Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 February 3

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From today's featured article

The bee-eaters are near passerine birds of the family Meropidae, containing three genera and twenty-seven species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage and slender bodies, and usually by elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. They predominantly eat flying insects, caught on the wing from an open perch. Most bee-eaters are gregarious, forming colonies and nesting in burrows. The eggs are white, with typically five to the clutch. Most species are monogamous, and both parents care for the young, sometimes with assistance from related birds in the colony. Bee-eaters may be killed by raptors; their nests are raided by rodents and snakes, and they can carry various parasites. Some species are adversely affected by human activity or habitat loss, but none are threatened. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Pelican Portrait

... that the Pelican Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (pictured) is named for the pendant on her breast in the form of a pelican in her piety?
... that Hamilton Fish Park, whose pool was used for Olympic practice, was one of the New York City Parks Department's "worst problem areas" by the 1970s?
... that ballerina Georgina Parkinson created several roles in ballets choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, including Romeo and Juliet, Manon and Mayerling?
... that the extinct mooneye fish Hiodon woodruffi was not described until 1978, although the earliest finds date to 1906?
... that in 1781, Dutch rear admiral Willem Krul was determined to fight a British fleet with a single warship and died?
... that Gore Vidal's novel Live from Golgotha has been called a "masterpiece of blasphemous vulgarity"?
... that My Love from the Star's popularity led to it being discussed at China's National People's Congress?
... that journalist Tom Fitzgerald reportedly held the Guinness world record for "the accumulation of complimentary raincoats, Panasonic radios and Cross pens"?

In the news

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi (pictured), the State Counsellor of Myanmar, is detained by the military in a coup d'état.
A coordinated short squeeze targeting American hedge funds causes GameStop's stock price to spike.
Kaja Kallas becomes the first female Prime Minister of Estonia, following the resignation of Jüri Ratas.
In Russia, protests against the arrest of Alexei Navalny occur in more than 120 towns and cities.

On this day

February 3: Feast day of Saint Laurence of Canterbury (Western Christianity); Mother's Day in Iran (2021); Four Chaplains' Day in the United States (1943)

Steve Jobs

1266 – Mudéjar revolt: James I of Aragon entered the Muslim-held city of Murcia, conquered following its surrender three days earlier.
1781 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: British forces captured the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius after a brief skirmish.
1986 – Steve Jobs (pictured) purchased Pixar from Lucasfilm and launched it as an independent computer-animation studio.
2014 – Russia's first school shooting took place when a student opened fire at School No. 263 in Moscow, resulting in the deaths of a teacher and a police officer.

Scipione Rebiba (b. 1504)
Isaac Baker Brown (d. 1873)
Dolly Rudeman (b. 1902)

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Today's featured picture

Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006) was an American actor and a prizefighter. He was a sparring partner of Joe Louis, and was introduced to the stage by Langston Hughes early in his career, becoming one of the first prominent black film stars. The father of James Earl Jones, he had separated from his wife before the child was born, and did not get to meet his son until twenty years later.

Photography credit: Carl Van Vechten; restored by Adam Cuerden

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