Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 December 28

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From today's featured article
Christopher Wallace (1972–1997), best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper/hip hop artist. Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and began rapping when he was a teenager. The release of Wallace's debut album Ready to Die in 1994 made him a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene and increased New York's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast artists were more common in the mainstream. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast/West Coast hip hop feud dominating the scene at the time. On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set Life After Death, released 16 days later, hit No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000 (one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification). Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Two more albums have been released since his death. In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States. (Full article...) Recently featured: Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō – Psilocybe aztecorum – William the Conqueror Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that though Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z member Momoka Ariyasu (pictured) claims to be stupid, other members say she is very studious, even studying backstage? ... that Gibraltar's North Bastion and South Bastion were built by Spain to protect the city against attacks from either direction? ... that Dr. Moshe Wallach, founder and director of Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital for 45 years, lived in the hospital and was buried beside it? ... that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a cameo appearance in the series finale of Gossip Girl? ... that Amala Shankar, the Indian danseuse, is the wife of Uday Shankar and sister-in-law of Ravi Shankar? ... that the giant slit-pore sea rod can grow to more than a metre (yard) tall? ... that Peter Penfold was widely considered a hero in Sierra Leone, despite having been dismissed as British High Commissioner? ... that the graphics for the video game Clay Jam were produced in a garage using 44 pounds (20 kg) of clay and 400 toothpicks? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
China officially opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, linking Beijing and Guangzhou. Egyptian voters approve a new constitution. A military aircraft (pictured) crashes while descending toward Shymkent, Kazakhstan, killing all 27 people on board. A gang rape in Delhi sparks widespread demonstrations across India. Park Geun-hye is elected President of South Korea, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Swiss bank UBS is fined US$1.5 billion for its role in the Libor scandal. Former Congolese militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui is acquitted by the International Criminal Court of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Shinzō Abe is elected Prime Minister of Japan as the Liberal Democratic Party gains an absolute majority in the House of Representatives. Recent deaths: Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. – Gerry Anderson – Charles Durning Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
December 28: Day of the Holy Innocents (Western Christianity) 484 – Alaric II succeeded his father Euric as king of the Visigoths. 1612 – Galileo became the first person to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star. 1879 – The Tay Rail Bridge, spanning the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the Wormit, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it, killing all on board. 1912 – The San Francisco Municipal Railway, operator of the city's famed cable car system (cable car pictured), opened its first line. 1935 – Politician Pavel Postyshev revived the New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union when Pravda published his letter asking for them to be installed in schools, children's homes, Young Pioneer Palaces, children's clubs, children's theaters, and cinema theaters. More anniversaries: December 27 – December 28 – December 29 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 28, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) is a small plover native to Australia. Adult males have a rufous crown and hindneck. Adult females (shown here in breeding plumage) have a paler rufous and grey brown crown and hindneck, with pale loral stripe. Non-breeding plumage is duller and lacks the black margins at the nape.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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