Wikipedia:Main Page history/2022 December 28b
From today's featured article
The Battle of Van Buren was fought at Van Buren, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during the American Civil War. After winning the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, Union brigadier generals James G. Blunt (pictured) and Francis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions at Van Buren and Fort Smith. The Union troops struck an outlying Confederate cavalry unit north of Van Buren the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops. The Union pursued and captured three steamboats, Confederate troops, and many supplies; two more steamboats and more supplies were destroyed by the Confederates. An artillery duel occurred at Van Buren and there was minor skirmishing further downriver after nightfall. After the battle, Confederate major general Thomas C. Hindman withdrew his men to Little Rock and the Union force returned from the raid. The battles of Prairie Grove and Van Buren broke Confederate strength in the region. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that certain Coccinellidae species (example pictured) lay extra infertile trophic eggs along with their fertile eggs so that their larvae can have a backup food source?
- ... that the poetry collection of Guyanese radio presenter Shana Yardan was described as "accomplished, tough-minded and well-crafted"?
- ... that the runway show for the Alexander McQueen collection The Widows of Culloden ended with an illusion of Kate Moss that brought the audience to a rowdy standing ovation?
- ... that Richard Gerald Jordan has been sentenced to death four times?
- ... that the film Farha, which depicts the killing of a Palestinian family by Israeli soldiers during the Nakba, became the subject of a downvoting campaign?
- ... that Junior Colson, the leading tackler on the 2022 Michigan Wolverines football team, lived in a Haitian orphanage prior to his adoption at age nine?
- ... that some people who are not Spanish citizens have the right to vote in elections for local public officials in the municipalities of Cantabria?
- ... that Chinese physician Zhang Congzheng reportedly cured a man of his insanity by tying him to a rotating wheel until he vomited?
In the news
- A winter storm causes record-breaking low temperatures and leaves more than 80 people dead across North America.
- Sitiveni Rabuka (pictured) becomes Prime Minister of Fiji after a coalition government is formed following the general election.
- In Afghanistan, the Taliban institute a ban on women attending university and working in non-government organisations.
- HTMS Sukhothai, a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy, capsizes and sinks, leaving 18 crew members dead and 11 others missing.
On this day
- 1879 – The Tay Bridge, spanning the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and Wormit, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it, killing all on board.
- 1907 – The last confirmed sighting of the now-extinct huia occurred in the Tararua Range on New Zealand's North Island.
- 2009 – Tibetan dissident filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen was imprisoned for subversion by Chinese authorities after a secret trial.
- 2014 – The passenger ferry Norman Atlantic (pictured) caught fire in the Adriatic Sea.
- Maurice Ravel (d. 1937)
- Ratan Tata (b. 1937)
- Sharon Dyall (b. 1962)
Today's featured picture
Greenbacks were emergency paper currency issued by the United States during the American Civil War that were printed in green on the reverse side. They were in two forms: Demand Notes, issued from 1861 to 1862, and United States Notes, issued from 1862 to 1865. A form of fiat money, the banknotes were legal tender for most purposes and carried varying promises of eventual payment in coin, but were not backed by existing gold or silver reserves. These nine banknotes, part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, form a complete set of the 1862–63 issue of greenbacks. Each bears the signatures of L. E. Chittenden (Register of the Treasury) and F. E. Spinner (Treasurer of the United States), and features an engraving of a prominent individual or other artwork, identified above. Banknote design credit: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; scanned by Andrew Shiva
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