Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 October 20

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Today's featured article
Mohammed Abdul Karim (1863–1909) was a Muslim Indian attendant of Queen Victoria who gained her affection during the final fifteen years of her reign. Karim was born near Jhansi in British India, the son of a hospital assistant. In 1887, Victoria's Golden Jubilee year, Karim was one of two Indians selected to become servants to the Queen. Victoria came to like him a great deal and gave him the title of "Munshi", a Hindustani word often translated as "clerk" or "teacher". Victoria appointed him her Indian Secretary, showered him with honours, and obtained a land grant for him in India. The close relationship between Karim and the Queen led to friction within the Royal Household, the other members of which felt themselves to be superior to him. The Queen insisted on taking Karim with her on her travels, which caused angry arguments between her and her attendants. Following Victoria's death in 1901 her successor, Edward VII, returned Karim to India and ordered the confiscation and destruction of the Munshi's correspondence with Victoria. Karim subsequently lived quietly near Agra, on the estate that Victoria had arranged for him, until his death at the age of 46. (more...) Recently featured: Royal National College for the Blind – Alexandre Banza – Crown Fountain Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: Medieval knight, The Crusader ... that Lorado Taft's The Crusader (pictured) uses a medieval knight to symbolize the character of Chicago Daily News publisher Victor Lawson? ... that John Clapp was the inaugural manager of baseball's New York Gothams, which became the modern-day San Francisco Giants? ... that Irma Lozada was the first female police officer to die in the line of duty in New York? ... that in "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", U.S. singer-songwriter Phil Ochs mocked the difference between what liberals say and what they do? ... that Alicia Aberley is a Paralympic swimmer who has held multiple world records and works for Amway? ... that the Sands of Samar, the last remaining sand dunes in Israel's Arava region, are being threatened by sand mining? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Muammar Gaddafi Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (pictured) is killed in Sirte, with National Transitional Council forces taking control of the city. After five years in captivity, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is freed in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. British writer Julian Barnes wins the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sense of an Ending. British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon dies after a crash at the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The United States sends 100 military advisers to help defeat the Lord's Resistance Army in central Africa. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
October 20: Birth of the Báb, a holy day in the Bahá'í Faith; Simchat Torah (Judaism, 2011) 1740 – Per the terms of the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, Maria Theresa (pictured) assumed the throne of the Habsburg Monarchy in Austria. 1818 – The United Kingdom and the United States signed the Treaty of 1818, which settled the Canada – United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length. 1917 – The Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, in charge of preparing for and carrying out the Russian Revolution, held its first meeting. 1939 – Pope Pius XII published his first major encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, seen as setting a tone for his papacy. 1941 – World War II: German soldiers began a massacre of thousands of civilians in Kragujevac in Nazi-occupied Serbia. More anniversaries: October 19 – October 20 – October 21 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now October 20, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A man engaging in big wave surfing at Mavericks, located just north of Half Moon Bay, California. Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 ft (6.1 m) high, and is a hazardous activity, as surfers can be pushed far beneath the water after a wipeout.

Photo: Shalom Jacobovitz

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