Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 January 17

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From today's featured article
The Lisbon Appointment was the decision in 1965 by Britain's self-governing colony in Rhodesia to open its own diplomatic mission in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, which would operate independently from the British embassy there. Britain objected to the proposal when it was put forward in June 1965, and tried unsuccessfully to block it. The affair came amidst the larger dispute between Whitehall and Salisbury about sovereign independence for the colony. Whitehall insisted that there could be no independence before majority rule, which was opposed by Rhodesia's mostly white government. Rhodesia's staunch opposition to immediate majority rule and its disillusionment regarding Britain propelled it towards Portugal, which governed the neighbouring territories of Angola and Mozambique. Portugal, while insisting it was neutral regarding Rhodesia, officially recognised Harry Reedman as "Chief of the Rhodesian Mission" in September 1965. It was careful to avoid provoking Britain, omitting the word "diplomatic" from the titles given to Reedman and his mission, but the Rhodesians still regarded themselves as victorious. Less than two months later, Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence. (Full article...) Recently featured: Dudley Clarke – Hudson Valley Rail Trail – Adelaide leak Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Alfie Fripp, the longest-serving and oldest-surviving British prisoner of war of World War II, "liberated" tools used in the excavation of the Great Escape tunnel (pictured)? ... that temperature and salinity variations produced by ocean tides and freshwater rivers in estuaries make them ideal habitats for studying how these factors affect the growth of shells? ... that Sudha Varghese established the Prerna schools to educate Musahar girls of Bihar, deemed the "untouchables" in the caste system in India? ... that Mundrabilla I is the eleventh largest meteorite fragment ever found? ... that novelist Mary Angela Dickens, the oldest grandchild of Charles Dickens, died on the 136th anniversary of his birth? ... that Gary Kirsten's 275 against England is the second longest innings in the history of Test cricket, lasting for almost 14 hours? ... that John Lennon thought that his song "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" would be ideal for Frank Sinatra? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
An estimated 41 international workers are taken hostage in an attack in the town of In Aménas, Algeria. Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake is dismissed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa following her contested impeachment. In the Central African Republic, the government signs a ceasefire agreement with rebels, ending a month of conflict and establishing a new coalition government. France commits troops to aid government forces in the current Northern Mali conflict. Sakine Cansız, one of the co-founders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and two other Kurdish activists are shot dead in Paris. Recent deaths: Aaron Swartz Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
January 17: National Day in Minorca (1287) 1781 – American Revolutionary War: American forces won a surprising victory over the British at the Battle of Cowpens, one of the most pivotal battles of the war. 1912 – Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days. 1946 – The United Nations Security Council (chamber pictured), the organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first meeting at Church House in London. 1955 – USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, put to sea for the first time from Groton, Connecticut, with the message, "Underway on nuclear power." 1961 – Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States. More anniversaries: January 16 – January 17 – January 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 17, 2013 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Three bars of pure vanadium in various states of oxidation made using the crystal bar process, and a 1 cm³ cube of the element for comparison. Vanadium is a hard, silvery gray, ductile and malleable transition metal named after Vanadís, the Germanic equivalent of the Norse goddess Freyja. In nature, vanadium only exists in chemically combined form.

Photo: Alchemist-hp

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