Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 May 25

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Today's featured article
Hurricane John was the eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. Hurricane John developed on August 28 from a tropical wave to the south of Mexico. Favorable conditions allowed the storm to intensify quickly, and it attained peak winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) on August 30. Eyewall replacement cycles and land interaction with western Mexico weakened the hurricane, and John made landfall on southeastern Baja California Sur with winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) on September 1. It slowly weakened as it moved northwestward through the Baja California peninsula, and dissipated on September 4. The hurricane threatened large portions of the western coastline of Mexico, resulting in the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. In coastal portions of western Mexico, strong winds downed trees, while heavy rain resulted in mudslides. Hurricane John caused moderate damage on the Baja California peninsula, including the destruction of more than 200 houses and thousands of flimsy shacks. The hurricane killed five people in Mexico, and damage totaled $663 million (2006 MXN, $60.8 million 2006 USD). (more...) Recently featured: Miss Meyers – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies – Ahalya Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Grande halle de la Villette (pictured), now a cultural center in Paris, was formerly a slaughterhouse? ... that Blam was one of the works from Roy Lichtenstein's first solo exhibition that was sold out in advance? ... that Tadashi Yamamoto, who promoted private sector relations between Japan and the United States, founded the Japan Center for International Exchange and the Shimoda Conference? ... that Great Eastern Railway engineers discovered chalk while digging the Narborough Railway Line? ... that writer David Wong's book John Dies at the End was made into a movie starring Paul Giamatti? ... that Albert Brahms kept the first known records of the tide levels on the North Sea coast of Germany? ... that "She's a Mess", a song by English girl group Sugababes from their seventh studio album, had to be renamed because the band felt the lyrics were promoting binge drinking? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The COTS 2 Falcon 9 successfully launches with the Dragon spacecraft on 22 May 2012. SpaceX launches (pictured) a Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket, the first commercial flight to the International Space Station. A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana'a, Yemen. Tomislav Nikolić is elected President of Serbia. Danilo Medina is elected President of the Dominican Republic. British singer-songwriter Robin Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees, dies at the age of 62. In ice hockey, the IIHF World Championship concludes with Russia defeating Slovakia in the final. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted in 2001 in connection with the Lockerbie bombing, dies in Libya. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 25: First Patriotic Government in Argentina (1810); Independence Day in Jordan (1946); Towel Day 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster featured) opened at the Opera Comique in London. 1946 – Abdullah bin Husayn, Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan". 1962 – The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, the last overnight steamboat service in the United States, went out of business. 1979 – Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school, and later became the first missing child to have his picture featured on milk cartons. 2009 – North Korea conducted a nuclear test and several other missile tests that were widely condemned by the international community and led to sanctions from the United Nations Security Council. More anniversaries: May 24 – May 25 – May 26 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 25, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A 1918 poster urging the reader to purchase war savings stamps, a series of savings stamps issued by the United States Treasury to help fund participation in World War I. The stamps were available in ten cent and twenty-five cent versions, and provided interest. In some cases collections of stamps could be redeemed for war bonds. The caption reads, "Joan of Arc saved France. Women of America, save your country. Buy war savings stamps."

Artist: Haskell Coffin; Restoration: Lise Broer

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