Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 July 17

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Scotia on Laurie Island

The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902–04) established the first manned meteorological station in Antarctic territory, discovered new land east of the Weddell Sea, and returned with a trove of biological and geological specimens aboard the Scotia (pictured). It was led by William Speirs Bruce, then Britain's most experienced polar scientist, who had spent most of the 1890s on expeditions to the Antarctic and Arctic regions. After his application to add a second ship to Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition had been dismissed as "mischievous rivalry" by the president of the Royal Geographical Society, he used private sponsors to fund an independent expedition. Bruce never received formal recognition from the British Government for his work, and never again led an Antarctic expedition, although he made regular Arctic trips. The expedition's members were denied the prestigious Polar Medal despite vigorous lobbying. His focus on serious scientific exploration rather than territorial discoveries was out of fashion with his times, and his achievements soon faded from public awareness, unlike those of the polar adventurers Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen. The expedition's Orcadas weather station has been in continuous operation since 1903 on Laurie Island in the South Orkneys. (Full article...)

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Closeup of flowerhead of Enceliopsis argophylla

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Circles representing five quarks arranged in a ring

On this day...

July 17: Feast day of the Scillitan Martyrs (Roman Catholic Church); Eid al-Fitr (Islam, 2015); Constitution Day in South Korea (1948)

Churchill, Truman, and Stalin at the Potsdam Conference

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A photograph of Salman Khan, looking away from the camera.

Salman Khan's acting career has spanned over two decades. Khan, an Indian actor, made his debut in 1989 with a supporting role in the family drama Biwi Ho To Aisi, following which he had his breakthrough role in the blockbuster romance Maine Pyar Kiya. After suffering from a brief setback during the early 1990s, he established his career in Bollywood with the blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! His other successful films of the decade include Karan Arjun (1995), Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998), and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). In 2003, Khan earned praise for playing a scorned lover in the romantic drama Tere Naam. He went on to play the lead in the top-grossing Hindi films Garv (2004), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), No Entry (2005), and Partner (2007). In 2014, Khan became the first actor to star in seven Bollywood films, including Dabangg (2010), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), and Kick (2014), that have earned over ₹1 billion. (Full list...)

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Temple Mount

An aerial view of the Temple Mount, one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. Dominated by three religious structures from the early Umayyad period—the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain—the mount also has walls which date to the Herodian dynasty, including the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, in which it is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is manifested most frequently. In Christianity, it is held to have been the location of both Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple. Sunni Muslims consider the Mount the third holiest site in Islam, associating it with Muhammad's journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven. Owing to its importance to these religions, claims over the Mount have been heavily contested.

Photograph: Andrew Shiva

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