Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 November 18

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From today's featured article

Aerial view of Gull Point in Presque Isle State Park

Presque Isle State Park is a 3,112-acre (1,259 ha) Pennsylvania state park on an arching, sandy peninsula that juts into Lake Erie, near the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. The peninsula was formed from glacial deposits more than 14,000 years ago, and is constantly being reshaped by waves and wind. There are seven ecological zones within the park, each with a different plant and animal community. The Erielhonan, a Native American tribe who gave their name to Lake Erie, probably lived on Presque Isle, which was named by the French in the 1720s. A French fort was built nearby, followed by a British and then an American fort. During the War of 1812 the peninsula sheltered the fleet of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. With the growing importance of shipping on Lake Erie in the 19th century, several lighthouses were built on Presque Isle. In 1876 the US Life-Saving Service opened a station, still in use and operated by the US Coast Guard. Presque Isle became a state park in 1921, and a National Natural Landmark in 1967. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Adult beetles

... that the Colorado potato beetle (pictured) has developed resistance to all major classes of insecticide?
... that the 2009 Sky Blue FC team that won the Women's Professional Soccer title employed three different head coaches during the season?
... that the English neurologist Honor Smith was sent to Morocco by the WHO to investigate an outbreak of paralysis caused by contaminated cooking oil?
... that a Hiroshima peace bell was donated to the Aegidienkirche, the ruin of a Gothic church that was left as a war memorial?
... that Canadian abstract impressionist K.M. Graham began painting at the age of 50?
... that the video game Sonic Colors was designed to appeal to a wide demographic, specifically children and fans of the Super Mario series?
... that Miroslava Breach, a Mexican investigative journalist known for exposing human rights violations and political corruption, was murdered in March 2017?
... that the California condor louse became extinct when all remaining California condors were deloused in a captive breeding program?

In the news

Salvator Mundi

Salvator Mundi (pictured), generally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, sells at auction for US$450.3 million, a new record for an artwork.
Zimbabwe National Army troops seize control of Harare and place President Robert Mugabe under house arrest.
Borut Pahor is re-elected President of Slovenia.
An earthquake strikes the border between Iraq and Iran, killing at least 540 people and injuring more than 8,000 others.
The Paradise Papers—more than 13 million financial documents relating to offshore investment—are leaked.

On this day...

November 18

Susan B. Anthony

1809 – Napoleonic Wars: In the Bay of Bengal, a French frigate squadron captured three East Indiamen mainly carrying recruits for the Indian Army.
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.
1956 – In the Polish embassy in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said "We will bury you" while addressing Western envoys, prompting them to leave the room.
1987 – In London, an underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St. Pancras tube station.
2012 – Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria took office as the 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Thomas of Bayeux (d. 1100) · Asa Gray (b. 1810) · Maribel Domínguez (b. 1978)

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Today's featured picture

Summer Evening on Skagen's Southern Beach is a painting completed by Peder Severin Krøyer (1851–1909), one of the most notable members of the Danish artistic community known as the Skagen Painters, in 1893. Considered one of Krøyer's masterpieces, it shows his friend Anna Ancher and his wife Marie walking along the beach. It is now held in the Skagens Museum in Skagen, Denmark.

Painting: Peder Severin Krøyer

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