Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 May 9

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Today's featured article
Edward III (1312–1377) was king of England from 1327 until his death, and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. His reign saw vital developments in legislation and government—in particular the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death. Edward was crowned at the age of fourteen, following the deposition of his father. When he was only seventeen years old, he led a coup against his regent, Roger Mortimer, and began his personal reign. After a successful campaign in Scotland in 1333, he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1337, starting what would become known as the Hundred Years' War. Following some initial setbacks, the war went exceptionally well for England; the victories of Crécy and Poitiers led up to the highly favourable Treaty of Brétigny. Edward’s later years, however, were marked by international failure and domestic strife, largely as a result of his inertia and eventual bad health. Highly revered in his own time and for centuries after, Edward was denounced as an irresponsible adventurer by later Whig historians. This view has turned, and modern historiography credits him with many significant achievements. (more...) Recently featured: House – Stanley Green – Aaliyah Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that a luxury hotel and resort on the islet of Sveti Stefan, Montenegro (pictured) has been described as a "'70s Adriatic playground on a hilly peninsula that's barely connected to the mainland"? ... that in Rocky Mountain Bank v. Google Inc., if a Gmail user had viewed a particular email, Google was ordered to disclose to a bank the user's real name? ... that Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg was a nineteenth century German-Dutch sculptor who built church interiors in the Gothic Revival style? ... that the Altec Lansing 604 coaxial speaker became the standard U.S. studio monitor after 1945? ... that conductor Herbert Grossman collaborated with his wife on a popular English language translation of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi? ... that deforestation in the surrounding rainforest has led to howler monkeys being seen on the streets of modern Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico? ... that the wedding dress of Grace Kelly, characterized as "one of the most-beloved of all time", was designed by Helen Rose, a leading costume designer of the era for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In the Singaporean general election, the People's Action Party (leader Lee Hsien Loong pictured) is returned to power, while the opposition wins its first Group Representation Constituency. Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao retains his WBO Welterweight championship after defeating Shane Mosley. Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros dies after a three-year battle with cancer. Voters in the United Kingdom reject the alternative vote system for future parliamentary elections. Established same-sex couples in Brazil are awarded the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples. Intel announces the release of the 22-nm Ivy Bridge chip, marking the first commercial deployment of tri-gate transistors. Experimental data gathered by the Gravity Probe B satellite support two aspects of the general theory of relativity. Syrian unrest – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
May 9: Yom Hazikaron (Israel, 2011); Victory Day in various Eastern European countries; Europe Day/Schuman Day in the European Union; Independence Day in Romania (1877) 1873 – Panic of 1873: The Vienna Stock Exchange crashed, following two years of overexpansion in the German and Austro-Hungarian economies. 1955 – Jim Henson's most famous Muppet Kermit the Frog made his debut on the television show Sam and Friends. 1964 – Ngô Đình Cẩn, de facto ruler of central Vietnam under his brother President Ngo Dinh Diem before the family's toppling, was executed. 2004 – Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of the Chechen Republic, and about 30 others were killed by a bomb during a World War II memorial victory parade in Grozny. 2005 – Pope Benedict XVI began the beatification process for his predecessor Pope John Paul II (pictured), waiving the standard five years required after the nominee's death. More anniversaries: May 8 – May 9 – May 10 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now May 9, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A simplified diagram of the human circulatory system (anterior view), the organ system that passes nutrients, gases, hormones, blood cells, etc. to and from cells in the body to help fight diseases and help stabilize body temperature and pH to maintain homeostasis. This system may be seen strictly as a blood distribution network, but some consider the circulatory system as composed of the cardiovascular system, which distributes blood, and the lymphatic system, which distributes lymph. In this diagram, red indicates blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood, while blue indicates those that carry deoxygenated blood.

Image: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal

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