Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 August 28

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During the 1911 Atlantic hurricane season, a below-average number of six known tropical cyclones formed in the Atlantic. Three non-developing tropical depressions are also thought to have existed, including one that began the season in February and one that ended the season when it dissipated in December. Half of the officially recognized storms intensified into hurricanes, of which two attained Category 2 status on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Most of the cyclones directly impacted land. A westward-moving hurricane made landfall south of Savannah, Georgia on August 28, killing 17 people and leaving severe damage in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Two weeks earlier, the Pensacola, Florida, area had suffered from a storm in the Gulf of Mexico that produced winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) over land. The fourth storm of the season struck the coast of Nicaragua, killing 10 people and inflicting extensive damage. Given the relative lack of real-time observations at the time, storm data is based largely on re-analyzing the Atlantic hurricane database. (more...) Recently featured: 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake – Albert, Prince Consort – Thomas Beecham Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that a giant elephant (engraving pictured) in Paris was protected by a man living in one of its legs? ... that the reformers of Kołłątaj's Forge popularized the ideals of the French Revolution in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth? ... that the first film directed by actor Leon Herbert was the British comedy/drama Emotional Backgammon? ... that the recently deceased, long-time human rights figure Jerome J. Shestack may have survived a kamikaze attack during World War II by being Jewish? ... that the fake report Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Browser Usage hoaxed many global news organizations into reporting that Internet Explorer 6 users had remarkably low IQs? ... that Heinie Peitz was on the receiving end of the famed "Pretzel Battery" in the 1890s? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Anna Hazare Indian civil activist Anna Hazare (pictured) ends his 12-day fast after the Parliament of India adopts a resolution to pass an ombudsman bill incorporating his demands. Scientists announce that samples of asteroid 25143 Itokawa retrieved by the Hayabusa probe confirm that most meteorites originate from S-type asteroids. Naoto Kan resigns as Prime Minister of Japan. Hurricane Irene makes landfall in North Carolina as millions evacuate homes on the United States' East Coast. Steve Jobs steps down as chief executive officer of Apple and is succeeded by Tim Cook. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 28: Feast of Dormition/Feast of the Assumption (Julian calendar) 1565 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine in Spanish Florida, the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the continental United States. 1849 – Austria reconquered the Republic of San Marco (flag pictured), an Italian revolutionary state that had declared its independence 17 months earlier. 1914 – In the first naval battle of World War I, British ships defeated the German fleet in the Heligoland Bight area of the North Sea. 1924 – An unsuccessful insurrection against the Soviet rule in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, known as the August Uprising, began. 1957 – U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond began a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 that lasted for 24 hours and 18 minutes, the longest one ever by a single Senator. More anniversaries: August 27 – August 28 – August 29 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 28, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

American folk singers Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, performing a duet at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. Both were relatively new recording artists at the time, with Baez being at the forefront of American roots revival and Dylan having just released his second album. Baez was especially influential in introducing audiences to Dylan's music by recording several of his early songs and inviting him onstage during her own concerts.

Photo: Rowland Scherman, USIA

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