Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 22

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
Kathleen Ferrier (1912–1953) was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist. Her early death from cancer, at the height of her fame, was a considerable shock to the music world. Ferrier began singing professionally in 1937, after winning a singing competition. During the Second World War she performed regularly with the Council for the Encouragement of the Arts (CEMA); her career developed considerably after the conductor Malcolm Sargent recommended her to the influential Ibbs and Tillett concert management agency. In 1946 she made her stage debut as Lucretia in the Glyndebourne Festival premiere of Benjamin Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia. A year later she sang Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice; these were her only two operatic roles. As a recitalist she became known internationally through her three tours of the United States and her many visits to continental Europe. She continued to perform and record after being diagnosed with breast cancer in March 1951. Her final public appearance was as Orfeo, at the Royal Opera House in February 1953; she died in October that year. Among her many memorials, the Kathleen Ferrier Cancer Research Fund was launched in May 1954; the Kathleen Ferrier Scholarship Fund, administered by the Royal Philharmonic Society, makes annual awards to aspiring young professional singers. (more...) Recently featured: 2009 Orange Bowl – Convention of 1832 – General relativity Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Bach's cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, begins with the bass as Jesus, the Good Shepherd (pictured), in "a mood of tranquil seriousness"? ... that the 1925 Michigan football team allowed only three points all year and featured one of the sport's greatest passing combinations in "The Benny-to-Bennie Show"? ... that the 1937 Bloudan Conference was held in Bloudan only after the British rejected the Arab request to host it in Jerusalem? ... that occupants of Wenvoe Castle in south Wales have included a member of Cromwell's Upper House and a vice chamberlain to the Prince of Wales (later King George IV)? ... that because the four founders of the Norwegian ISP PowerTech Information Systems were still minors, the father of one of them became the company's first chairman? ... that two scenes of the Friends episode "The One Where Rachel Smokes" appear only in the DVD version? ... that the novel Student Hidjo describes love as something only those with a Dutch education would attempt to find? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Bhoja Air Flight 213 crashes on its final approach in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing all 127 people on board. India successfully test launches the Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile. American broadcaster, television producer and music promoter Dick Clark (pictured in 1990) dies at the age of 82. Jim Yong Kim is elected President of the World Bank. Amid a dispute with Repsol and the government of Spain, Argentina announces re-nationalisation of the oil company YPF. Taur Matan Ruak is elected President of East Timor. In Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents launch coordinated attacks on NATO's headquarters, foreign embassies, military bases and the country's parliament. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 22: Earth Day 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés established a settlement in Mexico, naming it "Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz" ("Rich village of the True Cross"). 1889 – Over 50,000 people rushed to claim a piece of the available two million acres (8,000 km²) in the Unassigned Lands, the present-day U.S. state of Oklahoma, entirely founding the brand-new Oklahoma City. 1911 – Tsinghua University ("The Old Gate" pictured), one of the leading universities in mainland China, was founded, funded by an unexpected surplus in indemnities paid by the Qing Dynasty to the United States as a result of the Boxer Rebellion. 1945 – About 600 prisoners of the Jasenovac concentration camp in the Independent State of Croatia revolted, but only 80 managed to escape while the other 520 were killed by the Croatian Ustaše regime. 2004 – Flammable cargo exploded at Yongcheon Station in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing 160 people. More anniversaries: April 21 – April 22 – April 23 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 22, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Focus stacking is a digital image processing technique which combines multiple images taken at different focus distances to give a resulting image with a greater depth of field (DOF) than any of the individual source images. Getting sufficient DOF can be particularly challenging in macro photography, because it is smaller (shallower) for objects nearer the camera, so if a small object fills the frame, it is often so close that its entire depth cannot be in focus at once. By taking several images, each with a different portion of the subject in focus, and combining them digitally, blurry sections can be eliminated.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Recently featured: Sea squirt and a nudibranch – Deepwater Horizon oil spill – Black Tusk, British Columbia

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.