Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 3

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Today's featured article
The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing on 23 January 2001. The incident is disputed: the official Chinese press agency, Xinhua News Agency, stated that five members of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual movement, set themselves on fire to protest the unfair treatment of Falun Gong by the Chinese government. The Falun Dafa Information Center stated the incident was a hoax staged by the Chinese government to turn public opinion against the group and to justify the torture and imprisonment of its practitioners. The incident received international news coverage, and video footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by China Central Television. A wide variety of opinions and interpretations of what may have happened emerged: the event may have been set up by the government, it may have been an authentic protest, or the self-immolators may have been "new or unschooled" practitioners, among others. The campaign of state propaganda that followed the event eroded public sympathy for Falun Gong, and the government began sanctioning "systematic use of violence" against the group. (more...) Recently featured: Talbot Baines Reed – Pigeon photography - Body Count Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Luba Crater Scientific Reserve (pictured) may have the largest population of drills in the world? ... that the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament was also known as the "Christopher Daniels Invitational"? ... that before becoming a celebrity chef, Eric Lanlard served in the French Navy on board the flagship Jeanne d'Arc? ... that with an area of 1,865 square kilometres (720 sq mi), Siling Co in Xainza County is the second largest saltwater lake in the northern Tibetan Plateau? ... that Julia Holter's debut album Tragedy (2011) was inspired by Euripides' Ancient Greek play Hippolytus? ... that Bakri Siregar wrote the first history of modern Indonesian literature? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Following an allegation of academic misconduct, Pál Schmitt (pictured) resigns as President of Hungary. UTair Flight 120 crashes shortly after take-off from Roschino International Airport, Tyumen, Russia, killing 32 people. The Malian towns of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu fall to rebel control. In the Gambian parliamentary election, the incumbent APRC party wins an absolute majority of seats in the National Assembly. Tribal clashes kill at least 147 people in Sabha, Libya. The fourth BRICS summit is held in New Delhi. The Deepsea Challenger completes the first solo voyage to reach the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 3 1043 – Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England, the last king of the House of Wessex. 1895 – The libel trial instigated by Irish author Oscar Wilde began, eventually resulting in Wilde's arrest, trial and imprisonment on charges of gross indecency. 1922 – Joseph Stalin (pictured) became the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1971 – The Japanese tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider premiered, marking the beginning of the long-running Kamen Rider franchise. 2008 – Texas law enforcement authorities raided the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' YFZ Ranch, eventually removing 533 women and children from the premises. More anniversaries: April 2 – April 3 – April 4 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 3, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Tasmanian Darner (Austroaeschna tasmanica) is an Australian species of dragonfly in the Aeshnidae family, which includes some of the largest of the dragonflies on the planet. Also referred to as "hawkers", the name "darner" derives from the fact that the female abdomens look like a sewing needle, as they cut into plant stem when they lay their eggs through the ovipositor.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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