Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 August 29

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Today's featured article
The history of Michigan State University (MSU) dates to 1855, when the Michigan Legislature established the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. As the first agricultural college in the United States, the school served as a prototype for future Land Grant institutions under the Morrill Act. The school's first class graduated in 1861. That same year, the Michigan Legislature approved a plan to allow the school to adopt a four-year curriculum and grant degrees comparable to those of rival University of Michigan. In 1870, the College became co-educational and expanded its curriculum beyond agriculture into a broad array of coursework commencing with home economics for women students. The school established "Farmers' Institutes" as a means of reaching out to the state's agricultural community; the program gradually became the MSU Extension Services. After World War II, the college gained admission to the Big Ten Conference and grew to become one of the largest educational institutions in the United States. In its centennial year of 1955, the state officially made the school a university and the current name was adopted in 1964 after Michigan voters adopted a new constitution. (more...) Recently featured: John Martin Scripps – Gobrecht dollar – Battle of Milne Bay Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias (pictured with President Dilma Rousseff) was the most successful athlete at the 2008 Paralympics, winning nine medals, including four golds? ... that Narbona Pass in New Mexico is named after Narbona, a Navajo headman killed in 1849 during peace negotiations with the United States? ... that the Azov radar was part of the never-commissioned Soviet S-225 missile defence system? ... that 2012 Australian Paralympic goalball coach Georgina Kenaghan is the daughter of the man who brought goalball to Australia and player Nicole Esdaile is married to men's goalball player Michael Sheppard? ... that India's National Metallurgical Laboratory was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1950? ... that Edmond Point in Kilkee is named after the Edmond that sank there in 1850 with the loss of 98 lives? ... that Hermann Peter's Historicorum Romanorum reliquiae (1870–1914) was the authoritative edition of Roman historical fragments until it was supplanted by Martine Chassignet's L'Annalistique romaine (1996–2004)? ... that Shane Williams scored the last of his 60 international rugby union tries on the final play of his last test match? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (pictured) announces the commencement of peace talks with the rebel group FARC. A bus crashes into a tanker carrying methanol, killing 36 people in Shaanxi, China. American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, dies at the age of 82. A blast at the Paraguaná Refinery Complex in Falcón, Venezuela, kills at least 41 people and injures at least 90 others. A jury in California rules that Samsung Electronics owes Apple Inc. more than US$1 billion for patent infringement. Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in the 2011 Norway attacks, is sentenced to 21 years in prison, subject to extension. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 29: Feast day for the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Gregorian calendar) 1533 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Conquistador Francisco Pizarro executed the last independent Inca Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca. 1786 – Led by Daniel Shays, disgruntled farmers in Western Massachusetts, US, angered by high tax burdens and disenfranchisement, started Shays' Rebellion. 1831 – Michael Faraday (pictured) discovered electromagnetic induction, leading to the formation of Faraday's law of induction. 1916 – The United States Congress passed the Philippine Autonomy Act, the first formal and official declaration of the US commitment to grant independence to the Philippines. 1949 – The Soviet Union successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons test, exploding the 22-kiloton RDS-1. 1991 – Italian businessman Libero Grassi was killed by the Sicilian Mafia after taking a public stand against their extortion demands. More anniversaries: August 28 – August 29 – August 30 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 29, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is the country's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada. It is located in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Quebec, directly across the Ottawa River from Canada's Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. With roots stretching back to 1856, the museum is one of North America's oldest cultural institutions.

Photo: Wladyslaw

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