Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 June 9

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Today's featured article
Ancient Egyptian literature was written in the Egyptian language from Ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. Along with Sumerian literature, it is considered the world's earliest literature. Writing in Ancient Egypt first appeared in the late 4th millennium BC. By the Old Kingdom, literary works included funerary texts, epistles and letters, religious hymns and poems, and commemorative autobiographical texts. It was not until the early Middle Kingdom that a narrative Egyptian literature was created. Middle Egyptian, the spoken language of the Middle Kingdom, became a classical language during the New Kingdom, when the vernacular language known as Late Egyptian first appeared in writing. Scribes of the New Kingdom canonized and copied many literary texts written in Middle Egyptian, which remained the language used for oral readings of sacred hieroglyphic texts. Ancient Egyptian literature has been preserved on a wide variety of media, including papyrus scrolls and packets, limestone or ceramic ostraca, wooden writing boards, monumental stone edifices and coffins. Hidden caches of literature, buried for thousands of years, have been discovered in settlements on the dry desert margins of Egyptian civilization. (more...) Recently featured: Phil Hartman – Providence, Rhode Island – Arular Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the bankrupt dandy "Champagne Charlie" sold his inheritance including the painting Earthstopper on the banks of the Derwent (detail pictured)? ... that in 1993, the car of Algerian journalist Omar Belhouchet was machine-gunned while he was driving his children to school? ... that Ballylough is home to a ruined castle that was once a stronghold of the MacQuillans and the MacDonnells? ... that Polish-German "cotton king" Juliusz Karol Kunitzer survived a 1893 assassination attempt, but died during that of 1905? ... that jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal's first live album At the Pershing: But Not for Me, recorded in 1958, has sold over one million copies? ... that Royal Ulster Constabulary officer John Weir, who was convicted of a sectarian killing, had once considered joining the Irish Garda Síochána? ... that Burmese journalist Aung Pwint was imprisoned on charges of "sending news" and "illegal ownership of a fax machine"? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Soyuz TMA-02M (mission insignia pictured) is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying a three-person crew to the International Space Station. An IUPAC committee acknowledges the discovery of the transuranium elements ununquadium and ununhexium. Security firm RSA announces that a breach in its SecurID authentication system will necessitate the replacement of almost 40 million electronic tokens. Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, is re-elected for a third consecutive term in office. Israeli forces open fire on demonstrators trying to cross the Golan Heights border, producing the deadliest clash in the Golan since 1973. NATO begins employing attack helicopters for the first time in air operations over Libya. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 9: St. Colmcille's Day in Ireland 68 – Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide after he was deposed by the Senate. 1815 – The Congress of Vienna ended, redrawing the political map of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate General Stonewall Jackson concluded his successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign with a victory in the Battle of Port Republic. 1928 – Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith (pictured) and his crew landed their Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia. 1946 – Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning current monarch, ascended to the throne of Thailand. More anniversaries: June 8 – June 9 – June 10 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 9, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Old Beach, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (left), and the Meehan Range, a prominent series of steep hills running parallel to the Derwent River on Hobart's eastern shore. Visible in this stitched panoramic view are Mount Direction (rightmost peak) and Gunners Quoin (cliff).

Photo: JJ Harrison

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