Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 January 21b

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

O. kokomoensis

Onychopterella was a predatory aquatic arthropod of the order of eurypterids, often called sea scorpions. Fossils of the species O. kokomoensis (pictured) and O. pumilus have been found in the United States, and fossils of O. augusti in South Africa. Onychopterella (from Greek for 'claw wing') lived from the Late Ordovician to the Late Silurian, from 444 to 422 million years ago. The head was almost rectangular, with bean-shaped compound eyes. The limbs were generally long and narrow with a spine on the tip, and the body was ornamented with small, pointed scales. Lengths ranged from 16 cm (6.3 in) for O. kokomoensis to 4 cm (1.6 in) for O. pumilus. Onychopterella was able to swim, and probably able to walk on the seabed with its spines and dig with its head. The best-preserved specimens of O. augusti show similarities to modern scorpions in their alimentary canal, limb musculature and respiratory system. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Model of the Kłodzko Synagogue

... that the Kłodzko Synagogue, destroyed in 1938 during Kristallnacht, has been commemorated in a cast-aluminum sculpture model (pictured)?
... that James Stephen, who designed several schools listed on the National Register of Historic Places, received his architectural training through a correspondence course?
... that the lizard goby holds on to rocks in fast-flowing water by means of a "sucker" formed from two fins?
... that Ustad Qasim has been described as the "father of Afghan music"?
... that the UT Arlington Mavericks women's wheelchair basketball team played its inaugural 2013–14 season without any substitute players?
... that Jutta Hering-Winckler, a lawyer from Minden whose grandfather saw the premiere of Wagner's Ring cycle, "made the impossible possible" by organizing Der Ring in Minden?
... that upon the demise of WFAN-TV in Washington, D.C., its owner took out a full-page newspaper advertisement declaring that the station had been "choked to death" by an inability to upgrade its signal?
... that Klepetan and Malena have been described as "Croatia's most unusual love story"?

In the news

Mikhail Mishustin

In China, a new strain of coronavirus infects more than three hundred people, killing at least six.
Mikhail Mishustin (pictured) is appointed Prime Minister of Russia following the resignation of Dmitry Medvedev and his cabinet.
Scientists announce that presolar stardust grains in the Murchison meteorite formed five to seven billion years ago, and are the oldest solid material found on Earth to date.

On this day

January 21

DMC DeLorean

1789 – The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, widely considered to be the first American novel, was published.
1919 – The First Dáil convened at the Mansion House in Dublin and adopted a declaration of independence calling for the establishment of the Irish Republic.
1941 – World War II: Sparked by the murder of a German officer on the previous day in Bucharest, Romania, members of the Iron Guard began a rebellion and pogrom.
1968 – Cold War: A B-52 bomber carrying four nuclear weapons crashed onto sea ice near Thule Air Base, Greenland, causing localized radioactive contamination.
1981 – The DeLorean Motor Company completed the first production car of the DMC DeLorean (example pictured).

Anna Morandi Manzolini (b. 1714) · Joseph Wolf (b. 1820) · Cecil B. DeMille (d. 1959)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The underground station Rochusplatz on the Cologne Stadtbahn, a light rail system in the German city of Cologne. The station entrance is at the junction of Venloer Straße with Äußere Kanalstraße in the district of Ehrenfeld. It was opened in 1992 and consists of a mezzanine and one island platform with two rail tracks. The station was previously known as Äußere Kanalstraße, but was renamed to its present title on 15 December 2019. The system uses pairs of K5000/K5200 units built by Bombardier Transportation, which are almost identical to the M5000 trams used by Metrolink in Manchester, England.

Photograph credit: Martin Falbisoner

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.