Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 March 14

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Today's featured article
The Fox and the Hound is a 1967 novel written by Daniel P. Mannix and illustrated by John Schoenherr. It follows the lives of Tod, a red fox raised by a human for the first year of his life, and Copper, a half-bloodhound dog owned by a local hunter, referred to as the Master. After Tod causes the death of the man's favorite hound, man and dog relentlessly hunt the fox, against the dual backdrops of a changing human world and Tod's normal life in hunting for food, seeking a mate, and defending his territory. As preparation for writing the novel, Mannix studied foxes, both tame and wild, a wide variety of hunting techniques, and the ways hounds appear to track foxes, seeking to ensure his characters acted realistically. The novel won the Dutton Animal Book Award in 1967, which resulted in its publication on September 11 that year by E.P. Dutton. It was a 1967 Reader's Digest Book Club selection and a winner of the Athenaeum Literary Award. It was well received by critics, who praised its detail and Mannix's writing style. Walt Disney Productions purchased the film rights for the novel when it won the Dutton award, though did not begin production on an adaptation until 1977. Heavily modified from the source material, Disney's The Fox and the Hound was released to theaters in July 1981 and became a box office success. (more...) Recently featured: L. Ron Hubbard – Government of the Han Dynasty – Joseph Szigeti Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the 2011 Christchurch earthquake broke William Rolleston's (pictured) neck? ... that during his stay in Ullinish, Samuel Johnson's views and denunciation of James Macpherson's Ossian were confirmed? ... that a New Jersey court's ruling of immunity for online ticket sellers in Milgram v. Orbitz was called a "rare defeat for a consumer protection agency" and the "biggest defense win of the year"? ... that British Army officer Captain Stephen Healey of the Royal Welsh regiment, used to play football for Swansea City? ... that collecting antique Bowie knives is one of the higher-end forms of knife collecting with rare models selling for more than US$200,000? ... that the 2010–11 Ivy League season champion Harvard Crimson team was the first men's basketball team in school history to win a league championship since the Ivy League was formed in the 1956–57 season? ... that female Silver-tipped Myotis bats are able to store sperm in their bodies for up to three months after mating? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Approximately 200,000 people are evacuated due to possible partial nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant (pictured) in Ōkuma, Japan. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan triggers a tsunami as high as 10 metres (33 ft), killing at least 1,500 people. Amid a continued uprising in Libya, France becomes the first country to recognize the National Transitional Council as Libya's legitimate government. A 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Yunnan, China, severely damaging more than 18,000 houses and apartment buildings. Belimumab becomes the first drug in over 50 years to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of lupus. Middle East and North Africa protests Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 14: New Year's Day in the Sikh Nanakshahi calendar; White Day in Japan; Commonwealth Day in the Commonwealth of Nations (2011); Pi Day 1757 – British Royal Navy Admiral John Byng was court-martialled and executed by firing squad for breaching the Articles of War when he failed to "do his utmost" during the Battle of Minorca at the start of the Seven Years' War. 1794 – American inventor Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, the first ever machine that quickly and easily separated cotton fibers from their seedpods. 1885 – The Mikado (poster pictured), Gilbert and Sullivan's most frequently performed Savoy Opera, debuted at the Savoy Theatre in London. 1984 – Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by Ulster Freedom Fighters in central Belfast, Northern Ireland. 2008 – A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupted in Lhasa and elsewhere in Tibet. More anniversaries: March 13 – March 14 – March 15 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 14 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

American astronaut Eugene Cernan, shown here on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, the last time any human has set foot on it. In that final lunar landing mission, Cernan became "the last man on the moon" since he was the last to re-enter the Apollo Lunar Module during its third and final extra-vehicular activity. Prior to this, Cernan had also gone into space twice, on the Gemini 9A and Apollo 10 missions.

Photo: Harrison Schmitt

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