Wikipedia:Today's featured list/October 2012
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October 1
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates is a list of highly endangered primate species selected and published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group, the International Primatological Society, and Conservation International. The countries with the most species on the list are Madagascar and Vietnam with five species each, and Indonesia with four species. The list has been published five times, with seven species appearing on all five lists: the silky sifaka (pictured), Delacour's langur, golden-headed langur, grey-shanked douc, Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, Cross River gorilla, and Sumatran orangutan. The two greatest threats that primates face are habitat loss and hunting. More specifically, threats listed in the report include deforestation, forest fragmentation, small population sizes, live capture for the exotic pet trade, and hunting for bushmeat and traditional medicine. (Full list...)
October 8
The order of battle at the Battle of Camperdown was made up of a British fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter. The Battle of Camperdown was an important British naval victory of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought off Camperduin on the North Holland coast on 11 October 1797. The French Republic had overrun the Dutch Republic two years earlier, reforming it into the Batavian Republic. The battle commenced when, in a confused mass, the British attacked the Dutch line of battle in shallow coastal waters. The British ships separated into two groups that struck the vanguard and rear of the Dutch fleet, overwhelming each in turn and capturing eleven ships, including de Winter's flagship Vrijheid. Although both fleets fought hard, they were suffering from popular unrest; the Spithead and Nore mutinies in Britain continued to overshadow the Navy, while the sailors of the Dutch Navy were unhappy with French dominion and, in marked difference to their officers, were generally supporters of the exiled House of Orange. (Full list...)
October 15
Many events considered central to our modern understanding of chemistry are also considered key discoveries in other scientific and technological fields. Chemistry is therefore often referred to as "the central science", and its history can be traced back to the earliest recorded history. Early ideas that later became incorporated into the modern science of chemistry come from two main sources. Natural philosophers, such as Aristotle and Democritus, used deductive reasoning in an attempt to explain the behavior of the world around them. Alchemists, such as Geber (pictured) and Rhazes, used experimental techniques in an attempt to extend the life or perform material conversions, such as turning base metals into gold. In the 17th century, the synthesis of the ideas of these two disciplines led to the development of a process of thinking known as the scientific method, whereby the modern science of chemistry was born. (Full list...)
October 22
The Sultans of Zanzibar were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan, who had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the Sultan of Oman since 1804. Two of Said bin Sultan's sons, Majid bin Said (pictured) and Thuwaini bin Said, struggled over the succession, so Zanzibar and Oman were divided into two separate principalities; Thuwaini became the Sultan of Oman while Majid became the first Sultan of Zanzibar. With the signing of the Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty in 1890 during Ali bin Said's reign, Zanzibar became a British protectorate. In December 1963, Zanzibar was granted independence by the United Kingdom and became a constitutional monarchy under the Sultan. Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown a month later during the Zanzibar Revolution. The Sultanate was replaced by the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba which, in April 1964, united with Tanganyika to form what became known as Tanzania six months later. (Full list...)
October 29
Thirty-nine centuries have been scored by Mohammad Yousuf (pictured) during his career in international cricket. Yousuf is a Pakistani batsman who made his Test debut in 1998 against South Africa at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban. His first Test century came the same year against Zimbabwe at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. He holds the world record for the most number of runs in Test cricket during a calendar year, scoring 1,788 runs in 11 Tests during 2006. He scored nine international centuries in 2006, also a world record for a calendar year. Starting his One Day International (ODI) career in October 1998 against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club, Yousuf's first ODI century came against Australia in the same year at the Gaddafi Stadium. As of 2012, he is tenth in the list of century-makers in international cricket, all formats of the game combined. (Full list...)