Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 December 5

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From today's featured article

Ambohimanga is a hill and traditional fortified royal settlement (rova) in Madagascar, located approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) northeast of the capital city of Antananarivo. The hill and the rova are considered the most significant symbol of the cultural identity of the Merina people and the most important and best-preserved monument of the precolonial Kingdom of Madagascar. The walled historic village includes tombs of the Vazimba, the island's first inhabitants, and the residences and burial sites of several key monarchs. It remains a place of worship to which pilgrims come. Founded by King Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710) as the capital of the Avaradrano region, Ambohimanga is one of the twelve sacred hills of Imerina and contains the house of King Andrianampoinimerina (1787–1810), who led the successful effort to unify most of Madagascar under Merina rule. Ambohimanga was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001. Its historic sister city, the Rova of Antananarivo, was destroyed by fire in 1995. Numerous governmental and civil society organizations support the conservation of Ambohimanga by restoring damaged features and preventing further degradation. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that Henry Purcell's (pictured) choral anthem Remember not, Lord, our offences is a setting of a passage from Thomas Cranmer's Exhortation and Litany?
... that Ottoman Turkey customs officials removed maps from the Bible belonging to American physician Clarence Ussher because they contained the word "Armenia"?
... that Stekenjokk holds the Swedish record for wind speed, with 170 km/h (110 mph) recorded during Cyclone Hilde on 16 November 2013?
... that over 300 journalists were killed during the Guatemalan Civil War?
... that Polyergus rufescens ants are usually outnumbered in their nests by their slaves by at least five to one?
... that National Football League player Chris Gragg was a water boy until junior high school?
... that Andy Warhol had John F. Kennedy shot with a banana?

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In the news

China's first lunar rover mission, Chang'e 3, launches successfully.
Clashes between anti-government protesters (pictured) and government supporters leave four people dead and fifty-seven injured in Bangkok.
Following the suspension of a tentative European Union Association Agreement by Ukraine, anti-riot police forcefully break up pro-European Union protests in Kiev.
The Rugby League World Cup concludes with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final.
LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470 crashes in Namibia, killing all thirty-three people on board.

Recent deaths: Paul Walker – Tabu Ley Rochereau

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On this day...

December 5: Hanukkah ends at sunset (Judaism, 2013); The King's birthday, National Day and Father's Day in Thailand (1927)

1876 – Fire engulfed the Brooklyn Theater in Brooklyn, New York, killing at least 278 people, mostly due to smoke inhalation.
1933 – Prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the United States officially ended when the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment.
1936 – The 1936 Soviet Constitution, also known as the "Stalin" constitution, was adopted.
1972 – Gough Whitlam (pictured) took office as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia and formed a duumvirate with his deputy Lance Barnard, ending 23 years of Liberal-Country Party government.
2005 – The Civil Partnership Act came into force, granting civil partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage.

More anniversaries: December 4 – December 5 – December 6

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Today's featured picture

Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) was the eighth President of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. Earlier, he was the eighth Vice President (1833–1837), and before that, the tenth Secretary of State (1829–1831), both under Andrew Jackson.

Photo: Mathew Brady

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