Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 January 8

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From today's featured article
The recorded history of Mars observation dates back to the era of the ancient Egyptian astronomers in the 2nd millennium BCE. Detailed observations of the position of Mars were made by Babylonian astronomers, and ancient Greek philosophers and Hellenistic astronomers developed a geocentric model to explain the planet's motions. Indian and Islamic astronomers estimated its size and distance from Earth. The first telescopic observation of Mars was by Galileo Galilei in 1610. The first crude map of Mars was published in 1840. When astronomers mistakenly thought they had detected the spectroscopic signature of water in the Martian atmosphere, the idea of life on Mars became popular. During the 1920s, the range of Martian surface temperature was measured; it ranged from −85 °C (−121 °F) to 7 °C (45 °F). The planetary atmosphere was found to be arid with only trace amounts of oxygen and water. Since the 1960s, multiple robotic spacecraft have been sent to explore Mars. The planet has remained under observation by ground and space-based instruments and the discovery of meteorites on Earth that originated on Mars has allowed laboratory examination of the chemical conditions on the planet. (Full article...) Recently featured: Psittacosaurus – The Covent-Garden Journal – Kenneth Walker Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the nudibranch Flabellina verrucosa (pictured) incorporates stinging cells from its prey into its tissues? ... that after Akari Hayami left Momoiro Clover, the girl group changed its name to Momoiro Clover Z? ... that popular YouTube videos show 5-foot-11-inch (1.80 m) Phil Pressey dunking over people much taller than him? ... that an Armenian Genocide Memorial was bombed in a Paris suburb in 1984? ... that the television-based video game Family Guy Online will be shutdown in January 2013? ... that Sonrise Church in Hillsboro, Oregon, is housed in a former Toshiba Ceramics America facility? ... that chef Heston Blumenthal sought to super-size food in his Channel 4 series Heston's Fantastical Food, including making a pub out of pies? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In ice hockey, the National Hockey League's owners reach a tentative agreement with the National Hockey League Players' Association to end the 2012–13 NHL lockout. Switzerland's oldest bank, Wegelin & Co. (headquarters pictured), announces it will close after being fined by U.S. authorities for enabling tax evasion. In chess, Magnus Carlsen achieves the highest FIDE rating of all time. At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda, and South Korea join the United Nations Security Council. China officially opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, linking Beijing and Guangzhou. Recent deaths: Rita Levi-Montalcini Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
January 8: Kim Jong-un's Birthday in North Korea 1198 – After Lotario de Conti was elected as Pope Innocent III, his first act was the restoration of the papal power in Rome. 1811 – The German Coast Uprising, the largest slave revolt in United States history, took place in Louisiana. 1979 – The oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the offshore jetty of the Whiddy Island Oil Terminal off Bantry Bay, Ireland, killing approximately 50 people. 2004 – RMS Queen Mary 2 (pictured), at the time the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, was christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. 2011 – In Tucson, Arizona, US, Jared Lee Loughner opened fire on an outdoor public meeting, killing six people and injuring twelve others. More anniversaries: January 7 – January 8 – January 9 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 8, 2013 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Two male impalas (Aepyceros melampus) fighting during rutting (breeding) season, which begins yearly toward the end of the wet season in May and lasts typically for three weeks. During this period, males often rub their antlers on trees or shrubs, fight with each other, and herd estrus females together.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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