Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 23

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Today's featured article
The Holy Thorn Reliquary was probably created in the 1390s in Paris for John, Duke of Berry for a relic of the Crown of Thorns, and entered the British Museum in 1898. It is one of a small number of major goldsmiths' works from the extravagant world of the courts of the Valois royal family around 1400. It is in solid gold, lavishly decorated with jewels and pearls, and contains a total of 28 enamel figures. The front shows the end of the world and Last Judgement, with the Trinity and saints above and the resurrection of the dead below, and the relic of a single long thorn believed to come from the Crown of Thorns; the rear is mostly decorated in plain gold relief. It was in the Habsburg collections until the 1860s, when it was replaced by a forgery during a restoration by an art dealer, which was not discovered until the 1920s. The reliquary has been described as "one of the supreme achievements of medieval European metalwork", and is currently part of a special exhibition of medieval religious treasures at the British Museum, which opens today. (more...) Recently featured: Cerro Azul – Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis – First Roumanian-American congregation Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the flèche faîtière and the Sun are depicted on one of the official flags (pictured) of New Caledonia? ... that Meryl Fernandes, who plays Afia Khan in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played a schoolgirl extra in 1993? ... that the former Riede's City Bakery building is one of only two wood frame commercial buildings remaining in Aspen, Colorado, from its early boomtown years? ... that when he established Genetic Studios in 1980, record producer Martin Rushent spent £35,000 on air conditioning alone? ... that Dakota Territory judge Peter C. Shannon presided over the trial of Jack McCall and sentenced him to hang for killing Wild Bill Hickok? ... that the city-state of Purushanda in central Anatolia was surrendered by its king to the Hittite ruler Anitta in the 17th century BC? ... that Celestial City, Imeko, was founded by the Prophet "Papa" Samuel Oshoffa, who left 34 wives and 150 children when he died? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Ban Ki-moon (pictured) is re-elected for a second term as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is sentenced in absentia to 35 years in jail. RusAir Flight 9605 crashes in Petrozavodsk, Russia, killing 44 people. ICANN votes for an expansion of the available generic top-level domains, allowing owners to choose a suffix for the address of a website. Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo resigns from his position as Prime Minister of Somalia. Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy wins the U.S. Open with a record score of 16 under par. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 23: Corpus Christi (various Western Christian churches, 2011); Victory Day in Estonia; Jāņi in Latvia; Grand Duke's Official Birthday in Luxembourg 1757 – Seven Years' War: British forces under Robert Clive defeated troops under Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey, allowing the British East India Company to annex Bengal. 1887 – The Parliament of Canada passed the Rocky Mountains Park Act, creating Banff National Park as Canada's first national park. 1919 – Estonian War of Independence: Estonian troops engaged the forces of the Pro-German Government of Latvia near Cēsis, Latvia, recapturing the area four days later. 1956 – Gamal Abdel Nasser (pictured) became President of Egypt, a post he would hold until his death in 1970. 1982 – Chinese American Vincent Chin died after being beaten into a coma in Highland Park, Michigan, US, by two automotive workers who had mistaken him for Japanese and who were angry about the success of Japanese auto companies. More anniversaries: June 22 – June 23 – June 24 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 23, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Mudcracks in sludge, the remains of a sewage treatment plant in Kos, Greece. Mudcracks naturally form when wet, muddy sediment desiccates, causing contraction via a decrease in tensile strength. Individual cracks join up forming a polygonal, interconnected network. These cracks may later be filled with new sediment and form casts on the base of the overlying bed.

Photo: Hannes Grobe

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