Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 August 5

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Today's featured article
Stamata Revithi was a Greek woman who ran the 40-kilometre marathon during the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Games excluded women from competition, but Revithi insisted that she be allowed to run. Revithi ran one day after the men had completed the official race, and although she finished the marathon in approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes and found witnesses to sign their names and verify the running time, she was not allowed to enter the Panathinaiko Stadium at the end of the race. She intended to present her documentation to the Hellenic Olympic Committee in the hopes that they would recognize her achievement, but it is not known whether or not she did so. No known record survives of Revithi's life after her run. According to contemporary sources, a second woman, Melpomene, also ran the 1896 marathon race. There is debate among Olympic historians as to whether or not Revithi and Melpomene are the same person. (more...) Recently featured: Song Thrush – Melville Island – Brunette Coleman Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: 3 of the fifteen statues at Ahu Tongariki ... that Japanese archaeologists restored Hotu-iti's Ahu Tongariki site (pictured) after a 1960 tsunami reached Easter Island? ... that artistic gymnast Elizabeth Price, a 2012 Olympics alternate, was not picked for the five-member U.S. team even though she finished fourth at the Olympic Trials? ... that Beyoncé and Lady Gaga were the only artists to top the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart four times each during 2009? ... that the North Mole Elbow Lighthouse in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar also serves as a control room for the Gibraltar Harbour? ... that 2012 Australian Olympic canoeist Naomi Flood was the 2009 overall winner for the Ironwoman Series? ... that as of August 2, Dan Straily led all American professional baseball pitchers in strikeouts for 2012? ... that 136 villages have been completely submerged in the backwaters of the reservoirs constructed as a part of the Upper Krishna Project? ... that the parents of 2012 Olympian Lance Brooks successfully petitioned for him to compete as a one-person track and field team in eighth grade? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In rugby union, the Chiefs defeat the Sharks to win their first Super Rugby title. American author and playwright Gore Vidal (pictured) dies at the age of 86. American swimmer Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the greatest number of medals won at the Olympics. A power grid failure in India leaves 20 states in the country without electricity, affecting 600 million people. Irish novelist Maeve Binchy dies in Dublin at the age of 72. A train fire kills 32 passengers on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India. Olympics summary – Wikinews – Recent deaths More current events...
On this day...
August 5: Independence Day in Burkina Faso (1960); Emancipation Day in various Caribbean countries (2012); International Beer Day 641 or 642 – King Penda of Mercia defeated and killed King Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield, traditionally believed to have been fought in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. 1888 – Bertha Benz made the first long-distance automobile trip, going 106 km (66 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in a Benz Patent-Motorwagen (pictured), returning the next day. 1916 – First World War: The British Empire's Sinai and Palestine campaign began with a victory in the Battle of Romani. 1949 – A magnitude 6.8 M_L earthquake struck near Ambato, Ecuador, killing 5,050 people. 1962 – Actress and model Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, an event that has become the center of one of the most debated conspiracy theories. More anniversaries: August 4 – August 5 – August 6 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 5, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Portrait of a Maasai woman, with shaved head, stretched earlobes, and beaded adornments, typical of the Maasai culture. The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa. Their primary language Maa (ɔl Maa) is a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family that is related to Dinka and Nuer.

Photo: William Warby

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