Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 May 16

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Mounted specimen, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Apatosaurus ("deceptive lizard") is a genus of extinct sauropod dinosaurs that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Fossils from the Morrison Formation of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah indicate an average length of 21–22.8 m (69–75 ft) and an average mass of 16.4–22.4 t (18.1–24.7 short tons), but a few specimens are 11% to 30% longer and 32.7–72.6 t (36.0–80.0 short tons). The cervical vertebrae are less elongated and more heavily constructed than those of Diplodocus, and the bones of the leg are much stockier despite being longer, implying that Apatosaurus was a more robust animal. The tail was held above the ground during normal locomotion. It had a single claw on each forelimb and three on each hindlimb. The skull is similar to that of Diplodocus. It browsed foliage and likely held its head elevated. Air sacs permeated and lightened its vertebrae. In North America during the late Jurassic, Apatosaurus lived alongside dinosaurs such as Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Camarasaurus, and Stegosaurus. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Baluarte Bridge

... that Mexican Federal Highway 40D from Durango to Mazatlán features 68 tunnels and 115 bridges, including Baluarte Bridge (pictured), the tallest cable-stayed bridge in the world when constructed?
... that Frenchman François Bott, after a career as journalist and literary critic for L'Express and Le Monde, became a novelist and won the Prix de la Nouvelle in 2001?
... that the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) wide 2013 El Reno tornado, which was rated EF3, is the widest tornado ever recorded in the United States?
... that Strike Vilakazi's 1956 anti-apartheid song "Meadowlands" was written in three languages, and was misinterpreted by the South African government?
... that a heavy infestation of brownheaded ash sawfly larvae can defoliate a tree in a week?
... that N. S. Satya Murthy led a team of scientists who contributed to the design and fabrication of the Dhruva reactor?
... that Oldbury Camp in Kent is the largest Iron Age hill fort in south-east England?
... that Deval Devi's second and third husbands were responsible for the deaths of her first and second husbands, respectively?

In the news

Salvador Sobral

Salvador Sobral (pictured), representing Portugal, wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Amar pelos dois".
A large-scale cyber attack involving ransomware causes severe disruptions around the world.
The Free National Movement, led by Hubert Minnis, wins the Bahamian general election.
Remains of Homo naledi are dated to the Middle Pleistocene, suggesting coexistence with early Homo sapiens in southern Africa.
Moon Jae-in is elected President of South Korea.
In the French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron defeats Marine Le Pen to become the next President of France.

On this day...

May 16

Park Chung-hee (center)

1811 – Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south of Badajoz, Spain.
1916 – The United Kingdom and France signed the Sykes–Picot Agreement, a secret agreement considered to have shaped the Middle East, defining the borders of Iraq and Syria.
1929 – The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
1961 – The Military Revolution Committee, led by Park Chung-hee (pictured), carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Bo-seon, ending the Second Republic of South Korea.
1975 – Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Liu Bowen (d. 1375) · Margaret Ursula Jones (b. 1916) · Janet Jackson (b. 1966)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

William H. Seward (1801–1872) was United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as Governor of New York and United States Senator. A determined opponent of the spread of slavery in the years leading up to the American Civil War, he was a dominant figure in the Republican Party in its formative years, and was generally praised for his work on behalf of the Union as Secretary of State during the American Civil War. His firm stance against foreign intervention in the Civil War helped deter Britain and France from entering the conflict, which might have led to the independence of the Confederate States. His contemporary Carl Schurz described Seward as "one of those spirits who sometimes will go ahead of public opinion instead of tamely following its footprints."

Photograph: Unknown; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

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.