Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 December 15

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article
The common toad is an amphibian found throughout most of Europe, with the exception of Ireland, Iceland and some Mediterranean islands. It is an inconspicuous animal as it usually lies hidden during the day, becoming active at dusk and spending the night hunting for the invertebrates on which it feeds. It moves with a slow ungainly walk or short jumps and has greyish brown skin covered with wart-like lumps. Although usually a solitary animal, in the breeding season large numbers converge on certain breeding ponds, where the males compete to mate with the females. Eggs are laid in gelatinous strings in the water and later hatch out into tadpoles. After several months of growth and development, these sprout limbs and undergo metamorphosis into tiny toads. The juveniles emerge from the water and remain largely terrestrial for the rest of their lives. The common toad seems to be in decline in part of its range but overall is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is threatened by habitat loss, especially by drainage of its breeding sites, and some toads get killed on the roads as they make their annual migrations. It has long been associated in popular culture and literature with witchcraft. (Full article...) Recently featured: Vidya Balan – Rex Ryan – Pepper v Hart Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Scottish suffragette Jessie Stephen (pictured) led attacks on Glasgow pillar boxes in 1913? ... that chef Joël Robuchon has twelve "L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon" restaurants around the world, including in London and Hong Kong? ... that Fatima-Zahra Mansouri's father, who was pasha (deputy governor) of Marrakech for eight years, died the evening Fatima won the mayoral elections? ... that indigenous people of Broome used a concoction of the bark of the native orange to treat animal bites and stings? ... that San Francisco police supervised the controversial North American premiere of Al-Nakba at the Castro Theater? ... that according to Lucille Ball, God was a New York hairdresser called Kenneth? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Twenty-eight people are killed in a shooting at an elementary school in the U.S. state of Connecticut. In Denmark, the discovery of "The Tallow Candle", a previously unknown story by author Hans Christian Andersen (pictured), is confirmed. North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using a Unha-3 carrier rocket. Indian sitar player and classical composer Ravi Shankar dies at the age of 92. Prime Minister of Mali Cheick Modibo Diarra resigns after his arrest by leaders of the Malian coup d'état and is replaced by Django Sissoko. Recent deaths: Iajuddin Ahmed – Jenni Rivera – Patrick Moore Syrian civil war – Wikinews – More current events...
On this day...
December 15: Kingdom Day in Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten (1954); Zamenhof Day in Esperanto culture 1467 – Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in present-day Baia, Romania. 1791 – The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified. 1906 – The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, a 14.17-kilometre (8.80 mi) long deep-level underground tube railway connecting Hammersmith and Finsbury Park, London, opened. 1961 – Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann (pictured) was sentenced to death after being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. 2010 – A boat carrying around 90 asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq and Iran, crashed into rocks and sank off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people. More anniversaries: December 14 – December 15 – December 16 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 15, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away. The image, created using a hydrogen-alpha filter, also shows Messier objects 32 and 110, as well as NGC 206 and the star Nu Andromedae. On December 15, 1612, German astronomer Simon Marius became the first person to describe the galaxy using a telescope.

Photo: Adam Evans

Recently featured: Biham–Middleton–Levine traffic model – Chromodoris joshi – Taos Pueblo church

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.