Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 August 11

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James B. Longacre (August 11, 1794 – January 1, 1869) was the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint (1844–1869). He was born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, becoming an apprentice in an engraving firm. He portrayed some of the leading men of his day in illustrations; support from some, such as John C. Calhoun, led to his federal appointment. In Longacre's first years, the Philadelphia Mint was dominated by Director Robert M. Patterson and Chief Coiner Franklin Peale, who resented Longacre's appointment. Peale and Patterson nearly got Longacre fired, but the chief engraver convinced Treasury Secretary William M. Meredith that he should be retained. In 1856, Longacre designed the Flying Eagle cent, but the coin proved difficult to strike, leading to the Indian Head cent three years later. He died in 1869, succeeded by William Barber. Longacre's coins are generally well-regarded today, though sometimes criticized for lack of artistic advancement. (Full article...)

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In the news

Student protests in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, Saudi armed forces bomb a school bus in Dahyan, killing at least 29 children and injuring at least 30 others.
Saudi Arabia expels the Canadian ambassador after receiving criticism of its treatment of rights activists.
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Lombok, Indonesia, killing more than 250 people after its 6.4 magnitude foreshock killed at least 20 others a week prior.
More than 140 people are injured in road-safety protests (pictured) in Bangladesh.

On this day

August 11: Independence Day in Chad (1960)

DJ Kool Herc

106 – The region of Dacia, comprising parts of modern Romania, became a province of the Roman Empire.
1492 – The first papal conclave held in the Sistine Chapel elected Roderic Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Pope Innocent VIII.
1952 – King Talal of Jordan was forced to abdicate due to health reasons and was succeeded by his eldest son Hussein.
1973 – At a party in the recreation room of a New York City apartment building, DJ Kool Herc (pictured) began rapping during an extended break, laying the foundation for hip-hop music.
2012 – At least 306 people were killed and 3,000 others injured in a pair of earthquakes near Tabriz, Iran.

Hamnet Shakespeare (buried 1596) · William W. Chapman (b. 1808) · Jacqueline Fernandez (b. 1985)

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A map of Margarita Island, the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta. Situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea, it is the site of the state capital, La Asunción. The primary industries of this island are tourism, fishing and construction.

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