Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 May 7

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From today's featured article

testingthe gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt formed the core of the religion of ancient Egypt. Believing that gods influenced natural events and human lives, Egyptians interacted with them in many ways. State rites were controlled by the pharaoh, who claimed to be the gods' representative and managed the temples where the rites were performed, while people acting for personal reasons prayed for divine aid and used rituals to compel deities to act. The gods' complex characteristics were expressed in myths and in intricate relationships between deities: family ties, loose groups and hierarchies, and combinations of separate gods into one. Deities' diverse appearances in art—as animals, humans, objects, and combinations of different forms—also alluded, through symbolism, to their essential features. In different eras, various gods were said to hold the highest position in divine society, including the solar deity Ra, the mysterious god Amun, and the mother goddess Isis (pictured with Pharaoh Seti I in her lap). The highest deity was usually credited with the creation of the world and often connected with the life-giving power of the sun. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that the 13th-century illuminated manuscript North French Hebrew Miscellany (illustration pictured) contains biblical and religious texts as well as poetry, legal materials, and a calendar?

... that the seven home runs hit by Jack Stivetts as a pitcher in 1890 stood as the record until Wes Ferrell hit nine in 1931?

... that Lawrence Fuchs, an American studies professor at Brandeis University, was also a Peace Corps country director in The Philippines and a Navy medic?

... that the Majdanek State Museum, with its permanent collection of evidence and rare artefacts from the Holocaust in Poland, was the first museum of its kind in the world?

... that the wildlife of Rwanda includes an estimated one-third of the worldwide population of mountain gorillas?

... that the Blue Qur'an is written in gold and silver on parchment colored with indigo?

... that Yoram Tsafrir was the superintendent of the Holyland Model of Jerusalem?

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Today's articles for improvement

Biodegradable plastic – Little John – Space Age

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In the news

The World Snooker Championship concludes with Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured) defeating Barry Hawkins to defend the title.

Israeli warplanes strike multiple targets in southwestern Syria, near Damascus.

In horse racing, Orb, ridden by Joel Rosario, wins the Kentucky Derby.

Harvard researchers unveil the smallest flying robot ever created, with a wingspan of 3 centimeters (1.2 in).

Indian national Sarabjit Singh, imprisoned in Pakistan for espionage, dies after being attacked by fellow inmates on death row.

Following the planned abdication of his mother Beatrix, Willem-Alexander becomes King of the Netherlands.

Recent deaths: Giulio Andreotti

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On this day...

May 7

1272 – The first session of the Second Council of Lyon was held to discuss, among other issues, the pledge by Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to end the Great Schism and reunite the Eastern church with the West.

1763 – Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa Native American tribe led an attempt to seize Fort Detroit and drive out the British settlers, marking the start of Pontiac's War.

1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre established the Cult of the Supreme Being as the new state religion of the French First Republic.

1915 – First World War: The German submarine Unterseeboot 20 torpedoed and sank the ocean liner RMS Lusitania (pictured), killing 1,198 on board.

1960 – Cold War: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his country was holding American pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union six days earlier.

2007 – A team of Israeli archaeologists discovered the tomb of 1st century BC ruler of Judea Herod the Great.

More anniversaries: May 6 – May 7 – May 8

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Today's featured picture

Several female black-faced impala drinking at a waterhole. Impalas are sexually dimorphic. Females can weigh 10 to 25 kilograms (22 to 55 lb) less than males and do not have horns.

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