Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 April 7

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Today's featured article
The Madagascan sunset moth is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is considered to be one of the most impressive and beautiful Lepidoptera. Famous worldwide, it is featured in most coffee table books on the Lepidoptera and is much sought after by collectors. It is very colourful, though the iridescent parts of the wings do not have pigment; rather, the colours originate from optical interference. The moth was considered to be a butterfly by Dru Drury, who described it in 1773 and placed it in the genus Papilio. Jacob Hübner placed it in the moth genus Chrysiridia in 1823. Later redescriptions led to junior synonyms such as Chrysiridia madagascariensis. At first the moth was thought to be from China or Bengal, but was later found to be endemic to Madagascar. It is found throughout the year in most parts of the island, with peak populations between March and August, and smallest numbers between October and December. Females lay about 80 eggs under the leaves of Omphalea spp. The caterpillars are whitish-yellow with black spots and red feet and are covered in club-ended black setae. Silk spun from the mouth helps the caterpillars hold onto smooth leaves and climb back to the plant when they fall. (more...) Recently featured: Offa of Mercia – Zodiac – Tryon Creek Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Fielding H. Yost opined that Germany Schulz (pictured) gave "the greatest one-man exhibition of courage I ever saw on a football field" for the 1908 Michigan football team? ... that artist Sydney John Bunney created over 500 works depicting the city of Coventry? ... that Kookaburra gold medalist Jamie Dwyer met his girlfriend while playing professional field hockey in the Netherlands? ... that "Do Ya Thang" was described as a return to Rihanna's roots, which were notably present in the songs from her first studio album Music of the Sun? ... that with the help of the IDRF, Narayanan Komerath, a professor of aerospace engineering, launched a fund to aid families of people hurt in the war against terrorism? ... that Robert Hiester Montgomery, one of the founders of the world's largest accounting firm, never graduated from high school? ... that King Gong and then King Kang ruled the Chu kingdom in the 6th century BC? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika (pictured) dies at the age of 78. Mali's Azawad National Liberation Movement claims military victory and declares independent the new state of Azawad. Following an allegation of academic misconduct, Pál Schmitt resigns as President of Hungary. UTair Flight 120 crashes shortly after take-off from Roshchino International Airport, Tyumen, Russia, killing 32 people. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, wins a majority of contested seats in the Burmese by-elections. In the Gambian parliamentary election, the incumbent APRC party wins an absolute majority of seats in the National Assembly. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 7: Holy Saturday (Western Christianity, 2012); World Health Day 1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach debuted the St John Passion, a musical representation of the Passion, at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. 1767 – Troops of the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty sacked the Siamese city of Ayutthaya to end the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), bringing the four-century-old Ayutthaya Kingdom to an end. 1947 – The Arab Ba'ath Party was founded in Damascus. 1994 – A FedEx employee tried to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 in a failed suicide attempt. 2001 – NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey (artist's conception pictured), currently the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, launched from Cape Canaveral. More anniversaries: April 6 – April 7 – April 8 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 7, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is a large sandpiper species, closely related to the curlews, found across central North America and Alaska. Unlike other members of its family, it is not associated with water, but instead lives in fields and open grassland. It is a long-distance migrant and winters in South America.

Photo: Johnathan Nightingale

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