Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 February 9

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From today's featured article

Æthelred was King of Mercia from 675 until 704. He was the son of Penda of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of Mercia, died. Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, where his armies destroyed the city of Rochester. In 679 he defeated his brother-in-law, Ecgfrith of Northumbria, at the Battle of the Trent in a major setback for the Northumbrians; it effectively ended their military involvement in English affairs south of the Humber and permanently returned the kingdom of Lindsey to Mercia's possession. Nevertheless, Æthelred was unable to re-establish his predecessors' domination of southern Britain. He was known as a pious king, and he made many grants of land to the church. His wife, Osthryth, was a daughter of King Oswiu, one of the dominant 7th-century Northumbrian kings. Osthryth was murdered in unknown circumstances in 697, and in 704 Æthelred abdicated, leaving the throne to Wulfhere's son Coenred. Æthelred became a monk at Bardney, a monastery which he had founded with his wife, and was buried there. His son Ceolred became king after Coenred; it is also possible that Æthelred had another son named Ceolwald who was briefly king before Ceolred. (Full article...)

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... that disappointment led to the creation of Retox?

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In the news

Boyhood wins three awards, including Best Film, at the British Academy Film Awards.
Paul Gauguin's When Will You Marry? (pictured) sells for $300m (£197m), the highest known price ever paid for any painting.
At least 40 people are killed when TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crashes shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, Taiwan.
In American football, the New England Patriots defeat the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl.
The Australian Open tennis tournament concludes with Serena Williams winning the women's singles and Novak Djokovic winning the men's singles.
Sergio Mattarella is elected President of Italy.

Ongoing: Boko Haram – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – War in Ukraine
Recent deaths: Billy Casper – Dean Smith – Charlie Sifford

On this day...

February 9

1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis (pictured) was named as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America.
1913 – A group of meteors was visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude that the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.
1920 – The Svalbard Treaty was signed, recognizing Norwegian sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the islands.
1945 – World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attacked a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
1976 – The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

More anniversaries: February 8 – February 9 – February 10

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It is now February 9, 2015 (UTC) – Reload this page

From today's featured list

Thirty-eight United States federal judges were appointed by President George Washington during his presidency, which lasted from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. The first group of Washington's appointments began service two days after Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 to formally establish the federal judiciary. Washington's last court appointee received his commission twelve days before the end of Washington's presidency. As the first President, Washington was responsible for appointing the entire Supreme Court; he appointed a record ten justices. Since there were no sitting justices at the beginning of Washington's term, he had the unique opportunity to fill the entire body of United States federal judges with his selections. Despite this, Washington appointed only 28 judges to the United States district courts, due to the smaller size of the judiciary at the time. Richard Peters, Jr. (pictured) served for over 36 years, the longest of Washington's appointments. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush found throughout much of the world, though known under a variety of names. These omnivorous birds eat a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.

Photograph: Andreas Trepte

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