Wikipedia:Main Page history/2024 February 11b
From today's featured article
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Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale (1626–1698), was a prominent figure amongst 17th-century English and Scottish nobility, known for her beauty, influence and involvement in the politics and arts of her time. Born Elizabeth Murray, she was raised in court circles during the years leading up to the English Civil War and received a well-rounded education from her parents. She had eleven children by her first husband, Lionel Tollemache, five of whom survived to adulthood. Upon her father's death she inherited Ham House – her childhood home – as well as his titles, becoming Countess of Dysart and Lady Huntingtower. During the Interregnum, she was involved with efforts to restore the monarchy. After Lionel's death she married John Maitland, a close advisor to Charles II, bringing her into the heart of politics. She later became Duchess of Lauderdale. During their marriage, they substantially remodelled Ham House, filling it with luxury furnishings and artwork. Elizabeth died there in 1698. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that the terracotta statue of George Washington (pictured) by the Danish-American sculptor Nels N. Alling was entirely funded by the local Scandinavian community?
- ... that Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester, began the construction of the modern Winchester Cathedral in 1079?
- ... that New York store Yun Hai raised nine times its fundraising target to support Taiwanese farmers after China banned the import of their pineapples?
- ... that Ukrainians Nadia Smyrnytska, Maria Kalyuzhnaya and Maria Kovalevska joined other prisoners in committing suicide to protest against the abuse of imprisoned women in Kara katorga?
- ... that Heinrich Nidecker accused Samuel Taylor Coleridge of having committed plagiarism in his philosophical tract Theory of Life?
- ... that Cliff Davis spent $53 during his 1960 campaign for a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives?
- ... that Sky Above Clouds IV was inspired by a large, blank white wall?
- ... that a species of butterfly was named in honor of an Inuit interpreter?
In the news
- Irakli Kobakhidze (pictured) succeeds Irakli Garibashvili as the prime minister of Georgia.
- On the eve of the Pakistani general election, at least 28 people are killed in two Islamic State bombings targeting political campaign offices in Balochistan.
- Former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera dies in a helicopter crash at the age of 74.
- In Senegal, the upcoming presidential election is postponed, prompting protests from the opposition.
- Nangolo Mbumba succeeds Hage Geingob as the president of Namibia, following the latter's death at the age of 82.
On this day
February 11: National Foundation Day (Japan) (660 BC)
- 1826 – London University, later University College London (pictured), was founded as the first secular university in England.
- 1851 – As part of celebrations marking the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, the inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia began at the Launceston Racecourse in Tasmania.
- 1976 – The Frente de Liberación Homosexual made their final public appearance, shortly before the group's dissolution due to political repression after the 1976 Argentine coup d'état.
- 2001 – The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
- Thomas Edison (b. 1847)
- Helene Kröller-Müller (b. 1869)
- Keith Holyoake (b. 1904)
- Jennifer Aniston (b. 1969)
Today's featured picture
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Stellerite is a rare mineral discovered by and named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer and zoologist. The mineral has the general formula Ca[Al2Si7O18]·7H2O. Like most rare minerals, there are few commercial uses for stellerite other than as part of mineral collections, although it has been studied along with other zeolites using a dehydration process, to gauge the potential use of their phases as molecular sieves, sorbents, and catalysts. This stellerite crystal measuring 5.5 cm × 4 cm × 2.5 cm (2.17 in × 1.57 in × 0.98 in) was found in Imilchil, Morocco. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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