WIKIPEDIA:MAIN PAGE HISTORY 2011 FEBRUARY 8

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Today's featured article
The Buffalo nickel was a copper-nickel five-cent piece struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. As part of a drive to beautify the coinage, five denominations of US coins had received new designs between 1907 and 1909. In 1911, Taft administration officials decided to replace Charles E. Barber's Liberty Head design for the nickel, and commissioned Fraser to do the work. They were impressed by Fraser's designs showing a Native American and an American bison. The designs were approved in 1912, but were delayed several months because of objections from the Hobbs Manufacturing Company, which made mechanisms to detect slugs in nickel-operated machines. The company was not satisfied by changes made in the coin by Fraser, and in February 1913, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh decided to issue the coins despite the objections. Despite repeated attempts by the Mint to adjust the design, the coins proved to strike indistinctly, and to be subject to wear—the dates were easily worn away in circulation. In 1938, after the minimum 25-year period during which the design could not be replaced without congressional authorization had expired, it was replaced by the Jefferson nickel designed by Felix Schlag. ( more...) Recently featured: Kingdom Hearts – Battersea Bridge – Shale oil extraction Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that a male Long-tailed Finch (pictured) is unable to tell the sex of an unfamiliar Long-tailed Finch on sight alone? ... that Christopher Nolan has said that he plans to direct a final installment of his Batman trilogy titled The Dark Knight Rises for release in 2012? ... that Carex lutea, an endangered species of sedge that is endemic to North Carolina, is threatened by fire suppression efforts? ... that Brooke Fraser's song " Betty" is about a girl who hides behind her scars and birthmarks? ... that Benjamin Morgan Harrod, the civil engineer who designed the New Orleans water and sewerage systems, had been a Union captive of the Battle of Vicksburg? ... that the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 29 Squadron is headquartered in Hobart, Tasmania, despite the absence of RAAF bases or aircraft in the state? ... that the UK's oldest working oil pump can be found at Kimmeridge Oil Field in Dorset? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
A new round of clashes erupts between Cambodian and Thai soldiers over the area surrounding Preah Vihear Temple (pictured). NASA's STEREO probes produce the first ever 3D images of the entire surface of the Sun. In American football, the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV. The Japan Sumo Association cancels a Grand Tournament for the first time in 65 years after a match-fixing controversy. Following an explosion affecting the Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt's North Sinai Governorate, natural gas supplies to Israel and Jordan are suspended. The International Cricket Council bans Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, and Salman Butt for several years for spot-fixing. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
February 8 1837 – Richard Mentor Johnson became the only person to be elected as Vice President of the United States by the Senate. 1910 – Newspaper and magazine publisher William D. Boyce established the Boy Scouts of America, expanding the Scout Movement into the United States. 1971 – Vietnam War: South Vietnamese ground troops launched an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration. 1979 – Denis Sassou Nguesso (pictured) was chosen as the new President of the Republic of the Congo after Joachim Yhombi-Opango was forced from power. 2010 – A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggered a series of at least 36 avalanches, that buried over two miles (3.2 km) of road, killed at least 172 people and trapped over 2,000 travellers. More anniversaries: February 7 – February 8 – February 9 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now February 8 2011 ( UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

American baseball pitcher Andy Pettitte, during his time as a member of the New York Yankees. Pettitte, now retired, holds the record for most postseason wins in Major League Baseball history, with 19. He won five championships with the Yankees, and in all five, he was the winning pitcher in the final game. Pettitte began his pitching career with the Yankees and spent the majority of his playing years with them.

Photo: Keith Allison

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