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This is a record of material that was recently featured on the Main Page as part of Did you know (DYK). Recently created new articles, greatly expanded former stub articles and recently promoted good articles are eligible; you can submit them for consideration.

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Did you know...[edit]

31 August 2005

21:11, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Bassein Fort was at the centre of Portuguese operations in India during the 16th century?
...that Mount Pantokrator is the highest mountain on the island of Corfu at 914 metres tall?
...that the Beehive House was constructed as a home for Brigham Young, a polygamist, and his wives?
...that Manitoba politician Colin H. Campbell is said to have won his seat in the 1907 election by a margin of one vote?
...that the California Pacific Conference has school members that range from members of the California State University system to religious and liberal arts colleges?

00:35, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Simeon Solomon was a British painter who regularly had works displayed at the Royal Academy in the 1860s?
...that the jihad of Modibo Adama led to the spread of Islam and the Fulani ethnic group across northern Cameroon?
...that the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Labrador was the first ship to circumnavigate North America?
...that the last African American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby was James Winkfield in 1902?
...that on 14 August 1936 Rainey Bethea was hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, thus becoming the last person to be publicly executed in the United States?

29 August 2005

23:39, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Minchiate was a deck of playing cards similar to the tarot, but with forty trumps?
...that bulk vending machine operators often spray Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales with cooking spray to keep them from sticking together?
...that Yrausquin Airport in the Caribbean island of Saba has commercial air service despite prohibition for airline airplanes to land there?
...that Minnesota congresswoman Coya Knutson sang and played her accordion at campaign events?
...that a Starets is a spiritual leader unique to the Russian Orthodox Church?

09:53, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

Barren Island

...that the only active volcano in South Asia is on Barren Island, one of India's Andaman Islands?
...that the Muslim state of Ifat was completely annexed by Ethiopia in 1415?
...that the 1892 farce Charley's Aunt has been the basis of at least six different films, as well as the successful 1950s Broadway and West End musical, Where's Charley?
...that the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan's grandson Hulegu Khan, executed Al-Musta'sim, the Abbasid caliph of the Islamic state, following the 1258 Battle of Baghdad?

26 August 2005

22:59, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Hearst Tower

...that the uncommon triangulated frame of Hearst Tower, currently under construction in New York City, requires about 20 percent less steel than a conventional perimeter frame?
...that Bryce State Mental Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, has served as a model of both progressive and inhumane mental health treatment during its 144-year career?
...that the Delphic Hymns, written in stone between 138 and 128 BC in Ancient Greece, are the earliest surviving unambiguous notated music in the western world?
...that in Angola, almost two out of every ten newborns die within one year, making it the country with the highest infant mortality rate in the world?

00:09, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Cherubina de Gabriak, subject of the famous duel between the two first-rank Russian poets Maximilian Voloshin and Nikolai Gumilyov, did not even exist?
...that Charles Brooks, Jr., was the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States?
...that Rodger Penzabene, co-author of the 1968 Temptations hit "I Wish It Would Rain," used a real-life breakup as inspiration for the song and committed suicide when the song was released?
...that the Presidio of Santa Barbara, built by the Spanish in 1782, is the second-oldest European building in the U.S. state of California?

25 August 2005

00:18, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Liugong Island is considered the "birthplace of China's first navy" and is also the site of its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War?
...that Closer Economic Relations is a free trade agreement between the governments of New Zealand and Australia?
...that in Elizabethan England anyone opening a message in a bottle without the approval of the Queen could face the death penalty?
...that Antarctosaurus was one of the largest dinosaurs ever to live in South America?
...that the Hungry i nightclub was instrumental in launching the careers of Lenny Bruce, Barbra Streisand and Woody Allen?

24 August 2005

13:16, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the American toad is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada?
...that in 2001 Watercolour Challenge won a Royal Television Society award in the category of Best Features - Daytime television?
...that Phil Spector considered the song "River Deep - Mountain High", his 1966 production for Ike & Tina Turner, his best work, despite its commercial failure in the United States?
...that the War of Canudos was an armed conflict in the 1890s in the Northeastern village of Canudos, Brazil, that was started by a Christian mystic and messianic leader Antônio Conselheiro and a band of fanatic followers and resulted in the death of more than 15,000 people?

