Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 July 17

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Today's featured article
Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. The system formed on September 16 from an area of thunderstorms over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Guided by two high-pressure areas, the storm tracked toward the northeast, making landfall along the Gulf Coast. Pushing inland, the storm moved across the southeastern United States and ultimately affected parts of New England with rain and wind. Danny is noted for its extreme rainfall, the tornadoes it spawned, and the damage it inflicted; it is blamed for causing nine fatalities and $100 million (1997 USD, $137 million 2011 USD) in losses. The storm dropped a record amount of rainfall over Alabama, including a total of 36.71 inches (932 mm) at Dauphin Island. Flooding, power outages, and beach erosion occurred throughout the Gulf Coast, and flood rescues had to be performed in the immediate aftermath. The storm produced several tornadoes on the East Coast, causing a great amount of damage. (more...) Recently featured: Mantra-Rock Dance – Neil Hamilton Fairley – Trade dollar Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Britannia Coco-nut Dancers (pictured) bang their nuts together each Easter in Bacup? ... that the campus of Mount Ida College is situated on land that once was the estate of Robert Gould Shaw II, a cousin of Robert Gould Shaw? ... that the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767) ended the four-century-old Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767 but the Burmese were forced to withdraw within the year of their victory by the Chinese invasions of Burma? ... that the Trigg Hound, bred for hunting in Kentucky, was called "best" for big game hunting in Africa? ... that Matthew Jarvis became the third November Niner to earn a World Series of Poker bracelet in the following year? ... that the author of An Embarrassment of Riches reimagined the Philippines as an island instead of an archipelago? ... that after several odd incidents during the recording for Megadeth's TH1RT3EN, guitarist-vocalist Dave Mustaine speculated about a connection with the unlucky number 13? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Dawn spacecraft Dawn (artist's impression pictured), a robotic spacecraft, enters orbit around the asteroid 4 Vesta, four years after being launched. Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton, two executives of News Corporation, resign as a result of the phone-hacking scandal surrounding the media conglomerate. A triple bombing in Mumbai kills at least 19 people and injures 130 others. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon seeks worldwide assistance in the Horn of Africa drought, which has left ten million people in need of food aid. Ahmed Wali Karzai, Afghan politician and half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, is assassinated. Twelve people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy, are killed in an explosion at a naval base, the worst peacetime military accident in the history of Cyprus. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
July 17: Constitution Day in South Korea 1762 – Peter III (pictured) was killed while in custody at Ropsha, a few days after he was deposed as Emperor of Russia and replaced by his wife Catherine II. 1899 – The Nippon Electric Company was founded as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital. 1936 – Nationalist rebels attempted a coup d'état against the Second Spanish Republic, sparking the Spanish Civil War. 1973 – Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last King of Afghanistan, was ousted in a coup by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan while in Italy undergoing eye surgery. 1975 – East Timor was annexed and became the 27th province of Indonesia. 1996 – TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York. More anniversaries: July 16 – July 17 – July 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now July 17, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

People jigging—fishing with a type of lure known as a "jig"—for squid in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. A jig consists of a lead sinker with a hook molded into it and usually covered by a soft body to attract fish. Jigs are intended to create a jerky, vertical motion, as opposed to spinnerbaits which move through the water horizontally.

Photo: John O'Neill

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