Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 June 14

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From today's featured article

In the United Kingdom, representative peers were elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. The system was introduced in 1707, when England and Scotland became the Kingdom of Great Britain (Act of Union 1707 pictured). At the time, there were 168 English and 154 Scottish peers, but the English population was roughly five times greater than that of Scotland. The English peers feared that the House of Lords would be swamped, and arranged for the election of a small number of Scottish peers. A similar arrangement was adopted when the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Scotland elected 16 representative peers, who sat for the duration of a Parliament, while Ireland elected 28, who sat for life. Elections for Irish peers ceased when the Irish Free State gained independence in 1922, although already-elected Irish peers were entitled to sit until their death; the last was the 4th Earl of Kilmorey, who died in 1961. Elections for Scottish peers ended in 1963, when they all obtained the right to sit in the House of Lords. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that Sue Sarafian Jehl (pictured), who served as Dwight Eisenhower's personal assistant, said the famous general believed women made efficient officers?

... that the region of Kastrati was awarded to Montenegro in 1878 under the Treaty of San Stefano, but the subsequent Treaty of Berlin restored it to the Ottoman Empire?

... that Hollis Dow Hedberg led the Gulf Oil Corporation's geological operations in San Tomé and eastern Venezuela?

... that Czech manager Leoš Kalvoda led Slovak football club MŠK Žilina to their first ever league title in 2002?

... that in 1912 Taraknath Palit donated money and property worth

15 lakh (US$27,000) to Calcutta University for the establishment of University College of Science and Technology?

... that Japanese tennis player Fumiteru Nakano reached the fourth round of the men's singles at the 1938 French Championships, a result that was not achieved again by a Japanese man until 2013?

... that despite living in Russia to research his 2003 novel Dancer, author Colum McCann later said he personally regarded its subject Rudolf Nureyev as "a monster"?

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In the news

The United States Supreme Court unanimously rules that naturally occurring DNA sequences cannot be patented.

Scientists discover Dua's layer, a previously unknown part of the human cornea.

Japanese supercentenarian Jiroemon Kimura, the verified oldest man in history, dies at the age of 116 years, 54 days.

Greece announces the closure of its public broadcasting corporation, ERT.

China launches Shenzhou 10, the fifth manned mission of the Chinese space program.

At the Tony Awards, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike wins Best Play and Kinky Boots wins Best Musical.

Recent deaths: Henry Cecil

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On this day...

June 14: Liberation Day in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (1982); Flag Day in the United States

1285 – Forces led by Prince Tran Quang Khai of Vietnam's Trần Dynasty destroyed most of the invading Mongol naval fleet in a battle at Chuong Duong.

1800 – War of the Second Coalition: In the Battle of Marengo, Napoleonic forces secured victory over the Habsburgs when defeat had appeared inevitable until the arrival of French troops led by Louis Desaix.

1940 – World War II: Four days after the French government fled Paris, German forces occupied the French capital (pictured), essentially ending the Battle of France.

1966 – The Vatican formally abolished its 427-year-old list of prohibited books.

1985 – The Schengen Agreement, a treaty to abolish systematic border controls between participating European countries, was signed between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community.

More anniversaries: June 13 – June 14 – June 15

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Today's featured picture

Sammy Davis, Jr. (1925–90) was an American entertainer who worked primarily as a dancer and singer, but was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities. He entered the entertainment industry at age three, later forming the Will Mastin Trio with his father Sammy Davis, Sr. and Will Mastin. In 1933 he made his feature film debut in Rufus Jones for President. The younger Davis found fame in 1951, and in 1959 became a member of the Rat Pack beginning with the film Ocean's 11. Davis won multiple Grammy and Emmy Awards during his career.

Photograph: Allan Warren

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