WIKIPEDIA:MAIN PAGE HISTORY 2013 JUNE 27

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From today's featured article

The women's road race was one of the cycling events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. It took place on 10 August 2008, featuring 66 women from 33 countries. Heavy rain during the entire race made conditions difficult for the competitors. A group of five was able to break away during the final lap and worked together until the final sprint, where Nicole Cooke (pictured) placed herself in position to win the race. Cooke earned Great Britain's first medal at these Games and 200th Olympic gold medal overall. Emma Johansson of Sweden and Tatiana Guderzo of Italy won the silver and bronze medals respectively. The race also marked the first positive drug test of the 2008 Olympic Games, by María Isabel Moreno of Spain. It was the seventh appearance of an Olympic women's road race event and featured a longer course than any of the previous six races. The race was run on the Urban Road Cycling Course (one of Beijing's nine temporary venues), which is 102.6 kilometres (63.8 mi) in its entirety. Including a second lap around the 23.8 km (14.8 mi) final circuit, the total distance of the women's race was 126.4 km (78.5 mi), less than half the length of the men's race. ( Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

Gray's Almhouses

... that Gray's Almshouses (pictured) in Taunton are probably the oldest brick buildings in Somerset?

... that upcoming video game Just Dance 2014 features a competitive massively multiplayer online mode where all players worldwide dance to the same playlist?

... that in 1996, the Abu Dhabi Seaports Authority announced a Dh2.4 billion development plan of Mussafah and a new port?

... that Mary Anne Whitby, who had reintroduced sericulture to England in the 1830s, carried out selective breeding experiments on her silkworms which were published by Darwin?

... that a shortage of firearms caused the World War II 1st Czechoslovak Partisan Brigade of Jan Žižka to have to turn away new recruits?

... that T. W. Hinchliff has been called "one of the first to penetrate the higher solitudes of the world of ice and snow"?

... that the National Council on Teacher Quality's first report and rankings of U.S. teacher preparation programs refer to the field as "an industry of mediocrity"?

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In the news

Kevin Rudd

The Cambodian Tailorbird, found in Phnom Penh, is identified as a new bird species.

Kevin Rudd (pictured) wins leadership of the Australian Labor Party, ousting incumbent Julia Gillard and becoming Prime Minister of Australia.

The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani formally hands power to his son Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

In ice hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

In sports car racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loïc Duval, is marred by the death of Allan Simonsen.

Recent deaths: Mick Aston

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On this day...

June 27: Mixed Race Day in Brazil

1743 – War of the Austrian Succession: In the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle, George II and his forces defeated the French in Dettingen, Bavaria.

1844 – Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother Hyrum were killed by an armed mob who stormed the prison where they were incarcerated in Carthage, Illinois.

1905 – The crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin (pictured) began a mutiny against their oppressive officers.

1952 – The Congress of Guatemala passed Decree 900, redistributing unused lands of sizes greater than 224 acres (0.9 km²) to local peasants and having a major effect on the nation's land reform movement.

1977 – The former French Territory of the Afars and the Issas was granted independence from France and became Djibouti.

More anniversaries: June 26 – June 27 – June 28

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Today's featured picture

Two common toads (Bufo bufo) in amplexus, a form of pseudocopulation found in amphibians and limulids. A male common toad grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process. Common toads stay in amplexus for several days. As the female lays a long, double string of small black eggs, the male fertilises them with his sperm; the gelatinous egg strings, which may contain 3000 to 6000 eggs and be 3 to 4.5 metres (10 to 15 ft) in length, are later tangled in plant stalks.

Photo: Bernie Kohl

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