Wikipedia:Main Page history/2018 November 8

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From today's featured article

Nemegtomaia, a genus of feathered oviraptorid dinosaur, lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous, about 70 million years ago. The first specimen was found in the Nemegt Basin in 1996, and became the basis of the new genus and species N. barsboldi in 2004, honouring the palaeontologist Rinchen Barsbold. Two more specimens were found in 2007. Nemegtomaia is estimated to have been around 2 m (7 ft) in length and to have weighed 40 kg (88 lb). It had a deep, narrow, and short skull, with an arched crest. It was toothless, with a short snout, a parrot-like beak, and a pair of tooth-like projections on its palate. The first of its three fingers bore a strong claw. One specimen was found on top of a fossilised nest of eggs that were probably arranged in a ring, with streams nearby, judging from stratigraphic data. This individual may have been protecting its eggs by covering them with its tail and wing feathers. (Full article...)

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Mark 1A Light Weight Air Warning Radar

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... that Donald Trump "accidentally" contributed to a children's book?
... that Frisian poet Cynthia Lenige died in 1780 at age 24, her work being published two years after her death?
... that Seattle's replica of the Statue of Liberty stands at around five percent of the original's height?
... that in the UEFA matches played by Athletic Bilbao in European football, the club used only one player who was a full international for a country other than Spain?
... that activist Andy Stapp joined the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War to build an anti-war movement within the military?
... that one of the earliest accounts of the use of cocaine for spinal anaesthesia was given by William Keiller, anatomy professor at Galveston, Texas?
... that the Lonely Tree was named Welsh Tree of the Year in 2014 despite having been blown over during a storm?

In the news

Takuya Kai

In the United States midterm elections, the Democratic Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives, while the Republican Party expands its majority in the Senate.
In a referendum, New Caledonia votes against independence from France.
In baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeat the Hiroshima Toyo Carp to win the Japan Series (MVP Takuya Kai pictured).
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, is acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, sparking widespread protests by Islamists.
India unveils the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world at 182 m (597 ft), depicting its first deputy prime minister, Vallabhbhai Patel.

On this day

November 8

Shunzhi Emperor

1644 – The Shunzhi Emperor (pictured), the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, was enthroned in Beijing after the collapse of the Ming dynasty as the first Qing emperor to rule over China.
1861 – American Civil War: The USS San Jacinto stopped the British mailship Trent and arrested two Confederate envoys en route to Europe, sparking a major diplomatic crisis between the United Kingdom and the United States.
1940 – The Italian invasion of Greece failed as outnumbered Greek units repulsed the Italians in the Battle of Elaia–Kalamas.
1971 – English rock group Led Zeppelin released their fourth album, which would go on to be one of the best-selling albums worldwide.
2016 – The Government of India announced the demonetisation of certain banknotes, causing prolonged cash shortages in the weeks that followed and significant disruption throughout the economy.

Lettice Knollys (b. 1543) · Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz (d. 1773) · Stylianos Pattakos (b. 1912)

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Today's featured picture

Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899) was a French artist, painter of animals, and sculptor, known for her artistic realism. Born in Bordeaux into a family of artists, she moved to Paris at the age of six. Spending much of her time drawing from an early age, Bonheur had a difficult childhood and was expelled from several schools, eventually being trained as a painter by her father. A French government commission led to Bonheur's first great success, Ploughing in the Nivernais, exhibited in 1849. In 1855 she completed The Horse Fair, which is regarded as her most famous work.

This oil-on-canvas portrait of Bonheur, titled Rosa Bonheur, was completed in 1898 by American artist Anna Elizabeth Klumpke, a long-time admirer of Bonheur's work.

Painting: Anna Klumpke

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