Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 November 11

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

M. globiceps skull

Mesopropithecus was a lemur from Madagascar, slightly larger than any of those alive today, but one of the smallest that are known only from subfossil remains. This genus of the sloth lemur family Palaeopropithecidae includes the species M. dolichobrachion, M. globiceps, and M. pithecoides. All three species were primarily leaf-eaters, but also ate fruit and seeds. M. globiceps ate more seeds than M. pithecoides, and an analysis of the teeth of M. dolichobrachion suggests that it ate even more seeds; it also had distinctly longer arms. A recently discovered postcranial skeleton shows that Mesopropithecus had longer forelimbs than hindlimbs—a trait shared by all sloth lemurs. Remains of M. dolichobrachion have been found only in the north of the island, M. pithecoides in the south and west, and M. globiceps in the center. The genus died out after the arrival of humans on the island, probably through hunting, habitat destruction, or both. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Red remembrance poppy

... that the purple remembrance poppy was created to commemorate animals that served during wartime, but is not endorsed by The Royal British Legion which sells the official red remembrance poppy (pictured)?
... that Edward John Granet proposed a successful World War I air raid on a German hydrogen factory and Zeppelin depot using planes shipped in crates from England to Southern France?
... that the First World War memorial at Woodvale Park in Belfast is cut to resemble a stone from Giant's Causeway?
... that after first-class cricketer Noel Phillips rejoined his regiment during the First World War, he received the Military Cross for gallantry on the battlefield?
... that the BBC first televised the National Service of Remembrance from The Cenotaph in 1937?
... that when the O'Byrne-class submarines were seized by France before their sale to Romania, the Romanian Navy had to wait 15 more years to get its first submarine?
... that Leslie Joy Whitehead, a Canadian woman, enlisted in the Serbian Army as a man so that she might get closer to the front lines in World War I?
... that during the First World War, the British Ministry of Munitions proposed trading rubber for German binoculars?

In the news

Woolsey Fire smoke plume

Four concurrent wildfires in California, including the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire (smoke pictured), destroy more than 190,000 acres (77,000 ha) and kill at least 25 people.
In the United States midterm elections, the Democratic Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives, while the Republican Party keeps its majority in the Senate.
In a referendum, New Caledonia votes against independence from France.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hiroshima Toyo Carp to win the Japan Series.

On this day

November 11: National Independence Day in Poland (1918); Veterans Day in the United States

Signatories of the armistice ending World War I

1620 – The Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, was signed by 41 of the Mayflower's passengers while the ship was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor.
1805 – War of the Third Coalition: French, Austrian and Russian units all suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dürenstein.
1918 – The armistice between the German Empire and the Allies was signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne of France (signatories pictured).
1934 – The Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial to all Australians who have served in war, opened in Melbourne.
1965 – Rhodesia, led by Prime Minister Ian Smith, unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom.

Arsacius of Tarsus (d. 405) · David I. Walsh (b. 1872) · Charles Groves Wright Anderson (d. 1988)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

World War I was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel participated, making it one of the largest wars in history. An estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a direct result of the war with losses exacerbated by technological developments and the tactical stalemate caused by trench warfare (pictured). The war is also considered a contributory factor in a number of genocides and the 1918 influenza epidemic, which caused between 50 and 100 million deaths worldwide. Unresolved rivalries at the end of the conflict contributed to the outbreak of World War II about twenty years later.

Photograph: Lt. J. W. Brooke

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.