Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 12

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Today's featured article
Alexandra of Denmark (1844–1925) was Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India from 1901 to 1910 as the wife of Edward VII. Her family had been relatively obscure until her father, the eventual Christian IX of Denmark, was chosen to succeed Frederick VII to the Danish throne. At the age of sixteen she was chosen as the future wife of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the heir of Queen Victoria. They married eighteen months later. As Princess of Wales from 1863 to 1901, she won the hearts of the British people and became immensely popular. Although she was largely excluded from wielding any political power, she unsuccessfully attempted to sway the opinion of ministers and her family to favour her relations in Greece and Denmark. Her public duties were restricted to uncontroversial involvement in charitable work. On the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, Albert Edward became King-Emperor as Edward VII, with Alexandra as Queen-Empress consort. From Edward's death in 1910 until her own death, she was the Queen Mother, being a queen and the mother of the reigning monarch, George V. She greatly distrusted her nephew, German Emperor Wilhelm II and supported her son during World War I. (more...) Recently featured: Makinti Napanangka – Luton Town F.C. – Ancient Egyptian literature Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Bach may have performed his cantata Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten, BWV 59, in Leipzig at the University Church (pictured) at Pentecost 1723, before he took up his cantor position in Leipzig? ... that Carra Castle was once occupied by Shane O'Neill who held Sorley Boy McDonnell as a prisoner there in 1565, and the McDonnells later got their revenge by beheading O'Neill there? ... that the Holy Ghost ipomopsis, a rare flower found in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico, is predicted to become extinct within 50 years? ... that Reginald Byng Stephens led the British 5th Division to Italy as part of his country's participation in the First World War's Italian campaign? ... that Selskabet for Oslo Byes Vel, a non-profit association for the benefit of Norway's capital city, celebrates its 200-year anniversary this year? ... that WGRM-FM founder Clay Ewing had been mayor of Greenwood, Mississippi? ... that Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli are responsible for tens of thousands of cases of foodborne illness a year? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Senior al-Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed (pictured) is killed by Somali soldiers in Mogadishu, Somalia. Thousands of Syrians flee to Turkey as Syrian troops lay siege to Jisr ash-Shugur. The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 closes in Los Angeles. Indian painter M. F. Husain dies in London at the age of 95. Soyuz TMA-02M is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying a three-person crew to the International Space Station. An IUPAC committee acknowledges the discovery of the transuranium elements ununquadium and ununhexium. Security firm RSA announces that a breach in its SecurID authentication system will necessitate the replacement of almost 40 million electronic tokens. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 12: Pentecost (Christianity, 2011); Independence Day in the Philippines; Russia Day in the Russian Federation; Dia dos Namorados in Brazil 1381 – The first mass protest in the Peasants' Revolt began in Blackheath, England, with Lollard priest John Ball asking a crowd, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" 1899 – The New Richmond tornado killed 117 people and injured 125 others in the northern Great Plains of the United States. 1942 – On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. 1954 – Pope Pius XII canonised Dominic Savio (pictured), who was 14 years old when he died, to make him the youngest non-martyr saint in the Roman Catholic Church. 1991 – Members of the Sri Lankan military massacred over 150 Sri Lankan Tamil civilians in the village of Kokkadichcholai near the eastern province town of Batticaloa. More anniversaries: June 11 – June 12 – June 13 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 12, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The cross-section view of some grapes. On the left, physical structures of the grape are shown, and the right grape has the components extracted during each pressing to make wine. Grapes are cultivated for both winemaking and eating. They were originally domesticated in Central Asia in the Neolithic period, and the oldest evidence of winemaking dates to around 8,000 years ago.

Image: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal

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