Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 December 16

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From today's featured article
The 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was the first year in the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) in which storms were given names by the United States Air Force from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It was an active season with sixteen tropical storms, with eleven of them developing into hurricanes. Eight of these hurricanes were intense enough to be classified as major hurricanes—a denomination reserved for storms that attained sustained winds equivalent to a Category 3 or greater on the present-day Saffir-Simpson scale. The high number of major hurricanes make 1950 the holder of the record for the most systems of such intensity in a single season. The large quantity of strong storms during the year yielded the highest seasonal accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of the 20th century. The tropical cyclones of the season produced a total of 88 fatalities and $38.5 million in property damage. The first officially named Atlantic hurricane was Hurricane Able (path pictured), which formed on August 12, brushed the North Carolina coastline, and later moved across southeastern Canada. The strongest hurricane of the season, Hurricane Dog reached the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and caused extensive damage to the Leeward Islands. (Full article...) Recently featured: Common toad – Vidya Balan – Rex Ryan Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes (pictured), site of Willy Brandt's Warschauer Kniefall in 1970, was made from labradorite intended to be used in monuments in Nazi Germany? ... that after twice fleeing civil unrest in Nigeria, Amina Mama moved to South Africa, where she became director of the African Gender Institute and founding editor of its peer-reviewed journal, Feminist Africa? ... that half of the town of Mori, Hokkaido, Japan, was destroyed by fire in 1961? ... that Lionel Palairet was chosen as captain of Somerset County Cricket Club in 1907, despite having played only one match in 1906? ... that in spite of challenges from the left, all incumbent parliamentarians from Tripoli City were re-elected in 1968? ... that there are mermen on the pulpit of St James' Church, Cardington, in Shropshire? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are dead following a shooting at an elementary school in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Twenty-three people are stabbed in a knife attack at a primary school in the Chinese province of Henan. In Denmark, the discovery of "The Tallow Candle", a previously unknown story by author Hans Christian Andersen (pictured), is confirmed. North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using a Unha-3 carrier rocket. Indian sitar player and classical composer Ravi Shankar dies at the age of 92. Recent deaths: Galina Vishnevskaya – Iajuddin Ahmed – Jenni Rivera Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
December 16: National Day in Bahrain 1598 – Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Korean navy defeated the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Noryang, the final naval battle of the Imjin War. 1653 – Oliver Cromwell (pictured) became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. 1761 – Seven Years' War: Russian forces captured Kolberg, Prussia's last port on the Baltic coast, after a four-month siege. 1918 – Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War. 1930 – Herman Lamm, "the father of modern bank robbery", was shot and killed during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, US. More anniversaries: December 15 – December 16 – December 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 16, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Nazca Booby (Sula granti) is a booby found primarily on the Galápagos Islands. It is known for practicing obligate siblicide. The female lays two eggs, several days apart. If both eggs hatch, the elder chick will push its sibling out of the nest area. The parent booby will not intervene and the younger chick will inevitably die.

Photo: Benjamint444

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