Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 February 26

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Today's featured article
Alboin (530s–572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy. He had a lasting impact on Italy and the Pannonian Basin. The period of Alboin's reign as king in Pannonia following the death of his father, Audoin, was one of confrontation and conflict between the Lombards and their main neighbors, the Gepids. The Gepids initially gained the upper hand, but in 567, thanks to his alliance with the Avars, Alboin inflicted a decisive defeat on his enemies, whose lands the Avars subsequently occupied. The increasing power of his new neighbours caused Alboin some unease however, and he therefore decided to leave Pannonia for Italy, hoping to take advantage of the Byzantine Empire's reduced ability to defend its territory in the wake of the Gothic War. After succeeding in gathering together a large coalition of peoples, Alboin began his trek in 568. After crossing the Julian Alps he entered an almost undefended Italy, and rapidly took control of most of Venetia and Liguria. In 569, unopposed, he took northern Italy's main city, Milan. Pavia offered stiff resistance however, and was only taken after a siege lasting three years. During that time Alboin turned his attention to Tuscany, but signs of factionalism among his supporters and Alboin's diminishing control over his army increasingly began to manifest themselves. Alboin was assassinated on June 28, 572, in a coup d'état instigated by the Byzantines. (more...) Recently featured: Hey Baby – Malmö FF – W. E. B. Du Bois Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that European welterweight champion Johnny Basham (pictured) faced a manslaughter charge after killing an opponent in a boxing match? ... that Double Fine Productions raised more than $1 million in under 24 hours in a record-breaking, crowd-sourced Kickstarter funding drive for their upcoming adventure game? ... that racehorse Pope came from behind "within a few strides of the winning-post" to win the 1809 Derby Stakes by a neck? ... that construction of the Vianden Pumped Storage Plant began after a treaty was signed between Luxembourg and the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate? ... that Iowa golden-saxifrage is sometimes considered to be a variety of Chrysosplenium alternifolium? ... that Brigitte, who plays the French Bulldog Stella on the TV show Modern Family, has been called the most famous dog on television since Frasier's Eddie? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Buenos Aires rail disaster aftermath A train crash (aftermath pictured) in Buenos Aires kills 51 people and injures more than 700 others. Eurozone finance ministers reach an agreement on a second bailout for Greece. Scientists reportedly regenerate specimens of Silene stenophylla from placental tissue frozen approximately 32,000 years ago. At least 44 people are killed during a prison riot in Apodaca, Mexico. Caesar Must Die wins the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. President of Germany Christian Wulff resigns following allegations of corruption during his tenure as Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. A fire at a prison in Comayagua, Honduras, kills more than 380 people. Conflict in Syria – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
February 26: Ayyám-i-Há begins (Bahá'í calendar); Liberation Day in Kuwait (1991); Saviours' Day (Nation of Islam) 1909 – The first films made with Kinemacolor, the earliest successful colour motion picture process, were shown to the British general public. 1917 – New Orleans' Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable Blues", the first jazz single ever released. 1946 – Finnish observers reported the first sightings of unidentified flying objects known as "ghost rockets", which have not yet been positively identified. 1952 – Vincent Massey was sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. 1991 – British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee (pictured) introduced WorldWideWeb, the world's first web browser and WYSIWYG HTML editor. 1995 – Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, collapsed after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million while making unauthorized speculative trades on futures contracts. More anniversaries: February 25 – February 26 – February 27 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now February 26, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) is a finch native to northern North America. The plumage is drab, being brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout. They have yellow patches in their wings and tail, which are not always visible. They grow to 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) in length and typically weigh 12–18 g (0.4–0.6 oz).

Photo: Simon Pierre Barrette

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