Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 January 5

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Today's featured article
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about 350 kilometres (217 mi) west of the state capital Bangalore. Bound by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western Karnataka. Mangalore developed as a port on the Arabian Sea – remaining, to this day, a major port of India. Lying on the backwaters of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, Mangalore is often used as a staging point for sea traffic along the Malabar Coast. The city has a tropical climate and lies on the path of the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoons. Mangalore was ruled by several major powers, including the Kadambas, Vijayanagar dynasty, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and the Portuguese. The city was a source of contention between the British and the Mysore rulers, Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan. Eventually annexed by the British in 1799, Mangalore remained part of the Madras Presidency until India's independence in 1947. The city's landscape is characterized by rolling hills, coconut palms, freshwater streams, and hard red-clay tiled-roof buildings. (more...) Recently featured: Antbird – Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark – Robert Marshall Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group Nine is the first to deploy an entire LAMPS helicopter squadron onboard its aircraft carrier (pictured)? ... that the Museum of Mosaics in Devnya, Bulgaria, exhibits a mosaic of the gorgon Medusa which was supposed to turn away evil? ... that the Indonesian pioneer movement Fadjar Harapan was merged into the national scouting organization on a presidential order in 1961? ... that the Stripsenjochhaus is a club hut in the Northern Alps that has been a base for some of the most famous rock climbing in the Alps? ... that the Louisiana State Rep. Cliff Ammons was the "father of Toledo Bend Lake," the largest lake both within and along the borders of Texas? ... that The Bakersfield Californian's 1926 building gave women a public restroom in downtown Bakersfield, California? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Salmaan Taseer Salmaan Taseer (pictured), the Governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, is assassinated. More than 200,000 people are affected by a series of floods primarily in the Australian state of Queensland. A bomb explodes outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 21 people and wounding 70 others. Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal, and South Africa begin two-year terms as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Demonstrations over unemployment and poor living conditions are held in various cities in Tunisia. Five new lines open for operation in the Beijing Subway, adding 108 km (67 mi) of new tracks to the system. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 5: Twelfth Night (Western Christianity) 1463 – French poet François Villon was banned from Paris by the Parlement after being commuted from a death sentence. 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross (pictured) was inaugurated as Governor of Wyoming, the first woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state. 1941 – World War II: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part. 1991 – Georgian troops attacked Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, opening the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. 2003 – London police arrested six people in conjunction with an alleged terrorist plot to release ricin on the London Underground, although only one was eventually convicted. More anniversaries: January 4 – January 5 – January 6 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 5 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An 1880s poster for Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a novella by Robert Louis Stevenson known for its vivid portrayal of a split personality, wherein within the same person there is both an apparently good and an evil personality, quite distinct from each other. It was a huge success, with over 40,000 copies sold in the first six months after publication.

Poster: National Prtg. & Engr. Co.; Restoration: PLW

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