Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 17

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Today's featured article
Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945) was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying forces. His collaborationist government, known as the Quisling regime, was dominated by ministers from Nasjonal Samling, the party he had founded in 1933. Among other things, it participated – willingly or unwillingly – in Germany's Final Solution. Quisling was put on trial during the post-war legal purge in Norway and found guilty of charges including embezzlement, murder and high treason. He was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress, Oslo, on 24 October 1945. During World War II, quisling became a synonym for traitor. (more...) Recently featured: Nashville Sounds – Caroline of Ansbach – Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that three ten-foot-high (3 m) bronze horses (one pictured) in the City of London by English sculptor Althea Wynne have been nicknamed "Sterling, Dollar, and Yen"? ... that the Rhodesian Special Air Service was formed during the Malayan Emergency? ... that 2010 Commonwealth Games Australian archery gold medalist Mathew Masonwells likes to listen to Hilltop Hoods between shooting competition rounds? ... that on 13 March 2012, BBC News reported that 17 police stations in South East Wales would close to the public, including the Monmouth Police Station? ... that Jennifer Lopez's song "Goin' In", featuring Flo Rida, is featured on the soundtrack of the dance film Step Up Revolution? ... that the French ice hockey team, the Dragons de Rouen won both the regular season and Coupe Magnus in the 2011–12 Ligue Magnus season? ... that the Modoc County Historical Museum has objects in its collection that date back 8,000 years? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Liu Yang becomes the first Chinese woman in space, following the launch of Shenzhou 9. NASA announces that the Voyager 1 spacecraft (pictured) has reached the edge of the heliosphere, the boundary of the solar system. The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt dissolves the country's parliament. NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array is launched. More than 90 people are killed in a series of car bombings across Iraq. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 17: Father's Day in various countries (2012) 1462 – Forces led by Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia (pictured) attacked an Ottoman camp at night in an attempt to assassinate Mehmed II. 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. 1861 – American Civil War: The Battle of Vienna, Virginia, took place, which involved one of the earliest military movements of troops by train in the world. 1963 – Around 2,000 people rioted in South Vietnam, despite the signing of the Joint Communique to resolve the ongoing Buddhist crisis one day earlier. 1991 – The Parliament of South Africa repealed the Population Registration Act, which required that each inhabitant of South Africa be classified and registered by race as part of the system of apartheid. More anniversaries: June 16 – June 17 – June 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 17, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A crystalline fragment of an ingot of zinc (upper left), a sample of sublimed-dendritic zinc, and a 1 cm³ cube for comparison. Zinc (or "spelter") is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust. It is an essential mineral for humans; zinc deficiency affects about two billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases.

Photo: Alchemist-hp

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