Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 January 2

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Today's featured article
Robert Marshall (1901–1939) was an American forester, writer and wilderness activist. He developed a love for the outdoors during his childhood and became one of the first Adirondack Forty-Sixers. He also traveled to the Alaskan wilderness and wrote numerous publications, including the 1933 bestselling book Arctic Village. A scientist with a Doctor of Philosophy in plant physiology, Marshall became independently wealthy after the death of his father. He held two significant public posts during his life: chief of forestry in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, from 1933 to 1937, and head of recreation management in the Forest Service, from 1937 to 1939. Defining wilderness as a social as well as an environmental ideal, Marshall was the first to suggest a formal, national organization dedicated to the preservation of primeval land. In 1935 he became one of the principal founders of The Wilderness Society. Marshall died of heart failure at the age of 38. Today, Marshall is considered largely responsible for the wilderness preservation movement. Several landmarks and areas, including The Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and Mount Marshall in the Adirondacks, were named in his honor. (more...) Recently featured: History of the Australian Capital Territory – Georges Vézina – Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that a General Dynamics F-111C bomber (RF-111C pictured) of the Royal Australian Air Force sank the North Korean freighter Pong Su in 2006? ... that by the age of fourteen, all three orphaned daughters of Thomas Dacre married one of the three sons of their stepfather? ... that Lee Emmett Thomas, as mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, pushed for construction of his city's Municipal Auditorium, which hosted the Louisiana Hayride between 1948 and 1960? ... that Bach began the fifth cantata of his first Christmas season in Leipzig, Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind, BWV 153, first performed on 2 January 1724, with a chorale? ... that a match at the World Wrestling Federations' 1999 Fully Loaded event was fought in a parking garage? ... that for the 80th birthday of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga, Adrienne Kaeppler, curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution, set up a special exhibition at the Tongan National Museum? ... that there are no prisons for women in Wales? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
A bomb explodes outside a Coptic church (Coptic cross pictured) in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 21 people and wounding 70 others. Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal, and South Africa begin two-year terms as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Five new lines are simultaneously opened for operation in the Beijing Subway, adding 108 km of new tracks to the system. Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav is convicted of rape, obstruction of justice and other charges. In cricket, England win the fourth test against Australia to retain The Ashes for the first time in 24 years. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 2: Feast Day of Gregory of Nazianzus (Roman Catholic Church) 366 – The Alamanni, an alliance of west Germanic tribes, crossed the frozen Rhine in large numbers to invade the Roman Empire. 533 – Mercurius became Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a regnal name upon elevation to the papacy. 1942 – In the largest espionage case in American history, over 30 members of a Nazi spy ring were convicted following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1944 – World War II: The United States and Australia successfully landed 13,000 troops on Papua New Guinea in an attempt to cut off a Japanese retreat. 1949 – Luis Muñoz Marín (pictured) became the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. 1991 – Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., thus becoming the first African American woman to lead a major American city. More anniversaries: January 1 – January 2 – January 3 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 2 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A flower and leaves of a Pink Knotweed (Persicaria capitata), an ornamental plant native to Asia. It is a prostrate herb with leaves that are 1–6 cm (0.4–2.4 in) long and 7–30 mm (0.3–1.2 in) wide, and spikes that are 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) in diameter.

Photo: Noodle snacks

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