Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 August 13

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Henry Burrell (13 August 1904 – 9 February 1988) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Navy. During the 1920s and 1930s, he served for several years on exchange with the Royal Navy, specialising as a navigator. Following the outbreak of World War II, he filled a key liaison post with the US Navy, and later saw action as commander of the destroyer HMAS Norman, earning a mention in despatches. Promoted captain in 1946, Burrell commanded the flagship HMAS Australia in 1948–49. He captained the light aircraft carrier HMAS Vengeance in 1953–54, and was twice Flag Officer of the Australian Fleet. As Chief of the Naval Staff from 1959 to 1962, he began a major program of acquisitions for the Navy, including new helicopters, minesweepers, submarines and guided-missile destroyers. In 1959 Burrell was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath and was raised to vice admiral. He was knighted in 1960 and retired two years later. (Full article...)

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In the news

Toni Morrison

At least 75 people are killed and more than 50 others injured in a fuel tanker truck explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania.
A suicide bombing near a police station in Kabul, Afghanistan, kills 14 people and injures 145 others.
American novelist Toni Morrison (pictured) dies at the age of 88.
India revokes the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and establishes Ladakh as a separate union territory.

On this day

August 13:

Flag of Japan with dimensions

582 – On his deathbed, the Roman emperor Tiberius II Constantine named Maurice his successor.
1650 – General George Monck founded "Monck's Regiment of Foot", the predecessor to the Coldstream Guards, the oldest regiment in the British Regular Army in continuous active service.
1898 – Spanish–American War: After a mock battle for Manila, the Spanish commander surrendered to the United States in order to keep the city out of the hands of Filipino rebels.
1999 – The Act on National Flag and Anthem was adopted in Japan, formally establishing the flag of Japan (design illustrated) as the national flag and "Kimigayo" as the national anthem.
2004 – Hurricane Charley struck the U.S. state of Florida, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie inflicted its own damage to the state.

Maximus the Confessor (d. 662) · Tigran Petrosian (d. 1984) · Tim Richmond (d. 1989)

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Today's featured picture

The BMW S1000RR is a sport bike made by BMW Motorrad. It was introduced in 2008, initially for competition in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, and has been in commercial production since then. Powered by a 999 cc (61.0 cu in) four-cylinder engine, redlined at 14,200 rpm, it delivers 133.6 kW (179.2 hp; 181.6 PS) to the rear wheel, making it the most powerful motorcycle in the class on the dyno. Rubén Xaus and Troy Corser rode the bike for its inaugural Superbike World Championship in 2009, gaining highest finishes of fifth and seventh respectively, but it achieved greater success in the 2010 FIM Superstock 1000 championship season, with rider Ayrton Badovini winning every single race but one on the S1000RR.

Photograph credit: Stefan Krause

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