Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 November 7

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From today's featured article
Banksia ilicifolia is a tree in the family Proteaceae. Endemic to southwest Western Australia, it belongs to Banksia subg. Isostylis, a subgenus of three closely related Banksia species with inflorescences that are dome-shaped heads rather than characteristic Banksia flower spikes. It is generally a tree up to 10 metres (33 ft) tall with a columnar or irregular habit. Both the scientific and common names arise from the similarity of its foliage to that of the English holly Ilex aquifolium; the glossy green leaves generally have very prickly serrated margins, although some plants lack toothed leaves. The inflorescences are initially yellow but become red-tinged with maturity; this acts as a signal to alert birds that the flowers have opened and nectar is available. Robert Brown described Banksia ilicifolia in 1810. Although the tree is variable in growth form, with low coastal shrubby forms on the south coast near Albany, there are no recognised varieties as such. Distributed broadly, the species is restricted to sandy soils. Unlike its close relatives which are killed by fire and repopulate from seed, Banksia ilicifolia regenerates after bushfire by regrowing from epicormic buds under its bark. (Full article...) Recently featured: Carlson's patrol – Thomas Percy – Gabriel Fauré Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that King George III placed the "deeply-deplored" Princess Charlotte of Wales under the superintendence of the pious Martha Elgin (pictured)? ... that Ibrahim Hananu, the leader of the 1919 Syrian Revolt, was born in the northern Syrian town of Kafr Takharim? ... that in the 1994 case Chan Hiang Leng Colin v. Public Prosecutor the Singapore High Court held that a ban on Jehovah's Witnesses and their publications did not violate their freedom of religion? ... that the Orthodox metropolitan bishops Gregory and Ambrosios were executed by the Turkish Army in 1922, at the end of the Greco-Turkish War? ... that in the BBC series Masters of Money, Stephanie Flanders speculates as to how John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Karl Marx would have responded to the current economic crisis? ... that German novelist, playwright and poet Thaddäus Troll also wrote a sex education book in Swabian dialect? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Barack Obama (pictured) is re-elected President of the United States. The first complete specimens of Mesoplodon traversii, the world's rarest whale species, are identified. In thoroughbred horse racing, Green Moon, ridden by Brett Prebble, wins the Melbourne Cup. Theodoros II of Alexandria is selected as Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church In baseball, the Yomiuri Giants defeat the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to win the Japan Series. After striking the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy causes widespread damage on the East Coast of the United States, including flooding in parts of New York City. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 7: October Revolution Day in Belarus and other various regions of the former Soviet Union 1775 – Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of the British Colony of Virginia, signed a proclamation promising freedom for slaves of Patriots if they joined the British Armed Forces. 1861 – American Civil War: Future U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant engaged in his first combat leadership role in the Battle of Belmont in Mississippi County, Missouri. 1917 – Vladimir Lenin (pictured) led a Bolshevik insurrection against the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky, starting the Bolshevik Revolution. 1987 – Zine El Abidine Ben Ali deposed and replaced Habib Bourguiba as President of Tunisia, declaring him medically unfit for the duties of the office. 2007 – A Finnish high school student shot and killed eight people at Jokela High School in Tuusula before committing suicide. More anniversaries: November 6 – November 7 – November 8 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 7, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

An officer of the Victoria Police, the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. The agency was founded in 1835 from an existing colonial police force of 875 men. As of 2011, the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.

Photo: John O'Neill

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