Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 September 13

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Today's featured article
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock. Oldham is surrounded by several smaller towns which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, of which Oldham is the administrative centre. Historically a part of Lancashire, and with little early history to speak of, Oldham rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and among the first ever industrialised towns, rapidly becoming "one of the most important centres of cotton and textile industries in England". At its zenith, it was the most productive cotton spinning mill town in the world, spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined. Oldham's textile industry began to fall into decline during the mid-20th century, and its last mill closed in 1998. The demise of textile processing in Oldham depressed the local economy. Today Oldham is a predominantly residential town, and a centre for further education and the performing arts. It is, however, still distinguished architecturally by the surviving cotton mills and other buildings associated with that industry. (more...) Recently featured: William S. Sadler – Daspletosaurus – Monteverdi's lost operas Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that of the two roller coasters in New Jersey named "Jumbo Jet"—one closed without a single rider, and another was sold for two rail cars of ketchup to a Soviet amusement park (pictured)? ... that the investigation into the murder of Celine Figard saw the UK's first national DNA screening programme in the hunt for a suspect? ... that Steven Rodriguez became the first player selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft to reach the major leagues? ... that the Madras State awarded 75 acres (30 ha; 0.117 sq mi) to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for the establishment of Central Leather Research Institute? ... that before the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary began operations in 1934 there was a citadel on Alcatraz Island? ... that nearly half the students in the Harvard "Introduction to Congress" course were implicated in a cheating investigation? ... that tenor Martin Petzold, a former member of the boys' choir Thomanerchor and a singer of Bach's Evangelist parts with the group, co-published 800 Years Thomana? ... that two men and a dog died during the 1909 Portola Road Race in Oakland, California? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
In Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, U.S. diplomatic missions are attacked, causing the deaths of four people in Libya, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens (pictured). At the US Open Tennis Championships, Serena Williams wins the women's singles and Andy Murray wins the men's singles. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicts fugitive Iraqi vice president Tariq al-Hashimi in absentia for his involvement in the murder of two people and sentences him to death. The Chess Olympiad concludes with Armenia winning the open and Russia winning the women's section of the tournament. The South Korean film Pietà, written and directed by Kim Ki-duk, wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Syrian civil war – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
September 13: Feast Day of Saint John Chrysostom (Western Christianity) 509 BC – The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Capitoline Hill, the most important temple in Ancient Rome, was dedicated. 1229 – Ögedei Khan (pictured), the third son of Genghis Khan, was proclaimed Khagan of the Mongol Empire. 1759 – Seven Years' War: British forces defeated the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, New France, though General James Wolfe was mortally wounded. 1848 – An explosion drove a large iron rod completely through the head of Phineas P. Gage, making him an important early case of brain damage affecting personality and behavior. 1964 – South Vietnamese Generals Lam Van Phat and Duong Van Duc staged a coup attempt after junta leader Nguyen Khanh demoted them. 1987 – A radioactive item was scavenged from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, resulting in four deaths and serious contamination in 249 others. More anniversaries: September 12 – September 13 – September 14 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now September 13, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

$Lyapunov fractal$

A rendering of a Lyapunov fractal, a type of bifurcational fractal named after Russian mathematician Aleksandr Lyapunov. A Lyapunov fractal is constructed by mapping the regions of stability and chaotic behaviour between two values A and B. In the image, yellow corresponds to stability, and blue represents chaos.

Image: BernardH

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