Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 10

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Today's featured article
Joey Santiago (born 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The Martinis with his wife, Linda Mallari. He also contributed to albums by Charles Douglas and former Pixies fellow bandsman Frank Black. Santiago resumed his role as the Pixies' lead guitarist when they reunited in 2004. Santiago has described his guitar technique as "angular and bent," and he cites Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Joe Pass and Jimi Hendrix as major influences on his style. His guitar playing, as part of the Pixies' sound, was held in high regard by critics: MTV's Laurel Bowman commented that Santiago's "sonic plow was the key element in the Pixies' monstrous presence." (more...) Recently featured: Cyclone Waka – Resident Evil 2 – Red-billed Chough Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Tim Schendel (2011 car pictured) was the last driver to win the NASCAR Midwest Division Championship? ... that the Swedish hymn En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt is used both as a summer hymn and for funerals, but is rarely sung in its entirety? ... that Anne Henrietta Martin of Nevada was the first woman to run for the United States Senate? ... that No. 7 Service Flying Training School RAAF graduated over 2,000 pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme between 1941 and 1944? ... that Juan Luis Rodríguez-Vigil‎, President of the Principality of Asturias, resigned in 1993 because of Petromocho? ... that Roy Lichtenstein's Happy Tears was acquired in 1964 and not resold until 2002, when it established a new record for the auction price of a Lichtenstein work? ... that actor Alex Papps was still being recognised as his Home and Away character Frank Morgan twenty years after he originally departed the series? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (pictured in 1975), author of Fahrenheit 451, dies at the age of 91. At least 55 people are killed in a massacre in a village near Hama, Syria. Astronomers around the world observe the last transit of Venus to occur this century. A thousand vessels parade down the River Thames in London as part of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A passenger plane crashes into a building in Lagos, Nigeria, killing all 153 people on board. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 10: Portugal Day (Portugal's National Day and the date of Luís de Camões' death) 1829 – In rowing, Oxford defeated Cambridge in the first Boat Race (2002 race pictured) held on the Thames in London. 1871 – Nine days after Korean shore batteries attacked two American warships, an American punitive expedition landed and captured several forts on Ganghwa Island. 1918 – First World War: Italian torpedo boats sank the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought SMS Szent István off the Dalmatian coast. 1967 – The Six-Day War ended with Israel and Syria agreeing to sign a ceasefire. 2008 – War in Afghanistan: An airstrike by the United States resulted in the deaths of eleven paramilitary troops of the Pakistan Army Frontier Corps and eight Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas. More anniversaries: June 9 – June 10 – June 11 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 10, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The flower of an opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) in three stages of development. From left to right, the bud, the flower, and finally the seed capsule. The plant is used to derive opium and poppy seeds. The Latin botanical name means the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to the sedative properties of some of the opiates—narcotics derived from opium.

Photo: Joaquim Alves Gaspar

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