Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 January 31

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Today's featured article
Masako Katsura (1913–1995) was a carom billiards player most active in the 1950s who trailblazed a path for women in the sport by competing and placing among the best in the male-dominated world of professional billiards. First learning the game from her brother-in-law and then under the tutelage of Japanese champion Kinrey Matsuyama, Katsura finished second in Japan's national three-cushion billiards championship three times. In exhibition she was noted for running 10,000 points at the game of straight rail. After marrying a U.S. army officer in 1950, Katsura emigrated with him to the United States in 1951, where she was invited to play in the 1952 U.S.-sponsored World Three-Cushion Championship, ultimately taking seventh place at that competition. Katsura was the first woman ever to be included in any world billiards tournament. Her fame cemented, Katsura went on an exhibition tour of the United States with 8-time world champion Welker Cochran, and later with 51-time world champion, Willie Hoppe. In 1953 and 1954 she again competed for the world three-cushion crown, taking fifth and fourth places respectively. (more...) Recently featured: Trump International Hotel and Tower – Temple Israel – The Temple at Thatch Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the monkey-queen Tara (pictured with her first husband) is described in the Hindu epic Ramayana to have set a habit to visit her second husband Sugriva drunk before indulging in sex? ... that Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer claims that passing secret account details to WikiLeaks is the only hope he has to let "society know what's going on" in the banking sector? ... that repertoires of contention slowly change over time, and include such concepts as rough music, sit-ins and hacktivism? ... that Gulet Mohamed, an American citizen who was detained in Kuwait, was blocked from flying home by the U.S. "no-fly list" until a federal court intervened to allow him to return? ... that when Winnington Hall in Cheshire was used as a girls' finishing school in the 19th century, it was visited by Sir Charles Hallé and John Ruskin? ... that despite being home to Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa and neighbor to Acapulco, most of Guerrero's "Big Coast" lacks significant tourism infrastructure? ... that the script to season one of the Swedish comedy series Solsidan has been sold to the American television network ABC, which plans to create their own version of the series in the United States? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
The 2011 World Men's Handball Championship concludes with France defeating Denmark to retain the title (MVP Nikola Karabatić pictured). In tennis, Kim Clijsters and Novak Djokovic win the singles titles at the 2011 Australian Open. At the 2011 World Economic Forum, Rosneft announces joint development of the Black Sea shelf with ExxonMobil and the Arctic shelf with BP. As anti-government protests across Egypt continue, President Hosni Mubarak appoints Omar Suleiman Vice President and Ahmed Shafik Prime Minister. The Haitian cholera outbreak reaches South America, as at least 111 Venezuelans contract the disease. In association football, the Asian Cup concludes with Japan defeating Australia. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
January 31: Independence Day in Nauru (1968) 1862 – American astronomer Alvan Graham Clark first observed the faint white dwarf companion of Sirius (pictured), the brightest star in the night sky. 1917 – World War I: Germany announced its U-boats would resume unrestricted submarine warfare, less than two years after having suspended its attacks after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. 1943 – World War II: American and Australian forces stopped a Japanese advance in the Battle of Wau during the New Guinea campaign. 1946 – In the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a new constitution established the six constituent republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. 1971 – The Vietnam Veterans Against the War opened the Winter Soldier Investigation, a three-day media event to publicize war crimes and other atrocities by American forces and their allies during the Vietnam War. More anniversaries: January 30 – January 31 – February 1 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now January 31 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are large flowering plants native to the Americas. They most commonly grow to heights between 1.5 and 3.5 m (5 and 11 ft), although the tallest known sunflower reached 12 m (39 ft) high. The large inflorescence is composed of a flower head (or "composite flower") of numerous florets (small flowers) crowded together. The florets within the sunflower's cluster are arranged in a spiral pattern and will mature into seeds. The seeds are used as snack food, expeller pressed into sunflower oil, made into sunflower butter (a peanut butter alternative), or milled into flour.

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