Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 9

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Today's featured article
Cyclone Waka was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to impact the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. Waka originated within the near-equatorial trough in mid-December 2001. The storm gradually matured and attained tropical cyclone status on December 29. Subsequently, Waka underwent rapid intensification in which it attained its peak intensity as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on December 31, with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Shortly thereafter, it passed directly over Vava'u, Tonga, resulting in widespread damage. By January 1, 2002, the cyclone began to weaken as it underwent an extratropical transition. The remnants of Waka persisted for several more days and were last observed near the Southern Ocean on January 6. Although the storm affected several countries along its path, Waka left the most significant losses in Tonga, where it killed one person and wrought 104.2 million paʻanga ($51.3 million USD) in damage. Hundreds of structures, including 200 in the island's largest city, and much of the nation's agriculture were destroyed. Due to the severity of damage, the name Waka was later retired and replaced with Wiki. (more...) Recently featured: Resident Evil 2 – Red-billed Chough – Peter Heywood Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that in The Wedding Dance (pictured), a 1566 oil painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the movements of the people show that they are acting inappropriately or in an epitome of rustic buffoonery? ... that a new election will be held to choose the Nepalese Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution following the previous one's failure? ... that despite not playing football before he was 10 years, Zymer Bytyqi became the youngest player in Tippeligaen aged 15 years and 261 days? ... that the title of the Japanese-language album 20 [Twenty] by South Korean rock band F.T. Island refers to the average age of the band members? ... that a character in the British farce Simple Spymen remarks he needs "a thin moustache on the top lip and a pointed beard on the bottom" to pass for a Frenchman? ... that Seline Hizli was one of only 34 individuals to be accepted onto the three-year acting course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2007? ... that in social network analysis, a Simmelian tie is the basic relationship in a clique? 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 78 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. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 9: St. Colmcille's Day in Ireland 68 – Roman Emperor Nero (bust pictured) committed suicide after he was deposed by the Senate. 1772 – In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American patriots led by Abraham Whipple attacked and burned the British schooner *Gaspée. 1873 – Sixteen days after it was built, Alexandra Palace* in North London, England, was destroyed by fire. 1928 – Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia. 1954 – During the Army–McCarthy hearings investigating conflicting accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy, Army lawyer Joseph N. Welch famously asked McCarthy, "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" More anniversaries: June 8 – June 9 – June 10 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 9, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

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A 3-D solid model of a jack inside a cube. Solid modeling is a set of principles for creating three-dimensional shapes that, when combined with geometric modeling, form the foundation of computer-aided design and in general support the creation, exchange, visualization, animation, interrogation, and annotation of digital models of physical objects.

Image: Greg L

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