Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 July 16

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From today's featured article

Hurricane Daniel was the second strongest storm of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. The fourth named storm of the season, it originated on July 16 from a tropical wave off the coast of Mexico. It tracked westward and intensified steadily, reaching Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson scale on July 20 and attaining peak winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) on July 22. An annular hurricane with a large and symmetric eye surrounded by a thick ring of intense convection, it gradually weakened as it entered an area of cooler water temperatures and increased wind shear. After crossing into the Central Pacific Ocean, it degenerated into a remnant low pressure area on July 26, and dissipated southeast of Hawaii within two days. The storm brought light to moderate precipitation to the Island of Hawaii and Maui, causing minor flooding, with no fatalities or major damage reported. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Li Lin with her husband and parents

... that Li Lin, her husband, and her father (pictured together with her mother) were all academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences?
... that Bruce Conner found the soundtrack for A Movie while listening to the radio?
... that mezzo-soprano Sara Sheffield is the first female feature vocalist in the history of the "the President's Own" United States Marine Band?
... that during the 6th-century Gothic War, Rome was besieged three times by the Goths, falling and being sacked twice?
... that the Yiddish song "Papirosn", written after World War I, was later amended to mirror the tribulations of the Holocaust?
... that Poralia rufescens, a deepwater discomedusan jellyfish, is so fragile that most specimens brought to the surface are damaged?
... that Martha Erika Alonso stopped using her husband's last name in public during her campaign for Governor of Puebla?
... that the Saturn Cafe serves classic American diner food without the meat and grease?

In the news

World Cup winners France

In association football, the FIFA World Cup concludes with France (team pictured) defeating Croatia in the final.
In Pakistan, at least 154 people are killed and more than 220 others are injured in multiple bombings in Mastung and Bannu.
Scientists announce the discovery of stone tools dating to 2.1 million years ago in Shangchen, China, the oldest evidence of hominins outside Africa.
In Germany, the National Socialist Underground trial ends after more than five years with the sentencing of the main defendant, Beate Zschäpe, to life in prison.

On this day

July 16: Marine Day in Japan (2018)

Impact site of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9

1232 – A local mosque elected Muhammad ibn Al-Ahmar, who later established the last Muslim state in Spain, as ruler of Arjona.
1790 – U.S. President George Washington signed the Residence Act, selecting a new permanent site along the Potomac River for the capital of the United States, which later became Washington, D.C.
1994 – Fragments of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 began hitting the planet Jupiter (impact site pictured), with the first one causing a fireball which reached a peak temperature of about 24,000 K.
2008 – A tainted milk powder scandal broke in China which ultimately involved an estimated 300,000 victims, the vast majority infants, with 54,000 hospitalized with kidney problems and 6 deaths.

An-Nasir Ahmad of Egypt (d. 1344) · Ellen G. White (d. 1915) · Albert Kesselring (d. 1960)

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From today's featured list

London Bridge railway station

The London station group is a group of 18 railway stations served by the National Rail network in central London. Most are terminal stations, either serving major national services or local commuter routes. A small number are through-stations that are considered terminals for ticketing purposes. All current stations in the group fall within London fare zone 1. Most London terminal stations were developed in the mid-19th century during the initial boom of rail transport. Many stations were built around the edge of central London, stopping at what is now the London Inner Ring Road, because it was prohibitively expensive to build right into the centre, and because each railway was owned by a private company competing with the others. The creation of the London Underground provided a practical connection to the various termini. Many of the stations have been upgraded and modernised to provide a greater capacity and connections to the network; the first London terminus, London Bridge (pictured) has been rebuilt and expanded on numerous occasions, and of the major 19th century terminals, only Broad Street has closed. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

A diagram showing a side and underside view of an 18-wheeler semi-trailer truck with an enclosed cargo space. The underside view shows the arrangement of the wheels, and in blue, the axles, drive shaft, and differentials.

The numbered parts are:

tractor unit
semi-trailer (detachable)
engine compartment
cabin
sleeper (not present in all trucks)
air dam
fuel tanks
fifth-wheel coupling
enclosed cargo space
landing gear (legs for when semi-trailer is detached)
tandem axles

Diagram: H Padleckas and Ju gatsu mikka

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