Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 February 17

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Track and intensity of Tropical Storm Carlotta

Tropical Storm Carlotta was a tropical cyclone that caused flooding in several states in southwestern and central Mexico. The system strengthened into a tropical storm on June 15, 2018. It reached peak intensity two days later with reported maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 997 millibars (29.44 inHg) when it was only 30 mi (50 km) south-southeast of Acapulco. Interaction with the land and wind shear weakened the storm to a tropical depression later in the day, and on June 19 the storm dissipated. Carlotta prompted the issuance of watches and warnings for the southern coast of Mexico. The storm caused three deaths, two in Aguascalientes and the other in Oaxaca. Flooding and landslides also occurred throughout the states of Aguascalientes, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, and Puebla, as well as in the Yucatán Peninsula. Damage from the system was reported to be minor. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

1873 cartoon ridiculing the Salary Grab Act

... that until the Salary Grab Act (cartoon pictured) was passed in 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant earned the same salary as George Washington did 80 years earlier?
... that Zhang Changshou co-led a Sino-American archaeological project investigating sites that were sometimes buried under more than 10 meters (33 ft) of alluvium?
... that "The Night We Met", a song by indie-folk band Lord Huron, was certified two-times platinum nearly two years after its initial release?
... that prior to becoming Google India's manager, Sanjay Gupta was credited for expanding Star India's sports business by launching Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League?
... that the copepod Mesocyclops longisetus can be used in the biological control of mosquitoes?
... that Egyptian radiologist Sahar Saleem has used CT scans of Tutankhamun's body to theorise that he died from the effects of a knee fracture?
... that the third of Claude Debussy's three Nocturnes for orchestra requires a women's chorus to sing wordlessly like sirens?
... that English footballer Mark Bright was a foster child, started on wages of £10 a week, and has gone on to earn £1.2 million during his career?

In the news

Bong Joon-ho

The Irish general election concludes with no party holding a majority of seats in Dáil Éireann.
South Korean film Parasite wins four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho (pictured).
A mass shooting in Korat, Thailand, leaves 30 people dead and more than 50 others injured.
Two avalanches near the Turkish town of Bahçesaray kill at least 41 people.

On this day

February 17: Family Day in parts of Canada (2020); Washington's Birthday / Presidents' Day in the United States (2020)

Geraldine Farrar as Madama Butterfly

1621 – Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the Plymouth Colony militia.
1838 – Zulu impis massacred about 532 Voortrekkers, Khoikhoi, and Basuto near present-day Weenen, South Africa.
1904 – Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly (title character shown) premiered at La Scala in Milan to poor reviews, forcing him to revise the opera.
1964 – Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but France, honoring a 1960 treaty, would forcibly reinstate him two days later.
1974 – A U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House.

Al-Tabari (d. 923) · Lola Montez (b. 1821) · Wally Pipp (b. 1893)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

Tiger

Felids, colloquially referred to as cats, are members of the mammal family Felidae in the order Carnivora. The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to domestic cats. The characteristic features of cats have evolved to support a carnivorous lifestyle, with adaptations for ambush or stalking and short pursuit hunting. Felidae comprises two subfamilies, the Pantherinae and the Felinae. The former includes the five Panthera species, the tiger (pictured), lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. The subfamily Felinae includes 12 genera and 34 species, such as the bobcat, caracal, cheetah, cougar, ocelot, and common domestic cat. Traditionally, five subfamilies have been distinguished within the Felidae based on phenotypical features: the Felinae, the Pantherinae, the Acinonychinae (cheetahs), the extinct Machairodontinae, and the extinct Proailurinae. (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

Doris Miller (1919–1943) was an American sailor in the United States Navy. He was awarded the Navy Cross, seen here just after being presented to him, for manning an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, a role for which he had no training, and for tending the wounded. He was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, and his actions were heavily publicized in the black press, making him an iconic emblem of the war for black Americans. Nearly two years later, he was killed in action when on board USS Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin.

Photograph credit: United States Navy; restored by Coffeeandcrumbs

Recently featured:

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.