest occupied governor's mansion in the United States. It is both a Virginia and a National Historic Landmark, and has had a number of successive renovations and expansions during the 20th century.

Photo: Detroit Publishing Co.; Restoration: Jbarta

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