Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 January 12

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From today's featured article

Japanese convoy under attack on 12 January 1945

The South China Sea raid was conducted by the United States Third Fleet between 10 and 20 January 1945 during the Pacific War. Undertaken to support the liberation of Luzon in the Philippines, it targeted Japanese warships, supply convoys and aircraft in the region. After attacking airfields and shipping at Formosa and Luzon, the Third Fleet entered the South China Sea and aircraft from its carriers attacked Japanese shipping off French Indochina on 12 January, sinking 44 vessels. The fleet then sailed north and attacked Formosa again on 15 January. Further raids were conducted against Hong Kong, Canton and Hainan the next day. The South China Sea raid was highly successful as the American force destroyed a large number of Japanese ships and aircraft, while losing relatively few aircraft. According to historians, the destruction of cargo vessels and oil tankers was the most important result of the raid, as these contributed to closing a supply route which was vital to the Japanese war effort. (Full article...)

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In the news

Qaboos bin Said Al Said

In Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said is named the country's new ruler after his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said (pictured), dies at the age of 79.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, killing all 176 people on board.
After a U.S. airstrike kills Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, at least 56 people die in a stampede during his burial procession in Kerman, and Iranian forces attack two military bases in Iraq.

On this day

January 12: Zanzibar Revolution Day in Tanzania (1964)

Damage to the National Palace in Port-au-Prince

1777 – Mission Santa Clara de Asís, a Spanish mission in California that formed the basis of both the city of Santa Clara and Santa Clara University, was established by the Franciscans.
1895 – The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was founded.
1911 – The University of the Philippines College of Law, from which many leading Filipino political figures have since graduated, was founded in Quezon City.
1964 – Rebels led by John Okello overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah, ending 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.
2010 – An earthquake registering 7.0 M_w struck Haiti (damage pictured), affecting an estimated three million people.

Rosalba Carriera (b. 1673) · Laura Adams Armer (b. 1874) · Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)

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Today's featured picture

François-Henri d'Harcourt (12 January 1726 – 22 July 1802) was a French general, administrator and peer of the realm. Living in turbulent times, he emigrated to Britain during the French Revolution and became a representative of Louis XVIII to the British government.

This picture is a half-length oil-on-canvas portrait, painted around 1769 by French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, depicting d'Harcourt looking over his left shoulder. One of Fragonard's Fantastical Portraits, it was sold in 1971 for £340,000 (equivalent to £3,972,000 in 2016), when the d'Harcourt family collection was dispersed. It was sold again in 2013 for £17,106,500, setting a world-record price for the artist at auction.

Painting credit: Jean-Honoré Fragonard

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