Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 16

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Lycoperdon echinatum, commonly known as the spiny puffball or the spring puffball, is a type of puffball mushroom in the genus Lycoperdon. The saprobic species has been found in Africa, Europe, Central America and North America, where it grows on soil in deciduous woods, glades, and pastures. Molecular analysis indicates that Lycoperdon echinatum is closely related to the puffball genus Handkea. Initially white in color, the puffballs turn a dark brown as they mature, at the same time changing from nearly round to somewhat flattened. The fruit bodies are edible when young, when the interior is white and firm and before it has turned into a powdery brown mass of spores. Young specimens of L. echinatum resemble another edible spiny puffball, Lycoperdon pulcherrimum, but this latter species does not turn brown as it ages. Laboratory tests have shown that extracts of the fruit bodies can inhibit the growth of several bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. (more...) Recently featured: Sinking of the RMS Titanic – Galápagos tortoise – Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that unbeknownst to him, Danish explorer Vitus Bering (pictured) was not in fact the first European to sail through the strait that now bears his name? ... that the 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide football team won a second consecutive Southeastern Conference championship and claimed a share of the 1934 national championship? ... that the Royal Navy's Frolic-class gunvessels were used to suppress the slave trade between East Africa and the Persian Gulf in the 1870s and 1880s? ... that after escaping Nazi-occupied Europe, the Belzer Rebbe held his first tish in Jerusalem at the Zion Blumenthal Orphanage? ... that Adinegoro's 1927 novel Young Blood was one of few Indonesian works from the period in which the main characters succeeded at love? ... that the propellers of the Short No.1 biplane rotated in the same direction because their designer wished to avoid patent infringement? ... that Rigby & Peller provides unmentionables to the Queen of England? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In the United Kingdom, Neptune Collonges (pictured) wins the Grand National horse race, in the event's closest finish ever. The rocket carrying Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3, a North Korean Earth observation satellite, explodes shortly after launch. Amid an early presidential election, mutinous soldiers take control of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau's capital. The ruling Saenuri Party, led by Park Geun-hye, retains its majority in the National Assembly of South Korea. An 8.6-magnitude earthquake strikes 430 km (270 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, initially prompting tsunami warnings across the Indian Ocean. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 16: Patriots' Day (Massachusetts and Maine, 2012); Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C. 1520 – Citizens of Toledo, Castile, who were opposed to the rule of the foreign-born Charles V, rose up in revolt when the royal government attempted to unseat radical city councilors. 1853 – The first passenger line of what would become Indian Railways, the state-owned railway company of India, opened between Bombay and Thane. 1919 – Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launched the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania. 2001 – India and Bangladesh began a five-day conflict over their disputed border, which ended in a stalemate. 2007 – In one of the deadliest shooting incidents in United States history, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded over 20 more before committing suicide at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia (memorial pictured). More anniversaries: April 15 – April 16 – April 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 16, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

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A smiling man with a small moustache wearing a bowler hat and a tight-fitting necktie and coat

British film actor, comedian, director, producer, writer, musician and music composer Charlie Chaplin's work in motion pictures spanned from 1914 until 1967. During his early years in film, he became established as a worldwide cinematic idol renowned for his tramp persona (pictured). In 1918, Chaplin began producing his own films, initially releasing them through First National and then through United Artists, a corporation he co-founded with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith. During his lifetime, Chaplin received three awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the 1st Academy Awards ceremony, held on May 16, 1929, he won an honorary award for writing, directing, producing, and acting in The Circus. Chaplin also received Academy Award nominations in 1940 for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for The Great Dictator and in 1947 for his screenplay of Monsieur Verdoux. (more...)

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Sir Peter Ustinov (1921–2004) was an English actor, writer and dramatist. A noted wit and raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. He was also a respected intellectual and diplomat who, in addition to his various academic posts, served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and President of the World Federalist Movement. Ustinov was the winner of numerous awards over his life, including Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, and a Grammy Award.

Photo: Allan Warren

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