Wikipedia:Main Page history/2024 February 20
From today's featured article
The quarter sovereign is a British gold coin issued by the Royal Mint since 2009. It has been issued as a bullion coin and as a collector's coin. The smallest in the sovereign range, it has a face value of 25 pence. In 1853, the Royal Mint produced two patterns for a quarter sovereign for circulation, with one denominated as five shillings. These coins never went into production. In 1979, the Royal Mint began to sell sovereigns to those wishing to own gold coins, by the following year selling four different denominations, ranging from the half sovereign to the five pound gold coin. In 2009, a quarter sovereign was introduced as an extension of this range. It shares the same design as the larger coins, depicting Elizabeth II on the obverse, or since 2022, Charles III. Although there are some one-year designs, the one most often used on the reverse is Benedetto Pistrucci's depiction of Saint George and the Dragon (shown), which was first used on the sovereign in 1817. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that Mike Sadler (pictured) guided nighttime raids on enemy targets as a celestial navigator during the Western Desert campaign?
- ... that the founder of a California TV station opted not to name it for himself because the call sign would have sounded like "cough"?
- ... that William N. Salin was twice decorated with the Sagamore of the Wabash?
- ... that the Soviet soprano Tamara Milashkina performed alongside her husband Vladimir Atlantov at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1975?
- ... that for a while in the 1950s, Englewood Golf Club was co-owned by four well-known comedians?
- ... that Prey is the only feature film to have a full Comanche language dub?
- ... that Margaret Donahue was the first female executive in Major League Baseball?
- ... that for several millennia, some humans buried corpses in their houses?
In the news
- At the British Academy Film Awards, Oppenheimer wins Best Film and six other awards, including Best Director for Christopher Nolan (pictured).
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in a penal colony near Kharp, at the age of 47.
- In American football, the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl.
- In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Ivory Coast defeating Nigeria in the final.
- Alexander Stubb is elected President of Finland.
On this day
February 20: Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes in Ukraine (2014)
- 1685 – The French colonization of Texas began with the landing of colonists led by Robert de La Salle near Matagorda Bay.
- 1959 – Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro CF-105 Arrow (pictured) interceptor-aircraft program amid much political debate.
- 1970 – The Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Thailand, was founded.
- 1998 – At the age of 15, American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest gold-medal winner in the history of the Winter Olympic Games at the time.
- Wulfric of Haselbury (d. 1154)
- Elizabeth Holloway Marston (b. 1893)
- Gail Kim (b. 1977)
- Tōru Takemitsu (d. 1996)
Today's featured picture
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Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be used as a simple deodorant or insect repellent. This photograph of a worker manufacturing incense sticks was taken in the village of Quảng Phú Cầu, on the outskirts of Hanoi, by the Vietnamese photographer Trần Tuấn Việt. The sticks are set out to dry in bundles after being dipped in the incense solution. Photograph credit: Trần Tuấn Việt
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