Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 January 17

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Today's featured article
Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 10,000 m (33,000 ft) tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest. In Hawaiian mythology, the peaks of the island of Hawaii are sacred, and Mauna Kea is the most sacred of all. Mauna Kea can be ecologically divided into three sections: an alpine climate at its summit, a Sophora chrysophylla–Myoporum sandwicense forest on its flanks, and an Acacia koa–Metrosideros polymorpha forest, now mostly cleared by the former sugar industry, at its base. With its high altitude, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea's summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation, and one of the most controversial. The Mauna Kea Observatories are used for scientific research across the electromagnetic spectrum from visible light to radio, and comprise the largest such facility in the world. Their construction on a "sacred landscape", replete with endangered species, ongoing cultural practices, and viewplanes used in the traditional Hawaiian measurement of time, continues to be a topic of intense debate and protest. (more...) Recently featured: Press Gang – Diffuse panbronchiolitis – Privy Council of the United Kingdom Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that female red-banded sand wasps (pictured) dig burrows in sandy ground, provisioning each burrow with a food supply of paralyzed caterpillars, always laying one egg on the first caterpillar? ... that Sim Bhullar, a 7-foot-5-inch (2.26 m) Indo-Canadian college basketball player at New Mexico State University, has been said to be "poised to become the world's first prominent men's basketball player of Indian descent"? ... that a carved wooden lectern in the 900-year-old St Martin of Tours Church, Detling, has been called "the finest medieval fitting in any parish church in the county"? ... that the 1939 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Best in Show Ferry v. Rauhfelsen of Giralda was the grandfather of the 1952–53 winner Rancho Dobe's Storm? ... that Tommy Tebb scored Nelson's last goal in the Football League? ... that the giant tube worm is not a worm at all? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ma Ying-jeou (pictured) is re-elected as president and the Kuomintang retains its majority in the Legislative Yuan. The cruise ship Costa Concordia runs aground and capsizes off the coast of Tuscany, with at least six fatalities. In Burma, government officials and the Karen National Union agree on a ceasefire to end an internal conflict that began in 1948. Scientists describe a new species of frog, Paedophryne amauensis, the smallest known vertebrate. Malam Bacai Sanhá, President of Guinea-Bissau, dies in office at the age of 64. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 17: National Day in Minorca (1287) 1524 – Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano set sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean. 1893 – The Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led by Lorrin A. Thurston (pictured) overthrew the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii. 1966 – A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the Mediterranean Sea, dropping three hydrogen bombs on land near Palomares, Spain, and a fourth one into the sea. 1989 – Patrick Purdy opened fire with an assault rifle on an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 30 others. 2010 – The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths. More anniversaries: January 16 – January 17 – January 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 17, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An illustrated version of Psalm 23, from The Sunday at Home, a 19th century compendium of religious texts. Originally included in the Hebrew Bible, the psalm is popular among both Jews and Christians, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music. The most widely recognized version of the psalm in English today (shown here) is undoubtedly the one drawn from the King James Bible.

Image: Religious Tract Society; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

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