Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 October 13

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Today's featured article
Bernard Bosanquet (1877–1936) was an English cricketer best known for inventing the googly, a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. He played first-class cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and appeared in seven Test matches for England as an all-rounder. While playing a tabletop game, Bosanquet devised a new technique for delivering a ball, later named the "googly", which he practised while attending Oriel College, Oxford. He first used it in cricket matches around 1900, but it was not until 1903, when he had a successful season as a bowler, that his new delivery began to attract attention. He was selected in 1903–04 to tour Australia with England and made his Test debut. Although his batting was unsuccessful, he performed well as a bowler and troubled all the opposing batsmen. His career with the ball peaked when he bowled England to victory in the first Test against Australia in 1905, but he remained an inconsistent performer. In subsequent years, he bowled infrequently and played little first-class cricket. (more...) Recently featured: Ruth Norman – Madagascar – Allegro Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Flemish Synagogue (pictured), one of the synagogues of Gibraltar, was built in response to the informality that had evolved at the Great Synagogue? ... that King Edward III of England ordered stars effaced from the coat of arms of Sir Amery of Pavy for trying to sell Calais, a seaport of which he was the governor, to the French? ... that a remix version of The Police song "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" reached the Top 40 two decades after the song's initial release? ... that the aquarium plant Anubias gigantea and the closely related species Anubias afzelii only differ by the shape of their leaf-blades? ... that only one of the 114 registered museums in Poland is privately owned? ... that Gaston Hamelin taught his students not to bite? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The High Court of Botswana rules that women have the constitutional right to inherit property. The European Union (flag pictured) is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe". Chinese author Mo Yan, famous for working in the style of writing known as hallucinatory realism, wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. Paddy Roy Bates, founder of the Sealand micronation in the North Sea, dies at the age of 91. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
October 13 1812 – War of 1812: British troops and Mohawk warriors repelled an American invasion from across the Niagara River at the Battle of Queenston Heights near Queenston, Ontario. 1881 – Determined to bring about the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language as a way of unifying Jews, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (pictured) had what is believed to be the first modern conversation in Hebrew while living in Paris. 1911 – Prince Arthur, a son of Queen Victoria, became the only Governor General of Canada of royal descent. 1921 – The Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed the Treaty of Kars with the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to establish the contemporary borders between Turkey and the South Caucasus states. 1958 – The first book featuring the English children's literature character Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond and Peggy Fortnum, was published. More anniversaries: October 12 – October 13 – October 14 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now October 13, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Whirlpool Galaxy is an interacting spiral galaxy that is estimated to be 23 ±4 million light-years from the Milky Way Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the pair may even be seen with binoculars. It was discovered on October 13, 1773, by French astronomer Charles Messier.

Photo: NASA/ESA

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