Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 March 10

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Carthaginian naval ram

The Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought on 10 March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome. It took place among the Aegates Islands, off the western coast of Sicily. The Carthaginians were commanded by Hanno, and the Romans were under the overall authority of Gaius Lutatius Catulus, but Quintus Valerius Falto had the battle command. It was the final battle of the 23-year-long First Punic War. The Roman army had been blockading the Carthaginians in their strongholds on the west coast of Sicily. Almost bankrupt, the Romans borrowed money to build a fleet, with which they extended the blockade to the sea. The Carthaginians assembled a larger fleet to run supplies into Sicily. It was intercepted and in a hard-fought battle the better-trained Romans defeated the undermanned and ill-trained Carthaginians. As a direct result, Carthage sued for peace and agreed to the Treaty of Lutatius, surrendering Sicily to Rome and paying substantial reparations. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Kristoffer Domeij

... that Kristoffer Domeij (pictured) set a record when he died after 14 tours of duty in more than 10 years as a Special Operations Ranger?
... that Arthur C. Clarke's short story "Time's Arrow" from 1950 predicted that paleontologists may learn about dinosaurs by analyzing their footprints before the method was implemented in real science?
... that William Wernigk performed four roles in Der Rosenkavalier during his decades at the Vienna State Opera, including the Innkeeper on a 1933 recording conducted by Robert Heger?
... that the board game Glory to Rome, despite being well-received, led to its publisher's bankruptcy in the mid-2010s and has been out of print since?
... that philanthropist George McDonald founded the advocacy group Doe Fund after his homeless friend "Mama Doe" died in the cold on Christmas day after she was ejected from New York's Grand Central?
... that a fire at Marl Chemical Park in 2012 interrupted the world supply of a chemical that was crucial to the auto industry?
... that aviation medicine pioneer Jarnail Singh's work launched the first ultra long-haul flight between Singapore and New York in 2004?
... that a former owner of Illinois radio station WRBA carried an expired police badge to allow him to get to its transmitter site quickly if need be?

In the news

Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic

In Zamfara, Nigeria, 279 girls who had been kidnapped from a secondary school by armed bandits are released.
In tennis, Naomi Osaka wins the women's singles and Novak Djokovic wins the men's singles at the Australian Open (both winners pictured).
Porfirije is enthroned as the 46th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
NASA's Perseverance rover, carrying the Ingenuity helicopter, successfully lands on Mars.

On this day

March 10

Artist's impression of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

1915 – The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the first deliberately planned British offensive of the First World War, began.
1945 – World War II: The United States Army Air Forces conducted a firebombing raid on Tokyo that killed at least 90,000 people.
1959 – An anti-Chinese uprising began as thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Potala Palace in Lhasa to prevent the Dalai Lama from leaving or being removed by the Chinese army.
1990 – Eighteen months after seizing power, Prosper Avril was ousted as the military head of state of Haiti.
2006 – NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (artist's impression pictured) reached and entered orbit around Mars.

Tvrtko I of Bosnia (d. 1391)
Marie-Eugénie de Jésus (d. 1898)
Nikita Parris (b. 1994)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The scarlet myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) is a small bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. At about 10 cm (4 in) long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a short tail and relatively long down-curved bill; the male is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is entirely brown. The bird is more vocal than most honeyeaters, and a variety of calls have been recorded, including a bell-like tinkling. This male scarlet myzomela was photographed in Windsor Downs Nature Reserve, New South Wales.

Photograph credit: John Harrison

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.