Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 27

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Principal's Lodgings and the chapel, Jesus College, Oxford

The main buildings of Jesus College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, are located in the centre of Oxford, England. There are eleven listed buildings on the site. Jesus College was founded by Elizabeth I, upon the petition of a Welsh clergyman, Hugh Price. Her foundation charter of 27 June 1571 gave the college the land and buildings of White Hall, a defunct academic hall, to which new buildings were added. The first quadrangle, which includes the principal's lodgings and chapel, was completed between 1621 and 1630; it has been described as "small and pretty", with "a curious charm". The chapel was extensively altered in 1864; one historian of the college described the work as "ill-considered". Construction of the second quadrangle began in the 1630s and was completed around 1712. It includes the Fellows' Library, restored in 2007, which contains 11,000 antiquarian books. Further buildings were erected in a third quadrangle during the 20th century, including science laboratories, a new library, and additional accommodation. A project to build new student and teaching rooms opposite the college was completed in 2010. (more...)

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Photograph showing the restored Marsh Mill, a white painted tower windmill with black sails, eleven visible windows and an encircling black wooden stage at the second floor supported by stone corbels

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    Mario Draghi

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  • On this day...

    June 27: Mixed Race Day in Brazil

    George II at Dettingen

  • 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa, a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, was founded.
  • 1743War of the Austrian Succession: In the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle, George II (pictured) and his forces defeated the French in Dettingen, Bavaria.
  • 1927Prime Minister of Japan Tanaka Giichi led a conference to discuss Japan's plans for China, out of which came the Tanaka Memorial, a strategic document detailing these plans (now believed to be a forgery).
  • 1971 – After only three years in business, rock promoter Bill Graham closed the Fillmore East, the "Church of Rock and Roll", in New York City.
  • 2008President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe was re-elected in a landslide after his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew a week earlier, citing violence against his party's supporters.
  • More anniversaries: June 26June 27June 28

    Today's featured list

    A view of a cityscape, dominated by what appears to be a place of worship, with a tower at one end, and a dome-shaped roof at the other. The building appears to be in a state of disrepair.

    Nine locations from the Caribbean island-nation of Cuba have been designated as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). They are considered places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cuba accepted the convention on March 24, 1981. Of the nine sites, two have been selected for their natural significance: Alejandro de Humboldt National Park in the eastern provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo, and Desembarco del Granma National Park, named for the yacht that carried the members of the 26th of July Movement, who started the Cuban Revolution. City landscapes include Old Havana, Trinidad, and Camagüey (pictured), all founded by early Spanish colonists in the 16th century. The sites include two historical agricultural regions: the coffee plantations of southeastern Cuba and the tobacco region of Viñales Valley. (more...)

    Today's featured picture

    Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

    A sketch of the action during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, fought on June 27, 1864, during William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. Sherman, a Major General in the Union Army, had used a series of flanking maneuvers against Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, each compelling the Confederates to withdraw with minimal casualties on either side. After two months and 70 miles (110 km) of such maneuvering, Sherman ordered a large-scale frontal assault, which was easily repulsed. However, a demonstration by Major General John M. Schofield threatened the Confederate army's left flank, prompting yet another withdrawal toward Atlanta and the removal of Johnston from command.

    Artist: Alfred Waud; Restoration: Lise Broer

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