Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 April 18b

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Skyline of Kigali

Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. The city has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it became the capital following independence from Belgium in 1962. It is one of five provinces into which Rwanda was repartitioned in 2006. Kigali is divided into three districts—Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge—which historically had control of significant areas of local governance. Reforms in January 2020 transferred much of the districts' power to the city-wide council. The city also hosts the main residence and offices of the president of Rwanda and most government ministries. It was founded in 1907 as the headquarters of the German colonial resident. It grew slowly during the following decades, but since the Rwandan Civil War and the genocide it has experienced rapid population growth, with much of the city rebuilt. The largest contributor to Kigali's GDP is the service sector. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Comptonia columbiana leaf with evidence of moth feeding

... that the almost 50-million-year-old fossil leaves of Comptonia columbiana (example pictured) preserve evidence of moth feeding?
... that since Henry E. Parker ran for office in 1974, the Democratic Party has always nominated an African American for Connecticut State Treasurer?
... that the Shinan shipwreck, the first major discovery of Korean maritime archaeology, has been described as possibly "the richest ancient shipwreck yet discovered"?
... that a head was displayed in the Seagram Building's plaza in 1968?
... that Kate Clark wrote the children's book A Southern Cross Fairy Tale, which used Northern Hemisphere Christmas imagery but featured the natural features and animals of New Zealand?
... that after Ted Turner asked for viewers' money to keep WRET-TV afloat, he was able to repay thousands of lenders four years later—with interest?
... that Ben Connor, who competed in his first marathon in October 2020, has qualified for the marathon race at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics?
... that The Wolf of Wall Street set a Guinness world record for the most instances of swearing in a film, with the word "fuck" said a total of 569 times?

In the news

Mostert's Mill in 2012

In South Africa, a fire on Table Mountain, Cape Town, destroys historic monuments including Mostert's Mill (pictured) and the University of Cape Town's main library.
Guillermo Lasso is elected President of Ecuador.
At the British Academy Film Awards, Nomadland wins four awards, including Best Film.
In golf, Hideki Matsuyama wins the Masters Tournament.
In horse racing, Minella Times wins the Grand National, with Rachael Blackmore becoming the first female jockey to win in the race's 182-year history.

On this day

April 18

Robert Mugabe

1775 – American Revolutionary War: Colonists Paul Revere and William Dawes, who were later joined by Samuel Prescott, began a midnight ride to warn residents of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, about the impending arrival of British troops.
1915 – World War I: Hit by ground fire, French aviation pioneer Roland Garros landed his aircraft behind enemy lines and was taken prisoner.
1938 – Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster of DC Comics, made his debut in Action Comics #1, the first true superhero comic book.
1980 – Robert Mugabe (pictured) became the first prime minister of Zimbabwe after the Lancaster House Agreement brought an end to the unrecognized state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
1996 – Operation Grapes of Wrath: Israeli forces shelled Qana, Lebanon, killing at least 100 civilians and injuring more than 110 others at a United Nations compound.

Ippolita Maria Sforza (b. 1445 or 1446)
Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran (b. 1838)
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (d. 1942)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States. Born into slavery, he became the leading voice of former slaves and their descendants, and was one of the founders of the National Negro Business League. His long-term goal was to end the disenfranchisement of the vast majority of African Americans, who at that time still lived in the South. After his death, his legacy was seen as controversial by the civil-rights community, which criticised him for accommodating excessively to white supremacy.

Photograph credit: Frances Benjamin Johnston; restored by Adam Cuerden

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.