Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 March 8

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From today's featured article

The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as "Spam Cans", are classes of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid. A total of 110 locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950, named after West Country resorts or Royal Air Force and other subjects associated with the Battle of Britain. Incorporating new developments in British steam locomotive technology, both classes were amongst the first British designs to utilise welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed during the wartime austerity and post-war economy. They were designed to be lighter in weight than their sister locomotives, the Merchant Navy class, to permit use on a wider variety of routes. They were a mixed-traffic design, equally adept at hauling passenger and freight trains. The classes operated until July 1967, when the last steam locomotives on the Southern Region were withdrawn from service. Although most were scrapped, 20 locomotives found new homes on British heritage railways. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's newest content:

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In the news

A newly discovered Y-chromosome haplogroup is thought to push back the time of Y-chromosomal Adam to 338,000 years ago.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (pictured) dies at the age of 58.

Al-Qaeda confirms that one of its commanders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, was killed in the Northern Mali conflict.

At least 12 people are killed during a gunfight between the Royal Malaysia Police and a group claiming to represent the Sultanate of Sulu after a 17-day standoff in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

In Bangladesh, widespread protests result in more than 50 deaths after Islamist politician Delwar Hossain Sayeedi is convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death.

The government of Slovenia, led by Janez Janša, falls after receiving a no-confidence vote.

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On this day...

March 8: International Women's Day; Mother's Day in various countries

1010 – Persian poet Ferdowsi completed his masterpiece, the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.

1618 – German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler discovered the third law of planetary motion.

1702 – Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway (pictured) became the Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, succeeding William III.

1910 – French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to receive a pilot's licence.

1983 – The Cold War: During a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union as an "evil empire".

More anniversaries: March 7 – March 8 – March 9

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It is now March 8, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

The Patrouille de France, a precision aerobatic demonstration team, in full formation at the Radom Air Show. The team was established as part of the French Air Force in 1947, although aerobatic teams had existed in the country since 1931. The Patrouille fly Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets.

Photograph: Łukasz Golowanow

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