Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 June 7

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Extrusion billets of aluminium

The history of aluminium in human usage goes back at least 2,500 years, when its compound alum was used for dyeing and city defense. During the Middle Ages, alum was traded in international commerce. In the Age of Enlightenment, the earth of alum, alumina, was shown to be an oxide of a new metal which was then discovered in the 1820s. Pure aluminium remained scarce until industrial production began in 1856; since the 1886 discovery of the Hall–Héroult process, production has grown exponentially. Engineering and construction applications began in the first half of the 20th century; aluminium was a vital strategic resource for aviation during both world wars. In 1954, it surpassed copper as the most produced non-ferrous metal. In the following decades, aluminium production spread throughout the world, and the metal became an exchange commodity and gained usage in transportation and packaging. Aluminium production in the 21st century exceeds that of all other non-ferrous metals combined. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Carli Lloyd

... that three players for the U.S. women's national soccer team have scored hat-tricks in the FIFA Women's World Cup, including Carli Lloyd (pictured) in the 2015 final?
... that Mária Kráľovičová was the first Slovak television actress?
... that a lawsuit brought by Joel Moskowitz forced public release of mobile phone radiation safety guidelines prepared by the state of California, earning him the James Madison Freedom of Information Award?
... that Cabilao Island is the location of the only natural lake in the Philippine province of Bohol?
... that American opera singer Jennifer Holloway portrayed Grete in Der ferne Klang as a young girl whose lover leaves her, as a courtesan, and as an old woman who holds the returned lover while he dies?
... that the Revolution of 1719 ended the rule of the Lords Proprietors in South Carolina?
... that Zhang Dongju, Chen Fahu, and J.-J. Hublin discovered that a fossil jaw from Baishiya Cave belonged to the first known Denisovan outside Siberia and the first known human on the Tibetan Plateau?
... that during the First World War, Charles Cathcart and Isaac Balfour proposed adopting the German idea of using moss to treat wounded British soldiers?

In the news

Mette Frederiksen

In the Danish general election, centre-left parties led by Mette Frederiksen (pictured) win a majority.
In association football, the UEFA Champions League concludes with Liverpool defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Brigitte Bierlein is named interim chancellor of Austria, after a parliamentary motion of no confidence dismisses the government of Sebastian Kurz.
James Marape is elected Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, following the resignation of Peter O'Neill.

On this day

June 7: Journalist's Day in Argentina

Mosaic of Aelia Eudocia

421 – Roman emperor Theodosius II married Aelia Eudocia (depicted in mosaic), who later helped protect Greek pagans and Jews from persecution.
1776 – Virginia statesman Richard Henry Lee presented a resolution to the Second Continental Congress, which called for the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain.
1917 – First World War: The British Army detonated 19 ammonal mines under the German lines, killing 10,000 in the deadliest non-nuclear man-made explosion in history.
1969 – The rock supergroup Blind Faith, featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker, played their only UK show in Hyde Park in front of 100,000 fans.

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (d. 1618) · James Young Simpson (b. 1811) · Louise Erdrich (b. 1954)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

Welcome sign at Gulf Islands National Seashore

The United States has ten protected areas known as national seashores and three known as national lakeshores, which are public lands operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National seashores and lakeshores are coastal areas federally designated by Congress as being of natural and recreational significance as a preserved area. All of the national lakeshores are on Lakes Michigan and Superior, whereas nine of the ten national seashores are on the Atlantic Ocean, including two on the Gulf of Mexico. National seashores are located in ten states and national lakeshores are in two other states. Florida, North Carolina and Michigan each have two. The largest national seashore or lakeshore is Gulf Islands (sign pictured), at over 137,000 acres (550 km²); the smallest is Fire Island, at 19,579 acres (79.23 km²). (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula or Polistes dominulus) is one of the most common species of wasps in the genus Polistes. Originally described in 1791 by German naturalist Johann Ludwig Christ as Vespa dominula, it is native to southern Europe and North Africa, as well as temperate parts of Asia as far east as China. It has also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Americas. The species is common and cosmopolitan due to its exceptional survival features, such as a productive colony cycle, a short development time and a higher ability to endure predator attacks. It generally lives in temperate, terrestrial habitats, such as chaparral, forest and grassland biomes.

This picture shows a young European paper wasp queen guarding her nest and eggs.

Photograph credit: Joaquim Alves Gaspar

Recently featured:

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.