Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 May 11

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Belgium playing Algeria at the 2014 World Cup

The Belgian national football team has represented Belgium in association football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad is supervised by the Royal Belgian Football Association, stands under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA. Most of their home games are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The squad has been known as the Red Devils since 1906; its fan club is named "1895". Belgium has long-standing football rivalries with its Dutch and French counterparts, having played both teams nearly every year from 1905 to 1967. Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, and 1970 to 2002, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. The national team played in three Olympic football tournaments, including the one in 1920, which they won. They achieved victories over four reigning world champions—West Germany, Brazil, Argentina and France—between 1954 and 2002. Belgium topped the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in November 2015. They are competing in the European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, which will run until October 2017. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Broken Down Dam

... that the abrupt collapse of Broken Down Dam (pictured) at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in 1909 caused other downstream dams to collapse?
... that a number of insect species were named in honour of Dutch entomologist Jacobus van der Vecht?
... that some critics noted that Demi Lovato's song "Fix a Heart" has references in its lyrics to the singer's past issues with self-harm?
... that the proposed Mega Manila Subway would be the first subway system in the Philippines?
... that sociologist, feminist, and campaigner for lesbian and gay rights Mary Susan McIntosh was deported from the U.S. in 1960 for speaking out against the House Un-American Activities Committee?
... that the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens was selected for the United States' National Register of Historic Places?
... that Chinmoy Sankar Dey developed an insulin-resistant in-vitro skeletal muscle model for screening anti-diabetic medication, for which he holds a U.S. patent?
... that the Dark Hedges tree tunnel, a popular tourist destination since it was used as the King's Road in Game of Thrones, might not last twenty years?

In the news

Emmanuel Macron

In the French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron (pictured) defeats Marine Le Pen to become the next President of France.
In horse racing, Always Dreaming, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, wins the Kentucky Derby.
A border clash between Afghanistan and Pakistan results in military and civilian deaths on both sides.
The maiden flight of the Chinese Comac C919 airliner takes place.
Puerto Rico files for debt restructuring, the largest ever de facto governmental bankruptcy in the United States.
Mark Selby defeats John Higgins to win the World Snooker Championship.

On this day...

May 11

Deep Blue

1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands in present-day Belgium.
1812 – Spencer Perceval became the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated when he was shot in the lobby of the House of Commons.
1894 – In response to a 28 percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on strike in Illinois, bringing rail traffic west of Chicago to a halt.
1985 – During an association football match between Bradford City and Lincoln City in Bradford, England, a flash fire consumed one side of the Valley Parade stadium, killing 56 attendees.
1997 – Deep Blue (pictured) became the first computer to win a match against a world chess champion, when it defeated Garry Kasparov in six games.

Leo VI the Wise (d. 912) · Jane Manning James (b. 1813) · Natasha Richardson (b. 1963)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Sofia Church, named after the Swedish queen Sophia of Nassau, is one of the major churches in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed during an architectural contest in 1899 and inaugurated in 1906, it belongs to Sofia parish of the Church of Sweden.

Photograph: Arild Vågen

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.