23 August 2005

23:32, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences is a 1792 work of American art that depicts the Goddess of Liberty and is the first known painting to celebrate the emancipation of slaves in the United States?
...that although Archibald Leitch was the foremost football stadium architect in the United Kingdom in the early 20th century, only two of his works have been listed for preservation?
...that men who practice snake charming often also use their skills as a form of pest control?
... that Simone Niggli-Luder from Switzerland won all four women's competitions at the orienteering world championships 2005 in Aichi, Japan, repeating her performance of 2003?

12:42, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the border between Nilo-Saharan and Bantu languages among the languages of Uganda roughly coincides with the Victoria Nile?
...that the defeat of Vijayanagara Empire at the Battle of Talikota in 1565 ended one of the last great Hindu kingdoms in South India?
...that the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, founded in 1968, is one of the three inaugural satellite launch sites of the People's Republic of China?
...that Charles Atangana was the first Ewondo to be baptised Catholic in German Cameroon?
...that the largest organism in the world is a honey fungus which covers more than 3.4 square miles (8.9 km²) and is thousands of years old?

00:19, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

...that a sea fan is a form of sessile colonial cnidarian, similar to a sea pen or a soft coral, found in tropical and subtropical seawater?
...that the Finnish speed skater Clas Thunberg is the oldest Olympic speed skating champion, winning gold at the 1928 St Moritz games at the age of 35?
...that umchwasho is a traditional chastity rite in Swaziland that restricts the sexual relations of unmarried women?
...that detonating nuclear weapons is specifically forbidden in Britain under the Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition and Inspections) Act 1998?
...that the 1888/9 South African cricket season marks the beginning of first-class cricket in South Africa?

22 August 2005

11:40, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Devil's Beef Tub was used to hide cattle stolen by the Border Reivers?
...that Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was independent India's first individual Olympic medalist when he won the wrestling bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki games?
...that Sergio Blass was the only singer to be a member of both Los Chicos and Menudo, Puerto Rican rival boy bands during the early 1980s?
...that the Battle of Asal Uttar fought between India and Pakistan was the largest tank battle in the history of the Indian subcontinent?
... that Lake Enriquillo is the only saltwater lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles?

01:03, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

...that about half of Ireland's citizens live outside of the Republic of Ireland?
...that the Nurek Dam in Tajikistan is the tallest dam in the world, and in 1994 generated enough hydroelectric power to supply three-quarters of that country's generation capacity?
...that Stalking Cat is a San Diego man who has spent more than 150,000 US dollars on tattoos and cosmetic surgery working towards his goal of resembling a live tiger?
... that the Narita Shinkansen from Tokyo to Narita Airport, which took nine years to build 9 km of track bed, is the only bullet train line ever officially cancelled?
...that Canadian media cannot legally reprint their own stories mentioning the name of convicted school shooter Todd Cameron Smith?

19 August 2005

13:12, 19 August 2005 (UTC)

... that urushiol-induced contact dermatitis accounts for 10% of all lost-time injuries in the United States Forest Service?
...that day beacons and other navigational aids vary in standard designation worldwide much like driving on the right or left?
...that three of the stars named after people, often thought to have traditional Arabic names, were in fact named for members of the Apollo 1 crew?
... that Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa has rare ice age snails that survive living on rock formations cooled from underground ice?
...that the definitive image of the African and Caribbean goddess Mami Wata was based on a poster of a Samoan snake charmer?

00:08, 19 August 2005 (UTC)

... that the Khardungla Pass has been incorrectly claimed by Wikipedia to be the highest motorable road in the world?
...that Brendon Kuruppu was the first Sri Lankan cricketer to score more than 200 runs (a double century) in a Test innings?
...that Foundation 9 Entertainment is the largest independent video game developer in North America?
...that the Indian Shaker Church is a Christian denomination founded by an American Indian in 1881 which incorporates Catholic, Protestant, and indigenous beliefs, but traditionally rejects the Bible and other written scriptures?
...that the Islamic Spaniard Judar Pasha led 4,000 Moroccans to victory against more than 40,000 Songhai troops at the Battle of Tondibi, putting an end to West Africa's Songhai Empire?

