Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 March 13

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Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found. Discovered on 25 March 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, Titan is the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn. Frequently described as a planet-like moon, it is the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede, and it is larger by volume than the smallest planet, Mercury. Titan itself is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. Its dense, opaque atmosphere meant that little was known of the surface features or conditions until the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2004. Although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, its surface is relatively smooth and few impact craters have been found. Owing to the existence of stable bodies of surface liquids and its thick nitrogen-based atmosphere, Titan has been cited as a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry. (more...) Recently featured: Birth control movement in the United States – Gorgosaurus – Baker Street and Waterloo Railway Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the knotted fan coral (pictured) is used in the creation of jewellery? ... that the interactive horror film Take This Lollipop was created to warn about placing too much personal information on the internet? ... that naturalist and ornithologist Gilbert White immortalized the localities of West Worldham and East Worldham and the surrounding region in his The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789)? ... that the multi-ethnic Truth and Justice party of Afghanistan supports reconciliation with the Taliban and cooperation with ISAF? ... that the Cybele class mine destructor vessels were designed to sweep mines by being towed through minefields? ... that at the 2005 Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Sacrifice pay-per-view event, Raven used a pizza cutter to slice open Jeff Jarrett's forehead during the main event? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
An American soldier's shooting spree kills 16 Afghan civilians. Direction – Social Democracy, led by Robert Fico (pictured), wins a majority in the Slovak parliamentary election. The Egyptian Football Association cancels the remainder of the 2011–12 Egyptian Premier League season as a result of the Port Said Stadium disaster. The United Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, wins a majority in the Belizean general election. Businessman Allen Stanford is convicted of running a US$7 billion Ponzi scheme. Conflict in Syria – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 13 624 – Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeated the Quraysh of Mecca in Badr, present-day Saudi Arabia. 1845 – German composer Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time, was first played in Leipzig. 1943 – The Holocaust: Nazi German troops began liquidating the Jewish Ghetto in Kraków, Poland, sending about 8,000 Jews deemed able to work to the Plaszow labor camp (deportation pictured), with the rest either killed or sent to Auschwitz. 1964 – American Kitty Genovese was murdered, reportedly in view of neighbors who did nothing to help her, prompting research into the bystander effect. 1996 – A spree killer murdered sixteen children and a teacher at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland. More anniversaries: March 12 – March 13 – March 14 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 13, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Alitta succinea is a species of marine annelid that has been recorded throughout the North Atlantic and European seas, as well as in the Gulf of Maine and South Africa. It can reach up to 15 cm (6 in) in length, but most specimens are smaller than this. It has an identifiable head with four eyes, two sensory feelers or palps, and many tentacles

Photo: Hans Hillewaert

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