Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 May 16

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Today's featured article
USS President was a 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Launched on 10 April 1800, she was the last to be completed. Her first duties with the newly formed United States Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. On 16 May 1811 President was at the center of the Little Belt Affair, when her crew mistakenly identified HMS Little Belt as HMS Guerriere, which was sought after for impressing an American seaman. The ships exchanged cannon fire for several minutes; Little Belt was heavily damaged. Subsequent U.S. and Royal Navy investigations placed responsibility for the attack on each other with no resolution. The incident contributed to tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain that led to the War of 1812. (more...) Recently featured: American Goldfinch – Virginia – Battle of Khafji Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that rowing events at the 2012 Summer Olympics are planned to take place 25 miles outside the host city of London, at Dorney Lake (pictured)? ... that Fay Kellogg, described as "the foremost woman architect in the United States" in 1918, liked to fence, box, wrestle and play basketball? ... that in March 2011, the Ghana Refugee Board partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other state agencies to assist refugees from Ivory Coast? ... that archaeologist and college president Larry Geraty has also been noted for supporting women's ordination in the Seventh-day Adventist Church? ... that extrasolar planet WASP-43b was, at the time of its discovery, the most closely orbiting Hot Jupiter known? ... that Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes was in development from 2004 to 2009 before a cease-and-desist letter from Square Enix led to its cancellation? ... that Desmond Arthur has haunted Montrose Airfield since 1916? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Dominique Strauss-Kahn (pictured), head of the International Monetary Fund, is charged with "a criminal sexual act" in New York City. "Running Scared", performed by Eldar & Nigar from Azerbaijan, wins the Eurovision Song Contest. In association football, Manchester United win a record 19th English league title and Manchester City win the FA Cup. New analysis of data gathered by the Galileo spacecraft provides direct evidence of an ocean of magma beneath the surface of Io, one of Jupiter's moons. In a state assembly election held in West Bengal, India, the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government loses power. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 16: Teacher's Day in Malaysia 1204 – Fourth Crusade: Count Baldwin IX of Flanders was crowned the first Latin Emperor in Constantinople. 1811 – Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south of Badajoz, Spain. 1960 – American physicist Theodore Maiman operated the first working laser at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. 1966 – Chinese leader Mao Zedong (pictured) launched the Cultural Revolution officially as a campaign to rid China of its liberal bourgeois elements and to continue revolutionary class struggle. 1975 – Based on the results of a referendum held about one month earlier, Sikkim abolished its monarchy and was annexed by India, becoming its 22nd state. More anniversaries: May 15 – May 16 – May 17 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 16, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A panoramic of Skiddaw mountain, the town of Keswick, and Derwentwater, as viewed from Walla Crag on a clear autumn afternoon in the Lake District, a mountainous district in North West England. A popular tourist destination, it is famous for its lakes and its mountains and the Lake District National Park.

Photo: David Iliff

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