18 August 2005

01:09, 18 August 2005 (UTC)

... that the Cotswold Games were organized by Robert Dover as a protest against Puritanism in the early 17th century?
...that Lancashire cricketer Dick Barlow was immortalised in Francis Thompson's poem "At Lord's"?
...that Henri Blowitz, the Paris correspondent of the Times, averted a war between the French Third Republic and the German Empire in 1875?
...that the African Grove theater was founded by free blacks in New York City in 1821—when New York was still a slave state—and that it launched the career of the great black Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge?

17 August 2005

00:55, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

...that several countries, including Sweden and Germany have started a nuclear power phase-out, with the goal of gradually shutting down all nuclear power plants?
...that sociocracy is a form of government relying on principles of consensus?
...that the Philadelphia Metro is a free daily newspaper that was first published in 2000?
...that the Ever Victorious Army, consisting of Chinese imperial forces led by a European officer corps, was instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion?
...that adjustable pedals as well as an adjustable driver's seat were luxury features of the Renault Spider?

16 August 2005

00:34, 16 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the leg break bowled by Shane Warne to Mike Gatting that turned around the 1993 Ashes cricket series is widely known as the Ball of the Century?
...that the most popular deity worshipped by the Duala peoples of Cameroon is a mermaid called a jengu?
...that though only 14% of all U.S. nuclear testing was conducted at the Pacific Proving Grounds, they comprised nearly 80% of the total explosive yields of all U.S. tests?
...that the Mauritania Railway transports iron ore on trains up to three kilometers long?

15 August 2005

12:17, 15 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Swan Bells is an 82.5m belltower in Perth, Western Australia containing the largest set of change ringing bells in the world, several of which are 280 years old?
...that Liberia is the only nation in the history of West Africa never to have been colonised?
...that the Spined Loach is able to breathe through its intestine during times of oxygen scarcity, and can inflict an excruciating sting with the two-pointed spike under its eyes?
...that DC Comics sued Fawcett Comics in 1941 over Fawcett's Captain Marvel being a Superman rip-off, and the resulting National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications lawsuit took thirteen years to settle?

14 August 2005

23:58, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Andrew Ellicott taught Meriwether Lewis the art of surveying?
...that Juan Esteban Pedernera was interim President of Argentina in 1861, following the death of Santiago Derqui?
...that Plumpy'nut is a peanut-based food supplement that is being used to combat malnutrition in Niger?
...that the Baltusrol Golf Club, the golf course that is the site of this week's PGA Championship, is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for its managing of its lands with concern to the environment?

11 August 2005

20:23, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

...that John Brown's Fort in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was built there in 1848, moved to Chicago in 1891, and then returned to its original site in 1968?
...that Silvio O. Conte was a U.S. Congressman who once donned a pig mask in order to protest pork barrel spending?
...that the Kittlitz's Murrelet nests in isolated locations on inland mountaintops, unlike most other seabirds, which nest in seashore colonies?
...that Peter de Noronha was the first Indian to become an envoy of the Legion of Mary and was later knighted by Pope Paul VI?

10 August 2005

20:19, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Capitoline Museums are housed in a complex of palazzi surrounding a piazza in Rome, designed by Michelangelo in 1536 but not fully completed until Mussolini ordered it in 1940?
... that 1999's Scooby Doo: Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom was the first commercial Scooby-Doo computer game for the Windows platform?
...that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud is estimated to have lost tens of millions of U.S. dollars gambling in casinos?
...that the Saskatchewan town of Macklin erected a 32-foot-high statue of a horse's anklebone to commemorate the sport of Bunnock?

01:54, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Margaret Roper, daughter of Thomas More, purchased his head after his execution and preserved it in spices until her own death?
...that Iowa's Black Hawk Purchase is named for the Sac chief Black Hawk, despite that fact that he was in prison when the land-transfer treaty was signed?
...that oakmoss is a type of lichen used extensively in modern perfumery?
...that the recent massive flooding in Mumbai could have been avoided if the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had upgraded the city's drainage system by building the Brihanmumbai Storm Water Disposal System?

9 August 2005

04:04, 9 August 2005 (UTC)
...that an industrial process for making instant mashed potatoes was patented in 1912?

