Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 February 21

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From today's featured article

The North Ronaldsay is a breed of domestic sheep from the northernmost island of Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. It belongs to the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds, and has evolved without much cross-breeding with modern breeds. It is a smaller sheep than most, with the rams (males) horned and ewes (females) mostly hornless. It was formerly kept primarily for wool, but now the two largest flocks are feral, one on North Ronaldsay and another on the Orkney island of Linga Holm. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the breed as "vulnerable", with fewer than 600 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom. The sheep on North Ronaldsay are confined to the shoreline by a 1.8 m tall (6 ft) dry-stone wall, which completely encircles the island. The wall was built originally to protect the shoreline and keep the sheep inside it, but when seaweed farming on the shore became uneconomical, the sheep were banished outside the wall to protect the fields and crofts inside. Because of their restricted environment, the sheep evolved to subsist almost entirely on seaweed. (Full article...)

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Susanna Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

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In the news

Martin McDonagh

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (director Martin McDonagh pictured) wins five awards, including Best Film, at the British Academy Film Awards.
Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 crashes in the Zagros Mountains, killing all 65 people on board.
South African president Jacob Zuma resigns amid corruption claims, and is succeeded by Cyril Ramaphosa.
A gunman kills 17 people and injures 15 others at a school in Parkland, Florida, United States.
Scientists announce the discovery of malacidins, a new class of antibacterial chemicals.

On this day...

February 21

Malcolm X

1543 – Led by the Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos, the combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeated a Muslim army led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.
1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate Army began an attempt to gain control of the Southwest with a major victory in the Battle of Valverde.
1919 – Bavarian socialist Kurt Eisner, who had organized the German Revolution that overthrew the Wittelsbach monarchy and established Bavaria as a republic, was assassinated.
1958 – British artist Gerald Holtom unveiled a logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that became internationally recognised as the peace sign.
1965 – Black nationalist Malcolm X (pictured) was assassinated while giving a speech in New York City's Audubon Ballroom.

Gaius Caesar (d. AD 4) · Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick (d. 1590) · Thelma Estrin (b. 1924)

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Today's featured picture

Amplang is a traditional savoury fish cracker snack commonly found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Amplang crackers are commonly made of ikan tenggiri (wahoo) or any type of Spanish mackerel, mixed with starch and other materials, and then fried. Their size and shape varies, from traditional elongated "tiger nails", to dice, to ping pong balls. The colour may range from yellow to light brown.

The upper scale mark shows 1 cm while the lower one is 1 inch.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich

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