Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 March 31

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From today's featured article

The last voyage of the Karluk, flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913–16, ended in a disaster which led to the deaths of almost half the ship's complement. In August 1913 the ship became trapped by ice in the Arctic Ocean. The expedition's leader, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, then left with a hunting party; while he was away the ship began to drift, preventing his return. When after many weeks the ship was crushed by ice and sunk, its captain, Robert Bartlett, led the 25 crew and expedition personnel across the sea ice to Wrangel Island, 80 miles (130 km) away. In the dangerous conditions, eight men were lost on the march. From the island Bartlett and an Inuk companion set out for the Siberian coast to seek help; they eventually reached Alaska, but weather conditions delayed the organisation of a rescue. On Wrangel Island the stranded party were short of food and troubled by internal dissent; before their rescue in September 1914 three more of the party had died. Some of the voyage's survivors were critical of Stefansson for leaving the ship, although he escaped official censure. Bartlett was hailed as a hero by the public and by his former Karluk shipmates. (Full article...)

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In the news

Soyuz TMA-08M (mission patch pictured) transports three astronauts to the International Space Station via a new route, reducing the journey's duration from two days to six hours.

Madagascar experiences its worst locust infestation since the 1950s.

Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal rules that foreign domestic workers are not allowed to become Hong Kong permanent residents.

Rebels capture Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, as President François Bozizé flees the country.

The World Baseball Classic concludes with the Dominican Republic defeating Puerto Rico in the final.

Recent deaths: Phil Ramone – Boris Berezovsky

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On this day...

March 31: Easter (Western Christianity, 2013); King Nangklao Memorial Day in Thailand; Cesar Chavez Day in various U.S. states

1146 – French abbot Bernard of Clairvaux preached a sermon to a crowd at Vézelay, with King Louis VII in attendance, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade.

1492 – The Catholic Monarchs of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all Jews to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the country.

1889 – The Eiffel Tower (pictured) was inaugurated in Paris, becoming a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

1942 – Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance.

1995 – American singer-songwriter, Selena, known as "The Queen of Tejano music", was murdered in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar.

More anniversaries: March 30 – March 31 – April 1

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Today's featured picture

The Edersee Dam is a hydroelectric dam constructed between 1908 and 1914 across the Eder River, near Waldeck, Germany. The dam pictured here was built after the original one was destroyed by bouncing bombs during World War II.

Photo: Carschten

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