Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 December 23
From today's featured article
The battle of the Trebia was the first major battle of the Second Punic War, fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and a Roman army under Sempronius Longus on 22 or 23 December 218 BC near modern Piacenza in northern Italy. Each army had a strength of about 40,000 men; the Romans were stronger in infantry, while the Carthaginians were stronger in cavalry and fielded about 30 war elephants (statuette pictured). Hannibal used his Numidian cavalry to lure the Romans out of their camp and onto ground of his choosing. Fresh Carthaginian cavalry routed the outnumbered Roman cavalry, and Carthaginian light infantry outflanked the Roman infantry. A previously hidden Carthaginian force attacked the Roman infantry in the rear. Most of the Roman units then collapsed and most Romans were killed or captured, but 10,000 under Sempronius maintained formation, fought their way out and reached the safety of Piacenza. The following spring the Carthaginians moved south into Roman Italy and operated there for 15 years. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the closest modern fern relatives to Dennstaedtia christophelii (fossil pictured) of the Pacific Northwest are tropical species from South America?
- ... that 25 Water Street was designed to blend in with historic brick buildings that no longer exist?
- ... that the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was never formally crowned?
- ... that having worked as a secretary for 67 years, secret millionaire Sylvia Bloom retired at the age of 96 and willed US$8.2 million to sponsor underprivileged students?
- ... that a Hot Dog Bean screenprint from Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans II sold for $258,046 in 2013?
- ... that Anna Burke was the second woman to give birth while a member of the Australian House of Representatives?
- ... that Eagle-Dogtooth Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, contains part of the Experimental Lakes Area, a controlled area for conducting scientific experiments in lakes?
- ... that a replacement player was injured replacing an injured replacement player?
In the news
- A mass shooting in Prague, Czech Republic, leaves 15 people dead.
- Pope Francis approves a declaration that allows Catholic clergy to bless same-sex couples.
- After weeks of earthquakes, a volcanic eruption (pictured) occurs near Grindavík in Iceland.
- An earthquake in Jishishan County, China, leaves more than 140 people dead.
- In the parliamentary election, the Serbian Progressive Party regains its parliamentary majority in the National Assembly.
On this day
December 23: Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca City, Mexico; Festivus
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: American troops, overwhelmed by British reinforcements, retreated from the Battle of Iron Works Hill.
- 1888 – During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (pictured) severed part of his left ear and gave it to a woman in a brothel in Arles, France.
- 1916 – First World War: Allied forces gained a strategic victory at the Battle of Magdhaba on the Sinai Peninsula.
- 1957 – Leading the Australia national cricket team, Ian Craig became the youngest-ever Test cricket captain at the time.
- 2008 – The Guinean military engineered a coup d'état, announcing that it planned to rule the country for two years prior to a new presidential election.
- Carl Gustaf Wrangel (b. 1613)
- Dost Mohammad Khan (b. 1793)
- Carla Bruni (b. 1967)
- Chryssa (d. 2013)
Today's featured picture
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The African fish eagle (Icthyophaga vocifer) is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is a generalist species, requiring only open water with sufficient prey and a good perch, as evidenced by the number of habitat types in which this species may be found. Habitats include grasslands, swamps, marshes, tropical rainforests and fynbos, as well as freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Some are also found close to the coast, both at the mouths of rivers or lagoons and on desert-bordering coastline. The African fish eagle is a large bird, with females having a mass of 3.2 to 3.6 kg (7.1 to 7.9 lb), somewhat larger than the male, at 2.0 to 2.5 kg (4.4 to 5.5 lb). It breeds during the dry season, when water levels are low and it is believed to be a monogamous species. It is the national bird of Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This African fish eagle was photographed at Lake Ziway in Ethiopia. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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