Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 November 20

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From today's featured article
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. The original motte-and-bailey castle, built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror, was designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and to oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames. The castle's lavish early 19th-century State Apartments are architecturally significant, and the 15th-century St George's Chapel is an outstanding example of English Perpendicular Gothic design. Since the time of Henry I it has been used by a succession of monarchs and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. A popular tourist attraction, it is used as a venue for hosting state visits, and is the Queen's preferred weekend home. It was used as a refuge for the royal family during the Second World War and survived a fire on 20 November 1992. More than five hundred people live and work in Windsor, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world. (Full article...) Recently featured: HMS New Zealand – Luke P. Blackburn – Metroid Prime Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that women who wear the saree (typical wearing style pictured) are more vulnerable to skin cancer around the waistline? ... that Praia da Bordeira, near Carrapateira, Portugal, has been cited as one of the best beaches in the Algarve? ... that 30 Euston Square, London, has been refurbished to be the headquarters of the Royal College of General Practitioners? ... that Russian satellite Luch 5B will relay data from the International Space Station? ... that the 2009 British horror film Salvage was filmed on the set formerly used by the soap opera Brookside? ... that the Hamdanid emir of Mosul, Abu Taghlib, was attacked by the Buyid 'Izz al-Dawla, but later allied himself with him against the latter's cousin 'Adud al-Dawla? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Israel launches a major military operation in the Gaza Strip, as hostilities with Hamas escalate. At least 50 schoolchildren are killed in an accident at a railway crossing near Manfalut, Egypt. Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač are acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Xi Jinping becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a new Politburo Standing Committee is inaugurated. A total solar eclipse occurs in parts of Australia and the South Pacific. Recent deaths: Bal Thackeray Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
November 20: Day of National Sovereignty in Argentina; Teachers' Day in Vietnam 1845 – Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: The Argentine Confederation were defeated in the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, but the losses ultimately made the United Kingdom and France give up the blockade. 1936 – Spanish Civil War: Founder of the fascist Falange Española José Antonio Primo de Rivera (pictured) was executed by the republican government. 1969 – A group of Native American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. 1979 – A group of armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, declaring that one of their leaders, Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani, was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. 1994 – In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the Angolan government signed a ceasefire with UNITA rebels in a failed attempt to end the Angolan Civil War. More anniversaries: November 19 – November 20 – November 21 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 20, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The International Space Station (ISS) as seen from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Zarya, the first module of the ISS launched in 1998, is seen in the foreground. Since then, twenty-six Space Shuttle flights have docked with the ISS to assemble various other modules and components, which include four pairs of solar arrays seen on each side.

Photo: NASA

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