Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 April 30

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From today's featured article

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition dollar was a commemorative gold coin series dated 1903. The coins were designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of the United States Bureau of the Mint. The pieces were issued to promote the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in 1904 in St. Louis. They were struck in two varieties at the urging of exposition authorities, including numismatic promoter Farran Zerbe: one depicted former president Thomas Jefferson, and the other, the recently assassinated president William McKinley. The price for each variety was $3, the same cost whether sold as a coin, or mounted in jewelry or on a spoon. Although not the first American commemorative coins, they were the first in gold. They were intended to help fund the Exposition, originally scheduled to open in 1903. Congress authorized the coins in 1902, but they did not sell well, and most were later melted. They regained their issue price by 1915, and are now worth between a few hundred and several thousand dollars, depending on condition. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Great Hall at the Strangers' Home

... that in 19th-century London, residents of the Strangers' Home (pictured) were "undefiled by even the shadow of an infidel"?
... that Scott Foster, a 36-year-old accountant, made his professional ice hockey debut as a goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018 and saved every shot he faced?
... that a train graveyard in Uyuni, Bolivia, has become a tourist attraction?
... that Astrid Medina farms coffee at over 1,800 metres (5,900 ft)?
... that public art at Convention Place station in Seattle includes neon tubes that emulate New York's Chrysler Building and the nearby Paramount Theatre?
... that a male grey-chinned minivet was observed approaching a female while carrying a flower?
... that the Western Union Building is the only surviving example of a 19th-century bank building in Aberdeen, South Dakota?
... that Hungarian mathematician Márta Svéd earned her Ph.D. at age 75?

In the news

Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in

At the inter-Korean summit at the Peace House in Panmunjom, the leaders of North and South Korea (pictured) agree to formally end the Korean War later this year.
American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault in a retrial of a case that was closed as a mistrial in 2017.
Danish entrepreneur Peter Madsen is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Kim Wall.
Serzh Sargsyan resigns as Prime Minister of Armenia, following large-scale protests.

On this day...

April 30: Consumer Protection Day in Thailand; Reunification Day in Vietnam

"Hoisting of American Colors over Louisiana" by Thure de Thulstrup

313 – By defeating the armies of his rival Maximinus II, Roman emperor Licinius unified the eastern half of the empire under his rule.
1598 – King Henry IV of France issued the Edict of Nantes, granting freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
1803 – The United States purchased France's claim to the Louisiana Territory (flag raising ceremony pictured) for 78 million francs, or less than US$.03 per acre ($.07/ha).
1943 – Second World War: The Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph began Operation Mincemeat to deceive Germany about the upcoming invasion of Sicily.
2009 – A gunman went on a shooting spree at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, a public university in Baku, killing 12 people before committing suicide.

Marie of the Incarnation (d. 1672) · Eugen Bleuler (b. 1857) · Roger L. Easton (b. 1921)

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From today's featured list

BioWare logo

The first video game by BioWare, a Canadian video game developer, was Shattered Steel, a mech simulation action game released in 1996. The game was a modest success, but BioWare's second title, Baldur's Gate (1998), achieved overwhelming critical praise and defined the company's future direction. A role-playing video game (RPG) based on Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate sold more than two million copies and became the most successful Dungeons & Dragons game ever at the time. BioWare was given the opportunity to work on another popular intellectual property, Star Wars, when LucasArts approached them at the turn of the millennium. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic released first on Microsoft's Xbox video game console in 2003. While it was not BioWare's first console game, it helped the studio break into the console market since Microsoft Game Studios wanted to partner with them on console exclusive titles, such as Jade Empire (2005) and Mass Effect (2007). In October 2007, American publisher Electronic Arts (EA) announced that it had acquired BioWare. Under EA, BioWare established the fantasy RPG series Dragon Age and continued to release games in their science fiction RPG series Mass Effect. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) is a diurnal species of gecko. Endemic to northern Madagascar and the Comoros, it has been introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It typically inhabits trees and houses, and feeds on insects and nectar.

Photograph: Steevven1

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