03:24, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the United States Army managed Yellowstone National Park for 32 years from Fort Yellowstone?
...that the Liga Indonesia is the top football league in Indonesia ?
...that Vote-OK, a pro-fox hunting group, claimed to have helped defeat 29 Members of Parliament at the 2005 British general election?
...that the Thunderdome, the home of the basketball and volleyball teams of the University of California, Santa Barbara, is famous for a tortilla-throwing incident in a men's basketball game televised on ESPN?

8 August 2005

13:24, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

...that attempts have been made to produce rubber from Common Milkweed latex?
...that the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 was seen as formally demonstrating Australia's independence to the world?
...that Mantle Hood was an ethnomusicologist known for the idea that students should learn to play the music from the cultures they study?
...that chuño is a freeze-dried potato product made since before the time of the Inca empire by a five-day process of alternately freezing, sun-drying, and trampling under foot?

7 August 2005

21:55, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

...that Saint Anthony's nut, popular with pigs as well as humans, is named for Anthony of Padua, patron saint of swineherds?
...that in response to the 1852 publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, writers in the Southern United States produced a body of anti-Tom literature which attempted to show that slavery was not evil?
...that at the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532 the Inca Emperor Atahualpa was captured by Pizarro's conquistadors and that the battle was a decisive victory in the Spanish conquest of Peru?
...that famine scales are the ways in which degrees of food security are measured, from situations in which an entire population has adequate food to full-scale famine?

4 August 2005

22:31, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the height of clouds is measured using a ceiling balloon?
...that Maurine Brown Neuberger was the third woman elected to the U.S. Senate and that as a U.S. Senator she sponsored one of the first bills to require warning labels on cigarette packaging?
... that the 1985 comedy film Head Office has established stars such as Danny DeVito starring in roles that are little more than bit parts?
...that Republican California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore wrote a book that was banned in the People's Republic of China?

01:04, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the Revolt of the Comuneros, an uprising against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, is considered by some to be the first modern revolution?
...that comic-book writer Stan Lee, novelist/historian Winston Groom, and district attorney Jim Garrison have all been victims of Hollywood accounting?
...that the "Victory Tests" were a series of cricket matches between a team of Australian servicemen and an English national side played just two weeks after World War II ended?
...that Ronald E. Neumann the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan is the first ambassador since John Q. Adams in 1817 to be appointed to the same country where his father was also ambassador?

2 August 2005

23:54, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
...that American Wimbledon champion Alice Marble was shot in the back while working as a spy in Switzerland during World War II?
...that Nashville radio station WWTN launched the career of the nationally-syndicated financial advisor Dave Ramsey?
...that Hertfordshire puddingstone is a conglomerate rock named after its resemblance to Christmas pudding?
...that Wayne McLaren, an American model who portrayed the Marlboro Man in the famous cigarette advertising campaign, died of lung cancer?

03:12, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

Van Tran

...that Republican California State Assemblyman Van Tran is the first Vietnamese-American to serve in a state legislature in U.S. history?
...that Johnson composed music for some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including Perumthachan and movies directed by Padmarajan?
...that the American's Creed was written in 1917 as an entry into a patriotic contest, and was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives the next year?
...that the Australian Giant burrowing frog does not croak, but rather hoots like an owl?

1 August 2005

12:19, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

...that the opera King Arthur is unusual because the principal characters do not sing, rather they recite dialogue accompanied by music?
...that alcohol advertising is heavily restricted in some countries to avoid associating the drinking of alcoholic beverages with sexual success and physical attractiveness?
...that during a flood in 1937, Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky was partially submerged, and a worker caught a two-pound fish in the lobby?
...that Kabloona (1941) is a classic account of a Frenchman's life among Canadian Inuit?

00:44, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

100x100px|Too Much Heaven

...that all of the publishing royalties the Bee Gees' song "Too Much Heaven" earned went to UNICEF?
...that the Houston Ballet has one of the largest endowments of any dance company in the U.S.?
...that the sailors of the Santa María shipwrecked in Haiti were infected by the first reported cases of tungiasis, a disease caused by burrowing fleas?
...that the German prisoners of war built part of the Stade de Gerland stadium in Lyon, France, after the First World War?