Wikipedia:Main Page history/2010 December 16

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Today's featured article
A dwarf planet is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be spherical as a result of its own gravity but has not cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite. They are smaller than planets, but more massive than small solar system bodies. The term was adopted in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a result of the increase in discoveries of trans-Neptunian objects that rivaled Pluto in size, and finally precipitated by the discovery of an even more massive object, Eris. The IAU currently recognizes five dwarf planets—Ceres (pictured), Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. It is suspected that at least another 40 known objects in the Solar System are dwarf planets, but the number might be as high as 2,000. The 2006 definition has been both praised and criticized, and has been disputed by some scientists. (more...) Recently featured: 1962 South Vietnamese Independence Palace bombing – Elk – The Scout Association of Hong Kong Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that baseball player Socks Seybold (pictured) held the American League home run record before Babe Ruth broke it in 1919? ... that LZ7's 2010 single "This Little Light" is based around the 20th century gospel song "This Little Light of Mine"? ... that the science fiction film Laserblast consistently ranks among the Internet Movie Database's bottom 100 films list, and was featured in the last episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 broadcast on Comedy Central? ... that in August each year, City of London Councillor Sir Alpheus Morton used to present the Lord Mayor with a basket of mulberries from the garden at Finsbury Circus? ... that the 1896 South Australian referendum was the first referendum to be held in Australia? ... that although Owen Bieber intended to be an auto parts worker only for a single summer, he stayed on the job and later became president of the United Auto Workers? ... that while most of Austria labels their wine similar to Germany, with names such as Spätlese and Auslese, producers in Wachau label their wines after feather grass, falconry and a green lizard? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Richard Holbrooke American diplomat Richard Holbrooke (pictured), chief negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, dies at the age of 69. Two bombs explode in Stockholm, Sweden, killing the attacker and injuring two other people. Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo is awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize in absentia, the first time since 1936 that neither the recipient nor a relative attended the presentation ceremony. The SpaceX Dragon, in its first test flight, becomes the first commercially developed spacecraft to successfully return after orbiting the Earth. An original copy of Birds of America by John James Audubon is auctioned for £7.3 million, a record price for the sale of a printed book. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
December 16: Day of Ashura (Islam, 2010); National Day in Bahrain (1971); Victory Day in Bangladesh (1971); Independence Day in Kazakhstan (1991) 755 – An Lushan revolted against Tang Chinese Chancellor Yang Guozhong, initiating the An Shi Rebellion, which lasted eight years before it was put down. 1689 – The Parliament of England adopted the Bill of Rights, declaring that Englishmen possessed certain positive civil and political rights. 1838 – Great Trek: Over 450 Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius (pictured) defeated an estimated 10,000 Zulu at the Battle of Blood River in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 1960 – United Airlines Flight 826 and Trans World Airlines Flight 266 collided in mid-air in heavy clouds over Staten Island, New York City, killing 134 people. 1997 – "Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children. More anniversaries: December 15 – December 16 – December 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 16 2010 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The frontispiece to A Memoir of Jane Austen, a biography of the author Jane Austen (1775–1817), written by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh and published 52 years after her death. Common to biographies written in the Victorian era, it did not attempt to unreservedly tell the story of the author's life, but instead kept much private information from the public. The Memoir generated popular interest in the works of Jane Austen, which only a literary elite had read up until that point. The art for the frontispiece took some liberties with the original painting, softening Austen's features in the Victorian style.

Image: James Andrews, after Cassandra Austen
Restoration: Adam Cuerden/Staxringold

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