Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 March 26

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From today's featured article

James Bryant Conant (1893–1978) was a chemist, President of Harvard University, and the first U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. As a Harvard professor, he was one of the first to explore the relationship between chemical equilibrium and the reaction rate of chemical processes. He studied the biochemistry of oxyhemoglobin, helped to elucidate the structure of chlorophyll, and contributed insights that underlie modern theories of acid–base chemistry. It was during his presidency of Harvard (1933–53) that women were first admitted to Harvard Medical School and Harvard Law School. As chairman of the National Defense Research Committee during World War II, he oversaw the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bombs. After the war, he served on the Joint Research and Development Board that coordinated defense research, and on the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission. In his later years at Harvard, he taught the history and philosophy of science, and wrote about the scientific method. In 1953 he became the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, overseeing the restoration of German sovereignty, and then was U.S. Ambassador to West Germany until 1957. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

... that the ammonite Hildoceras bifrons (pictured) has been used as an index fossil to help identify the age of rocks?

... that Jacob Grimm described The Building of Skadar, recorded after the singing of Old Rashko, as "one of the most touching poems of all nations and all times"?

... that the Armenian Philanthropic Society of Baku built the first library in Baku in 1870?

... that Philemon Holland claimed that he wrote out the whole of his translation of Plutarch's Moralia with a single quill pen?

... that the Japanese I-351-class submarine was designed to support up to three flying boats with fuel, ammunition, water, and even replacement aircrew?

... that although Ralph Horween was the National Football League's oldest living player in 1994, the league mistakenly honored another player as such?

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In the news

Rebels capture Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, as President François Bozizé (pictured) flees the country.

The World Baseball Classic concludes with the Dominican Republic defeating Puerto Rico in the final.

Bangladeshi President Zillur Rahman dies in a Singapore hospital at the age of 84.

Bosco Ntaganda, leader of the March 23 Movement, surrenders himself to the U.S. embassy in Rwanda in response to an International Criminal Court indictment on war crimes.

Japanese architect Toyo Ito wins the Pritzker Prize.

Recent deaths: Boris Berezovsky – Chinua Achebe

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On this day...

March 26: Independence Day in Bangladesh (1971)

590 – Byzantine emperor Maurice proclaimed his son Theodosius as his co-emperor.

1484 – William Caxton printed the first English translation of Aesop's Fables.

1885 – Feeling that Canada had failed to address the protection of their rights, the Métis people, led by Louis Riel, began the North-West Rebellion.

1913 – First Balkan War: After a five-month siege, the Bulgarian Second Army captured the Ottoman city of Adrianople.

1973 – The first episode of The Young and the Restless was broadcast, eventually becoming the most watched daytime drama on American television from 1988 onwards.

1978 – Four days before the scheduled opening of Japan's Narita International Airport (pictured), a group of protesters destroyed much of the equipment in the control tower with Molotov cocktails.

More anniversaries: March 25 – March 26 – March 27

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It is now March 26, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Unripe drupes of black pepper (Piper nigrum) at Trivandrum, Kerala, India. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The drupes are dried for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.

Photo: K Hari Krishnan

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