Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 March 17

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Today's featured article
Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish polar explorer, one of the principal figures of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, from which he was sent home early on health grounds. Determined to make amends for this perceived personal failure, he returned to Antarctica in 1907 as leader of the Nimrod Expedition. In January 1909 he and three companions made a southern march which established a record Farthest South latitude at 88° 23′ S, 97 geographical miles (114 statute miles, 190 km) from the South Pole. For this achievement, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home. After the race to the South Pole ended in 1912 with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to what he said was the one remaining great object of Antarctic journeying—the crossing of the continent from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. There followed a sequence of exploits, and an ultimate escape with no lives lost, that would eventually assure Shackleton's heroic status. (more...) Recently featured: Conan the Barbarian – Liverpool F.C. – Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Humboldt Box (pictured) is a new, futuristic five-story museum in Berlin that is slated to be dismantled in a few years? ... that Saint Patrick was a priest at the monastery of St. Illtyd of Llantwit Major when he was reputedly abducted by Irish pirates, later becoming the patron saint of Ireland? ... that Rihanna and Chris Brown's version of "Bad Girl" was covered by The Pussycat Dolls? ... that Abbas Kazmi was asked, by a United States diplomat, to construct a brainwashing defense for Ajmal Kasab, the gunman who was tried for the 2008 Mumbai attacks? ... that Jan Gulbrandsen, president of the Norwegian Olympic Committee and managing director of the Norwegian Automobile Federation, won eight national championships in the 400 metres hurdles? ... that Pat Barker's gritty first novel Union Street inspired the much lighter romantic film drama Stanley & Iris? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Sachin Tendulkar (pictured) of India becomes the first cricketer to score 100 international cricket centuries. Nicolae Timofti is elected President of Moldova. Bo Xilai, Chongqing Committee Secretary of the Communist Party of China, is dismissed from office following the Wang Lijun incident. The International Criminal Court finds Thomas Lubanga Dyilo guilty of the war crime of conscripting children. The Encyclopædia Britannica discontinues its print edition, 244 years after its first publication. The Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), led by Alfredo Cristiani, wins a plurality in the Salvadoran elections. Conflict in Syria – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 17: Saint Patrick's Day 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The British Army garrison in Boston, Massachusetts, withdrew from the city, ending the 11-month Siege of Boston. 1950 – The synthesis of californium, a radioactive transuranium element, was announced. 1963 – The most recent eruption of Mount Agung (pictured) on Bali, Indonesia, killed approximately 1,500 people. 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front encircled a Soviet–Ethiopian force and gained a decisive victory in the Battle of Afabet. 2000 – Over 700 followers of the Ugandan sect Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God perished in a fire and a series of poisonings and killings, considered either a cult suicide or an orchestrated mass murder by its leaders. More anniversaries: March 16 – March 17 – March 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 17, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba modesta) is a subspecies of the Great Egret found throughout Asia and Oceania. Measuring 83–103 cm (33–41 in) in length and weighing 0.7–1.2 kg (1.5–2.6 lb), the Eastern Great Egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is yellow in the breeding season and black at other times, and its long legs are red or black. It can be distinguished from other white egrets and herons by its very long neck, one and a half times as long as its own body.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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