Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 October 18

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Today's featured article
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660–1744) was one of the most influential women in British history due to her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain. By the time Anne became queen in 1702, Sarah had become a powerful friend and a dangerous enemy, the last in the long line of Stuart favourites. A strong-willed woman who liked to get her own way, Sarah tried the Queen's patience whenever she disagreed with her on political, court or church appointments. Sarah enjoyed an unusually close relationship with her husband, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, whom she married in 1677. When Anne came to the throne, the Duke of Marlborough, together with Sidney Godolphin, rose to head the government, partly due to his wife's friendship with the queen. Sarah campaigned on behalf of the British Whig Party, while also devoting time to building projects such as the construction of Blenheim Palace. The money she inherited from the Marlborough trust made her one of the richest women in Europe. (more...) Recently featured: Mercury dime – Northern Pintail – SMS Friedrich der Grosse Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that poet William Wordsworth described Wythburn Church in Cumbria (pictured) as a "modest house of prayer"? ... that the beaded sea cucumber moves by means of peristalsis? ... that in 1894 Ottoman agents burnt the house of Babë Dud Karbunara because he taught Albanian? ... that the red heart urchin feeds on the film of algae and bacteria that surrounds grains of sand? ... that Sylvia Day's Bared to You was initially self-published, but was picked up by Berkley Books due to the popularity of the similarly themed Fifty Shades of Grey? ... that the yellow tube sponge appears bright greenish yellow in deep water because it emits fluorescent light? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The discovery of an Earth-sized planet (artist's impression pictured) in Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to Earth, is announced. Hilary Mantel wins the Man Booker Prize for the second time in four years for her novel Bring Up the Bodies. Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai, shot by a Taliban gunman last week, is sent to the United Kingdom for treatment. Norodom Sihanouk, former King of Cambodia, dies at the age of 89. Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner sets records for the highest manned balloon flight, highest skydive and fastest freefall speed. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
October 18: Feast day of Saint Luke 320 – Pappus of Alexandria, one of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity, observed an eclipse that allowed historians to calculate the approximate dates of his life. 1081 – Byzantine–Norman wars: The Normans under Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, defeated the Byzantines outside the city of Dyrrhachium, the Byzantine capital of Illyria. 1386 – A special Pontifical High Mass in the Church of the Holy Spirit commemorated the opening of Heidelberg University. 1954 – The first commercial transistor radio, the Regency TR-1 (pictured), was introduced in Indianapolis, Indiana, US. 2007 – A suicide attack on a motorcade carrying former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto in Karachi caused at least 139 deaths and 450 injuries. More anniversaries: October 17 – October 18 – October 19 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now October 18, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

HMCS St. John's (FFH 340) is a Halifax-class frigate that serves in the Royal Canadian Navy. She is named after the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, a port city associated with Canadian naval history and heritage, and is the first ship in the Royal Canadian Navy to bear the name.

Photo: Łukasz Golowanow

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