Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 July 11

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From today's featured article

SMS Königsberg ("His Majesty's Ship Königsberg") was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers built by the German Imperial Navy. Named for the capital of East Prussia, she was laid down and launched in 1905 and completed the next year. The ship was armed with a main battery of ten 10.5-centimeter (4.1 in) guns and had a top speed of 24.1 knots (44.6 km/h; 27.7 mph). Königsberg served with the High Seas Fleet's reconnaissance force, and frequently escorted Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht on visits to foreign countries. A planned two-year deployment to German East Africa was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. The cruiser attempted to raid British and French commercial traffic, but only destroyed one merchant ship during her career. In September 1914, she surprised and sank the British protected cruiser HMS Pegasus in the Battle of Zanzibar, then retreated into the Rufiji River to repair her engines. British cruisers located her and set up a blockade. On 11 July 1915, two monitors got close enough to cause severe damage, and her crew scuttled the ship. (Full article...)

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In the news

In association football, the Women's World Cup concludes with the United States defeating Japan in the final, and the Copa América concludes with Chile (captain Claudio Bravo pictured) defeating Argentina in the final.
Nicholas Winton, dubbed the "British Schindler" for saving more than 600 children – the majority Jewish – from the Nazis, dies at the age of 106.
More than 140 people are killed when a Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashes into a residential area of Medan, Indonesia.
Hisham Barakat, Egypt's prosecutor general, is assassinated in a car bombing.
SpaceX CRS-7, an unmanned resupply mission to the International Space Station, fails when the Falcon 9 launch vehicle disintegrates shortly after liftoff.

Ongoing events:
- Greek debt crisis
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On this day...

July 11: Day of the Flemish Community of Belgium; Naadam begins in Mongolia

1405 – Marking the start of Ming China's treasure voyages, Admiral Zheng He's expeditionary fleet (pictured) set sail towards foreign regions on the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.
1804 – U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.
1882 – Anglo-Egyptian War: British naval forces began their bombardment of Alexandria against Urabi forces.
1940 – French World War I hero Philippe Pétain became Chief of State of Vichy France.
1995 – Bosnian Genocide: Bosnian Serb forces began the Srebrenica massacre in the region of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, eventually killing an estimated total of 8,000 Bosniaks.

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Today's featured picture

Siegestor is a triumphal arch in Munich commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed by Eduard Mezger in 1852. Measuring 21 metres (69 ft) high, 24 metres (79 ft) wide, and 12 metres (39 ft) deep, it is topped by a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga. Though originally dedicated to the glory of the Bavarian army, the arch was damaged in World War II and reimagined as a symbol of peace.

Photograph: Thomas Wolf

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