Wikipedia:Main Page history/2022 October 13
From today's featured article
Adiantum viridimontanum, the Green Mountain maidenhair fern, is a rare fern found in outcrops of serpentine rock in New England and Quebec. It is named after the site of its discovery in the Green Mountains in Vermont. Until 1991, it was grouped with the western maidenhair fern A. aleuticum, which itself was classified as a variety of the northern maidenhair fern A. pedatum. A. viridimontanum is a hybrid species and the other two ferns are distinct species, although it is difficult to distinguish between the three in the field. Due to the limited distribution of A. viridimontanum and its similarity to other species, little is known of its ecology. It thrives on sunny, disturbed areas where ultramafic rock is covered with thin soil, such as roadcuts, talus slopes, and asbestos mines. Individual plants seem long-lived, and new ones only infrequently reach maturity. One of four species endemic to serpentine in eastern North America, it is considered vulnerable due to its habitat restrictions. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
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- ... that the eight original Francis turbines of Kraftwerk Heimbach (pictured), a hydro-electric power station that opened in 1905 as then the largest in Europe, served until 1974?
- ... that Galadriel's gift of some of her hair to Gimli in The Lord of the Rings has echoes in both English literature and Norse legend?
- ... that the English River within the East English River Provincial Park has no regulated flow and no pollution, unique in northwestern Ontario?
- ... that Ruth Huenemann was one of the first researchers to make a connection between socioeconomic status and childhood obesity?
- ... that Windows 2.0 is the last version of Windows that ran solely on floppy disks?
- ... that Songbird Sings was a series of concerts that focused on Regine Velasquez's music career?
- ... that Miguel Rivera sold cosmetics and appliances while working as a jockey?
- ... that a TV station in Buffalo, New York, owned a 1921-vintage fire engine?
In the news
- Hurricane Julia leaves more than 70 people dead across South and Central America.
- After an explosion damages the Crimean Bridge, Russia attacks many Ukrainian cities with missiles.
- In motor racing, Max Verstappen (pictured) wins the Formula One World Championship.
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi, Karl Barry Sharpless, and Morten P. Meldal for their work on click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.
On this day
- 645 – Goguryeo–Tang War: Led by Emperor Taizong, the Tang army was forced to abandon a siege of Ansi Fortress.
- 1307 – Agents of King Philip IV of France launched a raid on the Knights Templar at dawn, arresting many members, subsequently torturing them into giving false confessions and burning them at the stake.
- 1972 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed into a remote area in the Andes mountains near the border of Chile and Argentina; the 16 remaining survivors were not rescued until more than two months later.
- 2011 – The Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (pictured) married Jetsun Pema at the Punakha Dzong.
- Jamal Khashoggi (b. 1958)
- Walter Houser Brattain (d. 1987)
- Yuta Watanabe (b. 1994)
Today's featured picture
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The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft), and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb). The Komodo dragon prefers hot and dry places, and typically lives in dry, open grassland, savanna, and tropical forest at low elevations. As an ectotherm, it is most active in the day, although it exhibits some nocturnal activity. Komodo dragons are solitary, coming together only to breed and eat. They are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 20 km/h (12 mph), diving up to 4.5 metres (15 ft), and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws. To catch out-of-reach prey, it may stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support. As it matures, its claws are used primarily as weapons, as its great size makes climbing impractical. This photograph of two Komodo dragons fighting was taken on the island of Rinca, within Komodo National Park. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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