Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 December 6

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Today's featured article
The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was an American prototype fighter aircraft conceived during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft. It was intended to be carried in and deployed from the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a parasite fighter. The XF-85's intended role was to defend bombers from hostile interceptors, a need demonstrated during World War II. Two prototypes were constructed before the program was terminated. The XF-85 was a response to a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) requirement for a fighter to be carried within the Northrop XB-35 and B-36, then under development. This was to address the limited range of existing interceptor aircraft compared to the greater range of new bomber designs. The XF-85 was a diminutive jet aircraft featuring a distinctive egg-shaped fuselage and a forked-tail stabilizer design. The prototypes were built and underwent testing and evaluation in 1948. Flight tests showed promise in the design, but the aircraft's performance was inferior to the jet fighters it would have been facing in combat, and there were difficulties in docking. The XF-85 was swiftly canceled, and the prototypes were thereafter relegated to museum exhibits. (more...) Recently featured: Adenanthos obovatus – Saturn – Tropical Storm Barry (2001) Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: Casino of Lope de Vega Theater, showing posters for a Flamenco show ... that the Lope de Vega Theater (pictured) in Seville has twice been flooded by the Guadalquivir river? ... that the red sheep of the Maasai have been studied for their potential to save farmers hundreds of millions of dollars? ... that four judges were chosen in the 2011 election for the International Court of Justice, but the UN General Assembly and Security Council deadlocked on the fifth? ... that engineer and inventor William Mason worked for Remington, Colt, and Winchester in the 19th century and patented 125 inventions? ... that TAT Technologies Ltd. was established in 1969 in response to a French arms embargo that principally affected Israel? ... that the black velvet bolete is not the false one? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Dmitry Medvedev United Russia, with incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) at the top of the party list, wins a majority of seats in the Russian legislative election. The first summit of CELAC, a bloc of Latin American and Caribbean nations, takes place in Caracas, Venezuela. The United Kingdom expels all Iranian diplomats from the country following an attack on its embassy in Tehran. Laurent Gbagbo, former President of Côte d'Ivoire, is extradited to the International Criminal Court to face trial over his role in the Second Ivorian Civil War. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
December 6: Independence Day in Finland (1917); Constitution Day in Spain Rear view of Babri Mosque 1060 – Béla I the Champion was crowned king of Hungary. 1917 – World War I: USS Jacob Jones became the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it was torpedoed by German submarine SM U-53. 1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed and then came into force exactly one year later, establishing the Irish Free State, the first independent Irish state to be recognised by the British government. 1989 – Claiming that he was "fighting feminism", 25-year-old Marc Lépine killed fourteen women before committing suicide at École Polytechnique in Montreal. 1992 – The Babri Mosque (pictured) in Ayodhya, India, was destroyed by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and associated groups, who believed that it was built on the birthplace of Rama. More anniversaries: December 5 – December 6 – December 7 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 6, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A juvenile Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus), a parrot species native to wooded areas of subtropical Australia. It grows to approximately 14½–16½ in (37–42 cm) in length, and exhibits sexual dimorphism. The male bird is generally yellow, with several shades on the head and shades of green on the back. The female is generally more green, overall, especially in the head and body.

Photo: JJ Harrison

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