Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 November 13

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From today's featured article
Horseshoe Curve is a 3,485-foot (1,062 m), triple-tracked railroad curve on the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Logan Township, Blair County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is close to 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter and has a grade of almost two percent. As a train travels west from Altoona, it ascends almost 60 feet (20 m) in the 0.66-mile (1.06 km) segment that makes up the curve and rotates 220 degrees. The curve was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of lessening the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains by increasing the distance. It was built as alternative to the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, the only other method of traversing the mountains. It has formed an important part of the region's transportation infrastructure since its opening, and during World War II was targeted by Nazi Germany in 1942 as a part of Operation Pastorius. Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was also designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004. (Full article...) Recently featured: Edmund Sharpe – William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign, 1896 – History of Sesame Street Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Bach composed his motet for double choir Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 (autograph pictured), for the funeral of Johann Heinrich Ernesti at the Paulinerkirche? ... that by the end of the Ninth Siege of Gibraltar the defending soldiers had resorted to eating leather from their garments and plants growing on the garrison walls? ... that the seventh-century Jain cave-temple, in the abode of great saints, includes images painted in fresco-secco technique? ... that Russian is spoken in Israel by about 20% of the total population? ... that the original Fremantle Traffic Bridge was built between 1863 and 1867 using convict labour? ... that after Alexander Nadj had played 13 minutes for Lillestrøm SK, the head coach Henning Berg decided to use the youth goalkeeper instead? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Justin Welby is announced as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. An earthquake off the Pacific coast of Guatemala kills at least 52 people. Barack Obama is re-elected President of the United States. In a non-binding referendum, Puerto Rico votes in favor of changing its territorial status and requesting to become the 51st state of the United States. The first complete specimens of Mesoplodon traversii, the world's rarest known whale species, are identified. In thoroughbred horse racing, Green Moon, ridden by Brett Prebble, wins the Melbourne Cup. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 13: Feast Day of Saint John Chrysostom (Christianity); Diwali (Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism, 2012) 1954 – Great Britain defeated France at the Parc des Princes in Paris to win the first Rugby League World Cup. 1982 – South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim suffered fatal brain injuries during a match with American Ray Mancini near Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, leading to significant rule changes in the sport. 1985 – The volcano Nevado del Ruiz (pictured) erupted, causing a volcanic mudslide that buried the town of Armero, Colombia, and killed approximately 23,000 people. 1990 – A man began shooting people indiscriminately in Aramoana, New Zealand, killing thirteen people in the country's deadliest criminal shooting. 2007 – An explosion hit the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, the Philippines, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and at least four others. More anniversaries: November 12 – November 13 – November 14 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 13, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Heavy rust on the links of a chain near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was continuously exposed to moisture and salt-laden spray, causing surface breakdown, cracking, and flaking of the metal. In colloquial usage, "rust" refers to red iron(III) oxide and is formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water.

Photo: WikipedianMarlith/Iamthedeus

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