Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 January 24

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Today's featured article
Thurisind was king of the Gepids, an East Germanic Gothic people, from c. 548 to 560. He was the penultimate Gepid king, and succeeded King Elemund by staging a coup d'état and forcing the king's son into exile. Thurisind's kingdom, known as Gepidia, was located in Central Europe and had its centre in Sirmium, a former Roman city on the Danube River. His reign was marked by multiple wars with the Lombards, a Germanic people who had arrived in the former Roman province of Pannonia under the leadership of their king, Audoin. Thurisind also had to face the hostility of the Byzantine Empire, which was resentful of the Gepid takeover of Sirmium and anxious to diminish Gepid power in the Pannonian Basin, a plain covering most of modern Hungary and partly including the bordering states. The Byzantines' plans to reduce the Gepids' power took effect when Audoin decisively defeated Thurisind in 551 or 552. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian forced a peace accord on both leaders so that equilibrium in the Pannonian Basin could be sustained. Thurisind lost his eldest son, Turismod, in the Battle of Asfeld, where the prince was killed by Alboin, son of Audoin. In about 560, Thurisind died and was succeeded by his remaining son Cunimund, who was killed by Alboin in 567. Cunimund's death marked the end of the Gepid Kingdom and the beginning of the conquest of their territories by the Lombards' allies, the Avars, a nomadic people migrating from the Eurasian Steppe. (more...) Recently featured: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy – James Nesbitt – Variegated Fairywren Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Phoenix United Mine (pictured) is one of only two places in the world where you can walk on Cornish path moss? ... that Queen Liliʻuokalani's song "Aloha ʻOe" was inspired by the tender farewell and fond embrace between Colonel Boyd and one of the young ranch ladies at Maunawili? ... that the Karlino oil eruption put an end to the dreams of Poland becoming a "second Kuwait"? ... that the Hallaton Helmet may have been owned by a Briton who fought alongside the Romans during their conquest of Britain in AD 43? ... that winning time of 3.04 by Ellington at the 1856 Derby Stakes was the slowest ever recorded, breaking the "record" of 3.02 set in 1852 by Daniel O'Rourke? ... that the Reformation spread to Switzerland following a dispute about sausages? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In a referendum, Croatian voters support the country's accession to the European Union. Boko Haram claims responsibility for a series of attacks in northern Nigeria that killed 185 people, two weeks after a similar set of assaults. American singer Etta James (pictured) dies at the age of 73. Eastman Kodak, founded in 1889, files for bankruptcy protection. The U.S. Department of Justice shuts down file hosting site Megaupload as part of an investigation into alleged copyright infringement. Various websites participate in protests against U.S. bills SOPA and PIPA. In the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ma Ying-jeou is re-elected as president and the Kuomintang retains its majority in the Legislative Yuan. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 24 1848 – James W. Marshall (pictured) discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, leading to the California Gold Rush. 1900 – Second Boer War: Boer forces stopped a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop. 1961 – A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress carrying two Mark 39 nuclear weapons broke up in mid-air near Goldsboro, North Carolina; one bomb was recovered intact, the other disintegrated. 1972 – Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II. 1993 – Turkish journalist and writer Uğur Mumcu was assassinated by a car bomb outside his home in Ankara. More anniversaries: January 23 – January 24 – January 25 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 24, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

American actor Ernest Borgnine, when he was made an honorary chief petty officer of the United States Navy in October 2004. After being discharged from the navy and having no direction in his life, Borgnine began his acting career on the advice of his mother, who thought his personality was well-suited for the stage. This began a six-decade period mostly as a character actor on stage, film, and television. His most famous roles were as the lead in Marty, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the title role in McHale's Navy, and as a voice actor in the cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants.

Photo: Mark D. Faram, US Navy

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