Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 July 3

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Today's featured article
The Great Auk was a large, flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It lived in the North Atlantic, and bred on rocky, isolated islands with easy access to both the ocean and a plentiful food supply, a rarity in nature that provided only a few breeding sites for it. The Great Auk was 75 to 85 centimetres (30 to 33 in) tall and weighed around 5 kilograms (11 lb), making it the largest alcid. It had a black back and a white belly. The black beak was heavy and hooked with grooves on its surface. During summer, the Great Auk had a white patch over each eye. During winter, the auk lost this patch, instead developing a white band stretching between the eyes. The auk was a powerful swimmer, a trait that it used in hunting. Humans had hunted the Great Auk for more than 100,000 years, and by the 19th century, its growing rarity increased interest from European museums and private collectors in obtaining skins and eggs of the bird. The last two confirmed specimens were killed off the coast of Iceland on July 3, 1844. The last credible observation is from 1852. (more...) Recently featured: Battle of Schellenberg – Rwanda – Yogo sapphire Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that St Mary's Church, Abbeytown, in Cumbria (west end pictured) was damaged by fire in 1604, and again in 2006? ... that C. E. Falk beat NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin to win the latter's own charity race? ... that Tropaeolum tricolor can survive a drought of 10 months in summer while Tropaeolum polyphyllum can withstand temperatures down to −20 °C (−4 °F)? ... that "New Day" by Alicia Keys has been called her most powerful number to date? ... that Margarete Mitscherlich and her husband Alexander Mitscherlich co-authored Die Unfähigkeit zu trauern (The Inability to Mourn) in 1967, and she alone wrote Die Radikalität des Alters (The Radicality of Age) in 2010? ... that the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum includes Miwok items? ... that 2012 Australian rhythmic gymnastics Olympian Janine Murray had difficulties getting to school while growing up in Zimbabwe because of petrol shortages? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In association football, UEFA Euro 2012 concludes with Spain defeating Italy in the final to win a second consecutive European Football Championship. An intense derecho (damage pictured) strikes the eastern United States, leaving at least 22 people dead and millions without power. UNESCO lists the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as the State of Palestine's first World Heritage Site. Ansar Dine and MOJWA take over Gao and destroy World Heritage Sites in the northern Malian region of Azawad after fighting the MNLA. The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a majority of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a statute reforming health insurance in the country. Barclays is fined a total of £290 million for attempting to manipulate the Libor and Euribor rates. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
July 3: Independence Day in Belarus (1944) 987 – Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, becoming the first monarch of the Capetian dynasty, which ruled France continuously until overthrown during the French Revolution in 1792. 1608 – French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City. 1778 – American Revolutionary War: Loyalists and Iroquois killed over 300 Patriots at the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania. 1940 – Second World War: The British Navy attacked the French fleet (French destroyer Mogador pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into German hands after the armistice between those two nations. 1988 – United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. More anniversaries: July 2 – July 3 – July 4 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now July 3, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, subspecies Grant's zebra pictured) is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The plains zebra is mid-sized, smaller on average than the other two zebra species, and thick-bodied with relatively short legs. Adults of both sexes can stand from 1.1 to 1.47 m (3.6 to 4.8 ft) high at the shoulder, are 2 to 2.5 m (6.6 to 8.2 ft) long (excluding the tail), and weigh 175 to 387 kg (390 to 850 lb), with males slightly heavier than females.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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