Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 January 14

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

The pines and salt marsh protect and stabilise the dunes.

The Holkham National Nature Reserve is the largest such reserve in England. It is on the Norfolk coast between Burnham Overy Staithe and Blakeney, and is managed by Natural England with the cooperation of the Holkham Estate. Its 3,900 hectares (9,600 acres) include a wide range of habitats, such as grazing marsh, woodland, salt marsh, sand dunes and foreshore. The reserve is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area and Ramsar listings, and is part of both an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a World Biosphere Reserve. Holkham is important for wintering wildfowl, especially pink-footed geese, Eurasian wigeons and brent geese, but it also has breeding waders, and attracts many migrating birds in autumn. A number of scarce invertebrates and plants can be found in the dunes, and the reserve is one of only two sites in the UK with an antlion colony. The Vikings navigated the creeks to establish Holkham village. The reserve was created in 1967 mostly from the Holkham estate, owned since the 17th century by the Earls of Leicester, and attracts over 100,000 visitors a year, including birdwatchers, horse riders and naturists. (Full article...)

Recently featured: Garden warbler – No. 1 Squadron RAAF – John A. Macdonald

Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that the Gibraltar Range waratah (pictured) was only recognised as a species in 1991?
... that singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Ole Børud was a member of Arnold B. Family, a gospel group that achieved second place in Norway's 1995 finals for the Eurovision Song Contest?
... that university students in particular are at risk for poor sleep hygiene?
... that the invention of Bard the Bowman could have been inspired by Wiglaf from the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf?
... that Camille Saint-Saëns commented after the premiere of the St. Cecilia Mass by Charles Gounod that "at first one was dazzled, then charmed, then conquered"?
... that James Colliander, Gigliola Staffilani, and Terence Tao are part of a collaborative group of mathematicians called the I-team?
... that the Lord's Slope affects cricketers but not archers?

Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news

Sixty-nine people die after drinking contaminated beer at a funeral in Mozambique.
More than three million people, including dozens of world leaders, march for unity in France following the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
Maithripala Sirisena is elected President of Sri Lanka.
A new antibiotic for drug-resistant infections, teixobactin, is extracted from soil bacteria using a novel technique.
Attacks by Boko Haram on the Nigerian town of Baga leave hundreds of people dead and more than 35,000 displaced.
Archaeologists announce the discovery of the tomb of Khentakawess III, a previously unknown ancient Egyptian queen.

Ongoing: Ebola outbreak – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Recent deaths: Anita Ekberg – Edward Brooke

On this day...

January 14: New Year (Julian calendar); National Forest Conservation Day in Thailand; Ratification Day in the United States (1784)

1301 – The Árpád dynasty, which had ruled Hungary since the late 9th century, ended with the death of King Andrew III.
1724 – Philip V, the first Bourbon ruler of Spain, abdicated in favor of his eldest son Louis.
1900 – Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca, based on the play La Tosca by French dramatist Victorien Sardou, premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
1953 – Josip Broz Tito (pictured) was inaugurated as the first President of Yugoslavia.
1975 – British teenage heiress Lesley Whittle was kidnapped by Donald Neilson and subsequently murdered during a failed ransom collection attempt.

More anniversaries: January 13 – January 14 – January 15

Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries

It is now January 14, 2015 (UTC) – Reload this page

Today's featured picture

Two versions of the PlayStation 2, a home video game console produced by Sony and the most successful console of the sixth generation. The original model (left), known informally as the "fat" model, was released in 2000 and included a docking bay for an internal hard disk drive. The "slimline" version (right) was released in 2004; it did not include the docking bay or an internal power supply, but was smaller, lighter, and quieter, and included an Ethernet port.

Photograph: Evan Amos

Recently featured: The Pearl and the Wave – Tobler hyperelliptical projection – Diet Coke and Mentos eruption

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.