Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 December 15

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From today's featured article

Nothomyrmecia, the dinosaur ant, has the most primitive body structure among all living ants. First described by the entomologist John S. Clark in 1934, the genus's rediscovery in Poochera, South Australia, in 1977 attracted scientists from around the world. It nests in old-growth mallee and Eucalyptus woodlands. A medium-sized ant, Nothomyrmecia macrops measures 9.7–11 mm (0.38–0.43 in). Mature colonies are very small, with only 50 to 100 individuals. Workers are nocturnal, solitary foragers, collecting arthropod prey and sweet substances such as honeydew. The ants rely on their vision to navigate; there is no evidence that they use chemicals to help them forage. The queen produces just one generation of ants each year, and initially joins the workers in foraging. Colder temperatures aid the ants by inhibiting their competitors and predators, and climate change poses a threat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the genus as critically endangered. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Iron coin issued by Gongsun Shu

... that Gongsun Shu proclaimed himself emperor of Chengjia and issued his own iron coins (example pictured), in defiance of the Han dynasty?
... that President Donald Trump's comment that "it's a very scary time for young men in America" inspired a viral protest song?
... that in 2019, the Super League XXIV will be adopting the golden point rule during the regular season?
... that "Dr. Birdbath", a voice actor known for mimicking the sounds of birds and other animals, was the voice of Cheetah in the Tarzan movies?
... that in 2018, the pay television service on channel 51 of MVS TV in Mexico City had only three subscribers?
... that the death of Venezuelan politician Fernando Albán Salazar led to protests in Caracas, and calls for investigations by the European Union and the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner?
... that since the Konin Lakes became hotter, non-native species which have become established there include one species of flatworm, three of bryozoa, three of crustacean, seven of mollusca, and at least six species of fish?
... that Paul Tuttle is known for designing the "Z" chair, also known as the "Rocket Launcher"?

In the news

Christmas market in Strasbourg

French police kill the suspect in a shooting at the Christmas market (pictured in 2014) in Strasbourg, France, in which four people died.
Scientists announce that Voyager 2 has left the heliosphere and entered interstellar space, becoming the second man-made object to do so.
In South American association football, the Copa Libertadores concludes with River Plate defeating Boca Juniors in the finals.
The sample-return spacecraft OSIRIS-REx arrives at the asteroid 101955 Bennu.

On this day

December 15: Kingdom Day in Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten (1954); Zamenhof Day in Esperanto culture

Venera 7 descent vehicle

687 – Sergius was elected pope, ending the last disputed period of sede vacante during the Byzantine Papacy.
1791 – The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified.
1943 – World War II: American and Australian forces began the Battle of Arawe as a diversion before a larger landing at Cape Gloucester on New Britain.
1970 – The Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 (descent vehicle pictured) touched down on the surface of Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet.
2013 – The South Sudanese Civil War began when three opposition leaders voted to boycott the meeting of the National Liberation Council in Juba.

Arthur Dehon Little (b. 1863) · Vibert Douglas (b. 1894) · León Febres Cordero (d. 2008)

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Today's featured picture

Unfortunate events in the front seats of the ring of Madrid, and the death of the mayor of Torrejón is an etching with burnished aquatint, drypoint and burin on paper by the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco Goya. It is number 21 in a series of 35 etchings making up his Tauromaquia ("art of bullfighting") series, which he produced between 1815 and 1816. The etching details an event from 15 June 1801 when a bull broke through barriers at a bullfight in Madrid, killing two people including the mayor of Torrejón de Ardoz. The plate has been described by art critic Robert Hughes as among the greatest of Goya's graphic output.

Etching: Francisco Goya

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