Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 June 14

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The 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone produced the worst flooding in that country in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal on May 10 and reached peak maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on May 13, making it a very severe cyclonic storm according to the India Meteorological Department. In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the stationary cyclone in the central Bay of Bengal produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka, especially in the mountains. A station at Ratnapura recorded 366.1 millimetres (14.41 in) of rainfall in 18 hours on May 17, including 99.8 mm (3.93 in) in one hour. Flooding and landslides destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people. Damage totaled about US$135 million, and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced some rainfall in the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands and along India's eastern coast. The storm funneled moisture away from the mainland, possibly contributing to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people. (Full article...)

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In the news

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A shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, kills 49 people.
In ice hockey, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup (MVP Sidney Crosby pictured).
Peruvians for Change candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is elected President of Peru.
The IUPAC proposes the final names of four new chemical elements: nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson.
A car bomb targeting a police bus kills at least 11 people in Istanbul.

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On this day...

June 14: Liberation Day in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (1982); Flag Day in the United States

Thabo Mbeki

1645 – English Civil War: In the Battle of Naseby, the main army of King Charles I was defeated by the Parliamentarian New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.
1800 – War of the Second Coalition: In the Battle of Marengo, Napoleonic forces secured victory over the Habsburgs when defeat had appeared inevitable until the arrival of French troops led by Louis Desaix.
1846 – Anglo-American settlers in the Town of Sonoma began a rebellion against Mexico, proclaiming the California Republic and eventually raising a homemade flag with a bear and star.
1966 – The Vatican formally abolished its 427-year-old list of prohibited books.
1999 – Thabo Mbeki (pictured) took office as the second President of South Africa.

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Today's featured picture

During the Battle of Seven Pines, part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War, Confederate troops under General Joseph E. Johnston attempted to overwhelm two Union corps. These corps, located south of the swollen Chickahominy River, appeared isolated as most bridges across the river were out. Upon hearing the sounds of battle, Union Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner of II Corps ordered a division, under Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, to cross the Grapevine Bridge. Though unstable in the raging river, the bridge held long enough for Sedgwick's men to successfully cross and help fight away the Confederate forces.

Painting: William McIlvaine; restoration: Adam Cuerden

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