Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 November 18

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From today's featured article

The Siege of Godesberg, 18 November – 17 December 1583, was the first major siege of the Cologne War (1583–89). A formidable 13th-century fortress, the Godesburg (pictured c. 1500), sat on top of the Godesberg mountain, towering over the Rhine valley. It commanded the roads leading to Bonn, the Elector of Cologne's capital city, and Cologne, the region's economic powerhouse. By the mid-16th century, the Godesburg was considered nearly impregnable and had become a symbol of the dual power of the Prince-electors and Archbishops of Cologne. Bavarian and mercenary soldiers surrounded the mountain and the village then of the same name, now Bad Godesberg, at its foot. The Godesburg resisted a lengthy cannonade by the attacking army; finally, sappers tunneled into the the mountain and blew up a significant part of the fortifications. This killed many of the defenders, but the remainder offered staunch resistance and the Bavarians had to enter the castle's inner courtyard through the latrine system to succeed. The Godesburg's commander negotiated safe passage for himself, his wife and his lieutenant. The others who were left in the keep—men, women and children—were killed. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

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... that the first Test match between Sri Lanka and India was in the 1982–83 cricket season?
... that Thérèse de Dillmont's Encyclopedia of Needlework included product placement for Jean Dollfus's company in Mulhouse?

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In the news

Opposition candidate Klaus Iohannis (pictured) is elected President of Romania.
With world leaders from 21 Pacific Rim countries attending, the Asian-Pacific Economic Conference concludes in Beijing.
The Philae lander, deployed from the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe, reaches the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
In Mexico City, thousands protest the disappearance of 43 students and subsequent discovery of mass graves.
The ALMA radio telescope array shows a protoplanetary disk around the star HL Tauri.
In the United States midterm elections, the Republican Party wins control of the Senate and increases its majority in the House of Representatives.

Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Recent deaths: Alexander Grothendieck

On this day...

November 18: Independence Day in Latvia (1918); National Day in Oman (1940)

1812 – Napoleonic Wars: During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Marshal Michel Ney's leadership in the Battle of Krasnoi earned him the nickname "the bravest of the brave" despite the overwhelming French defeat.
1872 – American suffragette Susan B. Anthony (pictured) was arrested and fined $100 for having voted in the U.S. presidential election in Rochester, New York, two weeks prior.
1928 – Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie, the first completely post-produced synchronized sound animated cartoon, was released.
1987 – In London, an underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St Pancras.
1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav People's Army forces captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.

More anniversaries: November 17 – November 18 – November 19

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It is now November 18, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Zoran Dragić (right) committing a personal foul on Carl English during a 2013 basketball game between CB Estudiantes and Baloncesto Málaga. Personal fouls, defined as illegal personal contact with an opponent which affects gameplay, are the most common type of foul in basketball, but are not always considered unsportsmanlike.

Photograph: Carlos Delgado

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